Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, 69188-69193 [2015-28416]
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69188
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 80, No. 216
Monday, November 9, 2015
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 AGRICULTURE
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Comments
Notice of Request for Extension of
Currently Approved Information
Collection
Rural Business-Cooperative
Service, USDA.
ACTION: Proposed collection; comments
requested.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the Rural BusinessCooperative Service’s (RBS) intention to
request an extension for a currently
approved information collection in
support of the program for 7 CFR part
4284, subpart K, Agriculture Innovation
Demonstration Centers.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
received by January 8, 2016 to be
considered.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chad Parker, Deputy Administrator,
Cooperative Programs, Rural
Development, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, STOP 3250, Room 5813–
South, 1400 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20250–3250.
Telephone: (202) 720–7558, Email:
chad.parker@wdc.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Agriculture Innovation Centers.
OMB Number: 0570–0045.
Expiration Date of Approval: March
31, 2016.
Type of Request: Extension of
currently approved information
collection.
Abstract: Agriculture Innovation
Center applicants must provide required
information to demonstrate eligibility
for the program and compliance with
applicable laws and regulations.
Grantees are required to provide
progress reports for the duration of the
grant agreement to ensure continued
compliance and to measure the success
of the program.
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SUMMARY:
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Estimate of Burden: Public reporting
burden for this collection is estimated to
average 4.38 hours per response.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 1.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 13.
Estimated Number of Responses: 13.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 57 hours.
Copies of this information collection
can be obtained from Jeanne Jacobs,
Regulations and Paperwork
Management Branch, (202) 692–0040.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of RBS, including
whether the information will have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
Agency’s estimate of the burden to
collect the required information,
including the validity of the strategy
used; (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 those who are to
respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology. Comments on
the paperwork burden may be sent to
Jeanne Jacobs, Regulations and
Paperwork Management Branch, Rural
Development, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, STOP 0742, 1400
Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20250–0742. All
responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
for the Office of Management and
Budget’s approval. All comments will
become a matter of public record.
Dated: October 23, 2015.
Samuel H. Rikkers,
Acting Administrator, Rural BusinessCooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–28443 Filed 11–6–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
The Department of Commerce will
submit to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for clearance the
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following proposal for collection of
information under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.
chapter 35).
Agency: National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST).
Title: Baldrige Executive Fellows
Program.
OMB Control Number: None.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: New collection.
Number of Respondents: 12.
Average Hours per Response: 1 hour.
Burden Hours: 12.
Needs and Uses: Collection needed to
obtain information to select applicants
for the Baldrige Executive Fellows
Program.
Affected Public: Business, health care,
education, or other for-profit
organizations; health care, education,
and other nonprofit organizations; and
individuals.
Frequency: Annual.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
This information collection request
may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow
the instructions to view Department of
Commerce collections currently under
review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to OIRA_Submission@
omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395–5806.
Dated: November 4, 2015.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015–28410 Filed 11–6–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
The Department of Commerce will
submit to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for clearance the
following proposal for collection of
information under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.
chapter 35).
Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
Title: 2016 Census Test.
OMB Control Number: 0607–XXXX.
Form Number(s):
Questionnaire
DF–1(ES)
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DF–1(EC)
DF–1(EK)
DF–9(2B)(ES)
DF–9(2B)(EC)
DF–9(2B)(EK)
DF–9C(ES)
DF–9C(EC)
DF–9C(EK)
DF–9(2C)(ES)
DF–9(2C)(EC)
DF–9(2C)(EK)
DF–9(AR)(1)
Instruction Card
DF–33(ES)
DF–33(EC)
DF–33(EK)
Questionnaire Cover Letters
DF–16(L2)(ES)
DF–16(L2)(EC)
DF–16(L2)(EK)
DF–16(L4)(ES)
DF–16(L4)(EC)
DF–16(L4)(EK)
DF–17(L2)(ES)
DF–17(L2)(EC)
DF–17(L2)(EK)
DF–6U(IN)
DF–6U(1)(IN)
DF–8A(ES)
DF–8A(EC)
DF–8A(EK)
DF–5(ES)
Field Materials
DF–26B
DF–28(ES)
DF–28(EC)
DF–28(EK)
Languages Brochures
DF–12
DF–14
Internet Instrument Spec
Information Insert
Postcards/Reminder Letter
DF–9L(ES)
DF–9B(ES)
DF–9B(EC)
DF–9B(EK)
COMPASS (NRFU/QA RI) Spec
DF–17(TQA)
DF–17I(ES)
DF–17I(EC)
DF–17I(EK)
Reinterview Instrument Spec (Coverage)
Type of Request: New Collection.
Number of Respondents: 412,348.
Average Hours per Response: 0.2.
Burden Hours: 68,954.
Estimated burden hours for 2016
Census Test:
Envelopes
DF–6A(1)(IN)(ES)
DF–6A(IN)(ES)
Estimated
number of respondents
Estimated time
per response
(minutes)
Estimated total
annual burden
hours
Self Response .............................................................................................................................
NRFU ...........................................................................................................................................
NRFU Quality Control Reinterview ..............................................................................................
Non-ID Manual Processing—phone followup ..............................................................................
Coverage Reinterview .................................................................................................................
Non-ID Response Validation .......................................................................................................
Focus Group Selection Contacts .................................................................................................
Focus Group Participants ............................................................................................................
250,000
120,000
12,000
400
24,500
5,000
288
160
10
10
10
5
10
10
3
120
41,667
20,000
2,000
33
4,084
834
15
320
Totals ....................................................................................................................................
412,348
........................
68,954
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Type of respondent/operation
Needs and Uses: During the years
preceding the 2020 Census, the Census
Bureau is pursuing its commitment to
reduce the cost of conducting the census
while maintaining the quality of the
results. A primary decennial census cost
driver is the collection of data in person
from addresses for which the Census
Bureau received no reply via initially
offered response options. We refer to
these as nonresponse cases, and the
efforts we make to collect data from
these cases as the Nonresponse
Followup, or NRFU, operation.
The 2016 Census Test will allow the
Census Bureau to build upon past tests,
to refine our plans and methods
associated with the reengineered field
operations for the NRFU operation of
the Census. Namely, this test will allow
us to:
• Test refinements to the ratios of
field enumerators to field supervisors.
• Test refinements to our enhanced
operational control system, including
the way we assign work to field staff,
and how those assignments are routed.
• Test alternatives to government
furnished equipment for data collection,
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such as enumerator use of personally
owned devices (sometimes known as
Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD), or
devices provided by a private company
as part of a contract for wireless service
(sometimes known as Device As A
Service).
• Test refinements to our use of
administrative records to reduce the
NRFU workload.
• Test new methods of conducting
NRFU quality control reinterviews.
Increasing the number of people who
take advantage of self response options
(such as responding online, completing
a paper questionnaire and mailing it
back to the Census Bureau, or
responding via telephone) can
contribute to a less costly census. The
Census Bureau has committed to using
the Internet as a primary response
option in the 2020 Census, and we are
studying ways to offer and promote this
option to respondents. In addition to
increasing and optimizing self response
through the Internet, the Census Bureau
plans to test the impacts of providing
additional materials to respondents as
part of their first mailing along with a
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letter invitation. One example of
additional material is an insert to be
included for traditionally hard-to-count
populations. We will also test a tailored
envelope treatment to determine
whether this represents an effective way
to encourage and support self response
for respondents who speak languages
other than English. We also will
continue to study the option of allowing
people to respond on the Internet
without having or using a unique
identification code previously supplied
by the Census Bureau. Each of these will
be discussed in more detail in
subsequent sections of this supporting
statement.
2016 Census Test—Los Angeles County
(Part), California and Harris County
(Part), Texas
The areas within Los Angeles County
(part), California and Harris County
(part), Texas were chosen based on a
variety of characteristics—including
language diversity, demographic
diversity, varying levels of Internet
usage, large metropolitan areas and high
vacancy rates. These characteristics can
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help the Census Bureau refine its
operational plans for the 2020 Census
by testing operational procedures on
traditionally hard-to-count populations.
The tests will allow for our continued
development of providing additional
ways for the population to respond to
the once-a-decade census, as well as
more cost-effective ways for census
takers to follow up with households that
fail to respond.
Los Angeles County (part), California, places
and census designated places (CDP)
Alhambra city
Los Angeles city
Montebello city
Monterey Park city
Pasadena city
Rosemead city
San Gabriel city
San Marino city
South El Monte city
South Pasadena city
Temple City city
East Los Angeles CDP
East Pasadena CDP
East San Gabriel CDP
San Pasqual CDP
South San Gabriel CDP
Harris County (part), Texas, places
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Bunker Hill Village city
Hedwig Village city
Hilshire Village city
Houston city
Hunters Creek Village city
Jersey Village city
Piney Point Village city
Spring Valley Village city
To increase Internet self response
rates, the Census Bureau will improve
contact and notification strategies that
were studied in prior testing. The core
of our contact strategy is an Internetpush strategy, which was previously
tested in the 2012 National Census Test,
2014 Census Test and the 2015
Optimizing Self Response and Census
Tests and is now being further refined.
We also introduced a supplemental
contact strategy in the 2015 National
Content Test, the Internet Choice panel,
which we will continue to study in the
2016 Census Test. In the 2016 Census
Test, improvements to this approach
will be tested by modifying the content
of our messages, including materials in
the mailing packages.
We also will continue our efforts to
make it easier for respondents by
allowing them to respond without
providing a pre-assigned identification
(ID) number associated with their
address. This response option, referred
to as ‘‘Non-ID,’’ was successfully
implemented on the Internet in the 2014
and 2015 Census Tests. In this test, we
will continue to develop the
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infrastructure to deploy real-time
processing of Non-ID responses.
Specifically, we will implement
automated processing of Non-ID
responses in a cloud-based environment
instead of using Census Bureau
hardware. This work will help us
prepare for conducting Non-ID
Processing at the scale we anticipate for
2020. In addition, we will be conducting
a manual matching and geocoding
operation for Non-ID responses that
could not be matched to a record in the
Census address list, or assigned to a
census block during automated
processing. Some of this processing will
require Census staff to call respondents
to obtain further information, such as
missing address items that could help
us obtain a match to a record in the
Census address list. In some cases, we
may also ask for the respondent’s
assistance in accurately locating their
living quarters on a map so that we can
associate the response to the correct
census block, which is required for data
tabulation.
The 2016 Census Test will be
comprised of four phases: Self
Response, NRFU (with a reinterview
component), Coverage Reinterview, and
focus groups.
Self Response
We will implement an ‘‘Internet
Push’’ contact strategy, which involves
first sending a letter inviting people to
respond via the Internet; then sending
up to two postcard reminders to nonresponding addresses; and ultimately
sending a paper questionnaire to
addresses that still have not responded.
The Census Bureau will directly contact
up to 250,000 addresses in each site to
request self response via one of the
available response modes (Internet,
telephone, paper). Materials included in
the mailing explain the test and provide
information on how to respond. The
impact of message content on self
response will be tested by varying the
content of the mailing packages in the
‘‘Internet Push’’ for different panels.
Specifically, we will test language that
addresses how participation in the
Census benefits respondents’
communities and cite the mandatory
nature of the census. Mail panels
targeting limited English proficiency
(LEP) households will include a
language insert as part of the contact
strategy. LEP households represent a
subsample of housing units in each test
location. We also plan to include the
Census Internet Uniform Resource
Locator (URL) on envelopes with
messaging in multiple languages for a
panel of housing units. This is intended
to serve as a prompt for LEP
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respondents to access the Census URL
without needing to read a letter written
in a language in which they are not
fluent. An ‘‘Internet Choice’’ panel will
also be tested; which involves first
sending a questionnaire with a letter
inviting people to respond via the
Internet or by using the questionnaire;
then sending up to two postcard
reminders to non-responding addresses;
and ultimately sending a second paper
questionnaire to addresses that still
have not responded. The design of the
mail panels is fully described in
Supporting Statement B.
In addition to supporting Non-ID self
response and conducting manual
processing of Non-ID returns when
required, we will take steps to identify
duplicate or potentially fraudulent NonID responses. For all Non-ID responses,
we will compare response data to
information contained in commercial
lists and Federal administrative records
maintained within the Census Bureau.
This will help validate respondentprovided data as well as examine the
gaps in coverage we might have in
currently available administrative
records datasets. Last, in order to
confirm the results from the records
linkage, we will conduct a Response
Validation operation to recollect the
response data for an estimated sample of
5,000 of the Non-ID returns. This will
likely be performed as a combination of
telephone interviews and in-person
visits, but the proportions of each of
these are still to be determined.
Telephone questionnaire assistance
will be available to all respondents. In
addition, on-line respondents will be
provided with pre-defined ‘‘Help’’
screens or ‘‘Frequently Asked
Questions’’ accessible through the
Internet instrument. People who prefer
not to respond via a paper form or on
the Internet can also call the telephone
questionnaire assistance number and
speak to an agent to complete the
questionnaire for their household.
Content Tests Objectives in Self
Response and Nonresponse Followup
Data Collection
The 2016 Census Test questionnaire
will include questions on housing
tenure, household roster, age, sex/
gender, date of birth, race and Hispanic
origin, and relationship. Based on
results from the 2010 Race and Hispanic
Origin Alternative Questionnaire
Experiment (Compton, et al. 2012 1), the
2016 Census Test will include a
1 Compton, E., Bentley. M., Ennis, S., Rastogi, S.,
(2012), ‘‘2010 Census Race and Hispanic Origin
Alternative Questionnaire Experiment,’’ DSSD 2010
CPEX Memorandum Series #B–05–R2, U.S. Census
Bureau.
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combined race and Hispanic origin
question intended to build on what is
being tested in the 2015 National
Content Test. This combined question
provides examples and write-in areas
for each major response category,
including a response category for
Middle Eastern and North African
ethnicities. With this combined
question format no separate ‘‘Hispanic
origin’’ question is used. Rather,
Hispanic ethnicity or origin is measured
within the single item. Respondents are
asked to self-identify by selecting one or
more checkboxes, and to write-in a
specific origin for each checkbox
selected. The 2016 Census Test allows
us to test responses to these questions
in geographic areas with different race
and Hispanic Origin concentrations
from the prior test areas.
The inclusion of the combined
question will also allow the Census
Bureau to conduct imputation research
using this combined format in a setting
when there are self responses,
administrative records and NRFU
enumerator responses. This will allow
the Census Bureau to understand
imputation approaches needed for a
combined question.
We also plan to test variation in
terminology by comparing ‘‘Am.’’ with
‘‘American’’ in the response category
‘‘Black or African Am.’’ on the Internet
instrument. This research is being
undertaken to assess the impact of
different wording for the racial category
that collects and tabulates data for the
African American, African, and AfroCaribbean populations. This test will
provide insights to how respondents
identify with the race category,
depending on the wording used to
describe the category itself (‘‘Black or
African Am.’’ vs. ‘‘Black or African
American’’).
For the relationship question, we plan
to include variations in question
wording associated with ‘‘nonrelatives.’’ We will compare responses
to a relationship question with, and
without, the response categories
‘‘roomer or boarder’’ and ‘‘housemate or
roommate.’’ Cognitive testing has
repeatedly shown that respondents do
not know what the Census Bureau sees
as the differences between these
categories.
The 2016 Census Test will continue to
include the response categories
recommended by the OMB Interagency
Working Group (see section 11 of this
document—Justification for Sensitive
Questions) for opposite-sex and samesex husband/wife/spouse households,
and for the category for unmarried
partner.
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The 2016 Census Test will include a
question on the Internet instrument that
will allow respondents to report that a
housing unit they own is vacant as of
Census Day, and to provide the reason
for the vacancy status (e.g., a seasonal or
rental unit). Collecting these data from
respondents may allow the Census
Bureau to identify some vacant housing
units during self response so they can be
removed from NRFU operations.
The Census Bureau’s research on how
best to present and explain the
residence rule (who to count) in specific
situations will continue. The Internet
data collection instrument will include
various ways to ask about and confirm
the number of persons residing at an
address. Respondents will see one of
three screens about the enumeration of
people in their household: one that
displays the Census Bureau’s basic
residence rule, and then asks for the
number of people in the household
based on that rule; One that asks for the
number of people who live in the
household but provides our residence
rule definition in the help text; and one
that asks if any other people live at the
household, with the residence rule in
the help text. After the names of the
roster members are collected, the
respondent will then see one of three
series of undercount detection
questions: One series asks for additional
people on two separate screens, another
series asks for additional people on only
one screen, or no undercount questions
at all. After the demographic items are
collected, the respondent will then see
overcount detection questions or, if the
case had not received undercount
questions, no overcount detection
questions.
The materials mailed to the
respondents will inform them that the
survey is mandatory in accordance with
title 13, United States Code, sections
141 and 193. This information also will
be available via a hyperlink from within
the Internet instrument.
Nonresponse Followup (NRFU)
Operation Testing
The 2016 Census Test will determine
our 2020 Census methods for
conducting NRFU operations that will
increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Based on previous tests, the Census
Bureau will refine its contact strategies
and methods for field data collection,
case assignment management, and field
staff administrative functions. This will
include further testing of how
administrative records can be used to
reduce the NRFU workload.
As part of the 2016 Census Test, we
will collect housing unit status and
enumerate the occupants of households
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that do not respond to the self response
phase of the census using automated
enumeration software on standard (iOS
and Android operating system)
smartphone devices. The test will
enable our continued study of options
for alternatives to using government
furnished equipment. This includes
options for an enumerator to use their
own smartphone for enumeration, often
known as ‘‘Bring Your Own Device
(BYOD)’’, and options to use a ‘Device
as a Service’ contract, where the Census
Bureau will not own the smartphone
devices outright, but instead will pay a
vendor for their use, including any
initialization and setup processes
required. This has the potential to
mitigate risks to the operation. For
example, unpredictable increases in
costs associated with device
initialization and hardware support. We
will also continue to operationally test
the field data collection application we
use on these devices. The devices will
use a modified version of the software
used in the 2015 Census Test, with
updated capabilities for handling
special non-interview cases (such as
demolished homes and non-existent
addresses), better handling of addresses
with multiple units (like apartment
buildings), a clearer path for
enumerators to take when attempting to
collect data from a householder’s
neighbor or another knowledgeable
source, new screens related to detecting
potential ‘‘overcount’’ in a household
(scenarios where current household
residents also lived at another location,
like student housing), and numerous
other minor incremental user interface
and performance updates.
The Census Bureau also plans to test
a newly redesigned portion of our
quality assurance activities—the NRFU
Reinterview program (NRFU-RI). We
plan to test:
• New methodologies for selecting
cases to be reinterviewed, including the
potential use of operational control
system data (paradata) and
administrative records to detect
potential falsification by enumerators
• Using our automated field data
collection instrument for conducting
these reinterviews
• Using our recently re-designed
operational control system to optimize
the routing and assignment of
reinterview cases, and
• Using the same field staff to
conduct both NRFU interviews and
associated reinterviews, with an explicit
rule within the instrument that an
enumerator is not allowed to
reinterview their own work.
All of these changes have the
potential to lead to a more cost-effective,
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streamlined, and higher quality NRFU
operation for the 2020 Census. We will
continue to test our newly re-engineered
field infrastructure, allowing us to refine
our requirements for staffing ratios and
position duties for 2020 Census
operations. We will also continue to test
our enhanced operational control
system, using lessons learned from the
2015 Census Test to make further
improvements to how assignments are
made and routed. We will continue to
test improvements to our use of
systematic alerts that will quickly notify
field supervisors of potential problem
enumerators, detect possible
falsification, and improve both quality
and efficiency for the NRFU operation.
Additionally, we will continue to test
our implementation of an ‘adaptive
design’ contact strategy: Using a varied
number of personal visit attempts by
geographic area based on criteria
associated with people who are harder
to count. We also will study when is the
optimal point to discontinue attempts to
collect information from each nonresponding household, and instead
move to attempting to collect
information from a householder’s
neighbor or another knowledgeable
source.
Finally, we will build upon work
from the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Census
Tests in a continued attempt to refine
and evaluate our use of administrative
records (including government and
third-party data sources) to reduce the
NRFU workload. Cases will be removed
from the NRFU operation based on our
administrative records modeling as
follows:
• Any case that is given a status of
vacant from our administrative records
modeling will be immediately removed
from the NRFU workload; and
• Any case that is given a status of
occupied from our administrative
records modeling will be removed from
the NRFU workload after one
unsuccessful attempt at field
enumeration is made (as long as good
administrative records exist for that
case).
Unlike previous tests, for all cases
removed from the NRFU workload in
this way, we will test mailing these
addresses a supplemental letter to
prompt a self response. If these cases do
not self-respond, we will enumerate the
unit based on the results of our
administrative records modeling.
For a sample of the cases that would
be removed via this criteria, we will
continue to perform the field followup
activities. This will allow us to compare
the outcomes of those that get a
completed interview with our modeled
status of the household, and determine
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the quality of our administrative record
modeling.
Coverage Reinterview
As described previously, the 2016
Census Test Internet instrument
contains embedded coverage
experiments, and a reinterview is
needed to quantify the effects of each
particular version on the roster provided
by the Internet respondent. The quality
of the final household roster created
from the panels with experimentally
applied questions will be evaluated by
a coverage reinterview conducted by
telephone. Note that these panels are
used to evaluate the different residence
rule approaches used in the different
questionnaire panels. The reinterview
will contain extensive questions about
potentially missed roster members and
other places that any household
members sometimes stay. Specifically,
the reinterview will re-contact
responders to determine if any people
may have been left off the roster or
erroneously included on the roster
during the initial response. If there are
indications during the reinterview that
some people may have been left off the
roster, then we will ask for demographic
information about the missed people. If
there are indications during the
reinterview that some people may have
been erroneously included, then we will
ask for information about stay durations
in order to resolve residency situations.
The reinterview will be a Computer
Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI)
operation conducted in the Census
Bureau’s call centers.
In addition to contacting Internet
responders, a small portion of people
who responded by paper or as a part of
NRFU will be selected for the Coverage
Reinterview. The inclusion of such
cases will allow us to quantify the
quality of household rosters collected in
these two other modes.
Focus Groups
Following the end of data collection,
the Census Bureau will conduct focus
groups with 2016 Census Test
participants to ask about their
experience. Topics will include their
opinions on the use of administrative
records by the Census Bureau.
Participants also will be asked about
their general concerns with government
data collection and the government’s
ability to protect confidential data. The
specific information collection materials
for those activities will be submitted
separately as non-substantive changes.
Testing in 2016 is necessary to build
on the findings from prior testing and to
establish recommendations for contact
strategies, response options, and field
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Sfmt 4703
operation efficiencies that can be further
refined and deployed again in
subsequent operational and system
development activities. At this point in
the decade, the Census Bureau needs to
solidify evidence showing whether the
strategies being tested can reduce the
cost per housing unit during a decennial
census, while still providing high
quality and accuracy of the census data.
The results of the 2016 Census Test
from both sites will inform decisions
that the Census Bureau will make about
refining the detailed operational plan
for the 2020 Census and will help guide
the evaluation of additional 2020
Census test results later this decade.
Along with other results related to
content, the response rates to paper and
Internet collection will be used to help
inform 2020 Census program planning
and cost estimates. Several versions of
some of the demographic questions and
versions of coverage questions are
included in this test in order to
determine further the best questions and
procedures for collecting the data from
hard-to-count populations and achieve
optimal within-household person
coverage within the decennial census.
Testing enhancements to Non-ID
processing will inform final planning
for the 2020 Census design, as well as
the infrastructure required to support
large scale, real-time processing of
electronic Non-ID response data
submitted via the Internet. Building
upon previous Census Tests, the NRFU
portion of the 2016 Census Test will
inform the following important
decisions for conducting the 2020
Census:
• We will continue to research the
cost and quality impact of reducing the
NRFU caseload through the use of
administrative records information, to
inform our final strategy for the use of
administrative records. This test will
also allow us to further define our core
set of administrative records that will be
used for the 2020 Census, and our
strategies for acquiring and using those
records. This research will help us
achieve our goal of a more cost-effective
2020 Census, while maintaining quality
of the results.
• We will continue to research the
cost and quality impacts of new NRFU
contact strategies that make use of
adaptive design and a re-engineered
management structure employing
automated payroll, automated training,
and minimal face-to-face contact
between enumerators and supervisors.
Enumerators are asked to provide worktime availability in advance, and the
system then will assign the optimal
number of cases to attempt each day, as
well as the optimal route to follow that
E:\FR\FM\09NON1.SGM
09NON1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 216 / Monday, November 9, 2015 / Notices
day. Again, this operational research
will help us towards our goal of a more
cost-effective 2020 Census, while
maintaining quality of the results.
• We will be able to determine at
what rate field staff are willing to use
their own personally owned devices to
conduct Census enumeration, and
continue to develop our technical
processes to enable this to be done in a
secure and cost-effective manner. We
will also be able to make quality and
cost determinations about a ‘Device as a
Service’ option, and be able to develop
more mature cost models to inform our
decisions related to the device provision
strategies for the 2020 Census NRFU
operation.
• We will be able to determine the
cost and quality impacts of our newly
re-engineered NRFU Reinterview
quality assurance program. This data
will inform our decision on an
integrated and re-designed approach to
quality assurance for the 2020 Census.
Affected Public: Individuals or
Households.
Frequency: One time.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United
States Code, sections 141 and 193.
This information collection request
may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to view
Department of Commerce collections
currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to
OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov or fax
to (202) 395–5806.
Dated: November 4, 2015.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015–28416 Filed 11–6–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–07–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Foreign-Trade Zones Board
[S–117–2015]
srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Approval of Subzone Status;
Springsteen Logistics, LLC; Rock Hill
and Fort Lawn, South Carolina
On August 11, 2015, the Executive
Secretary of the Foreign-Trade Zones
(FTZ) Board docketed an application
submitted by the South Carolina State
Ports Authority, grantee of FTZ 38,
requesting subzone status subject to the
existing activation limit of FTZ 38, on
behalf of Springsteen Logistics, LLC in
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:52 Nov 06, 2015
Jkt 238001
69193
Rock Hill and Fort Lawn, South
Carolina.
The application was processed in
accordance with the FTZ Act and
Regulations, including notice in the
Federal Register inviting public
comment (80 FR 49201, August 17,
2015). The FTZ staff examiner reviewed
the application and determined that it
meets the criteria for approval. Pursuant
to the authority delegated to the FTZ
Board Executive Secretary (15 CFR
400.36(f)), the application to establish
Subzone 38J is approved, subject to the
FTZ Act and the Board’s regulations,
including § 400.13, and further subject
to FTZ 38’s 2,000-acre activation limit.
in response to material submitted
during the foregoing period may be
submitted during the subsequent 15-day
period to January 4, 2016.
A copy of the application will be
available for public inspection at the
Office of the Executive Secretary,
Foreign-Trade Zones Board, Room
21013, U.S. Department of Commerce,
1401 Constitution Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20230–0002, and in the
‘‘Reading Room’’ section of the FTZ
Board’s Web site, which is accessible
via www.trade.gov/ftz.
For further information, contact
Kathleen Boyce at Kathleen.Boyce@
trade.gov or (202) 482–1346.
Dated: October 30, 2015.
Andrew McGilvray,
Executive Secretary.
Dated: November 3, 2015.
Elizabeth Whiteman,
Acting Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–28459 Filed 11–6–15; 8:45 am]
[FR Doc. 2015–28458 Filed 11–6–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Foreign-Trade Zones Board
International Trade Administration
[S–147–2015]
Initiation of Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Administrative
Reviews
Foreign-Trade Zone 76—Bridgeport,
Connecticut; Application for Subzone;
MannKind Corporation; Danbury,
Connecticut
An application has been submitted to
the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board by
the Bridgeport Port Authority, grantee of
FTZ 76, requesting subzone status for
the facilities of MannKind Corporation,
located in Danbury, Connecticut. The
application was submitted pursuant to
the provisions of the Foreign-Trade
Zones Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a–
81u), and the regulations of the FTZ
Board (15 CFR part 400). It was formally
docketed on November 3, 2015.
The proposed subzone would consist
of the following sites: Site 1 (12.5 acres)
40 Taylor Street, Danbury; and, Site 2 (5
acres) 1 Casper Street, Danbury. The
proposed subzone would be subject to
the existing activation limit of FTZ 76.
A notification of proposed production
activity has been submitted and will be
published separately for public
comment.
In accordance with the FTZ Board’s
regulations, Kathleen Boyce of the FTZ
Staff is designated examiner to review
the application and make
recommendations to the Executive
Secretary.
Public comment is invited from
interested parties. Submissions shall be
addressed to the FTZ Board’s Executive
Secretary at the address below. The
closing period for their receipt is
December 21, 2015. Rebuttal comments
PO 00000
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Sfmt 4703
Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce
(‘‘the Department’’) has received
requests to conduct administrative
reviews of various antidumping and
countervailing duty orders and findings
with September anniversary dates. In
accordance with the Department’s
regulations, we are initiating those
administrative reviews.
DATES: Effective Date: November 9,
2015.
AGENCY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brenda E. Waters, Office of AD/CVD
Operations, Customs Liaison Unit,
Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th
Street and Constitution Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20230, telephone: (202)
482–4735.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Department has received timely
requests, in accordance with 19 CFR
351.213(b), for administrative reviews of
various antidumping and countervailing
duty orders and findings with
September anniversary dates.
All deadlines for the submission of
various types of information,
certifications, or comments or actions by
the Department discussed below refer to
E:\FR\FM\09NON1.SGM
09NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 216 (Monday, November 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69188-69193]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-28416]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44
U.S.C. chapter 35).
Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
Title: 2016 Census Test.
OMB Control Number: 0607-XXXX.
Form Number(s):
Questionnaire
DF-1(ES)
[[Page 69189]]
DF-1(EC)
DF-1(EK)
Instruction Card
DF-33(ES)
DF-33(EC)
DF-33(EK)
Questionnaire Cover Letters
DF-16(L2)(ES)
DF-16(L2)(EC)
DF-16(L2)(EK)
DF-16(L4)(ES)
DF-16(L4)(EC)
DF-16(L4)(EK)
DF-17(L2)(ES)
DF-17(L2)(EC)
DF-17(L2)(EK)
Postcards/Reminder Letter
DF-9L(ES)
DF-9B(ES)
DF-9B(EC)
DF-9B(EK)
DF-9(2B)(ES)
DF-9(2B)(EC)
DF-9(2B)(EK)
DF-9C(ES)
DF-9C(EC)
DF-9C(EK)
DF-9(2C)(ES)
DF-9(2C)(EC)
DF-9(2C)(EK)
DF-9(AR)(1)
Languages Brochures
DF-12
DF-14
Information Insert
DF-17(TQA)
DF-17I(ES)
DF-17I(EC)
DF-17I(EK)
Envelopes
DF-6A(1)(IN)(ES)
DF-6A(IN)(ES)
DF-6U(IN)
DF-6U(1)(IN)
DF-8A(ES)
DF-8A(EC)
DF-8A(EK)
DF-5(ES)
Field Materials
DF-26B
DF-28(ES)
DF-28(EC)
DF-28(EK)
Internet Instrument Spec
COMPASS (NRFU/QA RI) Spec
Reinterview Instrument Spec (Coverage)
Type of Request: New Collection.
Number of Respondents: 412,348.
Average Hours per Response: 0.2.
Burden Hours: 68,954.
Estimated burden hours for 2016 Census Test:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Estimated time Estimated
Type of respondent/operation number of per response total annual
respondents (minutes) burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Self Response................................................... 250,000 10 41,667
NRFU............................................................ 120,000 10 20,000
NRFU Quality Control Reinterview................................ 12,000 10 2,000
Non-ID Manual Processing--phone followup........................ 400 5 33
Coverage Reinterview............................................ 24,500 10 4,084
Non-ID Response Validation...................................... 5,000 10 834
Focus Group Selection Contacts.................................. 288 3 15
Focus Group Participants........................................ 160 120 320
-----------------------------------------------
Totals...................................................... 412,348 .............. 68,954
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Needs and Uses: During the years preceding the 2020 Census, the
Census Bureau is pursuing its commitment to reduce the cost of
conducting the census while maintaining the quality of the results. A
primary decennial census cost driver is the collection of data in
person from addresses for which the Census Bureau received no reply via
initially offered response options. We refer to these as nonresponse
cases, and the efforts we make to collect data from these cases as the
Nonresponse Followup, or NRFU, operation.
The 2016 Census Test will allow the Census Bureau to build upon
past tests, to refine our plans and methods associated with the
reengineered field operations for the NRFU operation of the Census.
Namely, this test will allow us to:
Test refinements to the ratios of field enumerators to
field supervisors.
Test refinements to our enhanced operational control
system, including the way we assign work to field staff, and how those
assignments are routed.
Test alternatives to government furnished equipment for
data collection, such as enumerator use of personally owned devices
(sometimes known as Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD), or devices
provided by a private company as part of a contract for wireless
service (sometimes known as Device As A Service).
Test refinements to our use of administrative records to
reduce the NRFU workload.
Test new methods of conducting NRFU quality control
reinterviews.
Increasing the number of people who take advantage of self response
options (such as responding online, completing a paper questionnaire
and mailing it back to the Census Bureau, or responding via telephone)
can contribute to a less costly census. The Census Bureau has committed
to using the Internet as a primary response option in the 2020 Census,
and we are studying ways to offer and promote this option to
respondents. In addition to increasing and optimizing self response
through the Internet, the Census Bureau plans to test the impacts of
providing additional materials to respondents as part of their first
mailing along with a letter invitation. One example of additional
material is an insert to be included for traditionally hard-to-count
populations. We will also test a tailored envelope treatment to
determine whether this represents an effective way to encourage and
support self response for respondents who speak languages other than
English. We also will continue to study the option of allowing people
to respond on the Internet without having or using a unique
identification code previously supplied by the Census Bureau. Each of
these will be discussed in more detail in subsequent sections of this
supporting statement.
2016 Census Test--Los Angeles County (Part), California and Harris
County (Part), Texas
The areas within Los Angeles County (part), California and Harris
County (part), Texas were chosen based on a variety of
characteristics--including language diversity, demographic diversity,
varying levels of Internet usage, large metropolitan areas and high
vacancy rates. These characteristics can
[[Page 69190]]
help the Census Bureau refine its operational plans for the 2020 Census
by testing operational procedures on traditionally hard-to-count
populations. The tests will allow for our continued development of
providing additional ways for the population to respond to the once-a-
decade census, as well as more cost-effective ways for census takers to
follow up with households that fail to respond.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles County (part), California, places and census designated
places (CDP)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alhambra city
Los Angeles city
Montebello city
Monterey Park city
Pasadena city
Rosemead city
San Gabriel city
San Marino city
South El Monte city
South Pasadena city
Temple City city
East Los Angeles CDP
East Pasadena CDP
East San Gabriel CDP
San Pasqual CDP
South San Gabriel CDP
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harris County (part), Texas, places
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bunker Hill Village city
Hedwig Village city
Hilshire Village city
Houston city
Hunters Creek Village city
Jersey Village city
Piney Point Village city
Spring Valley Village city
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To increase Internet self response rates, the Census Bureau will
improve contact and notification strategies that were studied in prior
testing. The core of our contact strategy is an Internet-push strategy,
which was previously tested in the 2012 National Census Test, 2014
Census Test and the 2015 Optimizing Self Response and Census Tests and
is now being further refined. We also introduced a supplemental contact
strategy in the 2015 National Content Test, the Internet Choice panel,
which we will continue to study in the 2016 Census Test. In the 2016
Census Test, improvements to this approach will be tested by modifying
the content of our messages, including materials in the mailing
packages.
We also will continue our efforts to make it easier for respondents
by allowing them to respond without providing a pre-assigned
identification (ID) number associated with their address. This response
option, referred to as ``Non-ID,'' was successfully implemented on the
Internet in the 2014 and 2015 Census Tests. In this test, we will
continue to develop the infrastructure to deploy real-time processing
of Non-ID responses. Specifically, we will implement automated
processing of Non-ID responses in a cloud-based environment instead of
using Census Bureau hardware. This work will help us prepare for
conducting Non-ID Processing at the scale we anticipate for 2020. In
addition, we will be conducting a manual matching and geocoding
operation for Non-ID responses that could not be matched to a record in
the Census address list, or assigned to a census block during automated
processing. Some of this processing will require Census staff to call
respondents to obtain further information, such as missing address
items that could help us obtain a match to a record in the Census
address list. In some cases, we may also ask for the respondent's
assistance in accurately locating their living quarters on a map so
that we can associate the response to the correct census block, which
is required for data tabulation.
The 2016 Census Test will be comprised of four phases: Self
Response, NRFU (with a reinterview component), Coverage Reinterview,
and focus groups.
Self Response
We will implement an ``Internet Push'' contact strategy, which
involves first sending a letter inviting people to respond via the
Internet; then sending up to two postcard reminders to non-responding
addresses; and ultimately sending a paper questionnaire to addresses
that still have not responded. The Census Bureau will directly contact
up to 250,000 addresses in each site to request self response via one
of the available response modes (Internet, telephone, paper). Materials
included in the mailing explain the test and provide information on how
to respond. The impact of message content on self response will be
tested by varying the content of the mailing packages in the ``Internet
Push'' for different panels. Specifically, we will test language that
addresses how participation in the Census benefits respondents'
communities and cite the mandatory nature of the census. Mail panels
targeting limited English proficiency (LEP) households will include a
language insert as part of the contact strategy. LEP households
represent a subsample of housing units in each test location. We also
plan to include the Census Internet Uniform Resource Locator (URL) on
envelopes with messaging in multiple languages for a panel of housing
units. This is intended to serve as a prompt for LEP respondents to
access the Census URL without needing to read a letter written in a
language in which they are not fluent. An ``Internet Choice'' panel
will also be tested; which involves first sending a questionnaire with
a letter inviting people to respond via the Internet or by using the
questionnaire; then sending up to two postcard reminders to non-
responding addresses; and ultimately sending a second paper
questionnaire to addresses that still have not responded. The design of
the mail panels is fully described in Supporting Statement B.
In addition to supporting Non-ID self response and conducting
manual processing of Non-ID returns when required, we will take steps
to identify duplicate or potentially fraudulent Non-ID responses. For
all Non-ID responses, we will compare response data to information
contained in commercial lists and Federal administrative records
maintained within the Census Bureau. This will help validate
respondent-provided data as well as examine the gaps in coverage we
might have in currently available administrative records datasets.
Last, in order to confirm the results from the records linkage, we will
conduct a Response Validation operation to recollect the response data
for an estimated sample of 5,000 of the Non-ID returns. This will
likely be performed as a combination of telephone interviews and in-
person visits, but the proportions of each of these are still to be
determined.
Telephone questionnaire assistance will be available to all
respondents. In addition, on-line respondents will be provided with
pre-defined ``Help'' screens or ``Frequently Asked Questions''
accessible through the Internet instrument. People who prefer not to
respond via a paper form or on the Internet can also call the telephone
questionnaire assistance number and speak to an agent to complete the
questionnaire for their household.
Content Tests Objectives in Self Response and Nonresponse Followup Data
Collection
The 2016 Census Test questionnaire will include questions on
housing tenure, household roster, age, sex/gender, date of birth, race
and Hispanic origin, and relationship. Based on results from the 2010
Race and Hispanic Origin Alternative Questionnaire Experiment (Compton,
et al. 2012 \1\), the 2016 Census Test will include a
[[Page 69191]]
combined race and Hispanic origin question intended to build on what is
being tested in the 2015 National Content Test. This combined question
provides examples and write-in areas for each major response category,
including a response category for Middle Eastern and North African
ethnicities. With this combined question format no separate ``Hispanic
origin'' question is used. Rather, Hispanic ethnicity or origin is
measured within the single item. Respondents are asked to self-identify
by selecting one or more checkboxes, and to write-in a specific origin
for each checkbox selected. The 2016 Census Test allows us to test
responses to these questions in geographic areas with different race
and Hispanic Origin concentrations from the prior test areas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Compton, E., Bentley. M., Ennis, S., Rastogi, S., (2012),
``2010 Census Race and Hispanic Origin Alternative Questionnaire
Experiment,'' DSSD 2010 CPEX Memorandum Series #B-05-R2, U.S. Census
Bureau.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The inclusion of the combined question will also allow the Census
Bureau to conduct imputation research using this combined format in a
setting when there are self responses, administrative records and NRFU
enumerator responses. This will allow the Census Bureau to understand
imputation approaches needed for a combined question.
We also plan to test variation in terminology by comparing ``Am.''
with ``American'' in the response category ``Black or African Am.'' on
the Internet instrument. This research is being undertaken to assess
the impact of different wording for the racial category that collects
and tabulates data for the African American, African, and Afro-
Caribbean populations. This test will provide insights to how
respondents identify with the race category, depending on the wording
used to describe the category itself (``Black or African Am.'' vs.
``Black or African American'').
For the relationship question, we plan to include variations in
question wording associated with ``non-relatives.'' We will compare
responses to a relationship question with, and without, the response
categories ``roomer or boarder'' and ``housemate or roommate.''
Cognitive testing has repeatedly shown that respondents do not know
what the Census Bureau sees as the differences between these
categories.
The 2016 Census Test will continue to include the response
categories recommended by the OMB Interagency Working Group (see
section 11 of this document--Justification for Sensitive Questions) for
opposite-sex and same-sex husband/wife/spouse households, and for the
category for unmarried partner.
The 2016 Census Test will include a question on the Internet
instrument that will allow respondents to report that a housing unit
they own is vacant as of Census Day, and to provide the reason for the
vacancy status (e.g., a seasonal or rental unit). Collecting these data
from respondents may allow the Census Bureau to identify some vacant
housing units during self response so they can be removed from NRFU
operations.
The Census Bureau's research on how best to present and explain the
residence rule (who to count) in specific situations will continue. The
Internet data collection instrument will include various ways to ask
about and confirm the number of persons residing at an address.
Respondents will see one of three screens about the enumeration of
people in their household: one that displays the Census Bureau's basic
residence rule, and then asks for the number of people in the household
based on that rule; One that asks for the number of people who live in
the household but provides our residence rule definition in the help
text; and one that asks if any other people live at the household, with
the residence rule in the help text. After the names of the roster
members are collected, the respondent will then see one of three series
of undercount detection questions: One series asks for additional
people on two separate screens, another series asks for additional
people on only one screen, or no undercount questions at all. After the
demographic items are collected, the respondent will then see overcount
detection questions or, if the case had not received undercount
questions, no overcount detection questions.
The materials mailed to the respondents will inform them that the
survey is mandatory in accordance with title 13, United States Code,
sections 141 and 193. This information also will be available via a
hyperlink from within the Internet instrument.
Nonresponse Followup (NRFU) Operation Testing
The 2016 Census Test will determine our 2020 Census methods for
conducting NRFU operations that will increase efficiency and reduce
costs. Based on previous tests, the Census Bureau will refine its
contact strategies and methods for field data collection, case
assignment management, and field staff administrative functions. This
will include further testing of how administrative records can be used
to reduce the NRFU workload.
As part of the 2016 Census Test, we will collect housing unit
status and enumerate the occupants of households that do not respond to
the self response phase of the census using automated enumeration
software on standard (iOS and Android operating system) smartphone
devices. The test will enable our continued study of options for
alternatives to using government furnished equipment. This includes
options for an enumerator to use their own smartphone for enumeration,
often known as ``Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)'', and options to use a
`Device as a Service' contract, where the Census Bureau will not own
the smartphone devices outright, but instead will pay a vendor for
their use, including any initialization and setup processes required.
This has the potential to mitigate risks to the operation. For example,
unpredictable increases in costs associated with device initialization
and hardware support. We will also continue to operationally test the
field data collection application we use on these devices. The devices
will use a modified version of the software used in the 2015 Census
Test, with updated capabilities for handling special non-interview
cases (such as demolished homes and non-existent addresses), better
handling of addresses with multiple units (like apartment buildings), a
clearer path for enumerators to take when attempting to collect data
from a householder's neighbor or another knowledgeable source, new
screens related to detecting potential ``overcount'' in a household
(scenarios where current household residents also lived at another
location, like student housing), and numerous other minor incremental
user interface and performance updates.
The Census Bureau also plans to test a newly redesigned portion of
our quality assurance activities--the NRFU Reinterview program (NRFU-
RI). We plan to test:
New methodologies for selecting cases to be reinterviewed,
including the potential use of operational control system data
(paradata) and administrative records to detect potential falsification
by enumerators
Using our automated field data collection instrument for
conducting these reinterviews
Using our recently re-designed operational control system
to optimize the routing and assignment of reinterview cases, and
Using the same field staff to conduct both NRFU interviews
and associated reinterviews, with an explicit rule within the
instrument that an enumerator is not allowed to reinterview their own
work.
All of these changes have the potential to lead to a more cost-
effective,
[[Page 69192]]
streamlined, and higher quality NRFU operation for the 2020 Census. We
will continue to test our newly re-engineered field infrastructure,
allowing us to refine our requirements for staffing ratios and position
duties for 2020 Census operations. We will also continue to test our
enhanced operational control system, using lessons learned from the
2015 Census Test to make further improvements to how assignments are
made and routed. We will continue to test improvements to our use of
systematic alerts that will quickly notify field supervisors of
potential problem enumerators, detect possible falsification, and
improve both quality and efficiency for the NRFU operation.
Additionally, we will continue to test our implementation of an
`adaptive design' contact strategy: Using a varied number of personal
visit attempts by geographic area based on criteria associated with
people who are harder to count. We also will study when is the optimal
point to discontinue attempts to collect information from each non-
responding household, and instead move to attempting to collect
information from a householder's neighbor or another knowledgeable
source.
Finally, we will build upon work from the 2013, 2014, and 2015
Census Tests in a continued attempt to refine and evaluate our use of
administrative records (including government and third-party data
sources) to reduce the NRFU workload. Cases will be removed from the
NRFU operation based on our administrative records modeling as follows:
Any case that is given a status of vacant from our
administrative records modeling will be immediately removed from the
NRFU workload; and
Any case that is given a status of occupied from our
administrative records modeling will be removed from the NRFU workload
after one unsuccessful attempt at field enumeration is made (as long as
good administrative records exist for that case).
Unlike previous tests, for all cases removed from the NRFU workload
in this way, we will test mailing these addresses a supplemental letter
to prompt a self response. If these cases do not self-respond, we will
enumerate the unit based on the results of our administrative records
modeling.
For a sample of the cases that would be removed via this criteria,
we will continue to perform the field followup activities. This will
allow us to compare the outcomes of those that get a completed
interview with our modeled status of the household, and determine the
quality of our administrative record modeling.
Coverage Reinterview
As described previously, the 2016 Census Test Internet instrument
contains embedded coverage experiments, and a reinterview is needed to
quantify the effects of each particular version on the roster provided
by the Internet respondent. The quality of the final household roster
created from the panels with experimentally applied questions will be
evaluated by a coverage reinterview conducted by telephone. Note that
these panels are used to evaluate the different residence rule
approaches used in the different questionnaire panels. The reinterview
will contain extensive questions about potentially missed roster
members and other places that any household members sometimes stay.
Specifically, the reinterview will re-contact responders to determine
if any people may have been left off the roster or erroneously included
on the roster during the initial response. If there are indications
during the reinterview that some people may have been left off the
roster, then we will ask for demographic information about the missed
people. If there are indications during the reinterview that some
people may have been erroneously included, then we will ask for
information about stay durations in order to resolve residency
situations. The reinterview will be a Computer Assisted Telephone
Interviewing (CATI) operation conducted in the Census Bureau's call
centers.
In addition to contacting Internet responders, a small portion of
people who responded by paper or as a part of NRFU will be selected for
the Coverage Reinterview. The inclusion of such cases will allow us to
quantify the quality of household rosters collected in these two other
modes.
Focus Groups
Following the end of data collection, the Census Bureau will
conduct focus groups with 2016 Census Test participants to ask about
their experience. Topics will include their opinions on the use of
administrative records by the Census Bureau. Participants also will be
asked about their general concerns with government data collection and
the government's ability to protect confidential data. The specific
information collection materials for those activities will be submitted
separately as non-substantive changes.
Testing in 2016 is necessary to build on the findings from prior
testing and to establish recommendations for contact strategies,
response options, and field operation efficiencies that can be further
refined and deployed again in subsequent operational and system
development activities. At this point in the decade, the Census Bureau
needs to solidify evidence showing whether the strategies being tested
can reduce the cost per housing unit during a decennial census, while
still providing high quality and accuracy of the census data. The
results of the 2016 Census Test from both sites will inform decisions
that the Census Bureau will make about refining the detailed
operational plan for the 2020 Census and will help guide the evaluation
of additional 2020 Census test results later this decade.
Along with other results related to content, the response rates to
paper and Internet collection will be used to help inform 2020 Census
program planning and cost estimates. Several versions of some of the
demographic questions and versions of coverage questions are included
in this test in order to determine further the best questions and
procedures for collecting the data from hard-to-count populations and
achieve optimal within-household person coverage within the decennial
census.
Testing enhancements to Non-ID processing will inform final
planning for the 2020 Census design, as well as the infrastructure
required to support large scale, real-time processing of electronic
Non-ID response data submitted via the Internet. Building upon previous
Census Tests, the NRFU portion of the 2016 Census Test will inform the
following important decisions for conducting the 2020 Census:
We will continue to research the cost and quality impact
of reducing the NRFU caseload through the use of administrative records
information, to inform our final strategy for the use of administrative
records. This test will also allow us to further define our core set of
administrative records that will be used for the 2020 Census, and our
strategies for acquiring and using those records. This research will
help us achieve our goal of a more cost-effective 2020 Census, while
maintaining quality of the results.
We will continue to research the cost and quality impacts
of new NRFU contact strategies that make use of adaptive design and a
re-engineered management structure employing automated payroll,
automated training, and minimal face-to-face contact between
enumerators and supervisors. Enumerators are asked to provide work-time
availability in advance, and the system then will assign the optimal
number of cases to attempt each day, as well as the optimal route to
follow that
[[Page 69193]]
day. Again, this operational research will help us towards our goal of
a more cost-effective 2020 Census, while maintaining quality of the
results.
We will be able to determine at what rate field staff are
willing to use their own personally owned devices to conduct Census
enumeration, and continue to develop our technical processes to enable
this to be done in a secure and cost-effective manner. We will also be
able to make quality and cost determinations about a `Device as a
Service' option, and be able to develop more mature cost models to
inform our decisions related to the device provision strategies for the
2020 Census NRFU operation.
We will be able to determine the cost and quality impacts
of our newly re-engineered NRFU Reinterview quality assurance program.
This data will inform our decision on an integrated and re-designed
approach to quality assurance for the 2020 Census.
Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
Frequency: One time.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, sections 141 and
193.
This information collection request may be viewed at
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce
collections currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice
to OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395-5806.
Dated: November 4, 2015.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-28416 Filed 11-6-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
