[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 47 (Friday, March 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16720-16722]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04998]


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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; Collection of State/Local Administrative Records and Third-
Party Data

AGENCY: Census Bureau, Department of 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 new information collection, 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 7, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference `Collection of 
State Administrative Records and Third-Party Data' in the subject line 
of your comments. You may also submit comments, identified by Docket 
Number USBC-2024-0005, 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

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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 Jenny Aramony, Chief of the Data Acquisition Branch in the Economic 
Reimbursable Surveys Division, email at [email protected] and phone 
number (301) 763-8715.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The U.S. Census Bureau plans to request a new clearance for 
acquiring administrative records including State, local, and third-
party data to improve efficiency and accuracy in their data 
collections, and to improve measures of the population and economy.
    The Census Bureau uses State and local administrative records data 
linked with other survey and census records, including but not limited 
to, data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 
the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the American Community Survey 
(ACS) to conduct research and improve operations. The Census Bureau 
encourages the District of Columbia, all 50 States, and local 
municipalities to share administrative records data generally 
associated with, but not limited to: nutrition and food assistance 
programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 
(SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, 
Infants and Children (WIC); and welfare programs, including child care 
subsidy; household self-sufficiency programs, including low income 
energy assistance programs and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 
(TANF). Data sharing and analysis of linked files are solely for 
statistical purposes, not for program enforcement. All State and local 
administrative records data are and will remain confidential under 
title 13, United States Code, section 9, whether in their original form 
or when comingled or linked.
    The Census Bureau will use data from businesses for research, 
censuses, and surveys operations. This data will be collected from 
businesses through agreements or contracts. Third-party targeted 
entities for this acquisition will include cross sector industries such 
as manufacturing, information services, healthcare, supply chain, and 
retail.
    The Census Bureau uses these records to improve data quality, 
produce modelbased estimates, improve edits and allocations, and to 
study program participation over time. The data is to support all the 
Census Bureau survey and decennial operations as well as social 
economic research through record linkage. The Census Bureau has 
undertaken research projects to integrate and link State, local, and 
third-party administrative records with Census Bureau data from current 
surveys and censuses.
    The Census Bureau uses the State and local administrative records 
and third-party data linked with other survey and census records to 
conduct further research and improve operations in surveys and 
censuses, including 2030 Census Operations. The Census Bureau benefits 
from these projects by improving data quality and estimates, as well as 
studies of program participation over time. State and local 
municipalities data and third-party providers have benefited through 
access to tabulated data and reports to better understand the 
demographic characteristics of program participants and to administer 
their programs.

II. Method of Collection

    The Census Bureau will contact the State agencies and third-party 
providers to discuss how the Census Bureau might use State 
administrative records and third-party data. After entering into a data 
sharing agreement with the Census Bureau, a State agency, local 
municipality, or third-party provider would transfer the agreed-upon 
administrative records to the Census Bureau via secure File Transfer 
Protocol or encrypted CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.
    Linking records across programs, across States, local 
municipalities, and third-parties, or over time will be accomplished 
using a unique linkage identifier called a Protected Identification Key 
(PIK). Processing to assign a PIK to each person record involves 
matching based on combinations of name, address, sex, date of birth, 
and Social Security Number (SSN) data, as available. The person 
validation and PIK processing has been used by other Census Bureau 
research and operations projects. Only Census Bureau staff conducting 
the record linkage have access to files with Personally Identifiable 
Information, and access to those files assigned a PIK is limited to 
individuals with a need to know who have met the requirements of Title 
13, United States Code, and have appropriate security clearances.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): Information will be collected in the form of a data 
transfer to the Census Bureau. No form will be used.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, new information collection 
request.
    Affected Public: State, local, or Tribal government, and third-
party providers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 80 including 19 third-party 
providers, 10 local municipalities, 50 States and the District of 
Columbia.
    Estimated Time per Response: 75 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 6,000.
    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: Title 13 U.S.C. 6.

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

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cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-04998 Filed 3-7-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P