Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC), 58510-58511 [2012-23297]

Download as PDF 58510 Notices Federal Register Vol. 77, No. 184 Friday, September 21, 2012 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency statements of organization and functions are examples of documents appearing in this section. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Census Bureau Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: 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)). SUMMARY: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on or before November 20, 2012. ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at jjessup@doc.gov). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions should be directed to Lisa Paska, U.S. Census Bureau, DSD/CPS HQ–7H108B, Washington, DC 20233–8400, (301) 763– 3806 (or via the Internet at lisa.paska@census.gov). pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES DATES: SUPPLEMENTARY 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 VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:05 Sep 20, 2012 Jkt 226001 February, March, and April CPS. The Census Bureau has conducted this supplement annually for over 50 years. The Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics 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-/full-time 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 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. The ASEC also contains questions 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 enable analysts and policymakers to obtain PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 better estimates of family and household income, and more precisely gauge poverty status. The U.S. Census Bureau continues to follow the 1999 mandate from Congress regarding passage of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), or Title XXI. The mandate increased the sample size for the CPS, and specifically the ASEC, to a level achieving estimates that are more reliable for the number of individuals participating in this program at the state level. Since 2000, the ASEC is conducted in February, March, and April, rather than only in March, to achieve the increase in sample size. 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 computer-assisted interviewing. III. Data OMB Control Number: 0607–0354. 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 1–9. 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 E:\FR\FM\21SEN1.SGM 21SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 184 / Friday, September 21, 2012 / Notices 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: September 18, 2012. Glenna Mickelson, Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 2012–23297 Filed 9–20–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–07–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Bureau of the Census [Docket Number: 120717245–2245–01] Announcement of Competition Under the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2011 Competition Details Bureau of the Census, Commerce. ACTION: Notice of competition announcement. AGENCY: The Census Bureau announces a prize competition under Section 105 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2011, Public Law 111–358 (2011) to create a statistical model to predict the census mail return rate of small area geographic units based on their demographic characteristics. The SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice provides more detailed information about the competition. DATES: Competition began on August 31, 2012, and ends on November 1, 2012. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Please visit www.kaggle.com for further information on the competition and eligibility. All questions regarding the competition may be sent to: census.return.rate. challenge@census.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Census Bureau announces a prize competition under Section 105 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2011, Public Law 111–358 (2011) to create a statistical model to predict the census mail return rate of small area geographic units based on their demographic characteristics. Census and survey participation rates vary considerably across geographic areas. For example, 2010 Census mail-form return rates varied across states from a high of 82 percent to a low of 65 percent. The causes of these differences pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:05 Sep 20, 2012 Jkt 226001 in participation rates are many, but these causes have been found to be related to population and housing characteristics. Subpopulations may differ in their lifestyles and their attitudes toward census participation, and Census planners need to develop appropriate strategies to contact and gain respondent cooperation for timely and efficient data collection. This competition is intended to develop a statistical model to predict census mail return rates at the Census block group level of geography. The Census Bureau will use this model for planning purposes for the decennial census and for demographic sample surveys. The model-based estimates of predicted mail return will be publicly released in a later version of the Census ‘‘planning database’’ containing updated demographic data. The Census Bureau announced this competition on their public Web site on August 31, 2012. This notice is intended to formally announce the competition in the Federal Register. Subject of the competition. The objective of this competition is to create the best statistical model to predict census mail return rates of block group areas using the demographic variables in the Census planning database, a file of selected variables from the 2010 Census and 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates. Participants are encouraged to develop and evaluate different statistical approaches to propose the best predictive model for geographic units. The intent is to improve our current predictive analytics. The challenge will be hosted at www.kaggle.com (‘‘Web site’’), an online platform for predictive modeling competitions. Amount of the prize. The total prize amount to be awarded through this competition is $25,000. Competition Rules (1) Basis on which the winner will be selected. The winner(s) of this competition will be the entrant(s) who submits the statistical model that is judged by a panel of experts external to the Census Bureau to be the best predictive model of census mail return rate at the block group level of geography, in accordance with Judge and Judging Procedures. (a) The 2010 Census mail form return rate will be used as the dependent measure in the model. Units of analysis are census block groups as defined by Census. PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 58511 (b) The Census Return Rate Predictive Model is to be developed from the variables in our newly updated planning database, which includes selected 2010 Census and ACS 5-year estimates of characteristics that Census experience and the survey literature have found to be associated with enumeration difficulty. (c) Participants can propose inclusion of additional variables not on the planning database as long as they meet the following criteria: (i) Administrative data, such as school enrollment or other compiled data, publically available at no cost, and (ii) The data are not proprietary information, such as commercial telephone and household characteristics lists, which require purchase from a vendor. Participants are encouraged to notify the Census Bureau of additional data sources to be used before completion of the model to assure compliance with the criteria. (d) The models will be evaluated as outlined in the Judge and Judging Procedures. Please refer to the Web site for additional details. (e) Entry materials will include the model documentation, including the prediction equation, a description of the methodology used to create the prediction equation, and algorithm/code (e.g., R/Matlab/Python/SAS/etc.) to create the prediction equation. The documentation will provide a thorough understanding of the methods, and allow for replication in the future. (2) To participate in this competition, contestants must: (a) Enter the competition through www.Kaggle.com, the host of the competition submission process; (b) Agree to all terms of Kaggle.com; (c) Participants may be individuals or teams. For purposes of this Notice, ‘‘Entrant’’ or ‘‘Entrants’’ refers to individual participants and each individual participating as a member of a team. (3) To be eligible to win a prize under this competition, an individual or entity: (a) Must have agreed to the rules of this competition; (b) Are either (a) in the case of an entity, incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States, or (b) in the case of an individual, a citizen or permanent resident of the United States who are 18 years or older; (c) Must not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within the scope of employment; (d) Must assume risks, agree to indemnify, and waive claims against the E:\FR\FM\21SEN1.SGM 21SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 184 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58510-58511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23297]


========================================================================
Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
appearing in this section.

========================================================================


Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 184 / Friday, September 21, 2012 / 
Notices

[[Page 58510]]



DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Current 
Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC)

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 November 20, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at jjessup@doc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Lisa Paska, U.S. Census Bureau, DSD/CPS HQ-
7H108B, Washington, DC 20233-8400, (301) 763-3806 (or via the Internet 
at lisa.paska@census.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY 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 CPS. The 
Census Bureau has conducted this supplement annually for over 50 years. 
The Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics 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 one-year 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-/
full-time 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 well-being 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 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.
    The ASEC also contains questions 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 enable analysts and policymakers to obtain 
better estimates of family and household income, and more precisely 
gauge poverty status.
    The U.S. Census Bureau continues to follow the 1999 mandate from 
Congress regarding passage of the State Children's Health Insurance 
Program (SCHIP), or Title XXI. The mandate increased the sample size 
for the CPS, and specifically the ASEC, to a level achieving estimates 
that are more reliable for the number of individuals participating in 
this program at the state level. Since 2000, the ASEC is conducted in 
February, March, and April, rather than only in March, to achieve the 
increase in sample size.

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 
computer-assisted interviewing.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0354.
    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 1-9.

 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

[[Page 58511]]

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: September 18, 2012.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-23297 Filed 9-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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