[Federal Register: September 12, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 176)]
[Notices]
[Page 52047-52048]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12se07-30]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Government
Employment Forms
AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau.
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 and/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: To ensure consideration written comments must be submitted on or
before November 13, 2007.
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 dynek@doc.gov).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions
should be directed to Ellen Thompson, Chief, Employment Branch,
Governments Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC 20233-6800
(301-763-1531) (or via the Internet at ellen.ann.thompson@census.gov).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
I. Abstract
The Census Bureau plans to request clearance for the forms
necessary to conduct the public employment program which consists of an
annual collection of information and a quinquennial collection in a
census environment in years ending in ``2'' or ``7.'' During the
upcoming two years, Census plans to conduct the 2008 and 2009 Annual
Survey of Government Employment.
Under Title 13, Section 161, of the United States Code, the
Secretary of Commerce is authorized to conduct the public employment
program, which collects and disseminates data by function for full-time
and part-time employees, payroll, and number of part-time hours worked.
The number and content of the data items collected are the same in the
annual and census cycles.
The burden hours requested are based on the expected 2008 annual
survey mail out of 18,160 forms.
The state and local government statistics produced, covered
national, state, and local aggregates on various functions with
comparative detail for individual governments for the pay period that
includes March 12. The public employment program provides the only
comprehensive count of employees and payrolls in state and local
governments. Government employees constitute approximately one-sixth of
the entire U.S. workforce and their salaries are a major source of
personal income.
The Census Bureau provides this employment data to the Bureau of
Economic Analysis for constructing the functional payrolls in the
public sector Gross Domestic Product, payroll being the single largest
component of current operations. Other government users include the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, as a benchmark for its monthly employment
programs, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to
establish payroll guidelines for local public housing authorities.
The public employment program has increasingly been used as the
base for reimbursable programs of other Federal agencies such as: (1)
The government portion of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
commissioned by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to
provide timely, comprehensive information about health care use and
costs in the United States, and (2) The Bureau of Justice Statistics
(BJS) survey Criminal Justice Expenditure and Employment Survey
[[Page 52048]]
which provides criminal justice expenditure and employment data on
spending and personnel levels.
Statistics are produced as data files in both electronic and
printed formats. The program has made possible the dissemination of
comprehensive and comparable governmental statistics since 1940.
The many users of the public employment program data include
Federal agencies, state and local governments and related
organizations, public interest groups, and many business, market, and
private research organizations.
II. Method of Collection
Approximately 18,160 state agencies, county governments,
consolidated city-county governments, independent cities, towns,
townships, special district governments, and public school systems
designated for the annual survey will be sent an appropriate form or
the data will be collected through a data sharing arrangement between
the Census Bureau and the state government.
We developed cooperative agreements with state and large local
government officials to collect the data from their dependent agencies
and report to Census as one central respondent. These arrangements
reduce the need for a mail canvass of approximately 3,413 state
agencies and 740 school systems. Currently we have central collection
agreements with 43 states, five local school district governments, and
nine local governments. We continue to work at expanding the conversion
of paper submissions into electronic formats, for both individual units
and central collection units. Since the 2003 annual collection cycle,
all form types can be completed on the Internet. For the 2007 Census,
18,708 governments responded using the Web site.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0607-0452.
Form Number: E-1, E-2, E-3, E-4, E-5, E-6, E-7, E-9.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: State governments, county governments,
consolidated city-county governments, independent cities, towns,
townships, special district governments, and public school systems.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 18,160.
Estimated Time Per Response: 49 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 14,733.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $324,347.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13 United States Code, Section 161.
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
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
Dated: September 6, 2007.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E7-17919 Filed 9-11-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P