[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 237 (Tuesday, December 12, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86106-86108]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27207]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau

[Docket Number: 231128-0279; X-RIN 0607-XC072]


Geographically Updated Population Certification Program

AGENCY: Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of program reinstatement.

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SUMMARY: Effective January 1, 2024, the Census Bureau will reinstate 
the Geographically Updated Population Certification Program (GUPCP). At 
that time, the Census Bureau will resume processing applications for 
certified decennial census population and housing counts associated 
with updated government boundaries. This service was suspended on 
January 1, 2019, to

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accommodate the taking of the 2020 Census (see the Federal Register, 
October 19, 2018). The resumption of this service provides the 
requesting government a new certification of 2020 Census population and 
housing counts based on boundary updates that became legally effective 
after the 2020 Census. Government boundaries effective on or before 
January 1, 2020 were used for 2020 Census population and housing 
tabulation. While GUPCP was originally scheduled for reinstatement in 
2022, resource demands following the 2020 Census have delayed its 
relaunch until 2024. Resumption of the program continues a fee-based 
service that the Census Bureau has provided since the 1970s. Additional 
program details, including the schedule of fees and application 
instructions, will be available online at: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/gupcp.html.

DATES: The GUPCP will be reinstated on January 1, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lindsay Spell, Population Division, 
U.S. Census Bureau, by email at [email protected] or telephone 
at 301-763-1652.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Following the 1970 decennial census and 
after every subsequent decennial census, the Census Bureau provided the 
opportunity for tribal, state, and local governments to obtain 
certified population and housing counts for areas where the boundaries 
have changed from those used to tabulate the results of the immediately 
preceding decennial census. These changes occur due to newly 
incorporated governments, the merger of two or more existing 
governments, the addition or annexation of land by a government, or 
other circumstances. The certification process is available to 
governments established by law for the purpose of implementing 
specified general-purpose or special-purpose government functions. Most 
governments have legally established boundaries and names and have 
officials (usually elected) who have the power to carry out legally 
prescribed functions, provide services for residents, and raise 
revenues. These are commonly referred to as general-purpose governments 
and typically include federally recognized American Indian reservations 
and off-reservation trust land, counties and county equivalents, 
boroughs, cities, towns, villages, and townships. Special-purpose 
governments, such as school districts, typically are limited to one 
function.
    The Census Bureau is issuing this notice to reinstate the GUPCP as 
a centralized system for certifying decennial population and housing 
counts. This service will be a permanent process, but one that will be 
suspended in advance of future decennial censuses. Typically, the 
Census Bureau will suspend this service and direct its resources to the 
decennial census for approximately five years. This includes the two 
years preceding the decennial census, the decennial census year, and 
the two years following it. The Census Bureau will issue notices in the 
Federal Register announcing when it suspends and, in turn, resumes the 
service.
    The Census Bureau first began to make updated decennial census 
count determinations to reflect geographic boundary changes in 1972 in 
response to the requests of local governments to establish eligibility 
for participation in the General Revenue Sharing Program, authorized 
under Public Law 92-512. At that time, the Census Bureau established a 
fee-based service enabling governments with annexations to obtain 
updated decennial census population counts that reflected the 
population living in the annexed areas. The Census Bureau also received 
funding from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to make those 
determinations for larger annexations that met prescribed criteria, and 
for new incorporations. The General Revenue Sharing Program ended on 
September 30, 1986, but the certification program continued into 1988 
with support from the Census Bureau. The program was suspended to 
accommodate the taking of the 1990 decennial census and resumed in 
1992. The Census Bureau supported the program through fiscal year 1995 
for cities with large annexations and through fiscal year 1996 for 
newly incorporated places. The program was continued as a fee-based 
service until June 1, 1998, at which time it was suspended for the 2000 
decennial census (see the Federal Register, 63 FR 27706, May 20, 1998). 
In 2002, the program resumed and has since been referred to as the 
Geographically Updated Population Certification Program or GUPCP (see 
the Federal Register, 67 FR 72095, December 4, 2002). GUPCP was 
suspended again in 2008 to accommodate the taking of the 2010 Census 
(see the Federal Register, 72 FR 46602, August 21, 2007), as well as in 
2019 to accommodate the taking of the 2020 Census (see the Federal 
Register, 83 FR 53029, October 19, 2018).
    Although there is no legal requirement that the Census Bureau 
provide this service, there is a demand from governments for 2020 
Census population and housing counts to be certified to reflect 
boundary updates or the formation of new governments dated after 
January 1, 2020, the legal effective date for boundaries used in 
tabulating the 2020 Census. Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), 
section 8 allows the Census Bureau to conduct this program by providing 
certain statistical materials upon payment of costs for the service. 
The Census Bureau is the sole provider of this service, which is based 
on processing 2020 Census enumeration records protected by the 
confidentiality restrictions at 13 U.S.C. 8 and 9.
    A geographically updated population certification from the Census 
Bureau confirms that an official population and housing count is an 
accurate re-tabulation of the 2020 Census population and housing as 
configured for the updated government boundaries. A population 
certification may be needed for many reasons. For example, general-
purpose governments may be required by state law to produce a Census 
Bureau population and housing certification for funds disbursement from 
their respective state, or federally sponsored programs may require or 
honor a Census Bureau population and housing certification for program 
eligibility. Special-purpose governments may also need official 
certification of census population and housing counts for other 
purposes.
    The Census Bureau is reinstating the fee-based service that will 
use current geographic and demographic programs to support customer 
requests. The final fee structure will reflect variations in the 
resources needed to meet customer requirements for certifications of 
standard governmental units and will be posted online at: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/gupcp.html. There are two types of 
fees, based upon whether the population certificate is generated 
through an annually scheduled geographic update process or is expedited 
in order to meet customer needs. Governments requesting certification 
must complete Form BC-1869(EF), ``Geographically Updated Population 
Certification Program (GUPCP) Request''. This form will be available 
online at: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/gupcp.html. Tribal, 
state, and local governments should submit requests for certifications 
on Form BC-1869(EF) by email to the Census Bureau at 
[email protected]. Communication requesting the service without Form 
BC-1869(EF) will be accepted only if it contains the information 
necessary to complete the form.
    Paperwork Reduction Act: Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, no person is required to respond to,

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nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, 
a collection of information subject to the requirements of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), unless that 
collection of information displays a current Office of Management and 
Budget control number. This notice does not represent a collection of 
information and is not subject to the PRA's requirements. The form 
reference in the notice, Form BC-1869(EF), will collect only 
information necessary to process a certification request. As such, it 
is not subject to the PRA's requirements.
    Robert L. Santos, Director, Census Bureau, approved the publication 
of this notice in the Federal Register.

    Dated: December 7, 2023.
Shannon Wink,
Program Analyst, Policy Coordination Office, U.S. Census Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2023-27207 Filed 12-11-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P