Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Public Employment and Payroll Forms, 8241-8242 [2018-03810]

Agencies

• Census Bureau
• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 38 (Monday, February 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8241-8242]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03810]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Public 
Employment and Payroll Forms

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

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.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before April 27, 2018.

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 [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Dale C. Kelly, Chief, International Trade 
Management Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 5K158, 4600 Silver Hill 
Road, Washington, DC 20233; or by email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau plans to request clearance for the collection 
tools necessary to conduct the public employment and payroll program, 
which consists of an annual collection of information. During the 
upcoming three years, we intend to conduct the 2019 Annual Survey of 
Public Employment & Payroll, the 2020 Annual Survey of Public 
Employment & Payroll, and the 2021 Annual Survey of Public Employment & 
Payroll.
    Under Title 13, Sections 161 and 182, of the United States Code, 
the Secretary of Commerce is authorized to conduct the public 
employment and payroll program, which collects and disseminates state 
and local government data by function for full-time and part-time 
employees, payroll, and number of part-time hours worked.
    The burden hours we will request are based on the expected 2019, 
2020 and 2021 Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll collection 
from 16,357 respondents for each survey year. In addition, burden hours 
include data received via data arrangements, which are explained in 
further detail within the method of collection section.
    The state and local government statistics produced cover national, 
state, and local aggregates on various functions with comparative 
detail for individual governments for the pay period that includes 
March 12.
    The Census Bureau provides these employment data to the Bureau of 
Economic Analysis for constructing the functional payrolls in the 
public sector of the Gross Domestic Product; payroll being the single 
largest component of current operations. The public employment and 
payroll program has increasingly been used as the base for reimbursable 
programs conducted by the Census Bureau for other Federal agencies such 
as: (1) The government portion of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 
commissioned by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to 
provide timely, comprehensive information about health care use and 
costs in the United States, and (2) the Criminal Justice Expenditure 
and Employment Survey, sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics 
(BJS), which provides criminal justice expenditure and employment data 
on spending and personnel levels.
    Statistics are produced as data files in electronic formats. The 
program has disseminated comprehensive and comparable governmental 
statistics since 1940. The users of the public employment and payroll 
program data include Federal agencies, state and local governments and 
related organizations, public interest groups, and many business, 
market, and private research organizations

II. Method of Collection

    An estimated 20,231 state agencies, county governments, 
consolidated city-county governments, independent cities, towns, 
townships, special district governments, and public school systems 
designated for the 2019, 2020 or 2021 Annual Survey of Public 
Employment & Payroll will be sent a mailed invitation for internet 
collection or their data will be collected through a data sharing 
arrangement between the Census Bureau and the governmental unit.
    The Census Bureau developed central collection arrangements with 
state and large local government officials to collect the data from 
their dependent agencies and report to the Census Bureau as a central 
respondent. Based on the 2017 Census of Governments, Survey of Public 
Employment & Payroll, these arrangements eliminate the need to 
individually canvass approximately 3,716 state agencies and 158 school 
systems. The arrangements reduce burden by greatly reducing the number 
of people who have to complete an on-line form as the data are acquired 
from a centralized source instead of from multiple sources. Currently, 
the Census Bureau has central collection arrangements with forty-six 
states and four local school district governments.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0452.
    Form Number(s): E-1, E-2, E-3, E-4, E-5, E-6, E-7, E-8, E-9, E-10.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: State and local governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 16,357/sample year.
    Estimated Time per Response: The average for all forms is 50 
minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 13,631/sample year.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. (This is not the cost of

[[Page 8242]]

respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for 
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to 
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services 
required specifically by the collection.)
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. Sections 161 and 182.

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.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-03810 Filed 2-23-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P