[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 173 (Friday, September 6, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54863-54864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-21736]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census

[Docket Number 130814715-3715-01]


Bureau of the Census Geographically Updated Population 
Certification Program (GUPCP)

AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of program reinstatement.

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SUMMARY: Effective October 1, 2013, the Bureau of the Census (Census 
Bureau) will resume processing applications for certified decennial 
census population and housing unit counts in updated governmental unit 
boundaries. This service, known as the Geographically Updated 
Population Certification Program (GUPCP), was suspended on January 1, 
2008, to accommodate the taking of the 2010 Census (see Notice of 
Suspension, 72 Fed. Reg. 46602 (Aug. 21, 2007)). The resumption of this 
service will provide for certification of 2010 Census population and 
housing unit counts in governmental unit boundaries legally effective 
after the 2010 Census geographic benchmark date of January 1, 2010. 
While the program was originally scheduled for reinstatement in the 
year 2012, resource demands have delayed its relaunch until 2013. 
Resumption of the program continues a fee-based service that the Census 
Bureau has provided since the 1970s. Additional program details, 
including the schedule of fees and application instructions, are 
accessible on the Census Bureau's Web site at: www.census.gov/mso/www/certification.

DATES: Effective Date: October 1, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Darryl Cohen, Population Division, 
U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC 20233-8800, 
(301) 763-2419, or email ([email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Following the 1970 decennial census and 
every decennial census thereafter, the Census Bureau has provided the 
opportunity for county, local, and tribal governments to obtain 
certified population and housing unit counts for areas where the 
boundaries have changed from those used to tabulate the results of the 
immediately preceding decennial census. These changes occur due to 
newly created governmental units (incorporations), additions to 
existing governmental units (annexations), the combination of two 
existing governmental units (merger), or other circumstances. Such 
governmental units are established by law for the purpose of 
implementing specified general- or special-purpose governmental 
functions; the certification process is available to both. Most 
governmental units have legally established boundaries and names and 
have officials (usually elected) who have the power to carry out 
legally prescribed functions, provide services for residents, and raise 
revenues. These are commonly referred to as general-purpose 
governmental units and typically include counties, boroughs, cities, 
towns, villages, townships, and federally recognized American Indian 
reservations. Special-purpose governmental units typically are limited 
to one function, such as school districts. The Census Bureau is issuing 
this notice to reinstate the GUPCP as a centralized system for 
certifying population and housing counts. This service will be a 
permanent process, but one that will be temporarily suspended during 
future decennial censuses. Typically, the Census Bureau will suspend 
this service, and direct its resources to the decennial census, for a 
total of five years--the two years preceding the decennial census, the 
decennial census year, and the two years following it. The Census 
Bureau will issue notices in the Federal Register announcing when it 
suspends and, in turn, resumes the service.
    The Census Bureau first began to certify decennial census 
population counts for updated governmental unit boundaries in 1972 in 
response to the request of local governments to establish eligibility 
for participation in the General Revenue Sharing Program, authorized 
under Public Law 92-152. At that time, the Census Bureau established a 
fee-based program, enabling governmental units with annexations to 
obtain updated decennial census population counts that included the 
population living in annexed areas. The Census Bureau also received 
funding

[[Page 54864]]

from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to make those determinations 
for larger annexations that met prescribed criteria and for newly 
formed general-purpose governmental units.
    The General Revenue Sharing Program ended on September 30, 1986, 
but the certification program continued into 1988 with support from the 
Census Bureau. The program was suspended to accommodate the taking of 
the 1990 decennial census and resumed in 1992. The Census Bureau 
supported the program through fiscal year 1995 for cities with large 
annexations and through fiscal year 1996 for newly incorporated places. 
The program was continued on a fee-basis only until June 1, 1998, at 
which time it was suspended for the 2000 decennial census (see Notice 
of Suspension, 63 FR 27706 (May 20, 1998)). At that time, it was stated 
that the program would resume in three years; however, resumption was 
delayed by continuing resource demands of the 2000 decennial census. In 
2002, the program resumed and continued until January 1, 2008, when it 
was suspended to accommodate the taking of the 2010 Census (see 72 FR 
46602 (Aug. 21, 2007)).
    Although there is no legal requirement that the Census Bureau 
provide this service, there is a demand by governmental units for 2010 
Census population and housing counts certified to reflect boundary 
updates or the formation of new governmental units dated after January 
1, 2010, (the legally effective date for boundaries used in tabulating 
the 2010 Census). Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 8, 
allows the Census Bureau to continue this program by providing certain 
statistical materials (certified population and housing counts) upon 
payment of costs for the service. The Census Bureau is the sole 
provider of this service, which is based on processing individual 2010 
Census enumeration records protected by the confidentiality 
restrictions of Title 13, U.S.C.
    A geographically updated population certification from the Census 
Bureau confirms that an official population count is an accurate 
retabulation of the 2010 Census population as configured for the new 
boundaries. A population certification may be needed for many reasons. 
For example, general-purpose governments may be required by state law 
to produce a Census Bureau population certification for funds 
disbursement from their respective states, or federally sponsored 
programs may require or honor a Census Bureau population certification 
for program eligibility. Special-purpose governmental units also may 
need official certification of census population and housing counts for 
other purposes.
    The Census Bureau is reinstating a fee-based program that will use 
current geographic and demographic programs to support customer 
requests. The final fee structure will reflect variations in resources 
needed to meet customer requirements for certifications of standard 
governmental units, and will be posted on the Census Bureau's Web site 
at: www.census.gov/mso/www/certification. The fees will depend on the 
extent of geographic processing tasks required to complete the 
certification request and on the urgency of the request. There are two 
types of fees, based upon whether the population certificate is 
generated through an annually scheduled geographic update process, or 
is expedited in order to meet customer needs. Requests for 
certifications must contain information on Form BC- 1869(EF), ``Request 
for Geographically Updated Official Population Certification'' (see the 
Census Bureau's Web site, www.census.gov/mso/www/certification). Local 
governments may submit requests for certifications on Form BC-1869(EF) 
to the Census Bureau by email at [email protected] or via 
fax at (301) 763-3842. Form BC-1869(EF) will be available on the Census 
Bureau's Web site at: http://www.census.gov/mso/www/certification. A 
letter or email communication requesting the service without Form BC-
1869(EF) will be accepted only if it contains the information necessary 
to complete a Form BC-1869(EF).

Paperwork Reduction Act

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required 
to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure 
to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements 
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), Title 44, U.S.C., Chapter 35, 
unless that collection of information displays a current Office of 
Management and Budget control number. This notice does not represent a 
collection of information and is not subject to the PRA's requirements. 
The form referenced in the notice, Form BC-1869(EF), will collect only 
information necessary to process a certification request. As such, it 
is not subject to the PRA's requirements.

    Dated: August 29, 2013.
John H. Thompson,
Director, Bureau of the Census.
[FR Doc. 2013-21736 Filed 9-5-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P