64594 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 214 / Friday, November 5, 2004 / Notices 

Cite/Reference Total

respondents Frequency Totalresponses 

Average time 

per response Burden hours 

ETA 90–2 ............................................................................. 50 6 300 1/6 50

Initial Application .................................................................. 11,000 1 11,000 1/6 1,833

Supplemental to Initial Application (self-empl.) ................... 3,800 1 3,800 1/6 633

Weekly Claim ....................................................................... 11,000 * 6 66,000 1/12 5,500

Notice of Overpayment ........................................................ 235 1 235 1/4 59

Cost/Expense Report ........................................................... 50 ** 75 1/4 19

Final Report ......................................................................... 50 1 50 1 50

Miscellaneous Recordkeeping ............................................. 50 n/a 81,335 1/40 2,033

Totals ............................................................................ 26,235 ........................ 162,795 ........................ 10,177

Total Burden Cost (capital/startup):

$0.00. 

Total Burden Cost (operating/

maintaining): $ 0.00. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for the Office of 

Management and Budget’s approval of 

the information collection request; they 

will also become a matter of public 

record.

Cheryl Atkinson, 

Administrator, Office of Workforce Security.

[FR Doc. E4–3030 Filed 11–4–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–30–P

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Proposed Collection; Comment 

Request

ACTION: Notice.

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. Currently, the Bureau 

of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting 

comments concerning the proposed 

revision of ‘‘The Consumer Expenditure 

Surveys: The Quarterly Interview and 

the Diary.’’ 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 below on or before 

January 4, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Amy A. 

Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, Division 

of Management Systems, Bureau of 

Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 2 

Massachusetts Avenue, NE., 

Washington, DC 20212, telephone 

number 202–691–7628. (This is not a 

toll free number.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, 

telephone number 202–691–7628. (See 

ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

The Consumer Expenditure (CE) 

Surveys collect data on consumer 

expenditures, demographic information, 

and related data needed by the 

Consumer Price Index (CPI) and other 

public and private data users. The 

continuing surveys provide a constant 

measurement of changes in consumer 

expenditure patterns for economic 

analysis and to obtain data for future 

CPI revisions. The CE Surveys have 

been ongoing since 1979. 

The data from the CE Surveys are 

used (1) for CPI revisions, (2) to provide 

a continuous flow of data on income 

and expenditure patterns for use in 

economic analysis and policy 

formulation, and (3) to provide a 

flexible consumer survey vehicle that is 

available for use by other Federal 

Government agencies. Public and 

private users of price statistics, 

including Congress and the economic 

policymaking agencies of the Executive 

branch, rely on data collected in the CPI 

in their day-to-day activities. Hence, 

data users and policymakers widely 

accept the need to improve the process 

used for revising the CPI. If the CE 

Surveys were not conducted on a 

continuing basis, current information 

necessary for more timely, as well as 

more accurate, updating of the CPI 

would not be available. In addition, data 

would not be available to respond to the 

continuing demand from the public and 

private sectors for current information 

on consumer spending. 

In the Quarterly Interview Survey, 

each consumer unit (CU) in the sample 

is interviewed every three months over 

five calendar quarters. The sample for 

each quarter is divided into three 

panels, with CUs being interviewed 

every three months in the same panel of 

every quarter. The Quarterly Interview 

Survey is designed to collect data on the 

types of expenditures that respondents 

can be expected to recall for a period of 

three months or longer. In general the 

expenses reported in the Interview 

Survey are either relatively large, such 

as property, automobiles, or major 

appliances, or are expenses which occur 

on a fairly regular basis, such as rent, 

utility bills, or insurance premiums. 

The Diary (or recordkeeping) Survey 

is completed at home by the respondent 

family for two consecutive one-week 

periods. The primary objective of the 

Diary Survey is to obtain expenditure 

data on small, frequently purchased 

items which normally are difficult to 

recall over longer periods of time.

II. 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; and 

• 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. 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 214 / Friday, November 5, 2004 / Notices 64595

III. Current Action 

The Consumer Expenditure Quarterly 

Interview Survey has recently 

undergone a thorough review since its 

conversion to a Computer Assisted 

Personal Interview (CAPI) collection 

instrument in April, 2003. The proposed 

changes from this review fall into two 

major categories: streamlining the 

current questions in several sections 

and updating several questions and 

sections to reflect the current 

marketplace. 

In the streamlining category, the BLS 

deleted or collapsed obsolete questions. 

The BLS collapsed all types of cooking 

stoves into one category, collapsed 

rarely used fuel types to one code in the 

utility section, collapsed all types of 

televisions into one code, and deleted 

questions related to options on vehicles 

that are now common. The BLS also 

eliminated redundant questions in the 

two insurance sections simplifying the 

collection of policies. 

To keep the survey current, question 

wording changed and some new codes 

were added. Examples of additions to 

existing questions include adding the 

word, ‘‘minivan,’’ to the vehicle 

screening questions; adding wording to 

questions and sections regarding online 

payments, automatic deductions, transit 

subsidies, and flexible spending 

accounts; and adding weight reduction 

centers to a membership question. 

Examples of adding additional codes 

include new categories for handheld 

personal music players, PDAs or 

personal digital assistants, video 

equipment and installation for vehicles, 

electronic toll passes like EZ Pass, 

Global Positioning System (GPS) 

services, and dating services. Similarly, 

a new section was added to capture 

different types of internet expenses such 

as membership to entertainment sites 

and the purchase of downloaded music 

or video files. These changes were made 

to keep the survey current with 

products available in the marketplace. 

A full list of the proposed changes to 

the Quarterly Interview Survey is 

available upon request. The Diary 

Survey will have no changes for 2005. 

Type of Review: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Title: The Consumer Expenditure 

Surveys: The Quarterly Interview and 

the Diary. 

OMB Number: 1220–0050.

Form Total

respondents Frequency Totalresponses 

Average 

time per

response 

Estimated 

total burden

(hours) 

CE Quarterly Interview CAPI instrument ................................................. 10,157 4 40,628 70 47,400

Quarterly Interview Reinterview CPI instrument ...................................... 3,283 1 3,283 15 821

CE Diary: Household Questionnaire CAPI instrument ............................ 7,530 3 22,590 25 9,413

CE Diary: CE–801, Record of Your Daily Expenses .............................. 7,530 2 15,060 105 26,355

CE Diary Reinterview CAPI instrument ................................................... 954 1 954 15 239

Totals ............................................................................................ 17,687 .................... 82,515 .................... 84,228

Please note: Reinterview respondents are a subset of the original number of respondents for each survey. Therefore, they are not counted 

again in the totals. Also, for the Diary, the ‘‘Record of Your Daily Expenses’’ respondents are the same as the ‘‘Household Questionnaire’’

respondents. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households. 

Total Burden Cost (Capital/Startup):

$0. 

Total Burden Cost (Operating/

Maintenance): $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 in Washington, DC, this 25th day of 

October, 2004. 

Cathy Kazanowski, 

Chief, Division of Management Systems, 

Bureau of Labor Statistics.

[FR Doc. 04–24732 Filed 11–4–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–24–P

NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE 

ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES 

National Council on the Humanities 

Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting 

November 1, 2004. 

Pursuant to the provisions of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. 

L. 92–463, as amended) notice is hereby 

given the National Council on the 

Humanities will meet in Washington, 

DC on November 18–19, 2004. 

The purpose of the meeting is to 

advise the Chairman of the National 

Endowment for the Humanities with 

respect to policies, programs, and 

procedures for carrying out his 

functions, and to review applications for 

financial support from and gifts offered 

to the Endowment and to make 

recommendations thereon to the 

Chairman. 

The meeting will be held in the Old 

Post Office Building, 1100 Pennsylvania 

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. A 

portion of the morning and afternoon 

sessions on November 18–19, 2004, will 

not be open to the public pursuant to 

subsections (c)(4), (c)(6) and (c)(9)(B) of 

section 552b of Title 5, United States 

Code because the Council will consider 

information that may disclose: trade 

secrets and commercial or financial 

information obtained from a person and 

privileged or confidential; information 

of a personal nature the disclosure of 

which would constitute a clearly 

unwarranted invasion of personal 

privacy; and information the premature 

disclosure of which would be likely to 

significantly frustrate implementation of 

proposed agency action. I have made 

this determination under the authority 

granted me by the Chairman’s 

Delegation of Authority dated July 19, 

1993. 

The agenda for the session on 

November 18, 2004 will be as follows: 

Committee Meetings 

(Open to the Public) Policy 

Discussion:

9–10:30 a.m. 

Challenge Grants—Room 420

Education Programs—Room 507

Preservation and Access—Room 415

Research Programs—Room 315

(Closed to the Public) Discussion of 

specific grant applications and programs 

before the Council:

10:30 a.m. until Adjourned 

Challenge Grants—Room 420

Education Programs—Room 507

Preservation and Access—Room 415

Research Programs—Room 315

2–3:30 p.m. 

Heroes of History Lecture—Room 527

The morning session on November 19, 

2004 will convene at 9 a.m., in the 1st 

Floor Council Room M–09, and will be 

open to the public, as set out below. The 

agenda for the morning session will be 

as follows: 

A. Minutes of the Previous Meeting.