[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 26, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75971-75972]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-31002]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; The American 
Community Survey 2014 Content Change

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before February 25, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Cheryl Chambers, U.S. Census Bureau, American 
Community Survey Office, Washington, DC 20233 by FAX to (301) 763-8070 
or via the Internet at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The American Community Survey (ACS) collects detailed population 
and housing data every month and provides tabulations of these data on 
a yearly basis. In the past, the long-form data were collected only at 
the time of each decennial census. After years of development and 
testing, the ACS began full implementation in households in January 
2005 and in Group Quarters (GQs) in January 2006.
    The ACS provides more timely information for critical economic 
planning by governments and the private sector. In the current 
information-based economy, federal, state, tribal, and local decision 
makers, as well as private business and non-governmental organizations, 
need current, reliable, and comparable socioeconomic data to chart the 
future. In 2006, the ACS began publishing up-to-date profiles of 
American communities every year, providing policymakers, planners, and 
service providers in the public and private sectors this information 
every year-not just every ten years.
    The ACS released estimates of population and housing 
characteristics for geographic areas of all sizes in December 2010. 
These data products, used by federal agencies and others, are similar 
in scope to the Summary File 3 tables from Census 2000.
    In April 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services 
requested that OMB and Census consider the addition of a health 
insurance exchange or premium subsidy question to the ACS. The proposed 
new question would focus on individuals securing health insurance 
through the state exchanges, with particular attention to those 
receiving a premium subsidy. This question would secure information 
critical to the Department's, the Administration's and states' 
planning, implementation and evaluation of the role of the health 
insurance exchanges and the provision of subsidies to eligible 
individuals and families; as well as provisions of the Patient 
Protection and Accountable Care Act (ACA) slated for full 
implementation beginning in

[[Page 75972]]

    CY 2014. The new question would be in addition to and not a 
replacement of the current ACS health insurance question. In response 
to this request, the Census Bureau conducted qualitative testing in 
2012 of an additional question related to subsidized premiums for 
health insurance. Based on the results of that testing, the Census 
Bureau is considering adding this topic to the ACS questionnaire in 
2014.
    The Census Bureau is also considering a modification to the ACS 
question on race for implementation in 2014. Based on testing conducted 
in parallel with the 2010 Census called the Alternative Questionnaire 
Experiment, the Census Bureau saw no negative impact in modifying the 
categories to the race question by removing the term ``Negro'' from the 
category ``Black, African American, or Negro.'' Given this finding, and 
previous negative feedback provided to the Census Bureau on the 
inclusion of this term in this category, the Census Bureau is proposing 
removing this term from this category in the 2014 ACS.
    In an effort to enhance the value of data on vacant housing units, 
the Census Bureau is considering the expansion of the vacancy status 
categories from which Field Representatives (FRs) can choose as they 
try to determine the status of vacant housing units. Data users have 
expressed a strong interest in knowing the composition of the ``Other 
Vacant'' category, which can be as high as 30 percent of vacant housing 
units and which may contain a substantial number of housing units in 
the so-called ``shadow inventory'' of housing units that may come on 
the market at some point for rent or for sale.

II. Method of Collection

    The Census Bureau will mail survey instruction materials to 
households selected for the ACS. The materials will instruct the 
residents to complete the ACS questionnaire online. For households that 
do not complete the online questionnaire, Census Bureau staff will then 
mail out a questionnaire package. For households that complete neither 
an online form nor a paper form, Census Bureau staff will attempt to 
conduct interviews via Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). 
Census Bureau staff will also conduct Computer-Assisted Personal 
Interviewing (CAPI) for a sub sample of households that do not respond. 
The Census Bureau conducts a content re-interview from a small sample 
of respondents.
    For most types of GQs, Census Bureau FRs will conduct personal 
interviews with respondents to complete questionnaires or, if 
necessary, leave questionnaires and ask respondents to complete. Census 
Bureau staff collects information from GQ contacts via CAPI. Census 
Bureau staff will conduct a GQ contact re-interview from a sample of 
GQs primarily through CATI and a very small percentage via CAPI.
    The Census Bureau staff will provide Telephone Questionnaire 
Assistance (TQA) and if the respondent indicates a desire to complete 
the survey by telephone, the TQA interviewer conducts the interview.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0810.
    Form Number(s): ACS-1, ACS-1(SP), ACS-1(PR), ACS-1(PR)SP, ACS-
1(GQ), ACS-1(PR)(GQ), GQFQ, ACS CATI (HU), ACS CAPI (HU), ACS RI (HU), 
and AGQ QI, AGQ RI.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Individuals, households, and businesses.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: We plan to contact the following 
number of respondents each year: 3,540,000 households; 200,000 persons 
in group quarters; 20,000 contacts in group quarters; 43,000 households 
for re-interview; and 1,500 group quarters contacts for re-interview.
    Estimated Time per Response: Estimates are 40 minutes per 
household, 15 minutes per GQ contact, 25 minutes per resident in GQ, 
and 10 minutes per household or GQ contact in the re-interview samples.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: The estimate is an annual 
average of
    2,337,900 burden hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: Except for their time, there is no 
cost to respondents.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Section 182.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: December 20, 2012.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-31002 Filed 12-21-12; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P