[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 50 (Thursday, March 14, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9383-9384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-04731]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics


Information Collection Activities, Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be 
provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial 
resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, 
and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be 
properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting 
comments concerning the proposed revision of the ``The Consumer 
Expenditure Surveys: The Quarterly Interview and the Diary.'' A copy of 
the proposed information collection request can be obtained by 
contacting the individual listed below in the Addresses section of this 
notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
Addresses section of this notice on or before May 13, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also 
may be transmitted by fax to 202-691-5111 (this is not a toll free 
number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
at 202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number). (See ADDRESSES 
section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Consumer Expenditure (CE) Surveys collect data on consumer 
expenditures, demographic information, and related data needed by the 
Consumer Price Index (CPI) and other public and private data users. The 
continuing surveys provide a constant measurement of changes in 
consumer expenditure patterns for economic analysis and to obtain data 
for future CPI revisions. The CE Surveys have been ongoing since 1979.
    The data from the CE Surveys are used (1) for CPI revisions, (2) to 
provide a continuous flow of data on income and expenditure patterns 
for use in economic analysis and policy formulation, and (3) to provide 
a flexible consumer survey vehicle that is available for use by other 
Federal government agencies. Public and private users of price 
statistics, including Congress and the economic policymaking agencies 
of the Executive branch, rely on data collected in the CPI in their 
day-to-day activities. Hence, data users and policymakers widely accept 
the need to improve the process used for revising the CPI. If the CE 
Surveys were not conducted on a continuing basis, current information 
necessary for more timely, as well as more accurate, updating of the 
CPI would not be available. In addition, data would not be available to 
respond to the continuing demand from the public and private sectors 
for current information on consumer spending.
    In the Quarterly Interview Survey (CEQ), each consumer unit (CU) in 
the sample is interviewed every three months over four calendar 
quarters. The sample for each quarter is divided into three panels, 
with CUs being interviewed every three months in the same panel of 
every quarter. The CEQ Survey is designed to collect data on the types 
of expenditures that respondents can be expected to recall for a period 
of three months or longer. In general the expenses reported in the 
Interview Survey are either relatively large, such as property, 
automobiles, or major appliances, or are expenses which occur on a 
fairly regular basis, such as rent, utility bills, or insurance 
premiums.
    The Diary (or recordkeeping) Survey (CED) is completed at home by 
the respondent family for two consecutive one-week periods. The primary 
objective of the CED is to obtain expenditure data on small, frequently 
purchased items which normally are difficult to recall over longer 
periods of time.

[[Page 9384]]

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget approval is being sought for the 
proposed revision of the Consumer Expenditure Surveys: The Quarterly 
Interview and the Diary.
    As part of an ongoing effort to improve data quality, maintain or 
increase response rates, and reduce data collection costs, CE is 
seeking clearance for the Large Scale Feasibility Test(LSF) of Online 
Diaries. CE is also requesting clearance for an increase in the sample 
sizes of both the CEQ and CED surveys to support CPI.
    A production sample of 2,500 cases will be used in the LSF Online 
Diary test. In order to accommodate LSF Online Diary test, several 
modifications will be made to production procedures and collection 
including the addition of two question relating to internet access, 
implementation of an online Diary, and the addition of debriefing 
questions. The study will be fielded from October 2019 to March 2020 
with an expected 1,200 completed cases. The large sample size is needed 
in order to perform statistically significant analysis of any 
differences in data quality between the online diaries and production 
(paper) diaries prior to full production implementation. The study 
sample will be further divided into two groups, with one group 
receiving a $5 incentive.
    The CPI program is changing its source of outlet frame information 
from the Telephone Point of Purchase Survey (TPOPS) to the CEQ and CED 
surveys. As a result, the sample size for the CE surveys will increase.

III. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility.
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used.
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.
    Title of Collection: The Consumer Expenditure Surveys: The 
Quarterly Interview and the Diary.
    OMB Number: 1220-0050.
    Type of Review: Revision, of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households.

                       Total Response Burden for the Quarterly Interview and Diary Surveys
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                                                                                   Average time
                                       Total         Frequency         Total       per response      Estimated
                                    respondents                      responses       (minutes)     total burden
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Quarterly Interview Survey......           6.067          4.4799          27,180           63.57          28,798
Diary Survey....................           7,734          4.1836          32,356           43.65          23,539
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    Totals......................          13,801  ..............          59,536  ..............          52,337
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    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a 
matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on March 11, 2019.
Mark Staniorski,
Division Chief, Division of Management Systems Bureau of Labor 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2019-04731 Filed 3-13-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-24-P