[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 97 (Tuesday, May 19, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29925-29926]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10657]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act.
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: 2021 Government Units Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0930.
    Form Number(s): The GUS will utilize a secure, electronic 
collection instrument and have four paths based on the type of 
government.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement, with change.
    Number of Respondents: 43,454.
    Average Hours per Response: 15 minutes.
    Burden Hours: 10,864.
    Needs and Uses: This information request covers the 2021 Government 
Units Survey (GUS), which is the first component mailed for the 2022 
Census of Governments. The Census Bureau will use information from the 
2021 GUS to update its universe list of public sector entities prior to 
mailing the other Census of Governments components. Each of the 
estimated 43,454 local governments to be contacted, including 
independent school districts, will receive login information to 
complete the questionnaire online. Respondents are asked to verify or 
correct the name and mailing address of the government and answer up to 
seven questions to complete the survey. Respondents will skip questions 
depending on the type of government.
    The 2021 GUS will target townships in 14 states, special districts 
in 40 states, and all independent school districts and educational 
service authorities (ESA). The scope for 2021 GUS collection is scaled 
back in comparison to the 2016 GUS collection operation. For greater 
efficiency, the 2021 GUS seeks information only from government units 
for which it is difficult to collect this information via other 
methods, such as internet research. The 2021 GUS consists predominately 
of yes/no type questions designed to determine whether a government 
unit is in operation and verify contact information. Other questions 
collect information about the government unit's function, legal 
organization, and other characteristics. This set of questions consists 
of checkbox and drop-down menu selections.
    The GUS serves multiple purposes. The GUS is a direct means to 
obtain

[[Page 29926]]

descriptive information on basic characteristics of governments; to 
identify and delete dissolved units on the Census Bureau universe 
frame; to identify duplicate units and changes to hierarchal structure; 
to update and verify government unit mailing addresses and contacts; 
and to update school unit information on the universe frame for other 
public sector surveys at the Census Bureau that reference this 
universe. In addition, the 2021 GUS provides critical information 
needed to maintain the frame from which all public sector surveys are 
drawn. The GUS is particularly beneficial for identifying smaller units 
that have not been selected in an annual survey conducted in non-census 
years. GUS is also beneficial in identifying changes to the universe of 
special district governments that experience substantial change in a 
five-year period.
    In addition, federal legislation relevant to the American 
workforce, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Family Medical 
Leave Act, refer to the list of governments the Census Bureau maintains 
for purposes of administering provisions of these laws. The Bureau of 
Justice Statistics maintains an interest in the list of active 
governments and their activities for purposes of administering grant 
programs. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) uses products from the 
Census of Governments including the counts of state and local 
governments, and state and local government employment and payroll 
data. BEA also uses revenue, expenditures, debt, and financial assets 
data from the Census of Governments for principal inputs to the local 
government portion of their Gross Domestic Product publication. Users 
from academia, research organizations, governments, public interest 
groups, and various businesses provide evidence of their interest 
through requests for information and requests for assistance in 
accessing government universe information available on the Census 
Bureau's internet website.
    Affected Public: State, local or Tribal governments.
    Frequency: One time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 161 and 193.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce 
collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of 
this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently 
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search 
function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB 
Control Number 0607-0930.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-10657 Filed 5-18-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P