[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 76 (Friday, April 20, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 19879]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-7532]


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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