Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, 49535-49539 [2018-21386]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 191 (Tuesday, October 2, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49535-49539]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-21386]


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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.
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: 2020 Census.
    The clearance requested from OMB is for all data collection 
operations in the 2020 Census. The initial Federal Register Notice 
described the 2020 Census in full. Approval for the 2020 Census is 
being sought from OMB in phases. This Federal Register Notice will 
provide details about the 2020 Census Address Canvassing operation 
only. This is the operation that creates the address list for the 
census, which precedes census enumeration data collection. The 
remaining operations scoped for the 2020 Census, as listed below, will 
be described in detail in a future Federal Register Notice for an 
additional 30-day comment period, and the full census description will 
be considered as a substantive change to the approved OMB materials.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): D-CN(E/S) (Confidentiality Notice for Address 
Canvassing)
    Type of Request: New Collection.
    Number of Respondents: 17,365,407 for Address Canvassing; 
180,955,761 for all operations in 2020 Census.
    Average Hours per Response: 5 minutes for Address Canvassing; 10 
minutes for census enumeration.
    Burden Hours: 1,447,117 for Address Canvassing; 26,533,537 for 
Census.

                                                   2020 Census
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              Estimated
          Operation or category               number of         Estimated time per response        Total burden
                                             respondents                                               hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address Canvassing.......................      15,786,734  5 minutes............................       1,315,561
Address Canvassing Listing Quality              1,578,673  5 minutes............................         131,556
 Control.
                                          ----------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 49536]]

 
    Total for Address Canvassing *.......      17,365,407  .....................................       1,447,117
                                          ======================================================================
Geographic Areas Focused on Self-Response
 (this includes Mailout and Update
 Leave):
    Internet/Telephone/Paper.............      80,700,000  10 minutes...........................      13,450,000
    Update Leave.........................      11,900,000  5 minutes............................         991,667
    Update Leave Quality Control.........       1,190,000  5 minutes............................          99,167
    Nonresponse Followup.................      52,700,000  10 minutes...........................       8,783,333
    Reinterview, Coverage, and Quality...       7,400,000  various..............................         725,304
                                          ----------------------------------------------------------------------
        Self-Response Areas Subtotal.....     153,890,000  .....................................      24,049,471
                                          ======================================================================
Geographic Area Focused on Update
 Enumerate:
    Update Enumerate Production..........         506,000  12 minutes...........................         101,200
    Reinterview and Quality..............          75,900  various..............................           8,434
        Update Enumerate Subtotal........         581,900  .....................................         109,634
    Group Quarters:......................
    Group Quarters Advance Contact and          8,311,300  various..............................         720,934
     Enumeration.
    Group Quarters Quality...............           8,500  5 minutes............................             708
                                          ----------------------------------------------------------------------
        Group Quarters Subtotal..........       8,319,800  .....................................         721,642
                                          ======================================================================
Enumeration at Transitory Locations......         650,000  10 minutes...........................         108,333
Federally Affiliated Count Overseas......              82  5 minutes............................               7
Island Areas Censuses--Housing Units.....         138,281  40 minutes...........................          92,187
Island Areas Censuses--Group Quarters....          10,291  30 minutes...........................           5,146
                                          ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals...............................     180,955,761  .....................................      26,533,537
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Address Canvassing projected counts are more detailed than the projections that inform later 2020 Census
  operations.

Overview of 2020 Census Operations

    Below is a summary of the needs of uses of the 2020 Census, 
followed by a more detailed overview of data collection operations. As 
noted earlier, this notice is focused solely on Address Canvassing 
operations and solicits comments on these operations alone. The 
geographic areas discussed in this notice refer only to the 50 states, 
the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, unless otherwise noted.

Needs and Uses

    Article 1, Section 2 of the United States Constitution mandates 
that the U.S. House of Representatives be reapportioned every ten years 
by conducting a national census of all residents. In addition to the 
reapportionment of the U.S. Congress, Census data are used to draw 
legislative district boundaries within states. Census data also are 
used by numerous agencies to determine funding allocations for the 
distribution of an estimated $675 billion of federal funds each year.
    The Census Bureau plans to conduct the most automated, modern, and 
dynamic decennial census in history. The 2020 Census includes design 
changes in four key areas, discussed below:
    (1) New methodologies to conduct the Address Canvassing operation.
    (2) Innovative ways of optimizing self-response.
    (3) The use of administrative records and third-party data to 
reduce the Nonresponse Followup (NRFU) operation workload.
    (4) The use of technology to reduce the manual effort and improve 
the productivity of field operations, while decreasing the amount of 
physical space required to perform the field operations.
(1) Reengineering Address Canvassing
    An accurate address list is the cornerstone of a successful census. 
In order to manage the work for decennial census, the Census Bureau 
uses the address and physical location of each place where someone is, 
or could be, living. The Census Bureau maintains this address list and 
spatial data for the United States and Puerto Rico in its Master 
Address File (MAF)/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and 
Referencing (TIGER) System database.
    This database was created using the address files from the 1990 
Census and has been subsequently and regularly updated using:
     Information collected from decennial census operation 
updates, including address and spatial updates.
     The Delivery Sequence File of addresses from the United 
States Postal Service (USPS).
     Input from tribal, state, and local governments and third 
parties, including address and boundary updates from various programs 
conducted over the decade, such as the Local Update of Census Addresses 
operation.
     Information collected in other Census Bureau programs, 
such as the American Community Survey.
    The purpose of Address Canvassing is (1) to deliver a complete and 
accurate address list and spatial database for enumeration and 
tabulation, and (2) to determine the type and address characteristics 
for each living quarter. Prior to a field Address Canvassing data 
collection, the Census Bureau will delineate the entire land area of 
the United States, Puerto Rico, and Island Areas into Type of 
Enumeration Areas (TEAs). Most stateside United States living quarters 
will be delineated into the self-response area, where the census 
address list will be created before the census, census materials will 
be provided in the mail, and self-response modes will be supported and 
promoted. Other areas will be designated for Update Leave, Update 
Enumerate (including Remote Alaska), Military

[[Page 49537]]

Enumeration, or Island Areas Enumeration.
    For the 2020 Census there will be a full Address Canvassing of the 
country that will consist of In-Office Address Canvassing complemented 
with In-Field Address Canvassing. In-Office Address Canvassing is the 
process of using empirical geographic evidence (e.g., imagery, 
comparison of the Census Bureau's address list to address lists 
provided by the United States Postal Service and governmental units 
that partner with the Census Bureau) to assess the current address list 
and make changes where necessary. This component also detects and 
captures areas of change from high quality administrative records and 
third-party data. Advancements in technology have enabled continual 
address and spatial updates to occur throughout the decade as part of 
the In-Office Address Canvassing effort. Since 2015, satellite imagery 
has been used for the identification of areas where there are changes 
in living quarters. Where the necessary updates can be captured from 
electronic sources and are deemed to be sufficiently accurate, In-
Office Address Canvassing will complete the update process prior to the 
census. The remaining blocks will become eligible to be sent to In-
Field Address Canvassing for updating on the ground by field staff.
(2) Optimizing Self-Response
    The goal of this innovation area is to make it as easy and 
efficient as possible for people to respond to the 2020 Census by 
offering new response options through the internet and telephone, in 
addition to the traditional mailback paper questionnaire option. Self-
response reduces the need to conduct in-person follow-up operations to 
complete the enumeration, by far the most expensive method of data 
collection. To that end, the Census Bureau will motivate people to 
respond, as well as make it easy for people to respond, from any 
location at any time, even if they don't have the unique identifier for 
their address provided to them by the Census Bureau.
    The importance of responding to the 2020 Census will be 
communicated in a variety of ways, including through mailings, 
questionnaire delivery, advertising, and partnership efforts. In 
particular, the Integrated Partnership and Communications operation is 
responsible for communicating the importance of participating in the 
2020 Census.
    Internet response represents a substantial innovation for the 
Census Bureau. The internet was not a response option in the 2010 
Census. The internet response option has been included in multiple 
tests leading up to the 2020 Census: the 2014 Census Test; all three 
census tests performed in 2015; the 2016 Census Test; the 2017 Census 
Test; and the 2018 End-to-End Census Test. It has also been used in the 
American Community Survey since 2013.
(3) Utilizing Administrative Records and Third-Party Data
    For the 2020 Census, ``administrative records'' and ``third-party 
data'' are terms used to describe microdata records contained in files 
collected and maintained by Federal, state, and local government 
agencies (``administrative records'') and commercial entities (``third-
party data'') for administering programs and providing services. For 
many decades, the Census Bureau has successfully and securely used 
administrative records and third-party data for statistical purposes. 
For the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau intends to use administrative 
records from both internal sources, such as data from prior decennial 
censuses and the American Community Survey, and from a range of other 
Federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the 
Social Security Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Indian 
Health Service, the Selective Service, and the U.S. Postal Service. The 
Census Bureau is also working to acquire state government 
administrative records from enrollment in Federal block grant programs, 
such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for 
Women, Infants, and Children. Finally, the Census Bureau is also 
utilizing commercial third-party data from organizations such as 
CoreLogic and the Veterans Service Group of Illinois.
    Throughout the decade, the Census Bureau continuously conducted 
analyses and assessments to verify that the proposed uses of 
administrative records and third-party data sources in the 2020 Census 
were appropriate in each instance. Based on this research, testing, and 
analyses, the Census Bureau announced its plans in November 2015 to 
utilize administrative records and third-party data in the 2020 Census. 
The 2020 Census Operational Plan calls for employing this information 
for the following purposes:

I. Consistent with previous decennial censuses, the Census Bureau will 
utilize administrative records from federal and state government 
agencies and third-party data to refine contact strategies and build 
and update the residential address list.
II. Also consistent with previous decennial censuses, the Census Bureau 
will utilize federal and state administrative records to edit or impute 
invalid, inconsistent, or missing responses.
III. The new use of administrative records for the 2020 Census is to 
use data exclusively from federal administrative records to improve the 
accuracy and efficiency of the NRFU operation by:
    a. removing vacant housing units and nonresidential addresses from 
the NRFU workload.
    b. enumerating households that do not self-respond and whom we were 
unable to contact after six mailings and one in-person field visit.

    For each of the purposes listed in items II, IIIa, and IIIb, the 
Census Bureau will use or plans to use administrative data only when it 
can confirm empirically across multiple sources that the data are 
consistent, of high quality, and can be accurately applied to the 
addresses and households in question. The Census Bureau plans to 
enumerate households utilizing administrative records only from Federal 
government agencies, such as the IRS. Use of administrative records for 
nonresponding addresses will be evaluated under a strict set of Census 
Bureau rules throughout the process to ensure completeness and 
accuracy.
    Based on the research and tests conducted, the Census Bureau 
estimates that under the current operational plan, Federal 
administrative records will be used to enumerate up to 6.5 million 
households of the projected total of approximately 60 million addresses 
that are expected to be in the NRFU workload for the 2020 Census. These 
6.5 million households represent less than five percent of the 
approximately 145 million addresses in the Census master address file. 
Where the Census Bureau does not have confidence in the data, such as 
when the data are inconsistent or missing in the Federal administrative 
records, the household will remain in the NRFU workload to be 
enumerated in person.
(4) Reengineering Field Operations
    The final innovation area, ``Reengineering Field Operations,'' has 
a goal of using technology to manage the 2020 Census fieldwork 
efficiently and effectively, and as a result, reduce the staffing, 
infrastructure, and brick and mortar footprint for the 2020 Census. The 
Census Bureau plans to provide

[[Page 49538]]

most listers and enumerators with the capability to work completely 
remotely and perform all administrative and data collection tasks 
directly from a mobile device.
Supporting Documents About the 2020 Census Design and the 2020 Census 
Objectives
    Multiple Census Bureau publications provide background on the plans 
for the 2020 Census. The 2020 Census Operational Plan v3.0, which was 
published in September 2017, describes each of the 35 operations scoped 
and defined for the census. Every task performed for the 2020 Census 
must be assigned to one of the 35 operations. The Operational Plan also 
summarizes the major findings of the census tests performed this 
decade. Moreover, this document shows the planned design of the 2020 
Census as of September 2017 and identifies design decisions made, as 
well as remaining decisions to be made using census test results. Key 
design components for the 2020 Census for every operation are discussed 
in Chapter 5 of the 2020 Census Operational Plan.
Type of Enumeration Areas
    Prior to the census, it is necessary to delineate all geographic 
areas into Type of Enumeration Areas (TEAs). These TEAs describe what 
methodology will be used for census material delivery and household 
enumeration in order to use the most cost-effective enumeration 
approach for achieving maximum accuracy and completeness. TEAs also 
describe what methodology will be used for updating the address frame. 
For the United States and Puerto Rico, TEAs are delineated at the block 
level based on the address and spatial data in the MAF/TIGER database.
    The MAF/TIGER does not contain data for the Island Areas, so a 
separate TEA is designated for these areas. The TEAs designated for the 
2020 Census are:

* TEA 1 = Self-Response.
* TEA 2 = Update Enumerate.
* TEA 3 = Island Areas.
* TEA 4 = Remote Alaska.
* TEA 5 = Military.
* TEA 6 = Update Leave.

    The most common enumeration method by percentage of households is 
self-response (TEA 1), where materials will be delivered to each 
address through the mail, and self-response will be supported and 
promoted. After the initial self-response phase, nonresponding 
households will be enumerated in the NRFU operation. Update Enumerate 
uses the methodology of updating the address list and attempting 
household enumeration at the same time. This will be used for a very 
small portion of the addresses in country, such as those with access 
problems or minimal mail service. The Island Areas are not included in 
MAF/TIGER. For these areas, the address list will be created and 
enumeration will be attempted at the same time. Remote Alaska uses the 
Update Enumerate methodology but in remote areas of Alaska that require 
a different schedule for enumeration. Military areas require special 
procedures due to security restrictions. Update Leave is an update of 
the address list at the same time that a questionnaire is left at each 
individual housing unit and the enumeration data is expected to be 
returned or submitted by a respondent. Puerto Rico is designated as 
entirely Update Leave (except for military locations). Operations that 
will contribute to the respondent experience of the 2020 Census will be 
described in detail, as shown below, but only the Address Canvassing 
operation will be described within this clearance request. The 2020 
Census Operational Plan and Detailed Operational Plans, available at 
www.census.gov, provide design details about the remaining operations, 
and the remaining operations will be described in future documents 
related to this OMB clearance.

A. Content and Forms Design

    The Content and Forms Design operation will be described in more 
detail in subsequent versions of this document.

B. Language Services

    The Language Services operation will be described in more detail in 
subsequent versions of this document.

C. Address Canvassing

    Address Canvassing, as described above, consists of two major 
components: In-Office Address Canvassing and In-Field Address 
Canvassing. In-Office Address Canvassing is the process of using 
empirical geographic evidence (e.g., imagery, comparison of the Census 
Bureau's address list to partner-provided lists) to assess the current 
address list and make changes where necessary. This component detects 
and captures areas of change from high quality administrative records 
and third-party data. Advancements in technology have enabled continual 
address and spatial updates to occur throughout the decade as part of 
the In-Office Address Canvassing effort.
    Areas not resolved by In-Office Address Canvassing become the 
universe of geographic areas worked during In-Field Address Canvassing. 
Only the In-Field component of Address Canvassing involves in person 
collection of information from residents at their living quarters.
    For In-Field Address Canvassing, an extract of addresses from the 
MAF is created, and this address list is verified and updated in the 
field, as needed. Updates can include adding units missing from the 
address list and removing nonexistent or nonresidential units from the 
list. In addition, living quarters are classified as housing units or 
group quarters. Group quarters are living quarters where people who are 
typically unrelated have group living arrangements and frequently are 
receiving some type of service. College/university student housing and 
nursing/skilled-nursing facilities are examples of group quarters. 
Transitory locations include recreational vehicle parks, campgrounds, 
racetracks, circuses, carnivals, marinas, hotels, and motels. People 
residing at transitory locations during the census are recorded as 
living in housing units located at transitory locations.
    During In-Field Address Canvassing, listers knock on doors at every 
structure in the assignment in an attempt to locate living quarters and 
classify each living quarter as a housing unit, group quarter, or 
transitory location. If someone answers, the lister will provide a 
Confidentiality Notice and ask about the address in order to verify or 
update the information, as appropriate. The listers will then ask if 
there are any additional living quarters in the structure or on the 
property. If there are additional living quarters, the listers will 
collect/update that information, as appropriate. In addition, there 
will be a check on the quality of the address listing work on 
approximately 10 percent of the address listing workload.
    The results of Address Canvassing are processed with MAF/TIGER and 
then used as input into the creation of the census address list for 
enumeration. This address list in turn, is used in conjunction with the 
TEA delineation to determine which materials should be printed for use 
in the operation(s) designated for each area of the country.

D. Forms Printing and Distribution

    The Forms Printing and Distribution operation will be described in 
more detail in subsequent versions of this document.

[[Page 49539]]

E. Internet Self-Response

    The internet Self-Response operation will be described in more 
detail in subsequent versions of this document.

F. Census Questionnaire Assistance

    The Census Questionnaire Assistance operation will be described in 
more detail in subsequent versions of this document.

G. Update Leave

    The Update Leave operation will be described in more detail in 
subsequent versions of this document.

H. Update Enumerate

    The Update Enumerate operation will be described in more detail in 
subsequent versions of this document.

I. Non-ID Processing

    The Non-ID Processing operation will be described in more detail in 
subsequent versions of this document.

J. Nonresponse Followup

    The Nonresponse Followup Operation will be described in more detail 
in subsequent versions of this document.

K. Group Quarters

    The Group Quarters operation will be described in more detail in 
subsequent versions of this document.

L. Paper Data Capture

    The Paper Data Capture operation will be described in more detail 
in subsequent versions of this document.

M. Response Processing

    The Response Processing Operation will be described in more detail 
in subsequent versions of this document.

N. Redistricting Data Program

    The Redistricting Data Program operation will be described in more 
detail in subsequent versions of this document. This program has a 
separate OMB clearance number. There is more detail about this program 
in Federal Register July 26, 2018, (Vol. 83, No. 144, pp. 35458-35460. 
FR Doc No. 2018-15972).

O. Data Products and Dissemination

    The Data Products and Dissemination operation will be described in 
more detail in subsequent versions of this document.

P. Archiving

    The Archiving operation will be described in more detail in 
subsequent versions of this document.

Q. Federally Affiliated Count Overseas

    The Federally Affiliated Count Overseas operation will be described 
in more detail in subsequent versions of this document.

R. Island Areas Censuses

    The Island Areas Censuses operation will be described in more 
detail in subsequent versions of this document.

S. Evaluations and Experiments

    The Evaluations and Experiments operation will be described in more 
detail in subsequent versions of this document.
    The Census Bureau is not currently planning a separate clearance 
for the Evaluations and Experiments program, as has been done in past 
censuses. For the 2020 Census, these evaluations and experiments will 
be described either as Nonsubstantive Changes to this clearance or 
within other related clearance documents.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Frequency: Once every 10 years.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Section 141.
    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 Address Canvassing 
phase of the proposed information collection, identified by Docket 
number OMB-2018-0004, may be submitted to the Federal e-Rulemaking 
portal: Fs://www.regulations.gov within 30 days of publication of this 
notice. You may also submit comments and recommendations to 
[email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806. All comments 
received are part of the public record. No comments will be posted to 
https://www.regulations.gov for public viewing until after the comment 
period has closed. Comments will generally be posted without change. 
All Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address) 
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do 
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information. You may submit attachments to electronic 
comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file 
formats only.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-21386 Filed 10-1-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P