[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 97 (Tuesday, May 19, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29922-29923]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10650]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Household Pulse 
Survey

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 a 
proposed new information collection of the Household Pulse Survey 
During COVID-19 Epidemic, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before July 20, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Cassandra A. Logan, Survey 
Director, Household Pulse Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill 
Road, ADDP, HQ-7H157, Washington, DC 20233 (or via the internet at 
[email protected]). You may also submit comments, identified by 
Docket Number USBC-2020-0013, to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: 
http://www.regulations.gov. All comments received are part of the 
public record. No comments will be posted to http://www.regulations.gov 
for public viewing until after the comment period has closed. Comments 
will generally be posted without change. All Personally Identifiable 
Information (for example, name and address) voluntarily submitted by 
the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential 
Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. 
You may submit attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft Word, 
Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Cassandra A. Logan, U.S. Census Bureau, ADDP HQ-
7H157, Washington, DC 20233-8400, (301) 763-1087 (or via the internet 
at [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau has developed the Household Pulse Survey as an 
experimental endeavor in cooperation with five other federal agencies. 
Conducting the Household Pulse Survey during the COVID-19 pandemic will 
allow the federal statistical system to demonstrate proof of concept 
with respect to its ability to produce near real-time data in a time of 
urgent and acute need. Changes in these measures over time will provide 
insight into individuals' experiences on social and economic dimensions 
during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic. This survey, conducted 
under the auspices of the Census Bureau's Experimental Data Series 
(https://www.census.gov/data/experimental-data-products.html), is 
designed to supplement the federal statistical system's traditional 
benchmark data products with a new data source that provides relevant 
and timely information based on a high quality sample frame, data 
integration, and cooperative expertise.
    Given the urgency of circumstances associated with the pandemic, 
the Census Bureau sought emergency clearance from the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB), which OMB granted on April 19, 2020 (OMB 
No. 0607-1013). The documentation submitted to OMB for Information 
Collection Review is available at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewDocument?ref_nbr=202004-0607-005.
    Question domains contributed by the Census Bureau (Census), 
Economic Research Service (ERS), Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), National Center for 
Education Statistics (NCES), and the Department of Housing (HUD) seek 
to measure employment status, consumer spending, food security, 
housing, health, and education disruptions. Many of the questions that 
will be asked on this survey have been fielded on other surveys in the 
past. However, some of the questions are new, designed to explore 
potential impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic response.

II. Method of Collection

    The Census Bureau will conduct this information collection online 
using Qualtrics as the data collection platform. Qualtrics currently is 
used at the Census Bureau for research and development surveys and 
provides the necessary agility to deploy the Household Pulse Survey 
quickly and securely. It operates in the Gov Cloud, is FedRAMP 
authorized at the moderate level, and has an Authority to Operate from 
the Census Bureau to collect personally identifiable and Title-
protected data.
    The Census Bureau will sample approximately 2,159,000 housing 
units, with an additional approximately 1,100,000 housing units each 
subsequent week of data collection. The survey was initiated starting 
April 23, 2020, and is planned to take place over the course of 12 
weeks. Households will be contacted via email and/or SMS text asked to 
complete approximately 50 questions focused on employment, spending, 
food security, housing, health and educational disruption. The survey 
was estimated to take 20 minutes.
    Weekly survey estimates will be produced by weighting the results 
to the estimate of the occupied number of housing units from the 
American Community Survey at the geographic levels of the nation, 
state, and metropolitan area. The Census Bureau expects to refine its 
weighting processes over time to make better use of available 
information and to reduce nonresponse bias in the estimates.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-1013.
    Form Number(s): There are no forms. All data collection is web-
based.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: People and Households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The total number of respondents is 
estimated at 108,000 per week for 12 weeks for a total of estimated 
1,296,000 respondents.
    Estimated Time per Response: 20 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 427,794.

[[Page 29923]]

    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. (This is not the cost of 
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for 
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to 
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services 
required specifically by the collection.)
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 8(b), 182 
and 196.

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,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-10650 Filed 5-18-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P