[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 20790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09762]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Current 
Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement

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.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before July 9, 2018.

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 Lisa Cheok, U.S. Census Bureau, ADDP/CPS HQ-
7H136A, Washington, DC 20233-8400, (301) 763-3806 (or via the internet 
at [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau plans to request clearance from the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for the collection of data concerning the 
Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to be conducted in 
conjunction with the February, March, and April Current Population 
Survey (CPS). The Census Bureau has conducted this supplement annually 
for more than 50 years. The Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics sponsor this supplement. The current clearance expires 
December 31, 2018.
    The ASEC data collection was last redesigned in 2015. For 2019, the 
data collection questions and design will remain identical to the 
version fielded since 2015.
    Information on work experience, personal income, noncash benefits, 
current and previous year health insurance coverage, employer-sponsored 
insurance take-up, and migration is collected through the ASEC. The 
work experience items in the ASEC provide a unique measure of the 
dynamic nature of the labor force as viewed over a one-year period. 
These items produce statistics that show movements in and out of the 
labor force by measuring the number of periods of unemployment 
experienced by people, the number of different employers worked for 
during the year, the principal reasons for unemployment, and part-/
full-time attachment to the labor force. We can make indirect 
measurements of discouraged workers and others with a casual attachment 
to the labor market.
    The income data from the ASEC are used by social planners, 
economists, government officials, and market researchers to gauge the 
economic well-being of the country as a whole, and selected population 
groups of interest. Government planners and researchers use these data 
to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of various assistance 
programs. Market researchers use these data to identify and isolate 
potential customers. Social planners use these data to forecast 
economic conditions and to identify special groups that seem to be 
especially sensitive to economic fluctuations. Economists use ASEC data 
to determine the effects of various economic forces, such as inflation, 
recession, recovery, and so on, and their differential effects on 
various population groups.
    The ASEC is the official source of national poverty estimates 
calculated in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget's 
Statistical Policy Directive 14. Two other important national estimates 
derived from the ASEC are real median household income and the number 
and percent of individuals without health insurance coverage.
    The ASEC also contains questions related to: (1) Medical 
expenditures; (2) presence and cost of a mortgage on property; (3) 
child support payments; and (4) amount of child care assistance 
received. These questions enable analysts and policymakers to obtain 
better estimates of family and household income, and more precisely 
gauge poverty status.

II. Method of Collection

    The ASEC information will be collected by both personal visit and 
telephone interviews in conjunction with the regular February, March 
and April CPS interviewing. All interviews are conducted using 
computer-assisted interviewing.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0354.
    Form Number: There are no forms. We conduct all interviewing on 
computers.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Households.
    Frequency: Annually
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 78,000.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 25 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 32,500.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: There are no costs to the 
respondents other than their time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141 and 
182; and Title 29, United States Code, Sections 1-9.

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.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-09762 Filed 5-7-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P