[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 207 (Friday, October 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59980-59982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23567]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; 2020 Census Count Question Resolution Operation

    The Department of Commerce will submit the following information 
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite 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. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on August 4, 2020 during a 60-day comment period. This 
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.
    Title: 2020 Census Count Question Resolution Operation.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0879.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission, Request for a Reinstatement, 
with Change, of a Previously Approved Collection.
    Number of Respondents: 1,500.
    Average Hours per Response: 5.2 (based on 40 records per case).
    Burden Hours: 7,800.
    Needs and Uses:

Introduction

    The 2020 Census Count Question Resolution Operation (CQR) provides 
a mechanism for tribal, state, and local governmental units in the 
United States and Puerto Rico, or their designated representatives, to 
request that the Census Bureau review their boundaries and/or housing 
counts by block to correct any in-scope error(s) affecting the 
inclusion and/or geographic allocation of housing and population. The 
term ``housing'' refers to individual housing units and group quarters. 
Please note, the population counts for a census block or other 
geographic units below the state level may seem inaccurate due to 
disclosure avoidance measures the Census Bureau applies to the 
published data. Population counts at the block level have the most 
``noise'' of any geographic level due to disclosure avoidance and 
differential privacy to protect against data disclosure. Additional 
information on both disclosure avoidance and differential privacy is 
available at the following URL: www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/2020/planning-management/process/disclosure-avoidance.html.
    The Census Bureau will accept 2020 Census CQR cases from tribal, 
state, and local governmental units from January 3, 2022 through June 
30, 2023. The eligible governmental units and geographies are the same 
as in previous decades for the 2020 Census CQR. The Census Bureau will 
conduct CQR case research by examining the census records for the 2020 
tabulation block(s) identified in the CQR case. All boundaries in the 
published 2020 Census results are current as of January 1, 2020, and 
all housing and population counts are current as of April 1, 2020; 
therefore, any changes to boundaries or housing counts that occurred 
past those dates are out of scope. No new Census information products 
will be created by the 2020 Census CQR and no revisions will be made to 
2020 Census information products, such as the apportionment counts 
delivered to the President for apportionment or the 2020 Census Public 
Law 94-171 Redistricting Data Files and Geographic Products. Federal 
law requires data collection for the census to end, so the Census 
Bureau cannot continue collecting information for the census through 
the Count Question Resolution operation (CQR). CQR can correct only 
errors that occurred during the processing of information collected 
during the 2020 enumeration.
    Once a resolution is determined for each CQR case, the Census 
Bureau will respond to the governmental unit in writing with an 
official determination letter, even if the case is determined to be out 
of scope or that no corrections are warranted. However, if research 
determines that changes are appropriate, the determination letter will 
be accompanied by certified housing and population count corrections, 
which governmental units can use for any purpose requiring their 
official Census counts. The Census Bureau will incorporate all CQR 
revisions into the intercensal population estimates and American 
Community Survey estimates starting in 2022 and will post the new 
counts on the CQR website. The Census Bureau will attempt to respond to 
each inquiry within 90 days of receipt and complete all case research 
and resolution by no later than September 30, 2023.

Eligible Participants

    The Census Bureau will only accept cases from the eligible 
participants listed below or their designee. Details on how to 
designate someone else to submit on a government's behalf will be 
explained further in the guides that will be posted on the CQR website. 
The Census Bureau will not accept cases from any other type of 
statistical or legally defined areas, or any other individual, group, 
or organization not included in this list.
    1. Tribal areas, including federally recognized American Indian 
tribes with reservation and/or off-reservation trust lands, Alaska 
Native Regional Corporations, and Alaska Native villages.
    [cir] A review of statistically defined boundaries (e.g., 
boundaries of the tribal designated statistical areas, Oklahoma tribal 
statistical areas, and Oklahoma tribal statistical area tribal 
subdivisions) is out of scope for 2020 Census CQR.
    [cir] A review of the statistically defined Alaska Native village 
statistical area boundaries is out of scope for 2020 Census CQR.
    2. States and equivalent entities (e.g., District of Columbia and 
Puerto Rico).

[[Page 59981]]

    [cir] States and equivalent entities can ask the Census Bureau to 
review the boundaries for all legally functioning governments within 
their jurisdiction.
    [ssquf] Hawaii can ask the Census Bureau to review the boundaries 
for the Hawaiian home lands and census designated places within their 
state.
    [ssquf] Puerto Rico can ask the Census Bureau to review the 
boundaries for their sub-minor civil divisions (e.g., subbarrios).
    [ssquf] A review of the statistically defined boundaries, such as 
those for state designated tribal statistical areas is out of scope for 
2020 Census CQR.
    3. Counties and equivalent entities (e.g., parishes in Louisiana, 
boroughs in Alaska, municipios in Puerto Rico).
    [cir] County and equivalent entities can ask the Census Bureau to 
review the boundaries for all legally functioning governments within 
their jurisdiction.
    [ssquf] Counties in Hawaii can ask the Census Bureau to review the 
boundaries for the census designated places within their jurisdiction 
because they are the equivalent of an incorporated place.
    [ssquf] Municipios in Puerto Rico can ask the Census Bureau to 
review boundaries for their sub-minor civil divisions (e.g., 
subbarrios).
    4. Minor civil divisions (e.g., townships).
    [cir] Minor civil divisions can ask the Census Bureau to review the 
boundaries for all legally functioning governments within their 
jurisdiction.
    5. Consolidated cities.
    6. Incorporated places (e.g., villages, towns, cities).
    [cir] Because census designated places in Hawaii are the equivalent 
of an incorporated place, they can ask the Census Bureau to review the 
boundary and/or housing counts for their census designated place.

CQR Case Types

    The 2020 Census CQR includes boundary and/or housing count cases. 
Boundary cases request a Census Bureau review of legal boundaries in 
effect as of January 1, 2020, and the associated addresses affected by 
the boundaries identified in the inquiry. Housing count cases request a 
Census Bureau review of the geographic location of housing within 2020 
tabulation blocks specified in the eligible governmental unit's 
inquiry, as well as a review of the census records to determine whether 
census processing error(s) excluded valid housing and associated 
population data.
    Boundary cases must include a map (e.g., digital or hard copy) 
indicating the portion of the boundary that the Census Bureau 
potentially depicted incorrectly, as well as depicting the corrected 
boundary as of January 1, 2020; a list of residential addresses in the 
2020 tabulation blocks affected by the incorrect boundary, indicating 
their correct coordinates or location in relationship to the boundary; 
and supporting documentation which may include legal documentation for 
certain circumstances as described in the CQR Participant Guides. The 
Census Bureau provides partnership shapefiles and 2020 Census Block Map 
Adobe .pdf files on the CQR website to support governmental units 
creating boundary cases.
    Housing count cases must include a list of contested 2020 
tabulation blocks with their current housing counts, and the corrected 
housing counts for both housing units and group quarters as of April 1, 
2020, as well as supporting documentation as described in the CQR 
Participant Guides.

CQR Case Submission

    To determine whether submitting a CQR case is necessary, 
governmental units need to review their boundaries and housing counts 
in the published 2020 Census data. The Census Bureau recommends a 
review of the Public Law 94-171 data tables to review their counts of 
total housing units (Table H1), total population (Table P1), and 
population of group quarters by type of group quarters (Table P5). 
These data were made available on September 16, 2021 on 
data.census.gov.
    In addition to the redistricting data tables mentioned, 
governmental units can also use the Address Count Listing Files Viewer 
tool available from the CQR website to identify the specific 2020 
tabulation blocks where governmental units suspect boundary or housing 
count errors. The tool permits users to navigate to their governmental 
unit through a web map interface, select individual census blocks, and 
display the associated counts of housing units and group quarters. If 
an error exists with their legal boundary(s) or housing counts, 
governmental units may prepare and submit a CQR case.
    To prepare a CQR case, the Census Bureau encourages the use of 
digital materials from the CQR website. Governmental units that are 
unable to use digital materials to prepare their case may download and 
print paper copies of the digital materials to prepare their case on 
paper. The Census Bureau also provides the Geographic Update 
Partnership Software (GUPS) for use in preparing a CQR case. The GUPS 
is a self-contained, customized geographic information system (GIS) 
software application available free for download from the CQR website.
    To submit any CQR case, the Census Bureau encourages governmental 
units to use the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM), available at 
respond.census.gov/swim. Governmental units submitting a CQR case on 
paper must ship their submission following specific guidance presented 
in the participant guides to the Census Bureau at the following 
address:

U.S. Census Bureau, National Processing Center, ATTN: CQR Geography 
Bldg. 63E, 1201 E 10th St., Jeffersonville, IN 47132

CQR Case Disposition

    Boundary and/or housing count cases can result in certified housing 
and/or population count corrections if during CQR case research, Census 
staff discover evidence showing a boundary, geocoding, and/or coverage 
error in the published 2020 Census results.
    The Census Bureau will only make CQR boundary corrections if the 
boundary error identified affects the location of housing in the 
published 2020 Census results. Boundary cases that do not affect the 
location of housing in the published results, or boundary changes that 
occurred after January 1, 2020, will be resolved through the Boundary 
and Annexation Survey as they are out of scope for CQR.
    Census staff can resolve two kinds of housing count errors: 
Geocoding and coverage. Geocoding errors involve housing that was 
enumerated in the 2020 Census and is present in the published 2020 
Census results in the incorrect 2020 tabulation block. The Census 
Bureau will correct geocoding errors discovered in the published 
results during CQR research by moving the address(es) into the 
appropriate 2020 tabulation block and will provide certified housing 
and/or population count corrections to any governmental unit affected 
by the case.
    Coverage errors involve housing (including group quarters) that was 
or should have been enumerated in the 2020 Census, but which were 
excluded from the published 2020 Census results due to a processing 
error. Coverage errors discovered in the published results can be 
resolved by adding or reinstating the address(es) in the appropriate 
2020 tabulation block. The Census Bureau will provide certified housing 
and/or population count corrections as appropriate.
    Affected Public: Tribal, State, and Local governmental units in the 
United States and Puerto Rico.

[[Page 59982]]

    Frequency: Every ten years following the publication of data from 
the Decennial Census.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. Section 141.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view the 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 0607-0879.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2021-23567 Filed 10-28-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P