[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 129 (Monday, July 6, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40198-40199]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-14411]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; 2020 Public Use Microdata Areas Program

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the 
proposed new information collection of the 2020 Public Use Microdata 
Areas Program, prior to the submission of the information collection 
request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before September 4, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference ``2020 Public 
Use Microdata Areas Program'' in the subject line of your comments. You 
may also submit comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2020-0015, 
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 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Robin A. Pennington, Decennial Census Management Division, Program 
Management Office, by phone at 301-763-8132 or by email to 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    Public Use Microdata Areas, or PUMAs, are nonoverlapping, 
statistical geographic areas that partition each state or equivalent 
entity into geographic areas containing no fewer than 100,000 people 
each. They cover the entirety of the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, 
and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Census Bureau defines PUMAs for the 
tabulation and dissemination of Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) 
data. Additionally, the American Community Survey and Puerto Rico 
Community Survey use them to disseminate their respective period 
estimates.
    The Census Bureau invites State Data Centers from each state, the 
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to delineate PUMAs. States or 
equivalent entities with less than 200,000 people (e.g., Guam and U.S. 
Virgin Islands) are not eligible to participate because their 
populations do not meet the minimum threshold to delineate more than 
one PUMA. The Census Bureau provides a 90-day review period for State 
Data Centers to prepare their 2020 PUMA submission.
    The Census Bureau asks State Data Centers to involve interested 
data users, such as those in tribal, state, and local (e.g., county, 
incorporated place, and town/township) governments, as well as regional 
planning agencies or organizations to ensure that the PUMAs meet the 
needs of a variety of data users. Collaboration between State Data 
Centers and other interested data users is especially important for 
areas with population exceeding 100,000. The Geographic Update 
Partnership Software (GUPS), required for use in 2020 PUMA delineation, 
allows for the sharing of work performed by multiple participants to 
facilitate a collaborative effort. Though collaboration is encouraged, 
the State Data Centers are the official participants for this program 
and must coordinate the delineation work suggested or prepared from 
others. The Census Bureau only accepts PUMA delineations from each 
state's respective state data center.
    The Census Bureau will provide an overview of the 2020 PUMA and 
will present the proposed criteria and guidelines of PUMAs to the State 
Data Centers during the Census Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for 
the fall of 2020. The proposal will be available on the PUMA website by 
the end of the calendar year. The State Data Centers and the public may 
provide comments on the proposal through February 2021. The Census 
Bureau will resolve and respond to comments received on the proposal 
prior to posting the final 2020 PUMA criteria and guidelines on the 
PUMA website later in the spring of 2021. To prepare suitable 
delineations, State Data Centers must ensure the final criteria and 
guidelines are implemented.
    After the Census Advisory Committee meeting, the Census Bureau will 
contact the State Data Centers by phone to establish a 2020 PUMA point 
of contact and gather their contact information (e.g., phone number and 
email address). The point of contact will receive an

[[Page 40199]]

email notification officially announcing the program in September 2021. 
This email will include the notification of the availability of the 
2020 PUMA materials (criteria, instructions, software, etc.) on the 
PUMA website. The Census Bureau will conduct follow-up by phone to the 
point of contact to confirm receipt of the email notification, 
awareness of the material availability, and to reinforce the 90-day 
review period for the 2020 PUMA.
    The Census Bureau will produce a detailed set of instructions for 
using GUPS and provide other historical and resource reference 
materials on the PUMA website. Once the program is underway, the Census 
Bureau plans to conduct two online webinar trainings and an in-person 
training to support PUMA delineation.

II. Method of Collection

    The State Data Centers (and other interested data users, if 
applicable) will download GUPS from the PUMA website and install the 
software locally on their computers to perform their work. No other 
method of collection for PUMA delineation is available.
    State Data Centers will use the Census Bureau's Secure Web Incoming 
Module (SWIM) to submit their PUMAs to the Census Bureau for processing 
once they complete their delineation in GUPS. Verification, or 
creation, of a SWIM account occurs during the phone follow-up made to 
the point of contact after the program notification email. Other than 
to converse by phone or email regarding issues with the submission, 
there are no plans for formal feedback to State Data Centers.
    Final 2020 PUMAs and their associated PUMS data will be available 
online for use beginning in summer of 2022.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, New Information Collection 
Request.
    Affected Public: State Data Centers in the 50 states, District of 
Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: Maximum is 52.
    Estimated Time Per Response: Varies by state, but on average, 
estimate 40 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,080.
    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 U.S.C. Section 6.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our 
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, 
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information 
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly 
available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-14411 Filed 7-2-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P