Proposed Revisions to OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 1, Standards for Statistical Surveys, and OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 2, Publication of Statistics, 40746-40747 [05-13837]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 134 / Thursday, July 14, 2005 / Notices
information is mandatory for persons
subject to the requirements.
Submit, by September 12, 2005,
comments that address the following
questions:
1. Is the proposed collection of
information necessary for the NRC to
properly perform its functions? Does the
information have practical utility?
2. Is the burden estimate accurate?
3. Is there a way to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected?
4. How can the burden of the
information collection be minimized,
including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology?
A copy of the draft supporting
statement may be viewed free of charge
at the NRC Public Document Room, One
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike, Room O–1 F21, Rockville, MD
20852. OMB clearance requests are
available at the NRC worldwide Web
site: https://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/
doc-comment/omb/. The
document will be available on the NRC
home page site for 60 days after the
signature date of this notice.
Comments and questions about the
information collection requirements
may be directed to the NRC Clearance
Officer, Brenda Jo. Shelton (T–5 F53),
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555–0001, by
telephone at 301–415–7233, or by
Internet electronic mail to
INFOCOLLECTS@NRC.GOV.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day
of July 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Beth C. St. Mary,
Acting NRC Clearance Officer, Office of
Information Services.
[FR Doc. E5–3734 Filed 7–13–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND
BUDGET
Proposed Revisions to OMB Statistical
Policy Directive No. 1, Standards for
Statistical Surveys, and OMB
Statistical Policy Directive No. 2,
Publication of Statistics
Office of Management and
Budget, Executive Office of the
President.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
As part of an ongoing effort to
improve the quality, objectivity, utility,
and integrity of information collected
and disseminated by the Federal
Government, the Office of Management
SUMMARY:
VerDate jul<14>2003
18:32 Jul 13, 2005
Jkt 205001
and Budget (OMB) requests comments
on the recommendations that it has
received from the Federal Committee on
Statistical Methodology (FCSM)
Subcommittee on Standards for
Statistical Surveys to update and revise
OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 1,
Standards for Statistical Surveys, and
OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 2,
Publication of Statistics. The guidance,
which applies to all Federal agencies
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995, is intended to ensure that the
results of statistical surveys sponsored
by the Federal Government are as
reliable and useful as possible. The
FCSM Subcommittee’s
recommendations, which are available
in their entirety on the OMB Web site
at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/
inforeg/statpolicy.html, are the result of
a two-year comprehensive review of the
current standards.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3504(e)(3).
To ensure consideration during
the final decision-making process,
written comments must be provided to
OMB no later than September 12, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Due to potential delays in
OMB’s receipt and processing of mail,
respondents are strongly encouraged to
submit comments electronically to
ensure timely receipt. We cannot
guarantee that comments mailed will be
received before the comment closing
date. Electronic comments may be
submitted to: Brian A. Harris-Kojetin at
bharrisk@omb.eop.gov. Please put the
full body of your comments in the text
of the electronic message and as an
attachment. Please include your name,
title, organization, postal address,
telephone number, and e-mail address
in the text of the message. Comments
may also be submitted via facsimile to
(202) 395–7245. Comments may be
mailed to Brian Harris-Kojetin, PhD,
Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., New
Executive Office Building, Room 10201,
Washington, DC 20503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brian Harris-Kojetin, PhD, Statistical
and Science Policy Office, Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget,
NEOB, Room 10201, 725 17th Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20503.
Telephone: 202–395–3093.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DATES:
Background
Statistics collected and published by
the Federal Government constitute a
significant portion of the available
information about the United States’
economy, population, natural resources,
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Frm 00062
Fmt 4703
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environment, and public and private
institutions. These data are used by the
Federal Government and others as a
basis for actions that affect people’s
lives and well-being. It is essential that
they be collected, processed, and
published in a manner that guarantees
and inspires confidence in their
reliability. The statistical programs of
the Federal Government are
decentralized among more than 70
agencies or organizational units. It is
therefore also essential that, to the
extent permitted by law, there be
sufficient government-wide uniformity
in statistical methods and practices to
ensure the maximum usefulness of the
statistics produced.
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA; 44 U.S.C. 3504) gives the Director
of OMB broad responsibility for
improving the usefulness of information
collected, maintained, and disseminated
by the Federal Government and for
reducing the reporting burden on the
public. Among the Director’s functions
under the PRA are statistical policy and
coordination, which includes the
development and implementation of
‘‘Government-wide polices, principles,
standards, and guidelines concerning (a)
statistical collection procedures and
methods; (b) statistical data
classification; (c) statistical information
presentation and dissemination; (d)
timely release of statistical data; and (e)
such statistical data sources as may be
required for the administration of
Federal programs’’ (44 U.S.C.
3504(e)(3)). The Administrator for the
Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs in OMB has the responsibility to
‘‘develop programs and prescribe
regulations to improve the compilation,
analysis, publication, and dissemination
of statistical information by executive
agencies’’ (31 U.S.C. 1104(d)).
The proposal from the Federal
Committee on Statistical Methodology’s
(FCSM) Subcommittee on Standards for
Statistical Surveys provides revised
guidance for designing, conducting, and
disseminating statistical surveys and
studies sponsored by Federal agencies.
The standards and guidelines are
intended to ensure that such surveys
and studies are designed to produce
reliable data as efficiently as possible
and that methods are documented and
results presented in a manner that
makes the data as accessible and useful
as possible.
These revised standards and
guidelines would replace OMB
Statistical Policy Directives Nos. 1 and
2, on Standards for Statistical Surveys,
and Standards for Publishing Statistics,
respectively. These standards and
guidelines were last revised in 1974
E:\FR\FM\14JYN1.SGM
14JYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 134 / Thursday, July 14, 2005 / Notices
when they were issued as OMB Circular
No. A–46, Exhibits A and B. The
standards were reissued in 1977 as
Statistical Policy Directives 1 and 2
when the Statistical Policy Office was
temporarily relocated to the Department
of Commence, and their designation as
Statistical Policy Directives remained
when the statistical policy function was
returned to OMB in 1981 under the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980.
Development and Review
As part of ongoing efforts to improve
the quality of information collected by
the Federal Government and to update
statistical standards and guidance, OMB
requested in 2003 that agencies who
were members of the Interagency
Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP)
nominate representatives to a new
subcommittee formed under the aegis of
the Federal Committee on Statistical
Methodology. This subcommittee was
asked to review Statistical Policy
Directives Nos. 1 and 2 and to make
recommendations for updating or
revising these standards to reflect
current best practices in Federal
statistical agencies.
The subcommittee reviewed the OMB
directives, standards currently used by
Federal statistical agencies, and
standards and guidelines produced and
disseminated by national statistical
institutes in a number of other
countries. The subcommittee also drew
on interagency efforts by statistical
agencies to develop a common
framework for their activities in
response to OMB’s issuance of its
Information Quality Guidelines (IQG)
and the requirement that agencies issue
their own IQGs (67 FR 8452–8460).
The revised and updated standards
and guidelines proposed by the
subcommittee reflect the organizational
framework that the statistical agencies
used for their Information Quality
Guidelines. They are the product of a
careful and deliberate process to create
a set of standards and guidelines that
will address all key aspects of planning,
conducting, processing, and
disseminating Federal statistical
surveys. Because OMB standards and
guidelines must cover a broad range of
applications, agencies are encouraged to
develop their own more specific
standards for the statistical surveys and
studies they conduct or sponsor. The
subcommittee provided initial draft
standards and guidelines for review by
the FCSM and then by the ICSP in 2004.
The subcommittee addressed the
comments it received at each stage and
provided its recommendations to OMB
in 2005.
VerDate jul<14>2003
18:32 Jul 13, 2005
Jkt 205001
Issues for Comment: With this Notice,
OMB requests comments on the
recommendations it has received from
the interagency FCSM Subcommittee on
Standards for Statistical Surveys. The
proposed standards and guidelines as
well as the original Statistical Policy
Directives Nos. 1 and 2 are available at
https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/
inforeg/statpolicy.html.
OMB seeks comments from all
interested parties on all aspects of these
proposed standards and guidelines. In
particular, OMB seeks comment on the
merit of the proposed standards and
guidelines both in technical terms and
as statistical policy. These standards
and guidelines should reflect best
practices for Federal agencies and their
contractors in conducting statistical
surveys as well as sound policy for the
Federal statistical system. OMB seeks
comment on whether some provisions
of this proposal should be modified or
deleted to meet these goals. Finally,
OMB seeks comment from affected
agencies on the expected benefits and
burdens of the proposed standards and
guidelines.
John D. Graham,
Administrator, Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 05–13837 Filed 7–13–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3110–01–P
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL
MANAGEMENT
Privacy Act of 1994; Computer
Matching Programs; Office of
Personnel Management/Social Security
Administration
Office of Personnel
Management (OPM).
ACTION: Publication of notice of
computer matching to comply with
Public Law 100–503, the Computer
Matching and Privacy Act of 1988.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: OPM is re-publishing notice
of its computer matching program with
the Social Security Administration
(SSA) to meet the reporting
requirements of Pub. L. 100–503. The
purpose of this match is to establish the
conditions for disclosure of Social
Security benefit information to OPM via
direct computer link for the
administration of programs by the
Retirement Services Programs. OPM is
legally required to offset specific
benefits by a percentage of benefits
payable under Title II of the Social
Security Act. The matching will enable
OPM to compute benefits at the correct
rate and determine eligibility for
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40747
benefits. This is a re-publication of the
June 1, 2005, Federal Register notice
announcing this matching program,
providing several technical corrections
to the notice previously published on
the above date.
The matching program will begin
30 days after the Federal Register notice
has been published or 40 days after the
date of OPM’s submissions of the letters
to Congress and OMB, whichever is
later. The matching program will
continue for 18 months from the
beginning date and may be extended an
additional 12 months thereafter. The
data exchange will begin at a date
mutually agreed upon between OPM
and SSA after July 2005, unless
comments on the match are received
that result in cancellation of the
program. Subsequent matches will run
as frequently as on a daily basis until
one of the parties advises the other in
writing of its intention to reevaluate,
modify and/or terminate the agreement.
DATES:
Send comments to Marc
Flaster, Chief, RIS Support Services
Group, Office of Personnel Management,
Room 1312, 1900 E. Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20415.
ADDRESSES:
OPM and
SSA intend to conduct a computer
matching program. The purpose of this
agreement is to establish the conditions
under which SSA agrees to the
disclosure of benefit information to
OPM. The SSA records will be used in
a matching program with OPM’s records
on surviving spouses who may be
eligible to receive a Supplementary
Annuity, disability retirees, and child
survivor annuitants, under the Federal
Employees’ Retirement System (FERS).
The benefits payable to these recipients
are offset if paid while also in receipt of
SSA benefits.
The SSA components responsible for
the disclosure are the Office of Income
Security Programs. OPM, as the agency
actually using the results of this
matching activity in its programs, will
publish the notice required by Title 5
United States Code (U.S.C.) 552a(e)(12)
in the Federal Register.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Office of Personnel Management.
Linda M. Springer,
Director.
Report of Computer Matching Program
Between the Office of Personnel
Management and Social Security
Administration
A. Participating Agencies
OPM and SSA.
E:\FR\FM\14JYN1.SGM
14JYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 134 (Thursday, July 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40746-40747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13837]
=======================================================================
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OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
Proposed Revisions to OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 1,
Standards for Statistical Surveys, and OMB Statistical Policy Directive
No. 2, Publication of Statistics
AGENCY: Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the
President.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: As part of an ongoing effort to improve the quality,
objectivity, utility, and integrity of information collected and
disseminated by the Federal Government, the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) requests comments on the recommendations that it has
received from the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM)
Subcommittee on Standards for Statistical Surveys to update and revise
OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 1, Standards for Statistical
Surveys, and OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 2, Publication of
Statistics. The guidance, which applies to all Federal agencies subject
to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, is intended to ensure that the
results of statistical surveys sponsored by the Federal Government are
as reliable and useful as possible. The FCSM Subcommittee's
recommendations, which are available in their entirety on the OMB Web
site at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/statpolicy.html, are the
result of a two-year comprehensive review of the current standards.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3504(e)(3).
DATES: To ensure consideration during the final decision-making
process, written comments must be provided to OMB no later than
September 12, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Due to potential delays in OMB's receipt and processing of
mail, respondents are strongly encouraged to submit comments
electronically to ensure timely receipt. We cannot guarantee that
comments mailed will be received before the comment closing date.
Electronic comments may be submitted to: Brian A. Harris-Kojetin at
bharrisk@omb.eop.gov. Please put the full body of your comments in the
text of the electronic message and as an attachment. Please include
your name, title, organization, postal address, telephone number, and
e-mail address in the text of the message. Comments may also be
submitted via facsimile to (202) 395-7245. Comments may be mailed to
Brian Harris-Kojetin, PhD, Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., New
Executive Office Building, Room 10201, Washington, DC 20503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Harris-Kojetin, PhD, Statistical
and Science Policy Office, Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, NEOB, Room 10201, 725 17th
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503. Telephone: 202-395-3093.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Statistics collected and published by the Federal Government
constitute a significant portion of the available information about the
United States' economy, population, natural resources, environment, and
public and private institutions. These data are used by the Federal
Government and others as a basis for actions that affect people's lives
and well-being. It is essential that they be collected, processed, and
published in a manner that guarantees and inspires confidence in their
reliability. The statistical programs of the Federal Government are
decentralized among more than 70 agencies or organizational units. It
is therefore also essential that, to the extent permitted by law, there
be sufficient government-wide uniformity in statistical methods and
practices to ensure the maximum usefulness of the statistics produced.
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA; 44 U.S.C. 3504) gives the
Director of OMB broad responsibility for improving the usefulness of
information collected, maintained, and disseminated by the Federal
Government and for reducing the reporting burden on the public. Among
the Director's functions under the PRA are statistical policy and
coordination, which includes the development and implementation of
``Government-wide polices, principles, standards, and guidelines
concerning (a) statistical collection procedures and methods; (b)
statistical data classification; (c) statistical information
presentation and dissemination; (d) timely release of statistical data;
and (e) such statistical data sources as may be required for the
administration of Federal programs'' (44 U.S.C. 3504(e)(3)). The
Administrator for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in
OMB has the responsibility to ``develop programs and prescribe
regulations to improve the compilation, analysis, publication, and
dissemination of statistical information by executive agencies'' (31
U.S.C. 1104(d)).
The proposal from the Federal Committee on Statistical
Methodology's (FCSM) Subcommittee on Standards for Statistical Surveys
provides revised guidance for designing, conducting, and disseminating
statistical surveys and studies sponsored by Federal agencies. The
standards and guidelines are intended to ensure that such surveys and
studies are designed to produce reliable data as efficiently as
possible and that methods are documented and results presented in a
manner that makes the data as accessible and useful as possible.
These revised standards and guidelines would replace OMB
Statistical Policy Directives Nos. 1 and 2, on Standards for
Statistical Surveys, and Standards for Publishing Statistics,
respectively. These standards and guidelines were last revised in 1974
[[Page 40747]]
when they were issued as OMB Circular No. A-46, Exhibits A and B. The
standards were reissued in 1977 as Statistical Policy Directives 1 and
2 when the Statistical Policy Office was temporarily relocated to the
Department of Commence, and their designation as Statistical Policy
Directives remained when the statistical policy function was returned
to OMB in 1981 under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980.
Development and Review
As part of ongoing efforts to improve the quality of information
collected by the Federal Government and to update statistical standards
and guidance, OMB requested in 2003 that agencies who were members of
the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP) nominate
representatives to a new subcommittee formed under the aegis of the
Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology. This subcommittee was
asked to review Statistical Policy Directives Nos. 1 and 2 and to make
recommendations for updating or revising these standards to reflect
current best practices in Federal statistical agencies.
The subcommittee reviewed the OMB directives, standards currently
used by Federal statistical agencies, and standards and guidelines
produced and disseminated by national statistical institutes in a
number of other countries. The subcommittee also drew on interagency
efforts by statistical agencies to develop a common framework for their
activities in response to OMB's issuance of its Information Quality
Guidelines (IQG) and the requirement that agencies issue their own IQGs
(67 FR 8452-8460).
The revised and updated standards and guidelines proposed by the
subcommittee reflect the organizational framework that the statistical
agencies used for their Information Quality Guidelines. They are the
product of a careful and deliberate process to create a set of
standards and guidelines that will address all key aspects of planning,
conducting, processing, and disseminating Federal statistical surveys.
Because OMB standards and guidelines must cover a broad range of
applications, agencies are encouraged to develop their own more
specific standards for the statistical surveys and studies they conduct
or sponsor. The subcommittee provided initial draft standards and
guidelines for review by the FCSM and then by the ICSP in 2004. The
subcommittee addressed the comments it received at each stage and
provided its recommendations to OMB in 2005.
Issues for Comment: With this Notice, OMB requests comments on the
recommendations it has received from the interagency FCSM Subcommittee
on Standards for Statistical Surveys. The proposed standards and
guidelines as well as the original Statistical Policy Directives Nos. 1
and 2 are available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/
statpolicy.html.
OMB seeks comments from all interested parties on all aspects of
these proposed standards and guidelines. In particular, OMB seeks
comment on the merit of the proposed standards and guidelines both in
technical terms and as statistical policy. These standards and
guidelines should reflect best practices for Federal agencies and their
contractors in conducting statistical surveys as well as sound policy
for the Federal statistical system. OMB seeks comment on whether some
provisions of this proposal should be modified or deleted to meet these
goals. Finally, OMB seeks comment from affected agencies on the
expected benefits and burdens of the proposed standards and guidelines.
John D. Graham,
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 05-13837 Filed 7-13-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3110-01-P
