[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 87 (Friday, May 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24582-24584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09673]


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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; Redistricting Data Program

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 revision of the Redistricting Data Program (RDP) prior to the 
submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for 
approval.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed

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information collection must be received on or before July 6, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference ``Redistricting Data Program 
(RDP)'' in the subject line of your comments. You may also submit 
comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2021-0010, 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 James Whitehorne, Chief, Redistricting & Voting Rights Data Office, 
by phone 301-763-4039 or by email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The U.S. Census Bureau is requesting a three-year clearance to 
continue the phases of the Redistricting Data Program (RDP). The 
current three-year RDP clearance and the project specific Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 0607-0988 will expire in 
November 2021. The new clearance allows the Census Bureau to provide 
RDP specific materials, burden hours, and procedures to fifty-two state 
liaisons to complete Phase 4: Collection of Post 2020 Census 
Redistricting Data Plans and Phase 5: Review of the 2020 Census RDP and 
Recommendations for the 2030 RDP. RDP is executed under the provisions 
of Title 13, Section 141(c) of the United States Code (U.S.C.).
    Under the provisions of Public Law 94-171, as amended (Title 13, 
United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 141(c)), ``[t]he officers or 
public bodies having initial responsibility for the legislative 
apportionment or districting of each State may, not later than 3 years 
before the decennial census date, submit to the Secretary a plan 
identifying the geographic areas for which specific tabulations of 
population are desired.'' ``Tabulations of population for the areas 
identified in any plan approved by the Secretary shall be completed by 
[her] as expeditiously as possible after the decennial census date and 
reported to the Governor of the State involved and to the officers or 
public bodies having responsibility for legislative apportionment or 
districting of such State, except that such tabulations of population 
of each State requesting a tabulation plan, and basic tabulations of 
population of each other State, shall, in any event, be completed, 
reported, and transmitted to each respective State within one year 
after the decennial census date.''

II. Method of Collection

    The Census Bureau develops and uses different methods to collect 
data from program participants. The Census Bureau issued invitations 
letters by mail (U.S. Postal Service) and follow-up emails to the 
officers or public bodies having initial responsibility for legislative 
reapportionment and redistricting. Fifty-two states and state 
equivalents, including the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico, have identified non-partisan liaisons that are already 
working directly with the Census Bureau on the 2020 Census RDP.
    Phase 1: Block Boundary Suggestion Project was conducted and 
completed in fiscal years 2015 through 2017.
    Phase 2: The Voting District Project was conducted and completed in 
fiscal years 2018 through 2020.
    Phase 3: Delivery of the 2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data 
was originally scheduled for completion on April 1, 2021. Due to COVID-
19-related delays and prioritizing the delivery of the apportionment 
results, the Census Bureau will deliver the redistricting data to all 
states and state equivalents as Legacy Format Summary File by August 
16, 2021, and with the full redistricting data toolkit for easier 
access and use of the data by Sept. 30, 2021.
    Phase 4: Collection of Post Census Redistricting Data Plans. 
Between January 2022 and July 2022, the Census Bureau will solicit from 
each state the newly drawn 118th Congressional Districts and State 
Legislative Districts. This effort will occur every two years in 
advance of the 2030 Census in order to update these boundaries with new 
or changed plans. A verification phase will occur with each update.
    Phase 5: Review of the 2020 Census RDP and Recommendations for the 
2030 Census RDP (2020 post-data collection). As the final phase of the 
2020 Census RDP, the Census Bureau will work with the states to conduct 
a thorough review of the RDP. The intent of this review, and the final 
report that results, is to provide guidance to the Secretary and the 
Census Bureau Director in planning the 2030 Census RDP.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0988.
    Form Number(s): Phase 4 Yes/No Participation Form.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for a Revision of a 
Currently Approved Collection.
    Affected Public: All fifty states, the District of Columbia, and 
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 52.
    Estimated Time per Response:
    Phase 4: 8 hours.
    Phase 5: 2 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 520 hours.
    Phase 4: 416 hours.
    Phase 5: 104 hours.
    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: Public Law 94-171, as amended (Title 13, United 
States Code (U.S.C.), Section 141(c)).

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

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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. 2021-09673 Filed 5-6-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P