Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Special Census Program, 64003-64004 [2022-22951]

Agencies

• Census Bureau
• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 203 (Friday, October 21, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64003-64004]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-22951]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Special Census Program

    The Department of Commerce will submit the following information 
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the 
general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and 
continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of 
our information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on May 25, 2022, during a 60-day comment period. This 
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.
    Title: Special Census Program.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0368.
    Form Number(s): SC-Q, SC-Q(S), SC-CQ, SC-CQ(S), SC-Q-TL, SC-Q-
TL(S), SC-CQ-TL, SC-CQ-TL(S), SC-Q-GE, SC-Q-GE(S), SC-RQ, SC-RQ(S), SC-
900.
    Type of Request: Regular submission, Request for Reinstatement, 
with Change, of a Previously Approved Collection.
    Number of Respondents: 357,080 (annual estimate). The number of 
respondents was incorrectly listed as 340,000 on the 60-day Federal 
Register Notice. The number has been updated to account for quality 
control reinterview and Governmental Units requesting a Cost Estimate.
    Average Hours per Response: Approximately 10 minutes for the 
Special Census data collection and 45 minutes for the Governmental Unit 
Cost Estimate Request form.
    Burden Hours: 59,560 (annual estimate). The number of burden hours 
was incorrectly listed as 56,667 on the 60-day Federal Register Notice. 
The number has been updated to account for quality control reinterview 
and Governmental Units requesting a Cost Estimate.
    Needs and Uses: A Special Census is a basic enumeration of 
population, housing units, group quarters, and units at transitory 
locations, conducted by the Census Bureau at the request of a 
Governmental Unit. Title 13, United States Code, section 196 authorizes 
the Census Bureau to conduct Special Censuses on a cost reimbursable 
basis for the government of any state, county, city, or other political 
subdivision. This includes the District of Columbia, American Indian 
Reservations, Alaska Native villages, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Island 
Areas, and other Governmental Units that require current population 
data between decennial censuses.
    A full Special Census is a basic enumeration of population, housing 
units, group quarters, and units at transitory locations for an area 
entirely within the jurisdiction of a local Governmental Unit 
requesting the Special Census. A partial Special Census is conducted 
using the same methodologies and procedures as a regular or full 
Special Census, but it is for a subset of areas within the jurisdiction 
of the local Governmental Unit. The areas requested in a partial 
Special Census must contain at least one full tract that is completely 
within the jurisdiction of the Governmental Unit and can contain 
additional contiguous tracts or blocks. For example, Governmental Units 
may choose to conduct a partial Special Census with just those tracts 
that might have experienced a large population growth or a boundary 
change.
    Local officials frequently request a Special Census when there has 
been a significant population change in their community due to 
annexation, boundary changes, growth, or the addition of new group 
quarters facilities. Communities may also consider a Special Census if 
there was a significant number of vacant housing units during the 
previous decennial census that are now occupied. Many states use 
Special Census population statistics to determine the distribution of 
state funds to local jurisdictions. Local jurisdictions may use the 
data to plan new schools, transportation systems, housing programs, or 
water treatment facilities.
    The 2020 Special Census Program will accept requests for cost 
estimates from Governmental Units starting in March 2023 and continuing 
through May 2027; data collection will start no earlier than January 
2024 and will continue through September 2028. Governmental Units will 
complete a Cost Estimate Request form (SC-900) to request a Special 
Census. Additional information will be announced on the Census Bureau 
website.
    A Cost Estimate Request form (SC-900) will be available on the 
Census Bureau website by February 2023. Governmental Units will submit 
this form to the Census Bureau. Once this form has been reviewed by the 
Census Bureau, the Governmental Unit and the Census Bureau will 
coordinate to identify the exact geographic boundaries for the Special 
Census. Then the Special Census Program will coordinate within the 
Census Bureau to determine a cost estimate and timeline for the Special 
Census and will present them to the Governmental Unit. The cost of a 
Special Census varies depending on the Governmental Unit's housing and 
population counts and whether a Governmental Unit requests a full or 
partial Special Census. The cost estimate outlines the anticipated 
costs to the sponsoring Governmental Unit for staffing, materials, data 
processing and tabulation. Included with the cost estimate is a 
Memorandum of Agreement. Once a signed Memorandum of Agreement and 
initial payment are transmitted to the Census Bureau, the Special 
Census process will begin.
    For the 2020 Special Census Program, the Census Bureau will use an 
internet self-response instrument for

[[Page 64004]]

respondents to self-respond to the Special Census questionnaire. 
Respondents will have a number of weeks to respond to the Special 
Census questionnaire using the internet self-response instrument. At 
the start of the Special Census, the Census Bureau will send an 
invitation letter to known housing units in the Governmental Unit's 
Special Census area with information needed to respond online. Reminder 
letters and postcards will be sent to each known housing unit to 
encourage self-response and provide information needed to do so.
    After the end of the Special Census self-response period, the 
Census Bureau will conduct follow-up operations in the field to 
enumerate housing units that did not respond using the internet self-
response instrument as well as housing units that did not receive 
mailed materials. These housing units will be contacted by a field 
representative who will conduct a Special Census interview using a 
paper questionnaire. The field operations will also enumerate group 
quarters and transitory locations in the Governmental Unit's Special 
Census area using a paper questionnaire. During the field operations, 
Special Census field representatives will conduct listing to verify the 
current address lists for the Special Census area and add, delete, or 
update the addresses of living quarters as needed, based on their 
observation of housing units, transitory locations, and group quarters. 
The Special Census questionnaires will collect the same information 
that was gathered during the 2020 Census.
    Several quality assurance measures will be implemented for each 
Special Census to ensure that high-quality data are gathered using the 
most efficient and cost-effective procedures. These include edits 
incorporated into the online questionnaire and the ability to validate 
potentially erroneous responses in the field. Independent quality 
assurance checks, such as initial field representative observation and 
review of completed questionnaires, will be conducted by field 
supervisors and office staff. Quality control field supervisors will 
conduct the Dependent Quality Check to verify that production field 
representatives performed all listing and mapping tasks completely and 
accurately. Reinterview of a sample of field questionnaires will also 
be implemented by a quality control field representative to ensure the 
quality of the data collected in the field.
    The 2020 Census disclosure avoidance methodology will be used with 
a few changes for the Special Census Program. The minimum statistical 
area for which any partial Special Censuses can be conducted is a 2020 
Census tabulation tract. This is different from the 2010 Special Census 
Program where partial Special Censuses were done by block. Due to this 
change in methodology, only Governmental Units whose jurisdictions 
encompass one or more 2020 Census tracts will be able to request a 
partial Special Census. Furthermore, this methodological change 
necessitates that a block or tract can only be included in a Special 
Census one time between 2023 and 2028. A Governmental Unit may request 
multiple partial Special Censuses, but they cannot be of overlapping 
areas. Finally, the geography included in the Special Census will 
impact which data products the Governmental Units receive based on 
disclosure avoidance considerations. Some Governmental Units will not 
receive the full suite of data products; however, for those impacted 
Governmental Units, the Census Bureau will define the allowable data 
products that the Governmental Unit will receive prior to signing the 
Memorandum of Agreement.
    Governmental Units that request a Special Census will receive the 
data files by email once data processing and disclosure avoidance have 
been completed for the Special Census. The data will also be posted at 
data.census.gov for public use. These data will not be used to update 
official 2020 Census data products and apportionment counts, but they 
may be used to update data in the Census Bureau's Population Estimates 
Program.
    Changes from the 60-day Federal Register Notice include the change 
in the estimated number of respondents and respondent burden hours. In 
addition, the application fee has been eliminated; the Special Census 
Program will no longer require Governmental Units to pay a fee when 
submitting a Special Census Cost Estimate Request form.
    As the Census Bureau develops automated tools and methods for data 
collection and listing for the 2030 Decennial Census, the Special 
Census Program may incorporate this additional automation throughout 
the decade. Updates to the operational design will be implemented no 
earlier than 2026. The incorporation of additional automation may 
increase data collection quality and efficiency, resulting in a cost 
savings for Governmental Units, but the extent of those cost savings is 
currently unknown.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; State, Local, or Tribal 
government.
    Frequency: As requested by Government Units. Each tract or block 
can only be enumerated one time during the 2020 Special Census Program 
(between 2023 and 2028).
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. 196.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view the Department of 
Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of 
this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently 
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search 
function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB 
Control Number 0607-0368.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 2022-22951 Filed 10-20-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P