[Federal Register: July 8, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 130)]
[Notices]
[Page 41228-41229]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08jy04-30]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Wave 4 of the
2004 Panel
ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.
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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 7,
2004.
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, 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 work schedule, child care, annual income and retirement
accounts, and taxes. 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, which began in February 2004. Approximately
62,000 households were selected for the 2004 Panel, of which, 46,500
are expected to be interviewed. We estimate that each household will
contain 2.1 people, yielding 97,650 interviews in Wave 1 and subsequent
waves. Interviews take 30 minutes on average. Three waves of
interviewing will occur in the 2004 SIPP Panel during FY 2005. The
total annual burden for 2004 Panel SIPP interviews will be 146,475
hours in FY 2005.
The topical modules for the 2004 Panel Wave 4 collect information
about:
Work Schedule
Child Care
Annual Income and Retirement Accounts
Taxes
Wave 4 interviews will be conducted from February 2005 through May
2005. A 10-minute reinterview of 3,100 people is conducted at each wave
to ensure accuracy of responses. Reinterviews will require an
additional 1,553 burden hours in FY 2005.
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 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 over 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: 0607-0905.
Form Number: SIPP/CAPI Automated Instrument.
Type of Review: Regular.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 97,650 people per wave.
Estimated Time Per Response: 30 minutes per person on average.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 148,028.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: 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)
[[Page 41229]]
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 1, 2004.
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-15456 Filed 7-7-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P