[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 121 (Monday, June 24, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37782-37783]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-14987]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Collection of 
State Level Data on Nutrition Assistance

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 August 23, 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 Amy O'Hara, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill 
Road, Room 6H007, Washington, DC 20233 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau's Demonstration of Administrative Records 
Improving Surveys (DARIS) research project began in 2006 during the 
redesign of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). The 
purpose of DARIS was to analyze direct and indirect uses of 
administrative data to enhance survey data. DARIS builds upon ten years 
of administrative data research that has demonstrated its value to 
State and Federal Agencies. Projects including the Medicaid Undercount 
Project, Earned Income Participation Rate Project, and research by the 
Chapin Hall Center at the University of Chicago have compared survey 
and program data. The Census Bureau benefits from these projects and 
the DARIS program by improving survey frames, developing model-based 
edits and allocations, and evaluating data quality over time. 
Collaborating agencies have benefited through access to reports and 
tabulations to better administer their programs.
    Both the Census Bureau and the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of 
the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) would like to build 
on the successes of the DARIS project by encouraging State and District 
of Columbia Agencies to share Nutrition Assistance data with the Census 
Bureau. Data sharing and analysis of linked files are solely for 
statistical purposes, not for enforcement purposes. The Nutrition 
Assistance data are and will remain confidential, whether in their 
original form or when comingled or linked.
    The Census Bureau will link the Nutrition Assistance data with 
other records at the Census Bureau, including but not limited to data 
from the SIPP, Current Population Survey, and the American Community 
Survey. The

[[Page 37783]]

linked data will be used to conduct research designed to help the 
Census Bureau improve its methods of collecting program participation 
data, as well as its record linking methods. This linkage will be 
accomplished using a unique linkage identifier called a Protected 
Identification Key (PIK). After the linkage is achieved, Personally 
Identifiable Information will be removed from the linked files. 
Processing to assign a PIK to each person record involves matching 
based on name, address, sex, date of birth, and Social Security Number 
(SSN) data. While States may share SSN for Nutrition Assistance 
recipients to improve the quality of the matching process, most Census 
Bureau surveys do not collect SSN thereby precluding an exact match. 
The validation of data processing and PIK process has been used by 
other internal and external Census Bureau research projects. Only 
Census Bureau staff conducting the record linkage will have access to 
files with the Personally Identifiable Information, and access to those 
files assigned a PIK will be limited to those with a need to know.
    The Census Bureau will return tabulated Nutrition Assistance data 
to the FNS and the participating State Agencies. This information will 
help FNS and the State Agencies develop better measures of poverty, 
analyze the demographic characteristics of participants, review 
enrollment rates for those eligible for assistance, and analyze the 
effects of state programs on a variety of outcomes. The Census Bureau 
will benefit by using the Nutrition Assistance data to improve its 
Title 13, U.S. Code (U.S.C), authorized censuses and surveys. The 
Census Bureau will evaluate the quality of the linked data to: Improve 
Census Bureau household survey coverage; provide a basis for improving 
Census Bureau demographic survey program participation questions; gain 
a greater understanding of data quality collected in Census Bureau 
household surveys on food assistance program participation, household 
composition and income; and evaluate and improve data linking software 
and techniques in USDA food assistance program participation research.

II. Method of Collection

    The Census Bureau will contact the State Agencies to discuss the 
research proposal and use of state agency administrative records. The 
State Agencies will set up agreements with the Census Bureau to provide 
Nutrition Assistance data. The State Agency will transfer State 
nutrition administrative records to the Census Bureau via secure File 
Transfer Protocol or appropriately encrypted CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. When 
the Census Bureau receives data from the source files, the data are 
processed to validate identifying information and unique person and 
address-matching identifiers appended. The administrative records data 
are then compared to current demographic survey data to evaluate 
coverage of the survey frame, assess data quality, and produce research 
papers. The Nutrition Assistance data will also be integrated into the 
Center for Administrative Records, Research and Applications (CARRA) 
administrative records infrastructure.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: None.
    Form Number: Information will be collected in the form of a data 
transfer to the Census Bureau. No form will be used.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: State governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 51.
    Estimated Time per Response: 75 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,825 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $80,325.
    Respondents Obligation: Voluntary.

    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. Section 6 and 8(b).

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: June 19, 2013.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-14987 Filed 6-21-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P