[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 179 (Monday, September 18, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63977-63978]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20095]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics


Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be 
provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial 
resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, 
and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be 
properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting 
comments concerning the proposed revision of the ``The Consumer 
Expenditure Surveys: The Quarterly Interview and the Diary.'' A copy of 
the proposed information collection request can be obtained by 
contacting the individual listed below in the Addresses section of this 
notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
Addresses section of this notice on or before November 17, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room G225, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also 
may be transmitted by email to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
at 202-691-7628 (this is not a toll-free number). (See ADDRESSES 
section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Consumer Expenditure (CE) Surveys collect data on consumer 
expenditures, demographic information, and related data needed by the 
Consumer Price Index (CPI) and other public and private data users. The 
continuing surveys provide a constant measurement of changes in 
consumer expenditure patterns for economic analysis and to obtain data 
for future CPI revisions. The CE Surveys have been ongoing since 1979.
    The data from the CE Surveys are used (1) for CPI revisions, (2) to 
provide a continuous flow of data on income and expenditure patterns 
for use in economic analysis and policy formulation, and (3) to provide 
a flexible consumer survey vehicle that is available for use by other 
Federal Government agencies. Public and private users of price 
statistics, including Congress and the economic policymaking agencies 
of the Executive branch, rely on data collected in the CPI in their 
day-to-day activities. Hence, data users and policymakers widely accept 
the need to improve the process used for revising the CPI. If the CE 
Surveys were not conducted on a continuing basis, current information 
necessary for more timely, as well as more accurate, updating of the 
CPI would not be available. In addition, data would not be available to 
respond to the continuing demand from the public and private sectors 
for current information on consumer spending.
    In the Quarterly Interview Survey, each consumer unit (CU) in the 
sample is interviewed every three months over four calendar quarters. 
The sample for each quarter is divided into three panels, with CUs 
being interviewed every three months in the same panel of every 
quarter. The Quarterly Interview Survey is designed to collect data on 
the types of expenditures that respondents can be expected to recall 
for a period of three months or longer. In general the expenses 
reported in the Interview Survey are either relatively large, such as 
property, automobiles, or major appliances, or are expenses which occur 
on a fairly regular basis, such as rent, utility bills, or insurance 
premiums.
    The Diary (or recordkeeping) Survey is completed at home by the 
respondent family for two consecutive one-week periods. The primary 
objective of the Diary Survey is to obtain expenditure data on small, 
frequently purchased items which normally are difficult to recall over 
longer periods of time.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought to 
continue the Consumer Expenditure Surveys: The Quarterly Interview 
(CEQ) and the Diary (CED) and to make modifications to both.
    In the CEQ, as part of CE's ongoing effort to streamline the 
questionnaire, CE requests clearance to make the following 
modifications to the Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) 
instrument: rewording items to make collection easier cognitively, 
grouping similar items together, aggregating collection of items 
previously collected separately, and eliminating several questions. 
Specifically, the changes will include the following:
    A new `Household Services' section groups question on the items 
that were asked across the interview survey including termite/pest 
control, gardening/lawn care, water softening, septic tank cleaning, 
housekeeping, home security system fees, moving/storage/freight, 
heating or air conditioning contracts, home warranties/maintenance/
service contracts on household appliances, and other home services or 
repair jobs.
    For the `Owned Properties' section, the list of items included in 
payments was simplified, and questions regarding why a payment amount 
changed were added, including related questions for additional 
principal/interest, and late/other fees. For the `Utilities' section, 
the list of phone/cable/internet expenses was consolidated, and 
questions about breaking out cable/internet fees from a bundled bill 
are no longer asked. The `Medical expenditures' section was also 
consolidated, reworded, and reordered.
    The CE also requests clearance for minor changes to both the CED 
CAPI Instrument and the Diary form. Changes to the CAPI instrument 
include consolidating the grocery questions to one question and adding 
a question to give respondents the option of reporting online or by 
paper diary. Changes to the Diary form include adding instructions to 
include delivery fees for `Meals Away from Home' in addition to tax and 
tip. We also request approval for adding help videos for respondents 
who choose to use the online diary to report their diary expenditures.

III. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the

[[Page 63978]]

functions of the agency, including whether the information will have 
practical utility.
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used.
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.
    Title of Collection: The Consumer Expenditure Surveys: The 
Quarterly Interview and the Diary.
    OMB Number: 1220-0050.
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households.

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                                       Total                           Total       Average time      Estimated
              Form                  respondents      Frequency       responses     per response    total burden
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CEQ--Interview..................           4,600               4          18,400              63          19,320
CEQ--Reinterview................           2,208               1           2,208              10             368
CED--Diary Record-keeping.......           6,200               2          12,400              60          12,400
CED--Diary Interview............           6,200               2          12,400              19           3,927
CED Diary Reinterview...........           1,240               1           1,240              10             207
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    Totals......................          10,800  ..............          46,648  ..............          36,222
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    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a 
matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on this 12th day of September 2023.
Eric Molina,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2023-20095 Filed 9-15-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P