[Federal Register: April 20, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 76)]
[Notices]
[Page 19879]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20ap07-28]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Bureau of the Census
[Docket Number 0612243149-63149-01]
RIN 0607-AA42
2010 Census Redistricting Data Program Commencement of Phase 2:
The Voting District/Block Boundary Suggestion Project
AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of program.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the commencement of Phase 2 of the 2010
Census Redistricting Data Program: The Voting District/Block Boundary
Suggestion Project. This second phase specifically provides States the
opportunity to submit their voting districts (election precincts,
wards, etc.) to the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) for the
development of data products by voting district in the Phase 3 release
of the 2010 Census Redistricting Data. In addition to providing the
Census Bureau with their voting districts, States may opt to provide
the Census Bureau with their suggestions for the 2010 Census tabulation
block inventory. States may choose to participate in one or both
options during Phase 2. Participation in Phase 2 is voluntary.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by May 21, 2007. The
deadline for States to notify the Census Bureau that they wish to
participate in the Phase 2: Voting District/Block Boundary Suggestion
Project is December 15, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Please direct all written comments on this notice to the
Director, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 8H001, mail stop 0100, Washington,
DC 20233-0001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Catherine C. McCully, Chief of the
Census Redistricting Data Office, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 8H019,
Washington, DC 20233, telephone (301) 763-4039.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the provisions of Public Law 94-171
(Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 141(c)), the Director
of the Census Bureau is required to provide the ``officers or public
bodies with initial responsibility for legislative apportionment or
districting of each State * * * '' with the opportunity to specify
geographic areas (for example, voting districts, wards, and election
precincts) for which they wish to receive decennial census population
totals for the purpose of reapportionment and redistricting.
By April 1 of the year following the decennial census, the
Secretary is required to furnish the State officials or their designees
with population counts for counties, cities, census blocks, and State-
specified congressional districts, legislative districts, and voting
districts.
In accordance with the provisions of Title 13, U.S.C. Section
141(c), and on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce, the Director
announces the commencement of Phase 2 of the 2010 Census Redistricting
Data Program. The purpose of this notice is to provide further
information on the commencement of the 2010 Census Redistricting Data
Program, Phase 2Voting District/Block Boundary Suggestion Project.
Future notices will address the remaining phases of this 2010 Program.
The 2010 Census Redistricting Data Program \1\ was initially
announced on May 13, 2004, in the Federal Register (69 FR 26547). This
notice described the program that the Census Bureau proposed to adopt
for the 2010 Census. In addition, Phase 1 of the 2010 Census
Redistricting Data Program was initially announced in a second Federal
Register notice on February 15, 2005 (70 FR 7713). This notice
described the procedures to be followed under Phase 1 for States to
submit their legislative districts (House and Senate) to the Census
Bureau for the development of data products by legislative district.
For additional background information on these notices, please consult
the Federal Register issues referenced above. Phase 1 was concluded on
January 4, 2007, with the release of data re-tabulated from Census 2000
SF-1 (100% data) and SF-3 (sample data) for State legislative districts
nationwide (50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico).
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\1\ As in the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the 2010 Census
Redistricting Data Program is being partitioned into several phases.
State participation in Phases 1 and 2 of the 2010 Redistricting Data
Program under 13 U.S.C. 141 is voluntary.
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Beginning in the summer of 2007 and by separate letter, the
Director of the Census Bureau will invite each State to participate in
Phase 2, the Voting District/Block Boundary Suggestion Project. This
phase will include a verification step prior to release of the Phase 3
data. For each State responding by December 15, 2007 that it wishes to
participate in Phase 2, the Census Bureau will provide one county of
data for that State from the MAF/TIGER Database and a copy of the MAF/
TIGER Partnership Software (MTPS) to enable the State to begin work on
Phase 2. States are not required to use the MTPS; however, they are
required to provide their Phase 2 submission to the Census Bureau
electronically in Census Bureau specified formats. During this time,
the Census Bureau will provide training in the use of the MTPS and
assist the States in preparing for the remaining counties within each
State, scheduled for later in the fall of 2008. The States will have
the opportunity to verify the inclusion of their voting districts and
suggested tabulation block boundary features during 2009 and early
2010, to ensure the voting district boundaries that will be used by the
Census Bureau are consistent with their submissions.
The Census Bureau will continue to communicate with each State to
ensure that the States are well informed on the benefits of working
with the Census Bureau towards a successful 2010 Census. In addition,
the Redistricting Data Office will continue to work with each State to
ensure it is prepared to participate in Phase 2 and Phase 3: Delivery
of the Decennial 2010 Census Redistricting Data. Every State,
regardless of its participation in Phase 2, will receive the official
redistricting data sets, as required by Pub. L. 94-171.
Executive Order 12866
This notice has been determined to be not significant under
Executive Order 12866.
Dated: April 17, 2007.
Charles Louis Kincannon,
Director, Bureau of the Census.
[FR Doc. E7-7532 Filed 4-19-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P