[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 12, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2149-2150]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-474]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Proposed Collection, Comment Request
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format,
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the
proposed revision of the ``Consumer Price Index Commodities and
Services Survey.'' A copy of the proposed information collection
request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below
in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
Addresses section of this notice on or before March 14, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer,
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080,
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212. Written comments
also may be transmitted by fax to 202-691-5111 (this is not a toll free
number).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer,
202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number). (See ADDRESSES section.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Under the direction of the Secretary of Labor, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) is directed by law to collect, collate, and report
full and complete statistics on the conditions of labor and the
products and distribution of the products of the same; the Consumer
Price Index (CPI) is one of these statistics. The collection of data
from a wide spectrum of retail establishments and government agencies
is essential for the timely and accurate calculation of the Commodities
and Services (C&S) component of the CPI.
The CPI is the only index compiled by the U.S. Government that is
designed to measure changes in the purchasing power of the urban
consumer's dollar. The CPI is a measure of the average change in prices
over time paid by urban consumers for a market basket of goods and
services. The CPI is used most widely as a measure of inflation, and
serves as an indicator of the effectiveness of government economic
policy. It is also used as a deflator of other economic series, that
is, to adjust other series for price changes and to translate these
series into inflation-free dollars. Examples include retail sales,
hourly and weekly earnings, and components of the Gross Domestic
Product. A third major use of the CPI is to adjust income payments.
Almost 2 million workers are covered by collective bargaining
contracts, which provide for increases in wage rates based on increases
in the CPI. Similarly, ten States have laws that link the adjustment in
State minimum wage to the changes in the CPI. In addition to private
sector workers whose wages or pensions are adjusted according to
changes in the CPI, the index also affects the income of nearly 75
million persons, largely as a result of statutory action: About 48
million social security beneficiaries; about 4.1 million retired
military and Federal Civil Service employees and survivors, and about
22.4 million food stamp recipients. Changes in the CPI also affect the
26.7 million children who eat lunch at school. Under the National
School Lunch Act and Child Nutrition Act, national average payments for
those lunches and breakfasts are adjusted annually by the Secretary of
Agriculture on the basis of the change in the CPI series, ``Food away
from Home.'' Since 1985, the CPI has been used to adjust the Federal
income tax structure to prevent inflation-induced tax rate increases.
II. Current Action
Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the
Consumer Price Index Commodities and Services Survey. The continuation
of the collection of prices for the CPI is
[[Page 2150]]
essential since the CPI is the nation's chief source of information on
retail price changes. If the information on C&S prices were not
collected, Federal fiscal and monetary policies would be hampered due
to the lack of information on price changes in a major sector of the
U.S. economy, and estimates of the real value of the Gross National
Product could not be made. The consequences to both the Federal and
private sectors would be far reaching and would have serious
repercussions on Federal government policy and institutions.
The CPI is seeking to expand the number of CPI commodity and
services prices quotes collected by 50 percent beginning in 2011 to
improve the accuracy of each published index and the overall quality of
the CPI data.
III. Desired Focus of Comments
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in
comments that:
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility.
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used.
Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected.
Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Title: Consumer Price Index Commodities and Services Survey.
OMB Number: 1220-0039.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not for profit
institutions; and State, Local or Tribal Government.
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Total Total Average time Estimated
respondents Frequency responses per response total burden
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Pricing......................... 54,461 8.8531 482,149 0.33 159,109
Outlet Rotation................. 20,809 1 20,809 1.0 20,809
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Total....................... 75,270 n/a 502,958 n/a 179,918
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Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.0.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a
matter of public record.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 7th day of January 2011.
Kimberley Hill,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2011-474 Filed 1-11-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P