Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, 13226-13228 [2018-06166]

Download as PDF 13226 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 28, 2018 / Notices guarantees. An application guide may also be requested from the RUS contact listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice. Application requirements: All requirements for submission of an application under the Broadband Program are subject to 7 CFR part 1738. Application Materials/Submission: Applications must be submitted through the Agency’s online application system located at https://www.rd.usda.gov/ programs-services/rd-apply. All materials required for completing an application are included in the online system. Minimum and Maximum Loan Amounts Loans under this authority will not be made for less than $100,000. The maximum loan amount that will be considered for FY 2018 is $25,000,000. daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES Required Definitions for Broadband Program Regulation The regulation for the Broadband Program requires that certain definitions affecting eligibility be revised and published from time to time by the Agency in the Federal Register. For the purposes of this NOSA, the Agency is revising the definitions of Broadband Service and Broadband Lending Speed. Broadband Service is determined to exist if customers are able to access a minimum rate-of-data transmission of twenty-five (25) megabits downstream and three (3) megabits upstream for both mobile and fixed service. This rate is used to determine whether an area is eligible for funding. Broadband Lending Speed is the minimum rate-of-data transmission that applicants must propose to offer the customer. The Broadband Lending Speed is twenty-five (25) megabits downstream and three (3) megabits upstream for both mobile and fixed service. Priority for Approving Loan Applications Applications for FY 2018 will be accepted from the publication date of this NOSA through September 30, 2018. Although review of applications will begin as they are submitted, all applications will be evaluated and ranked every 90 days based on the percentage of unserved households in the proposed funded service area. Subject to available funding, eligible applications that propose to serve a higher percentage of unserved households will receive funding offers before other eligible applications that propose to serve a lower percentage of unserved households. The amount VerDate Sep<11>2014 20:30 Mar 27, 2018 Jkt 244001 available will be published on the Agency web page once all budgetary allocations have been completed. Loan offers are limited to the funds available at the time of the Agency’s decision to approve an application. Applications will not be accepted after September 30, 2018, until a new application opportunity has been opened with the publication of an additional NOSA in the Federal Register. Paperwork Reduction Act In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the information collection requirements associated with Broadband loans, as covered in this NOSA, have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB Control Number 0572–0130. USDA Non-Discrimination Statement In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/ parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD– 3027, found online at https:// www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_ cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632–9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250– 9410, (2) Fax: (202) 690–7442; or (3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. Dated: March 22, 2018. Christopher A. McLean, Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. [FR Doc. 2018–06175 Filed 3–27–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 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: American Community Survey. OMB Control Number: 0607–0810. Form Number(s): ACS–1, ACS–1(SP), ACS–1(PR), ACS–1(PR)SP, ACS–1(GQ), ACS–1(PR)(GQ), GQFQ, ACS CAPI (HU), ACS RI (HU), and AGQ QI, AGQ RI. Type of Request: Regular Submission. Number of Respondents: 3,760,000. Average Hours Per Response: 40 minutes for the average household questionnaire. Burden Hours: The estimate is an annual average of 2,455,868 burden hours. Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau requests authorization from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for revisions to the American Community Survey (ACS). The American Community Survey (ACS) is one of the Department of Commerce’s most valuable data products, used extensively by businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local governments, and many federal agencies. In conducting this survey, the Census Bureau’s top priority is respecting the time and privacy of the people providing information while preserving its value to the public. The Census Bureau has a robust research program for the ACS focused on enhancing quality of the respondent experience, survey operations, and data. In 2017, the Census Bureau conducted the 2017 Pressure Seal Mailing Materials Test to evaluate the impact on self-response and cost of replacing letters and postcards in the American E:\FR\FM\28MRN1.SGM 28MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 28, 2018 / Notices Community Survey (ACS) mail materials with pressure seal mailers. A pressure seal mailer is a one-page document with a pre-applied adhesive that is folded and sealed with pressure. This type of mailer costs less than a letter with an envelope and more than a postcard. However, pressure seal mailers can conceal personal information while postcards cannot. Replacing a postcard with a pressure seal mailer provides an opportunity to increase the use of the internet user ID in the text of the ACS mailings. Based on the results of this test, a pressure seal mailer will be used in place of the Reminder Letter (second mailing) and the Additional Reminder Postcard (fifth mailing). This information is new since the publication of the 60-day Federal Register Notice, FR-Doc. 2017–26726. The content of the proposed 2019 ACS questionnaire and data collection instruments for both Housing Unit and Group Quarters operations reflect changes to content and instructions that were proposed primarily as a result of the 2016 ACS Content Test, but also as a result of interagency consultation. The 2019 content changes cover several topics discussed below. daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES Telephone Service The rise of cell phone and smartphone usage, and other complex and varied telephone services and equipment, has changed how people view and use telephones in a household. Research also suggests that some respondents, or in some cases interviewers, may not fully understand the current wording of the survey question on Telephone Service, the additional instructions that accompany the question, or what the question is intending to capture. To make the intent of the telephone service question easier to understand by respondents and interviewers, the question was made a stand-alone question and additional instructions are provided on the types of telephones and equipment respondents should include when answering the question. Currently, telephone service is asked as part of a broader question on housing characteristics. Health Insurance A question on Health Insurance Premiums and Subsidies will be introduced to the ACS immediately following the current question on health insurance coverage. The question on premiums and subsidies asks if a person pays a health insurance premium, and if so, if he or she received a subsidy to help pay the premium. This question will provide more accurate information about coverage categories than available VerDate Sep<11>2014 20:30 Mar 27, 2018 Jkt 244001 from the existing ACS question on current coverage alone. These data will enhance the ability of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the states to administer Medicaid, CHIP, and the exchanges, and monitor private insurance coverage. In addition, one response option for the health insurance question will be changed as a result of consultation with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In July 2017, the VA contacted the Census Bureau and requested a change to the VA response option on the health insurance question. The proposed change is to ensure the accuracy of the estimates of VA health insurance coverage. The VA response option for the health insurance question will be truncated from ‘‘VA (including those who have ever used or enrolled for VA health care)’’ to ‘‘VA (including those who have enrolled for VA health care).’’ This information is new since the publication of the 60-day Federal Register Notice, FR Doc. 2017–26726. Journey to Work Changes to the Commute Mode question were motivated by changes in public transportation infrastructure across the United States, particularly the increased prevalence of light rail systems and the need to update and clarify the terminology used to refer to commute modes that appear as categories on the ACS. To improve the Commute Mode question, some of the public transportation modes were modified. The category ‘‘Streetcar or trolley car’’ was changed to ‘‘Light rail, street car, or trolley,’’ ‘‘Subway or elevated’’ was changed to ‘‘Subway or Elevated Rail,’’ and ‘‘Railroad’’ was changed to ‘‘Long-distance train or commuter rail.’’ These three rail-related categories were also slightly reordered so that ‘‘Subway or elevated rail,’’ the most prevalent rail mode, is listed first. The phrase ‘‘trolley bus’’ was dropped and the phrase ‘‘work at home’’ was changed to ‘‘work from home.’’ The subheading of instructions was simplified to read ‘‘Mark ONE box for the method of transportation used for most of the distance.’’ The Time of Departure question has historically raised concerns about privacy because of the reference to the time a person leaves home. To phrase the question in a less intrusive way, the question was changed to ask what time the person’s trip to work began and to remove the word ‘‘home.’’ Weeks Worked The changes to the question on the number of weeks worked were made to allow the Census Bureau to provide PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 13227 high-quality, continuous measures for the number of weeks worked, such as means, medians, and aggregates. In addition, the changes enable additional specificity for weeks worked, particularly with hours worked, income, and occupation. Part A of the question regarding the time period of interest was rephrased from working ‘‘50 or more weeks’’ to ‘‘EVERY week’’ and additional information is provided in the second sentence. The original instruction of ‘‘Count paid time off as work’’ was changed to ‘‘Count paid vacation, paid sick leave, and military service as work.’’ For part B of the question, the response option was changed to a write-in response, the reference period (‘‘the PAST 12 MONTHS’’) is repeated, and new guidance clarifies what to count as work. Class of Worker Changes to the Class of Worker question improve overall question clarity, refine the definition of unpaid family workers, explicitly define a category for Active Duty military, improve question wording and categories, and improve the layout of the question. Response categories were grouped under three general headings. ‘‘Active Duty’’ was added as one of the response categories in the government section, and the ‘‘Active Duty’’ checkbox was dropped from the Employer Name question. Question and response category wording were revised for clarity. To signal that all six employment characteristics questions refer to the same job (including industry and occupation), the series was renumbered from separate questions to a single series with sub-questions. Lastly, the instructional text and heading for the series immediately preceding Class of Worker was simplified. Industry and Occupation Ongoing research of the Industry and Occupation question write-in responses has demonstrated that the questions were unclear and confusing to respondents, who were unable to answer at all or answer with sufficient clarity to provide useful data. To increase clarity and improve occupational specificity, these questions were revised to include new and consistent examples, in terms of content and length, and include modified question wording. The number of characters for write-in responses about ‘‘Job Duties’’ was expanded from 60 to 100 characters. E:\FR\FM\28MRN1.SGM 28MRN1 13228 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 28, 2018 / Notices Retirement Income Over the last 40 years, defined contribution retirement plans have become increasingly common while defined benefit plans (such as pensions) have become less so. Federal surveys have lagged in addressing these newer forms of retirement income and subsequently underreport retirement income. The Retirement, Survivor, and Disability Income question was changed to improve income reporting, increase item response rates, reduce reporting errors, and update questions on retirement income and the income generated from retirement accounts and all other assets in order to better measure retirement income data. The question was expanded to ask about ‘‘retirement income, pensions, survivor or disability income.’’ In addition, the instructions that accompany the question were expanded to note that income from ‘‘a previous employer or union, or any regular withdrawals or distributions from IRA, Roth IRA, 401(k), 403(b) or other accounts specifically designed for retirement’’ should be included. daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES Relationship For several years, the Census Bureau has been testing revised relationship questions to improve the estimates of coupled households. The 1990 Census first introduced ‘‘Unmarried partner’’ as a response category to the Relationship to Householder question. The 2000 and 2010 Censuses built upon this work, changing the processing of responses to the Relationship question to more accurately represent same-sex couples. The Census Bureau discovered a statistical error in the 2010 Census data that resulted from opposite-sex couples mismarking their sex. This error had the potential to inflate the estimates of same-sex, married couple households. The Census Bureau released a set of modified state-level, same-sex household estimates from the 2010 Census because of this error, and also began new research efforts to improve the Relationship question. The Relationship question has been revised to improve measurement of same-sex couples. The existing ‘‘Husband or wife’’ and ‘‘Unmarried partner’’ response categories were each split into two versions: ‘‘Opposite-sex husband/wife/spouse,’’ ‘‘Opposite-sex unmarried partner,’’ ‘‘Same-sex husband/wife/spouse,’’ and ‘‘Same-sex unmarried partner.’’ Additionally, the two unmarried partner categories were moved from near the end of the list of response options to near the beginning, immediately after the husband/wife/ VerDate Sep<11>2014 20:30 Mar 27, 2018 Jkt 244001 spouse options. An automated relationship/sex consistency check will be included in electronic instruments to provide respondents an opportunity to change their sex or relationship responses when there is an inconsistency in the reported sex of an individual and whether their relationship was reported as ‘‘Oppositesex’’ or ‘‘Same-sex’’ husband/wife/ spouse or unmarried partner. This check reduces the inconsistency in responses and improves the quality of the relationship data. The category ‘‘Roomer or boarder’’ has been dropped from the Relationship question. Race and Hispanic Origin The 2016 ACS Content Test served as an operational test of the race and ethnicity questions that were previously tested on the 2015 National Content Test (NCT). Recommendations about the race and ethnicity questions adopted for the 2020 Census and production ACS were based on the results of the census tests and decisions made in consultation with OMB; the 2016 ACS Content Test provided an opportunity to test data collection modes and examine other data not available in the 2015 NCT. The 2016 ACS Content Test evaluated interviewer-administered collection modes, assessed the race and ethnicity questions against demographic and socioeconomic data, and separately compared the race and ethnicity results to data from the ancestry question. In 2020 or later, the ACS will adopt the final version of the race and Hispanic origin questions that are implemented for the 2020 Census. Affected Public: Individuals or households. Frequency: Response to the ACS is on a one-time basis. Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141, 193, and 221. 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. Sheleen Dumas, Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 2018–06166 Filed 3–27–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–07–P PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A–580–891] Carbon and Alloy Steel Wire Rod From the Republic of Korea: Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Final Negative Determination of Critical Circumstances Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that imports of carbon and alloy steel wire rod (wire rod) from the Republic of Korea (Korea) are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). In addition, we determine that critical circumstances do not exist with respect to imports of the subject merchandise. The period of investigation (POI) is January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2016. DATES: Applicable March 28, 2018. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lingjun Wang, AD/CVD Operations, Office VII, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482–2316. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: AGENCY: Background Commerce published the Preliminary Determination of sales of wire rod from Korea at LTFV in the Federal Register on October 31, 2017.1 On November 7, 2017, Commerce postponed the final determination of this investigation.2 On November 28, 2017, Commerce amended the Preliminary Determination.3 Commerce exercised its discretion to toll deadlines affected by the closure of the Federal Government from January 20 through 22, 2018. If the new deadline falls on a non-business day, in accordance with Commerce’s 1 See Carbon and Alloy Steel Wire Rod from the Republic of Korea: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, and Preliminary Negative Determination of Critical Circumstances, 82 FR 50386 (October 31, 2017) (Preliminary Determination), and accompanying Preliminary Decision Memorandum. 2 See Carbon and Alloy Steel Wire Rod from Italy, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom: Postponement of Final Determinations of Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation and Extension of Provisional Measures, 82 FR 51613 (November 7, 2017). 3 See Carbon and Alloy Steel Wire Rod from the Republic of Korea: Amended Preliminary Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, 82 FR 56220 (November 28, 2017). E:\FR\FM\28MRN1.SGM 28MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 60 (Wednesday, March 28, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13226-13228]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-06166]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: American Community Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0810.
    Form Number(s): ACS-1, ACS-1(SP), ACS-1(PR), ACS-1(PR)SP, ACS-
1(GQ), ACS-1(PR)(GQ), GQFQ, ACS CAPI (HU), ACS RI (HU), and AGQ QI, AGQ 
RI.
    Type of Request: Regular Submission.
    Number of Respondents: 3,760,000.
    Average Hours Per Response: 40 minutes for the average household 
questionnaire.
    Burden Hours: The estimate is an annual average of 2,455,868 burden 
hours.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau requests authorization from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for revisions to the American 
Community Survey (ACS).
    The American Community Survey (ACS) is one of the Department of 
Commerce's most valuable data products, used extensively by businesses, 
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local governments, and many 
federal agencies. In conducting this survey, the Census Bureau's top 
priority is respecting the time and privacy of the people providing 
information while preserving its value to the public.
    The Census Bureau has a robust research program for the ACS focused 
on enhancing quality of the respondent experience, survey operations, 
and data. In 2017, the Census Bureau conducted the 2017 Pressure Seal 
Mailing Materials Test to evaluate the impact on self-response and cost 
of replacing letters and postcards in the American

[[Page 13227]]

Community Survey (ACS) mail materials with pressure seal mailers. A 
pressure seal mailer is a one-page document with a pre-applied adhesive 
that is folded and sealed with pressure. This type of mailer costs less 
than a letter with an envelope and more than a postcard. However, 
pressure seal mailers can conceal personal information while postcards 
cannot. Replacing a postcard with a pressure seal mailer provides an 
opportunity to increase the use of the internet user ID in the text of 
the ACS mailings. Based on the results of this test, a pressure seal 
mailer will be used in place of the Reminder Letter (second mailing) 
and the Additional Reminder Postcard (fifth mailing). This information 
is new since the publication of the 60-day Federal Register Notice, FR-
Doc. 2017-26726.
    The content of the proposed 2019 ACS questionnaire and data 
collection instruments for both Housing Unit and Group Quarters 
operations reflect changes to content and instructions that were 
proposed primarily as a result of the 2016 ACS Content Test, but also 
as a result of interagency consultation. The 2019 content changes cover 
several topics discussed below.

Telephone Service

    The rise of cell phone and smartphone usage, and other complex and 
varied telephone services and equipment, has changed how people view 
and use telephones in a household. Research also suggests that some 
respondents, or in some cases interviewers, may not fully understand 
the current wording of the survey question on Telephone Service, the 
additional instructions that accompany the question, or what the 
question is intending to capture. To make the intent of the telephone 
service question easier to understand by respondents and interviewers, 
the question was made a stand-alone question and additional 
instructions are provided on the types of telephones and equipment 
respondents should include when answering the question. Currently, 
telephone service is asked as part of a broader question on housing 
characteristics.

Health Insurance

    A question on Health Insurance Premiums and Subsidies will be 
introduced to the ACS immediately following the current question on 
health insurance coverage. The question on premiums and subsidies asks 
if a person pays a health insurance premium, and if so, if he or she 
received a subsidy to help pay the premium. This question will provide 
more accurate information about coverage categories than available from 
the existing ACS question on current coverage alone. These data will 
enhance the ability of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
and the states to administer Medicaid, CHIP, and the exchanges, and 
monitor private insurance coverage.
    In addition, one response option for the health insurance question 
will be changed as a result of consultation with the U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs (VA). In July 2017, the VA contacted the Census Bureau 
and requested a change to the VA response option on the health 
insurance question. The proposed change is to ensure the accuracy of 
the estimates of VA health insurance coverage. The VA response option 
for the health insurance question will be truncated from ``VA 
(including those who have ever used or enrolled for VA health care)'' 
to ``VA (including those who have enrolled for VA health care).'' This 
information is new since the publication of the 60-day Federal Register 
Notice, FR Doc. 2017-26726.

Journey to Work

    Changes to the Commute Mode question were motivated by changes in 
public transportation infrastructure across the United States, 
particularly the increased prevalence of light rail systems and the 
need to update and clarify the terminology used to refer to commute 
modes that appear as categories on the ACS. To improve the Commute Mode 
question, some of the public transportation modes were modified. The 
category ``Streetcar or trolley car'' was changed to ``Light rail, 
street car, or trolley,'' ``Subway or elevated'' was changed to 
``Subway or Elevated Rail,'' and ``Railroad'' was changed to ``Long-
distance train or commuter rail.'' These three rail-related categories 
were also slightly reordered so that ``Subway or elevated rail,'' the 
most prevalent rail mode, is listed first. The phrase ``trolley bus'' 
was dropped and the phrase ``work at home'' was changed to ``work from 
home.'' The subheading of instructions was simplified to read ``Mark 
ONE box for the method of transportation used for most of the 
distance.'' The Time of Departure question has historically raised 
concerns about privacy because of the reference to the time a person 
leaves home. To phrase the question in a less intrusive way, the 
question was changed to ask what time the person's trip to work began 
and to remove the word ``home.''

Weeks Worked

    The changes to the question on the number of weeks worked were made 
to allow the Census Bureau to provide high-quality, continuous measures 
for the number of weeks worked, such as means, medians, and aggregates. 
In addition, the changes enable additional specificity for weeks 
worked, particularly with hours worked, income, and occupation. Part A 
of the question regarding the time period of interest was rephrased 
from working ``50 or more weeks'' to ``EVERY week'' and additional 
information is provided in the second sentence. The original 
instruction of ``Count paid time off as work'' was changed to ``Count 
paid vacation, paid sick leave, and military service as work.'' For 
part B of the question, the response option was changed to a write-in 
response, the reference period (``the PAST 12 MONTHS'') is repeated, 
and new guidance clarifies what to count as work.

Class of Worker

    Changes to the Class of Worker question improve overall question 
clarity, refine the definition of unpaid family workers, explicitly 
define a category for Active Duty military, improve question wording 
and categories, and improve the layout of the question. Response 
categories were grouped under three general headings. ``Active Duty'' 
was added as one of the response categories in the government section, 
and the ``Active Duty'' checkbox was dropped from the Employer Name 
question. Question and response category wording were revised for 
clarity. To signal that all six employment characteristics questions 
refer to the same job (including industry and occupation), the series 
was renumbered from separate questions to a single series with sub-
questions. Lastly, the instructional text and heading for the series 
immediately preceding Class of Worker was simplified.

Industry and Occupation

    Ongoing research of the Industry and Occupation question write-in 
responses has demonstrated that the questions were unclear and 
confusing to respondents, who were unable to answer at all or answer 
with sufficient clarity to provide useful data. To increase clarity and 
improve occupational specificity, these questions were revised to 
include new and consistent examples, in terms of content and length, 
and include modified question wording. The number of characters for 
write-in responses about ``Job Duties'' was expanded from 60 to 100 
characters.

[[Page 13228]]

Retirement Income

    Over the last 40 years, defined contribution retirement plans have 
become increasingly common while defined benefit plans (such as 
pensions) have become less so. Federal surveys have lagged in 
addressing these newer forms of retirement income and subsequently 
underreport retirement income. The Retirement, Survivor, and Disability 
Income question was changed to improve income reporting, increase item 
response rates, reduce reporting errors, and update questions on 
retirement income and the income generated from retirement accounts and 
all other assets in order to better measure retirement income data. The 
question was expanded to ask about ``retirement income, pensions, 
survivor or disability income.'' In addition, the instructions that 
accompany the question were expanded to note that income from ``a 
previous employer or union, or any regular withdrawals or distributions 
from IRA, Roth IRA, 401(k), 403(b) or other accounts specifically 
designed for retirement'' should be included.

Relationship

    For several years, the Census Bureau has been testing revised 
relationship questions to improve the estimates of coupled households. 
The 1990 Census first introduced ``Unmarried partner'' as a response 
category to the Relationship to Householder question. The 2000 and 2010 
Censuses built upon this work, changing the processing of responses to 
the Relationship question to more accurately represent same-sex 
couples. The Census Bureau discovered a statistical error in the 2010 
Census data that resulted from opposite-sex couples mismarking their 
sex. This error had the potential to inflate the estimates of same-sex, 
married couple households. The Census Bureau released a set of modified 
state-level, same-sex household estimates from the 2010 Census because 
of this error, and also began new research efforts to improve the 
Relationship question.
    The Relationship question has been revised to improve measurement 
of same-sex couples. The existing ``Husband or wife'' and ``Unmarried 
partner'' response categories were each split into two versions: 
``Opposite-sex husband/wife/spouse,'' ``Opposite-sex unmarried 
partner,'' ``Same-sex husband/wife/spouse,'' and ``Same-sex unmarried 
partner.'' Additionally, the two unmarried partner categories were 
moved from near the end of the list of response options to near the 
beginning, immediately after the husband/wife/spouse options. An 
automated relationship/sex consistency check will be included in 
electronic instruments to provide respondents an opportunity to change 
their sex or relationship responses when there is an inconsistency in 
the reported sex of an individual and whether their relationship was 
reported as ``Opposite-sex'' or ``Same-sex'' husband/wife/spouse or 
unmarried partner. This check reduces the inconsistency in responses 
and improves the quality of the relationship data. The category 
``Roomer or boarder'' has been dropped from the Relationship question.

Race and Hispanic Origin

    The 2016 ACS Content Test served as an operational test of the race 
and ethnicity questions that were previously tested on the 2015 
National Content Test (NCT). Recommendations about the race and 
ethnicity questions adopted for the 2020 Census and production ACS were 
based on the results of the census tests and decisions made in 
consultation with OMB; the 2016 ACS Content Test provided an 
opportunity to test data collection modes and examine other data not 
available in the 2015 NCT. The 2016 ACS Content Test evaluated 
interviewer-administered collection modes, assessed the race and 
ethnicity questions against demographic and socioeconomic data, and 
separately compared the race and ethnicity results to data from the 
ancestry question. In 2020 or later, the ACS will adopt the final 
version of the race and Hispanic origin questions that are implemented 
for the 2020 Census.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: Response to the ACS is on a one-time basis.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141, 193, 
and 221.
    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 [email protected] or fax to (202)395-5806.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-06166 Filed 3-27-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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