Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 174 / Monday, September 11, 2023 / Notices 62401 

Total Estimated Number of 

Responses: 8,082. 

Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 

1,790 hours. 

Total Estimated Annual Other Costs 

Burden: $1,673. 

(Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D)) 

Michelle Neary, 

Senior PRA Analyst. 

[FR Doc. 2023–19503 Filed 9–8–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–CK–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Proposed Extension of 

Information Collection; Improving 

Customer Experience (OMB Circular 

A–11, Section 280 Implementation) for 

the Department of Labor 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor 

(DOL) is submitting this the Office of 

the Assistant Secretary for 

Administration and Management 

(OASAM)-sponsored information 

collection request (ICR) to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and approval in accordance with 

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA). Public comments on the ICR are 

invited. 

DATES: The OMB will consider all 

written comments that the agency 

receives on or before November 13, 

2023. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 60 days of publication of this 

notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. Find this particular 

information collection by selecting 

‘‘Currently under 60-day Review—Open 

for Public Comments’’ or by using the 

search function. 

Comments are invited on: (1) whether 

the collection of information is 

necessary for the proper performance of 

the functions of the Department, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of 

the agency’s estimates of the burden and 

cost of the collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (3) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information collection; and 

(4) ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Nicole Bouchet by telephone at 202– 

693–0213, or by email at DOL_PRA_

PUBLIC@dol.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

information collection activity provides 

a means to garner customer and 

stakeholder feedback in an efficient, 

timely manner in accordance with the 

Administration’s commitment to 

improving customer service delivery as 

discussed in Section 280 of OMB 

Circular A–11. As discussed in OMB 

guidance, agencies should identify their 

highest-impact customer journeys (using 

customer volume, annual program cost, 

and/or knowledge of customer priority 

as weighting factors) and select 

touchpoints/transactions within those 

journeys to collect feedback. 

This information collection is subject 

to the PRA. A Federal agency generally 

cannot conduct or sponsor a collection 

of information, and the public is 

generally not required to respond to an 

information collection, unless the OMB 

approves it and displays a currently 

valid OMB Control Number. In addition, 

notwithstanding any other provisions of 

law, no person shall generally be subject 

to penalty for failing to comply with a 

collection of information that does not 

display a valid OMB Control Number. 

See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6. 

DOL seeks PRA authorization for this 

information collection for three (3) 

years. OMB authorization for an ICR 

cannot be for more than three (3) years 

without renewal. The DOL notes that 

information collection requirements 

submitted to the OMB for existing ICRs 

receive a month-to-month extension 

while they undergo review. 

Type of Review: Extension. 

Agency: DOL–OASAM. 

Title of Collection: Improving 

Customer Experience (OMB Circular A– 

11, Section 280 Implementation) for the 

Department of Labor. 

OMB Number: 1225–0093. 

Affected Public: Individuals and 

Households; Private Sector; not-forprofit institutions; State, Local and 

Tribal Governments. 

Number of Respondents: 2,003,550. 

Number of Responses: 2,003,550. 

Annual Burden Hours: 102,225 hours. 

Annual Respondent or Recordkeeper 

Cost: $0. 

(Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D)) 

Nicole Bouchet, 

Acting Departmental Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2023–19489 Filed 9–8–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–04–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Proposed Extension of 

Information Collection; Department of 

Labor Generic Clearance for Outreach 

Activities 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor 

(DOL) is submitting this the Office of 

the Assistant Secretary for 

Administration and Management 

(OASAM)-sponsored information 

collection request (ICR) to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and approval in accordance with 

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA). Public comments on the ICR are 

invited. 

DATES: The OMB will consider all 

written comments that the agency 

receives on or before November 13, 

2023. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 60 days of publication of this 

notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. Find this particular 

information collection by selecting 

‘‘Currently under 60-day Review—Open 

for Public Comments’’ or by using the 

search function. 

Comments are invited on: (1) whether 

the collection of information is 

necessary for the proper performance of 

the functions of the Department, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of 

the agency’s estimates of the burden and 

cost of the collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (3) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information collection; and 

(4) ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Nicole Bouchet by telephone at 202– 

693–0213, or by email at 

bouchet.nicole@dol.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

information collections in this generic 

clearance are designed to support 

outreach opportunities related to a wide 

range of agency responsibilities 

including, but not limited to: pension 

programs, occupational safety and 

health programs, mine safety and health 

programs, veterans’ programs, 

employment and training programs, 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
62402 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 174 / Monday, September 11, 2023 / Notices 

statistical programs, and labor 

management standards. 

This information collection is subject 

to the PRA. A Federal agency generally 

cannot conduct or sponsor a collection 

of information, and the public is 

generally not required to respond to an 

information collection, unless the OMB 

approves it and displays a currently 

valid OMB Control Number. In addition, 

notwithstanding any other provisions of 

law, no person shall generally be subject 

to penalty for failing to comply with a 

collection of information that does not 

display a valid OMB Control Number. 

See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6. 

DOL seeks PRA authorization for this 

information collection for three (3) 

years. OMB authorization for an ICR 

cannot be for more than three (3) years 

without renewal. The DOL notes that 

information collection requirements 

submitted to the OMB for existing ICRs 

receive a month-to-month extension 

while they undergo review. 

Type of Review: Extension. 

Agency: DOL—OASAM. 

Title of Collection: Department of 

Labor Generic Clearance for Outreach 

Activities. 

OMB Number: 1225–0059. 

Affected Public: Individuals and 

Households; Private Sector; not-forprofit institutions; State, Local and 

Tribal Governments. 

Number of Respondents: 800,000. 

Number of Responses: 800,000. 

Annual Burden Hours: 80,000 hours. 

Annual Respondent or Recordkeeper 

Cost: $0. 

(Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D)) 

Nicole Bouchet, 

Acting Departmental Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2023–19488 Filed 9–8–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–04–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 

Department of Labor. 

ACTION: Request for comments on 

proposed action. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, 

through the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

(BLS) and, specifically, the International 

Price Program (IPP), is soliciting 

comments on its plan to improve the 

Import and Export Price Indexes (MXPI) 

estimates by using administrative trade 

data acquired from the U.S. Census 

Bureau. IPP is responsible for the 

estimation and publication of the U.S. 

Principal Federal Economic Indicator of 

Import and Export Price Indexes 

(MXPI). The IPP collects data from 

companies on import and export prices 

and estimates price indexes for nearly 

all goods trade and some service trade 

for the United States. The data are 

primarily collected with a business 

survey. After completion of extensive 

research, and in response to a decline in 

data collected through traditional 

survey methods, BLS plans to 

implement improvements to the quality 

and quantity of import and export price 

indexes in fiscal year 2025 by replacing 

data directly collected from the business 

survey with administrative trade records 

for select homogeneous product areas. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted to the office listed in the 

Address section of this notice on or 

before October 26, 2023. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be 

submitted by postal mail to Susan E. 

Fleck, International Price Program, U.S. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 2150, 

Postal Square Building, Massachusetts 

Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212, or 

by email to: IPP_FRN@bls.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Susan Fleck, International Price 

Program, Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 

phone at 202–691–6043 or by email at 

IPP_FRN@bls.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction 

The Department of Labor, through the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics, is responsible 

for the development and publication of 

Import and Export Price Index statistics 

through the International Price Program 

(IPP). Currently, monthly estimates of 

import and export price indexes for 

merchandise goods are published for 

approximately 740 industry and product 

classification areas, including the 

Harmonized System, Bureau of 

Economic Analysis (BEA) End Use 

System, and North American Industry 

Classification System (NAICS). Every 

month, approximately 17,000 prices for 

merchandise goods are collected from 

businesses using the International Price 

Survey. The participating businesses are 

selected based on a statistically 

representative sample of import and 

export goods trade. 

The International Price Program has 

developed an approach to maintain and 

expand the number of publishable price 

indexes of merchandise goods for the 

Import and Export Price Indexes. IPP 

plans to replace approximately a third 

of the sample of merchandise goods 

trade with administrative trade 

transaction records. The improvement is 

focused on homogeneous products; 

monthly prices are calculated from 

detailed unit values derived from timely 

trade transaction records. These 

administrative records are reported by 

companies for regulatory purposes and 

are used by the BLS for statistical 

purposes only. The administrative 

records are compiled by the U.S. Census 

Bureau to publish official international 

trade statistics. The Census Bureau is 

collaborating with BLS to share the 

records for use in calculation of the 

MXPI. These records have not been used 

previously to calculate monthly price 

indexes. Rather, they have been used by 

BLS at an aggregate level on an annual 

basis to establish the sample frame for 

the International Price Survey and to 

calculate annual trade weight shares. 

This new process is the culmination 

of a long-standing BLS objective to 

mitigate the decline in the number of 

items whose prices support the 

published indexes. In a multi-year, 

multi-project initiative that began in 

FY2018, the following proposed 

improvements to import and export 

price indexes for homogeneous products 

have been validated and are scheduled 

to be implemented: 

• Replace prices collected using the 

business survey with unit values of 

trade transaction records for the subset 

of homogeneous merchandise goods. 

This is accomplished by introducing the 

following improvements: 

Æ Revision to sample selection 

process to replace directly collected 

prices from select sampled product 

areas with current-period transaction 

values of administrative trade records 

for similar goods. 

Æ Application of a matched-model 

approach to administrative trade records 

to create unique product varieties that 

are consistently traded over time by: 

D Applying a rigorous approach to 

define unit values and product varieties 

that mitigates unit value bias. 

D Using coefficient of variation and 

other statistics to evaluate and rank 

homogeneity of product varieties and 

product categories. 

D Grouping transactions into unique 

product varieties within detailed 

product categories by implementing a 

product match-adjusted R-squared 

method that statistically ranks each 

combination of descriptors in 

transaction records. The best 

combination results in product varieties 

that are continuously traded and prices 

that are closest to the mean price of a 

variety. 

D Filtering outliers that could cause 

large fluctuations in monthly price. 

• Improve representativity of price 

index by accounting for current period 

trade with current period price and 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1