Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Geographic Partnership Programs, 60675-60676 [E8-24322]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• U.s. Census Bureau
• Census Bureau

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 199 (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60675-60676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-24322]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Geographic 
Partnership Programs

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau.

ACTION: Notice.

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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 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before December 15, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at dHynek@doc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Linda Franz, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC 
20233-7400, 301-763-9061 (or via Internet at Linda.M.Franz@census.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The mission of the Geography Division within the Census Bureau is 
to plan, coordinate, and administer all geographic and cartographic 
activities needed to facilitate Census Bureau statistical programs 
throughout the United States and its territories. The Geography 
Division manages programs to continuously update features, boundaries, 
addresses, and geographic entities in the Master Address File/
Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing System 
(MAF/TIGER) database (MTdb). The Geography Division also conducts 
research into geographic concepts, methods, and standards needed to 
facilitate Census Bureau data collection and dissemination programs.
    Geographic Partnership Programs (GPPs) will allow designated 
participants, following Census Bureau guidelines, to review and suggest 
modifications to addresses and geographic boundaries to maintain the 
Census Bureau MTdb and to accurately report data from censuses and 
surveys. Because tribal, state, and local governments have current 
knowledge of and data about where growth and change are occurring in 
their jurisdictions, their input into the overall development of the 
address list for the censuses and surveys makes a vital contribution. 
Similarly, those governments are in the best position to work with 
geographic boundaries, and benefit themselves not only when their 
address list is complete, but also when their data tabulation areas are 
drawn to be relevant to user needs.

II. Method of Collection

    This presubmission notice is for a generic clearance called the 
GPPs that will cover a number of activities needed to update the MTdb 
with associated address and geographic information. The information to 
be collected in these programs in cooperation with tribal, state, and 
local governments and other partners is essential to the mission of the 
Census Bureau and directly contributes to the successful outcome of 
censuses and surveys conducted by the Census Bureau. The generic 
clearance will allow the Census Bureau to focus its limited resources 
on actual operational planning, development of procedures, and 
implementation of programs to update and improve the geographic 
information maintained in the MTdb.
    The Census Bureau will develop guidelines and procedures for 
tribal, state, and local government submission of geographic and 
address data and will outline the mutual roles and responsibilities of 
each party. The list below is not exhaustive of all activities that may 
be performed under this generic clearance. The Census Bureau will 
follow the approved procedure when submitting any additional activities 
not specifically listed here.

A. Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA)

    The purpose of the 2010 Census LUCA program is to ensure that the 
Census Bureau develops, with the cooperation of tribal, state, and 
local governments in advance of the 2010 Census, the most accurate 
address list possible.
    The Census Bureau's deadline for submission of 2010 Census LUCA 
updates from tribal, state, and local governments was May 30, 2008. 
This schedule permitted the Census Bureau to review and process the 
submissions in time for a nationwide field check called the Address 
Canvassing Operation.

B. LUCA Appeals

    The procedures for the LUCA Appeals process will be published in a 
Federal Register Notice. The Census Bureau will provide feedback 
materials to LUCA participants documenting the disposition of their 
LUCA submission as determined by the Address Canvassing Operation. 
Eligible LUCA participating governments may appeal the Census Bureau's 
determinations regarding the address changes they initially submitted, 
as well as addresses for which they did not provide changes but that 
were deleted during Address Canvassing. All appeals must be filed 
within 30 calendar days of receipt of the feedback materials. To 
appeal, the eligible participants must provide specified contact 
information, specific addresses to be appealed, and specified 
supporting evidence.
    Participants submit the appeals to an Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB)-designated agency that is independent of the Department of 
Commerce. The Appeals Office issues a final written determination to 
both the eligible government and the Census Bureau. The Appeals Office 
will complete all reviews and write all determinations as soon as 
possible, but no later than the end of March 2010. The decisions of the 
Appeals Office are final.

C. New Construction Program

    The New Construction Program is the final opportunity to add city-
style housing unit addresses for newly-built structures closed to the 
elements by Census Day (April 1, 2010). The full details of the New 
Construction Program will be announced in a Federal Register Notice. 
The New Construction program runs from November 2009 to February 2010. 
This program is offered only to local, tribal, and county governments 
in areas where the census questionnaires

[[Page 60676]]

will be delivered by mail (approximately 23,000 entities).
    Following the invitation and registration processes, the Census 
Bureau will send the participants the New Construction materials, which 
consist of instructions and maps (shapefiles or Portable Document 
Format (PDF) files). The participants must return their new 
construction addresses in the format specified by the Census Bureau.

D. Redistricting Data Program

    The 2010 Census Redistricting Data Program is established in 
accordance with the provisions of Title 13 U.S.C. 141(C) and provides 
the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico the opportunity to specify the small geographic areas for which 
they wish to receive decennial census population totals for the purpose 
of reapportionment and redistricting. The law requires that the Census 
Bureau allow those having responsibility for apportionment or 
districting of each State be given the opportunity to specify 
geographic areas for which they wish to receive decennial census 
population counts. The law also requires that by April 1 of the year 
following the decennial census the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) 
will furnish State officials or their designees with population counts 
for counties, cities, census blocks, and Congressional districts, 
legislative districts, and voting districts.
    The States will have the opportunity to verify the inclusion of 
their voting districts and suggested tabulation block boundary features 
during 2009 and early 2010, to ensure the voting district boundaries 
that will be used by the Census Bureau are consistent with their 
submissions.

E. Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) and Tribal Statistical 
Areas Program (TSAP)

    The PSAP and TSAP are parallel geographic programs, developed to 
give local governments and regional planning agencies (PSAP) and tribal 
governments (TSAP) the opportunity to review, and update if necessary, 
statistical geographic areas for use in tabulating and publishing data 
from the 2010 Census, the American Community Survey, and other surveys. 
The program will be available to tribal and local governments for all 
States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The participants 
review and update census tracts, block groups, census designated 
places, census county divisions, and tribal areas and submit digital 
files (or, optionally, updated paper maps in the case of TSAP) back to 
the Census Bureau. The Census Bureau inserts the PSAP and TSAP areas 
into the MTdb.

F. Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ) Program

    The Census Bureau and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 
identify and invite Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) and/or 
State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to be 2010 TAZ Program 
participants. TAZs are geographic areas that divide planning regions 
into relatively similar areas of land use, land activity, and commuter 
travel. TAZs are used to tabulate and present data as part of the 
Census Transportation Planning Products (CTPP), a special tabulation of 
American Community Survey data produced under contract with FHWA. The 
participants review and update the TAZs within their area of interest 
and submit the updated digital shapefiles back to the Census Bureau. 
The Census Bureau evaluates the submitted shapefiles and inserts the 
TAZs into the MTdb.

G. School District Review Program (SDRP)

    The Census Bureau conducts the SDRP every two years under contract 
from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. 
Department of Education. The Census Bureau invites state education 
officials to be participants in the review and update of its national 
inventory of school district boundaries and district information. State 
education officials collaborate with local superintendents on the 
response. The participants review and provide updates and corrections 
to the elementary, secondary, and unified school district names and 
Federal Local Education Agency (LEA) identification numbers, school 
district boundaries, and the grade ranges for which a school district 
is financially responsible. The participants submit updated digital 
files back to the Census Bureau.
    The Census Bureau uses the updated school district information 
along with the most current Census population and income data, current 
population estimates, and tabulations of administrative records data, 
to form the Census Bureau's estimates of the number of children aged 5 
through 17 in low-income families for each school district. These 
estimates of the number of children in low-income families residing 
within each school district are the basis of the funding allocation for 
each school district under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 
Public Law (Pub. L.) 107-110.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0795.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: State, local, and tribal governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 19,883.
    Estimated Time per Response: 309 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,915,478.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. Sections 141 and 193.

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: October 8, 2008.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
 [FR Doc. E8-24322 Filed 10-10-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P