Federal Register: July 7, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 128)
DOCID: fr07jy09-25 FR Doc E9-16039
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
NOTICE: NOTICES
DOCID: fr07jy09-25
DOCUMENT ACTION: Notice.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC)
DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on or before September 8, 2009.
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 10413 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).
SUMMARY:
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
I. Abstract
The Census Bureau plans to request clearance for the collection of data concerning the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to be conducted in conjunction with the February, March, and April Current Population Survey (CPS). The Census Bureau has conducted this supplement annually for over 50 years. The Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Department of Health and Human Services sponsor this supplement.
In the ASEC, we collect information on work experience, personal income, noncash benefits, health insurance coverage, and migration. The work experience items in the ASEC provide a unique measure of the dynamic nature of the labor force as viewed over a oneyear period. These items produce statistics that show movements in and out of the labor force by measuring the number of periods of unemployment experienced by people, the number of different employers worked for during the year, the principal reasons for unemployment, and part/ fulltime attachment to the labor force. We can make indirect measurements of discouraged workers and others with a casual attachment to the labor market.
The income data from the ASEC are used by social planners,
economists, government officials, and market researchers to gauge the
economic wellbeing of the country as a whole and selected population
groups of interest. Government planners and researchers use these data
to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of various assistance
programs. Market researchers use these data to identify and isolate
potential customers. Social planners use these data to forecast
economic conditions and to identify special groups that seem to be especially sensitive to economic
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fluctuations. Economists use ASEC data to determine the effects of
various economic forces, such as inflation, recession, recovery, and so
on, and their differential effects on various population groups.
A prime statistic of interest is the classification of people in poverty and how this measurement has changed over time for various groups. Researchers evaluate ASEC income data not only to determine poverty levels but also to determine whether government programs are reaching eligible households.
New questions are proposed for the ASEC, beginning in 2010. The questions are related to: (1) Medical expenditures; (2) presence and cost of a mortgage on property; (3) child support payments; and (4) amount of child care assistance received. These questions will enable analysts and policymakers to obtain better estimates of family and household income, and to gauge poverty status more precisely. To offset respondent burden, some questions will be removed from the ASEC. Those removed include questions on transportation assistance, child care services, and questions on receipt of government assistance related to welfare reform.
Congressional passage of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), or Title XXI, led to a mandate from Congress, in 1999, that the sample size for the CPS, and specifically the ASEC, be increased to a level whereby more reliable estimates can be derived for the number of individuals participating in this program at the state level. By administering the ASEC in February, March, and April, rather than only in March as in the past, we have been able to achieve this goal. The total number of respondents has not been upwardly affected by this change.
II. Method of Collection
The ASEC information will be collected by both personal visit and
telephone interviews in conjunction with the regular February, March
and April CPS interviewing. All interviews are conducted using computerassisted interviewing.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 06070354.
Form Number: There are no forms. We conduct all interviewing on computers.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 78,000.
Estimated Time per Response: 25 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 32,500.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: There are no costs to the respondents other than their time to answer the CPS questions.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Section 182; and Title 29, United States Code, Sections 19.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
Dated: July 2, 2009.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. E916039 Filed 7609; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 351007P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions should be directed to Michelle Wiland, U.S. Census Bureau, DSD/CPS HQ 7H108E, Washington, DC 202338400, (301) 7633806.