[Federal Register: July 21, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 139)]
[Notices]
[Page 43079-43080]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21jy03-50]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Survey of
Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Wave 1 of the 2004 Panel
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public
and other federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on
proposed or continuing information collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)).
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before September 19,
2003.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet
at DHynek@doc.gov).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions
should be directed to Judith H. Eargle, U.S. Census Bureau, FOB 3, Room
3387, Washington, DC 20233-8400, (301) 763-3819.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Census Bureau conducts the SIPP which is a household-based
survey designed as a continuous series of national panels. New panels
are introduced every few years with each panel usually having durations
of one to four years. Respondents are interviewed at 4-month intervals
or ``waves'' over the life of the panel. The survey is molded around a
central ``core'' of labor force and income questions that remain fixed
throughout the life of the panel. The core is supplemented with
questions designed to address specific needs, such as obtaining
information on household members participation in government programs
as well as prior labor force patterns of household members. These
supplemental questions are included with the core and are referred to
as ``topical modules.''
The SIPP represents a source of information for a wide variety of
topics and allows information for separate topics to be integrated to
form a single, unified database so that the interaction between tax,
transfer, and other government and private policies can be examined.
Government domestic-policy formulators depend heavily upon the SIPP
information concerning the distribution of income received directly as
money or indirectly as in-kind benefits and the effect of tax and
transfer programs on this distribution. They also need improved and
expanded data on the income and general economic and financial
situation of the U.S. population. The SIPP has provided these kinds of
data on a continuing basis since 1983 permitting levels of economic
well-being and changes in these levels to be measured over time.
The 2004 panel is currently scheduled for 4 years and will include
12 waves of interviewing beginning February 2004. Approximately 62,000
households will be selected for the 2004 panel, of which, 46,000 are
expected to be interviewed. We estimate that each household will
contain 2.1 people, yielding 96,600 interviews in Wave 1 and subsequent
waves. Interviews take 30 minutes on average. Two waves of interviewing
will occur in the 2004 SIPP Panel during FY 2004. The total annual
burden for 2004 Panel SIPP interviews would be 96,600 hours in FY 2004.
The topical modules for the 2004 Panel Wave 1 collect information
about:
[sbull] Recipiency History
[sbull] Employment History
Wave 1 interviews will be conducted from February 2004 through May
2004.
A 10-minute reinterview of 3,100 people is conducted at each wave
to ensure accuracy of responses. Reinterviews would require an
additional 1,035 burden hours in FY 2004.
II. Method of Collection
The SIPP is designed as a continuing series of national panels of
interviewed households that are introduced every few years with each
panel having durations of 1 to 4 years. All household members 15 years
old or over are interviewed using regular proxy-respondent rules.
During the 2004 panel, respondents are interviewed a total of 12 times
(12 waves) at 4-month intervals making the SIPP a longitudinal survey.
Sample people (all household
[[Page 43080]]
members present at the time of the first interview) who move within the
country and reasonably close to a SIPP primary sampling unit will be
followed and interviewed at their new address. Individuals 15 years old
or older who enter the household after Wave 1 will be interviewed;
however, if these individuals move, they are not followed unless they
happen to move along with a Wave 1 sample individual.
III. Data
OMB Number: None.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 96,600 people per wave.
Estimated Time Per Response: 30 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 97,635.
Estimated Annual Cost to the Public: The only cost to respondents
is their time.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Section 182.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized or
included in the request for the Office of Management and Budget
approval of this information collection. They also will become a matter
of public record.
Dated: July 15, 2003.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-18405 Filed 7-18-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P