[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 210 (Wednesday, October 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86373-86374]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25172]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics


Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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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. 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 extension of the ``Consumer Price 
Index Housing Survey.'' A copy of the proposed information collection 
request 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 December 30, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room G225, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also 
may be transmitted by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#67252b3438373526383712050b0e0427050b1449000811"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="185a544b47484a5947486d7a74717b587a746b367f776e">[email protected]</span></a>.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
at 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 housing units is essential for the timely and 
accurate calculation of the Housing component of the CPI.
    The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the only index compiled by the 
U.S. Government that is designed to measure changes in the purchasing 
power of the consumer's dollar. The CPI is a measure of the average 
change in prices over time in a market basket of goods and services. It 
is calculated monthly for two population groups, one consisting of all 
urban consumers (CPI-U), and the other consisting of urban wage earners 
and clerical workers (CPI-W). The CPI-U represents the buying habits of 
over 90 percent of the population of the United States, while the CPI-W 
represents approximately 30 percent of the population of the United 
States.
    First, the CPI is used most widely as a measure of inflation and 
serves as an indicator of the effectiveness of government economic 
policy. Second, it

[[Page 86374]]

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 dollar values. Over 2 
million workers are covered by collective bargaining contracts, which 
provide for increases in wage rates based on increases in the CPI. At 
least nineteen states and the District of Columbia have laws that link 
the adjustment in State minimum wage to the changes in the CPI. The 
index affects the income of more than 108 million people as a result of 
statutory action: over 67 million Social Security beneficiaries and 
over 41 million Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 
recipients, among other programs. Changes in the CPI also affect the 
cost of lunches for over 30 million children who eat lunch at school as 
part of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). 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.'' Many private firms and individuals use the CPI to keep 
rents, royalties, alimony payments, and child support payments in line 
with changing prices. 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 Housing Survey.
    The CPI is the nation's chief source of information on retail price 
changes. The BLS has made extensive efforts to identify, from other 
government agencies and the scientific literature, other sources of 
data. To the BLS's knowledge, there is no duplication of indexes and 
there is no other series available which performs the function of the 
CPI.
    The CPI Housing Survey is the nation's primary source of 
information on residential rent change. In addition, the CPI Housing 
data must be timely and available monthly. No other survey is both as 
timely and geographically comprehensive. The information provided by 
the American Housing Survey (AHS), Current Population Survey (CPS) or 
American Community Survey (ACS) does not meet the CPI's timeliness or 
geographic requirements.

III. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
    <bullet> 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.
    Title of Collection: Consumer Price Index Housing Survey.
    OMB Number: 1220-0163.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households, Business or other for-
profit.

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                                                     Number of                                       Estimated
                                   Annual number   responses per   Total annual   Average burden   total burden
                                  of respondents    respondent       responses        (hours)         (hours)
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Screening.......................          26,286               1          26,286            6/60           2,629
Initiation......................         * 6,103               1           6,103            9/60             915
Long Pricing....................           6,924               1           6,924            7/60             808
Short Pricing...................          32,681               2          65,362            5/60           5,447
Quality Reinterviews............        ** 2,648               1           2,648            4/60             177
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    Unduplicated Total..........          74,642  ..............         107,323  ..............           9,976
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* Initiation activity of 6,103 is included in the Screening number.
** Reinterview activity of 2,648 is included in the Pricing numbers.

    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, on October 23, 2024.
Eric Molina,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Branch of Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2024-25172 Filed 10-29-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P


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