[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 168 (Friday, August 29, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45792-45793]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-23092]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census


Survey of Income and Program Participation Wave 7 of the 1996 
Panel

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before October 28, 
1997.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Linda Engelmeier, 
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 
5327, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Michael McMahon, Bureau of the Census, FOB 3, 
Room 3387, Washington, DC 20233-8400, (301) 457-3819.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau conducts the Survey of Income and Program 
Participation (SIPP) which is a household-based survey designed as a 
continuous series of national panels, each lasting four years. 
Respondents are interviewed once every four months, in monthly 
rotations. Approximately

[[Page 45793]]

37,000 households are in the current panel.
    The SIPP represents a source of information for a wide variety of 
topics and allows information for separate topics to be integrated to 
form a single, unified data base so that the interaction between tax, 
transfer, and other government and private policies can be examined. 
Government domestic policy formulators depend heavily upon SIPP 
information concerning the distribution of income received directly as 
money or indirectly as in-kind benefits, and the effect of tax and 
transfer programs on this distribution. They also need improved and 
expanded data on the income and general economic and financial 
situation of the U.S. population. The SIPP has provided these kinds of 
data on a continuing basis since 1983, permitting levels of economic 
well-being and changes in these levels to be measured over time.
    The survey is molded around a central ``core'' of labor force and 
income questions that will remain fixed throughout the life of a panel. 
The core is supplemented with questions designed to answer specific 
needs, such as obtaining information about the terms of child support 
agreements and whether they are being fulfilled by the absent parent, 
examining the program participation status of persons with specific 
health and disability statuses, and obtaining detailed information 
needed to understand the current status of the employment-based health 
care system and changes that have occurred. These supplemental 
questions are included with the core and are referred to as ``topical 
modules.''
    The topical modules for the 1996 Panel Wave 7 collect information 
about:
    (1) Annual Income & Retirement Accounts
    (2) Taxes
    (3) Retirement & Pension Plan Coverage
    (4) Home Health Care
    Wave 7 interviews will be conducted from April 1998 through July 
1998.

II. Method of Collection

    The SIPP is designed as a continuing series of national panels of 
interviewed households that are introduced every 4 years, with each 
panel having a duration of 4 years in the survey. All household members 
15 years old or over are interviewed using regular proxy-respondent 
rules. They are interviewed a total of 12 times (12 waves) at 4-month 
intervals, making the SIPP a longitudinal survey. Interviewers 
personally visit all households at least once a year and conduct the 
other 2 interviews by phone if the respondent agrees. Sample persons 
(all household members present at the time of the first interview) who 
move within the country and reasonably close to a SIPP Primary Sampling 
Unit will be followed and interviewed at their new address. Persons 15 
years old or over who enter the household after Wave 1 will be 
interviewed; however, if these persons move, they are not followed 
unless they happen to move along with a Wave 1 sample person.
    The survey is administered using Computer-Assisted Personal 
Interviewing (CAPI) methodologies. Census Bureau field representatives 
collect the data from respondents using laptop computers, and the data 
are transmitted to Census Bureau headquarters via high-speed modems.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0607-0813.
    Form Number: SIPP/CAPI Automated Instrument.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 77,700 (We will obtain interviews 
from approximately 37,000 households, yielding about 77,700 person-
interviews (2.1 persons 15 years old or over per household). The 
household interviews will be conducted at 4-month intervals.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 30 minutes per person.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 117,800.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: The only cost to respondents is that 
of their time..
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Section 182.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: August 25, 1997.
Linda Engelmeier,
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office of Management and 
Organization.
[FR Doc. 97-23092 Filed 8-28-97; 8:45 a.m.)
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P