[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 16, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14405-14406]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05419]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Form BC-170, U.S. Census Employment Application and Form BC-
171, Additional Applicant Information

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 
reinstatement, without change, of Form BC-170, U.S. Census Employment 
Application and Form BC-171, Additional Applicant Information, 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 May 17, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to Michael DeFrank, Chief, Management Services Branch at 
[email protected].
    Please reference Form BC-170, U.S. Census Employment Application 
and Form BC-171, Additional Applicant Information in the subject line 
of your comments. You may also submit comments, identified by Docket 
Number USBC-2021-0006, 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 Michael A. DeFrank, Chief, Management Services Branch. Mr. DeFrank 
can be reached by telephone on 301-763-2864 or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The U.S. Census Bureau is requesting to continue to use Form BC-
170, U.S. Census Employment Application and Form BC-171, Additional 
Applicant Information. There are no changes requested to these forms at 
this time.
    The Census Bureau uses these forms to collect applicant 
information. Selecting officials use Form BC-170 as part of the 
recruitment, assessment, and selection process for potential field 
employees. The form was used for the Decennial Census and will continue 
to be used for Current/Permanent Surveys, upcoming Special Censuses as 
well as Decennial Census tests. Applicants applying for Current/
Permanent Survey positions will submit a paper version of these forms 
at no cost to the applicant. An online version of these forms will be 
used for Special Censuses and Decennial Census tests.
    In 2018, Form BC-171, Additional Applicant Information replaced 
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) common use from 3046-
0046, Demographic Information on Applicants for Federal Employment to 
collect voluntary applicant data and is not used in the selection 
process.
    The Census Bureau intends for applicants to access, complete, and 
submit both the BC-170 and BC-171 to human resources staff via an 
online applicant system for census jobs. The Census Bureau will 
continue to use a paper version of the BC-170 and BC-171 forms for 
applicants to complete and submit to the Regional Office for the Field 
Representative, Field Supervisor, and temporary clerical positions 
until an online version is available for this group of applicants. 
Lastly, the online version, paper forms and the online PDF format forms 
will be available in Spanish for Puerto Rico.

II. Method of Collection

    All interested applicants submit the forms as described above.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0139.
    Form Number(s): BC-170 and BC-171.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for an Extension, 
without

[[Page 14406]]

Change, of a Currently Approved Collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 12,000 persons (Note that in non-
Decennial periods of data collection after 2020, the estimated number 
of respondents annually is approximately 12,000 persons).
    Estimated Time per Response: 20 minutes (Note that this is based on 
calculations that determined 15 minutes for completing the BC-170 and 5 
minutes for completing the BC-171. The combined total is 20 minutes for 
applicants completing both forms).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,000 annual hours on average.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Chapter 1, Subchapter II, Section 
23 a and c.; Title 5 U.S.C., Part II, Chapter 13; Title 5 U.S.C. part 
III, Chapter 33, Subchapter 1, Section 3301 and 3320.

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. 2021-05419 Filed 3-15-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P