Information Collection Activities; Comment Request, 10190-10192 [2020-03504]

Download as PDF 10190 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 35 / Friday, February 21, 2020 / Notices khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES filed in response to this Notice are limited to five (5) pages in length, inclusive of attachments. Persons filing written submissions must file the original document electronically on or before the deadlines stated above and submit 8 true paper copies to the Office of the Secretary by noon the next day pursuant to § 210.4(f) of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 210.4(f)). Submissions should refer to the docket number (‘‘Docket No. 3435’’) in a prominent place on the cover page and/ or the first page. (See Handbook for Electronic Filing Procedures, Electronic Filing Procedures 1.) Persons with questions regarding filing should contact the Secretary (202–205–2000). Any person desiring to submit a document to the Commission in confidence must request confidential treatment. All such requests should be directed to the Secretary to the Commission and must include a full statement of the reasons why the Commission should grant such treatment. See 19 CFR 201.6. Documents for which confidential treatment by the Commission is properly sought will be treated accordingly. All information, including confidential business information and documents for which confidential treatment is properly sought, submitted to the Commission for purposes of this Investigation may be disclosed to and used: (i) By the Commission, its employees and Offices, and contract personnel (a) for developing or maintaining the records of this or a related proceeding, or (b) in internal investigations, audits, reviews, and evaluations relating to the programs, personnel, and operations of the Commission including under 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3; or (ii) by U.S. government employees and contract personnel,2 solely for cybersecurity purposes. All nonconfidential written submissions will be available for public inspection at the Office of the Secretary and on EDIS.3 This action is taken under the authority of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1337), and of §§ 201.10 and 210.8(c) of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.10, 210.8(c)). By order of the Commission. Issued: February 14, 2020. Lisa Barton, Secretary to the Commission. [FR Doc. 2020–03433 Filed 2–20–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7020–02–P INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [USITC SE–20–006] Sunshine Act Meetings Agency Holding the Meeting: United States International Trade Commission. TIME AND DATE: February 28, 2020 at 11 a.m. PLACE: Room 101, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436, Telephone: (202) 205–2000. STATUS: Open to the public. MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: 1. Agendas for future meetings: None. 2. Minutes. 3. Ratification List. 4. Vote on Inv. Nos. 701–TA–637 and 731–TA–1471 (Preliminary)(Vertical Shaft Engines from China). The Commission is currently scheduled to complete and file its determinations on March 2, 2020; views of the Commission are currently scheduled to be completed and filed on March 9, 2020. 5. Outstanding action jackets: None. CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: William Bishop, Supervisory Hearings and Information Officer, 202–205–2595. The Commission is holding the meeting under the Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552(b). In accordance with Commission policy, subject matter listed above, not disposed of at the scheduled meeting, may be carried over to the agenda of the following meeting. By order of the Commission. Issued: February 18, 2020. William Bishop, Supervisory Hearings and Information Officer. [FR Doc. 2020–03550 Filed 2–19–20; 11:15 am] BILLING CODE 7020–02–P DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Bureau of Labor Statistics Information Collection Activities; Comment Request Bureau of Labor Statistic, Department of Labor. ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment. AGENCY: 1 Handbook for Electronic Filing Procedures: https://www.usitc.gov/documents/handbook_on_ filing_procedures.pdf. 2 All contract personnel will sign appropriate nondisclosure agreements. 3 Electronic Document Information System (EDIS): https://edis.usitc.gov. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:22 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 250001 The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of the ‘‘Consumer Price Index Commodities and Services Survey.’’ A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the Addresses section of this notice on or before April 21, 2020. ADDRESSES: Send comments to Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also may be transmitted by fax to 202–691–5111 (this is not a toll free number). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 202–691–7628 (this is not a toll free number). (See ADDRESSES section.) SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background Under the direction of the Secretary of Labor, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is directed by law to collect, collate, and report full and complete statistics on the conditions of labor and the products and distribution of the products of the same; the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is one of these statistics. The collection of data from a wide spectrum of retail establishments and government agencies is essential for the timely and accurate calculation of the Commodities and Services (C&S) component of the CPI. The CPI is the only index compiled by the U.S. Government that is designed to measure changes in the purchasing power of the urban consumer’s dollar. The CPI is a measure of the average change in prices over time paid by urban consumers for a market basket of goods and services. The CPI is used most widely as a measure of inflation, E:\FR\FM\21FEN1.SGM 21FEN1 10191 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 35 / Friday, February 21, 2020 / Notices and serves as an indicator of the effectiveness of government economic policy. It is also used as a deflator of other economic series, that is, to adjust other series for price changes and to translate these series into inflation-free dollars. Examples include retail sales, hourly and weekly earnings, and components of the Gross Domestic Product. A third major use of the CPI is to adjust income payments. Over 2 million workers are covered by collective bargaining contracts, which provide for increases in wage rates based on increases in the CPI. At least eight states have laws that link the adjustment in state minimum wage to the changes in the CPI. In addition, as a result of statutory action, the CPI affects the income of almost 132 million of Americans: 64 Million Social Security beneficiaries, 4 million military and Federal Civil Service retirees, and 34 million food stamp recipients have costof-living adjustments tied to the CPI. Changes in the CPI also affect the cost of lunches for 30 million children who eat lunch at school. Under the National School Lunch Act and Child Nutrition Act, national average payments for those lunches and breakfasts are adjusted annually by the Secretary of Agriculture on the basis of the change in the CPI series, ‘‘Food away from Home.’’ Since 1985, the CPI has been used to adjust the Federal income tax structure to prevent inflation-induced tax rate increases. II. Current Action Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the proposed extension of the Consumer Price Index Commodities and Services Survey. In January 2018, BLS introduced a new geographic area sample for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI will rotate its sample to new geographic areas on a continuous basis, over a 4year transition period, until all new areas have been brought into the sample. The last time the sample was revised was in 1998. There are notable methodological changes with the introduction of a new geographic area sample. First, the sample classification structure has been changed. The 1998 design classified areas into four Census regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) by three size classes. The 2018 design classifies these areas into the same four Census regions, plus nine Census divisions: New England, Middle Atlantic, East North Central, West North Central, South Atlantic, East South Central, West South Central, Mountain, and Pacific. Primary sampling units (PSUs) are classified into one of two population-size classes—selfrepresenting or non-self-representing. Second, the PSU area definitions have been updated using Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) CoreBased Statistical Areas (CBSAs) definitions. There are two types of CBSAs: Metropolitan and micropolitan. A metropolitan CBSA has an urban core of more than 50,000 people, and a micropolitan CBSA has an urban core of 10,000 to 50,000 people. CBSAs may cross state borders. Currently, BLS publishes the CPI–U, which covers approximately 89% of the U.S. population. Third, in the new design, the number of sampled PSUs in the CPI has been reduced from 87 to 75. This change will increase the average number of price quotes per index area. Finally, changes were made to the stratification variables and the sampling process for selecting non-self-representing PSUs. The continuation of the collection of prices for the CPI is essential since the CPI is the nation’s chief source of information on retail price changes. If the information on C&S prices were not khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES Total respondents Frequency collected, Federal fiscal and monetary policies would be hampered due to the lack of information on price changes in a major sector of the U.S. economy, and estimates of the real value of the Gross National Product could not be made. The consequences to both the Federal and private sectors would be far reaching and would have serious repercussions on Federal government policy and institutions. III. Desired Focus of Comments The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in comments that: • Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility. • Evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used. • Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected. • 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, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses. Title: Consumer Price Index Commodities and Services Survey. OMB Number: 1220–0039. Type of Review: Extension without change of a currently approved collection. Affected Public: Business or other forprofit; not for profit institutions; and State, Local or Tribal Government. Total responses Average time per response Estimated total burden Pricing .................................................................................. Outlet Rotation ..................................................................... 36,547 15,500 8.7811 1 320,923 15,500 0.33 1.0 105,905 15,500 Total .............................................................................. 52,047 n/a 336,423 n/a 121,405 VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:22 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 250001 PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\21FEN1.SGM 21FEN1 10192 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 35 / Friday, February 21, 2020 / Notices Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget approval of the information collection request; they also will become a matter of public record. Signed at Washington, DC, this 14th day of February 2020. Mark Staniorski, Chief, Division of Management Systems. [FR Doc. 2020–03504 Filed 2–20–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4510–24–P DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Occupational Safety and Health Administration [Docket No. OSHA–2006–0028] MET Laboratories, Inc.: Applications for Expansion of Recognition Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: In this notice, OSHA announces the applications of MET Laboratories, Inc., for expansion of recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) and presents the agency’s preliminary finding to grant the applications. DATES: Submit comments, information, and documents in response to this notice, or requests for an extension of time to make a submission, on or before March 9, 2020. ADDRESSES: Submit comments by any of the following methods: Electronically: Submit comments and attachments electronically at https:// www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for making electronic submissions. Facsimile: If submissions, including attachments, are not longer than 10 pages, commenters may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693–1648. Regular or express mail, hand delivery, or messenger (courier) service: Submit comments, requests, and any attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA–2006–0028, Technical Data Center, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room N–3653, Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693–2350, TTY number: (877) 889–5627. Note that security procedures may result in significant delays in receiving comments and other written materials by regular mail. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for information about security procedures concerning delivery of materials by express mail, hand khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:22 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 250001 delivery, or messenger service. The hours of operation for the OSHA Docket Office are 10 a.m.–3 p.m., ET. Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and the OSHA docket number (OSHA–2006–0028). OSHA places comments and other materials, including any personal information, in the public docket without revision, and these materials will be available online at https:// www.regulations.gov. Therefore, the agency cautions commenters about submitting statements they do not want made available to the public, or submitting comments that contain personal information (either about themselves or others) such as Social Security Numbers, birth dates, and medical data. Docket: To read or download submissions or other material in the docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov or the OSHA Docket Office at the above address. All documents in the docket are listed in the https:// www.regulations.gov index; however, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to read or download through the website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for assistance in locating docket submissions. Extension of comment period: Submit requests for an extension of the comment period on or before March 9, 2020 to the Office of Technical Programs and Coordination Activities, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room N–3653, Washington, DC 20210, or by fax to (202) 693–1644. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information regarding this notice is available from the following sources: Press inquiries: Contact Mr. Frank Meilinger, Director, OSHA Office of Communications, phone: (202) 693– 1999; email: meilinger.francis2@dol.gov. General and technical information: Contact Mr. Kevin Robinson, Director, Office of Technical Programs and Coordination Activities, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, phone: (202) 693–2110 or email: robinson.kevin@ dol.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 I. Notice of the Applications for Expansion OSHA is providing notice that MET Laboratories, Inc. (MET), is applying for expansion of the current recognition as a NRTL. MET requests the addition of two test standards to the NRTL scope of recognition. OSHA recognition of a NRTL signifies that the organization meets the requirements specified in 29 CFR 1910.7. Recognition is an acknowledgment that the organization can perform independent safety testing and certification of the specific products covered within its scope of recognition. Each NRTL’s scope of recognition includes (1) the type of products the NRTL may test, with each type specified by its applicable test standard; and (2) the recognized site(s) that has/have the technical capability to perform the product-testing and productcertification activities for test standards within the NRTL’s scope. Recognition is not a delegation or grant of government authority; however, recognition enables employers to use products approved by the NRTL to meet OSHA standards that require product testing and certification. The agency processes applications by a NRTL for initial recognition and for an expansion or renewal of this recognition, following requirements in Appendix A to 29 CFR 1910.7. This appendix requires that the agency publish two notices in the Federal Register in processing an application. In the first notice, OSHA announces the application and provides its preliminary finding. In the second notice, the agency provides the final decision on the application. These notices set forth the NRTL’s scope of recognition or modifications of that scope. OSHA maintains an informational web page for each NRTL, including MET, which details the NRTL’s scope of recognition. These pages are available from the OSHA website at https://www.osha.gov/ dts/otpca/nrtl/. MET currently has one facility (site) recognized by OSHA for product testing and certification, with its headquarters located at: MET Laboratories, Inc., 914 West Patapsco Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21230. A complete list of MET’s scope of recognition is available at https://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/ met.html. II. General Background on the Applications MET submitted two applications, one dated June 28, 2018 (OSHA–2006– 0028–0061), and another dated January 14, 2019 (OSHA–2006–0028–0062) to expand MET’s NRTL Scope of E:\FR\FM\21FEN1.SGM 21FEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 35 (Friday, February 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10190-10192]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03504]


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

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics


Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistic, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be 
provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial 
resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, 
and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be 
properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting 
comments concerning the proposed extension of the ``Consumer Price 
Index Commodities and Services Survey.'' A copy of the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the 
individual listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
Addresses section of this notice on or before April 21, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also 
may be transmitted by fax to 202-691-5111 (this is not a toll free 
number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number). (See ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    Under the direction of the Secretary of Labor, the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics (BLS) is directed by law to collect, collate, and report 
full and complete statistics on the conditions of labor and the 
products and distribution of the products of the same; the Consumer 
Price Index (CPI) is one of these statistics. The collection of data 
from a wide spectrum of retail establishments and government agencies 
is essential for the timely and accurate calculation of the Commodities 
and Services (C&S) component of the CPI.
    The CPI is the only index compiled by the U.S. Government that is 
designed to measure changes in the purchasing power of the urban 
consumer's dollar. The CPI is a measure of the average change in prices 
over time paid by urban consumers for a market basket of goods and 
services. The CPI is used most widely as a measure of inflation,

[[Page 10191]]

and serves as an indicator of the effectiveness of government economic 
policy. It is also used as a deflator of other economic series, that 
is, to adjust other series for price changes and to translate these 
series into inflation-free dollars. Examples include retail sales, 
hourly and weekly earnings, and components of the Gross Domestic 
Product.
    A third major use of the CPI is to adjust income payments. Over 2 
million workers are covered by collective bargaining contracts, which 
provide for increases in wage rates based on increases in the CPI. At 
least eight states have laws that link the adjustment in state minimum 
wage to the changes in the CPI. In addition, as a result of statutory 
action, the CPI affects the income of almost 132 million of Americans: 
64 Million Social Security beneficiaries, 4 million military and 
Federal Civil Service retirees, and 34 million food stamp recipients 
have cost-of-living adjustments tied to the CPI. Changes in the CPI 
also affect the cost of lunches for 30 million children who eat lunch 
at school. Under the National School Lunch Act and Child Nutrition Act, 
national average payments for those lunches and breakfasts are adjusted 
annually by the Secretary of Agriculture on the basis of the change in 
the CPI series, ``Food away from Home.'' Since 1985, the CPI has been 
used to adjust the Federal income tax structure to prevent inflation-
induced tax rate increases.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the 
proposed extension of the Consumer Price Index Commodities and Services 
Survey.
    In January 2018, BLS introduced a new geographic area sample for 
the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI will rotate its sample to new 
geographic areas on a continuous basis, over a 4-year transition 
period, until all new areas have been brought into the sample. The last 
time the sample was revised was in 1998. There are notable 
methodological changes with the introduction of a new geographic area 
sample. First, the sample classification structure has been changed. 
The 1998 design classified areas into four Census regions (Northeast, 
Midwest, South, and West) by three size classes. The 2018 design 
classifies these areas into the same four Census regions, plus nine 
Census divisions: New England, Middle Atlantic, East North Central, 
West North Central, South Atlantic, East South Central, West South 
Central, Mountain, and Pacific. Primary sampling units (PSUs) are 
classified into one of two population-size classes--self-representing 
or non-self-representing. Second, the PSU area definitions have been 
updated using Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Core-Based 
Statistical Areas (CBSAs) definitions. There are two types of CBSAs: 
Metropolitan and micropolitan. A metropolitan CBSA has an urban core of 
more than 50,000 people, and a micropolitan CBSA has an urban core of 
10,000 to 50,000 people. CBSAs may cross state borders. Currently, BLS 
publishes the CPI-U, which covers approximately 89% of the U.S. 
population. Third, in the new design, the number of sampled PSUs in the 
CPI has been reduced from 87 to 75. This change will increase the 
average number of price quotes per index area. Finally, changes were 
made to the stratification variables and the sampling process for 
selecting non-self-representing PSUs.
    The continuation of the collection of prices for the CPI is 
essential since the CPI is the nation's chief source of information on 
retail price changes. If the information on C&S prices were not 
collected, Federal fiscal and monetary policies would be hampered due 
to the lack of information on price changes in a major sector of the 
U.S. economy, and estimates of the real value of the Gross National 
Product could not be made. The consequences to both the Federal and 
private sectors would be far reaching and would have serious 
repercussions on Federal government policy and institutions.

III. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility.
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used.
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
     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, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.
    Title: Consumer Price Index Commodities and Services Survey.
    OMB Number: 1220-0039.
    Type of Review: Extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not for profit 
institutions; and State, Local or Tribal Government.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Total                           Total       Average time      Estimated
                                    respondents      Frequency       responses     per response    total burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pricing.........................          36,547          8.7811         320,923            0.33         105,905
Outlet Rotation.................          15,500               1          15,500             1.0          15,500
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................          52,047             n/a         336,423             n/a         121,405
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 10192]]

    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a 
matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 14th day of February 2020.
Mark Staniorski,
Chief, Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2020-03504 Filed 2-20-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-24-P
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