[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 12 (Thursday, January 21, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6294-6295]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01235]


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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; Current Population Survey (CPS) Basic Demographic Items

AGENCY: 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 reinstatement without change of the Current Population Survey 
Basic Demographics as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
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 March 22, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to Kyra Linse, Acting Survey Director, Current Population Surveys 
via the internet at [email protected]. Please reference Current 
Population Survey (CPS) Basic Demographic Itemsn in the subject line of 
your comments. You may also submit comments, identified by Docket 
Number USBC-2020-0031, 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 Taylor Smith, Survey Statistician, 301-763-7131, 
[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 basic demographic 
information on the Current Population Survey (CPS) beginning in 
November 2021. The current clearance expires October 31, 2021.
    The CPS has been the source of official government statistics on 
employment and unemployment for over 70 years. The Bureau of Labor 
Statistics (BLS) and the Census Bureau jointly sponsor the basic 
monthly survey. The Census Bureau also prepares and conducts all the 
field work. At the OMB's request, the Census Bureau and the BLS divide 
the clearance request in order to reflect the joint sponsorship and 
funding of the CPS program. BLS submits a separate clearance request 
for the portion of the CPS that collects labor force information for 
the civilian noninstitutional population. Some of the information 
within that portion includes employment status, number of hours worked, 
job search activities, earnings, duration of unemployment, and the 
industry and occupation classification of the job held the previous 
week. The justification that follows is in support of the demographic 
data.
    The demographic information collected in the CPS provides a unique 
set of data on selected characteristics for the civilian 
noninstitutional population. Some of the demographic information we 
collect are age, marital status, sex, Armed Forces status, education, 
race, origin, and family income. We use these data in conjunction with 
other data, particularly the monthly labor force data, as well as 
periodic supplement data. We also use these data independently for 
internal analytic research and for evaluation of other surveys. In 
addition, we use these data as a control to produce accurate estimates 
of other personal characteristics.

II. Method of Collection

    The CPS basic demographic information is collected from individual

[[Page 6295]]

households by both personal visit and telephone interviews each month. 
All interviews are conducted using computer-assisted interviewing. 
Households in the CPS are in sample for four consecutive months, and 
for the same four months the following year. This is called a 4-8-4 
rotation pattern; households are in sample for four months, in a 
resting period for eight months, and then in sample again for four 
months.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0049.
    Form Number(s): There are no forms. All interviews are conducted on 
computers.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for an Extension, 
without Change of a Currently Approved Collection.
    Affected Public: Households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 59,000 per month.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1.5 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 17,700.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: There is no cost to the 
respondents other than their time (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. Sections 8(b), 141, and 182.

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. 2021-01235 Filed 1-19-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P