Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 19, 2000 / Notices 20945

shipments measures the value of goods

delivered during the month by domestic

manufacturers. Estimates of new orders

serve as an indicator of future

production commitments and represent

the current sales value of new orders

received during the month, net of

cancellations. Substantial accumulation

or depletion of unfilled orders measures

excess or deficient demand for

manufactured products. The level of

inventories, especially in relation to

shipments, is frequently used to monitor

the business cycle.

The estimated total annual burden

hours are increased from 20,600 to

24,000 to reflect an increase in the

survey panel. The conversion of the

survey from the Standard Industrial

Classification system to the North

American Industry Classification

System will result in new and

reconfigured industry categories, which

require a larger survey panel to ensure

sufficient coverage in all industries.

II. Method of Collection

Respondents submit data on form M–

3(SD) via mail, facsimile machine,

Touchtone Data Entry (TDE), Voice

Recognition Entry (VRE), or via the

Internet. Analysts call respondents who

usually report, to obtain data in time for

preparing the monthly estimates.

III. Data

OMB Number: 0607–0008.

Form Number: M–3(SD).

Type of Review: Regular.

Affected Public: Businesses, large and

small, or other for profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

6,000 monthly.

Estimated Time Per Response: 20

minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 24,000.

Estimated Total Annual Cost:

$436,800.

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.

Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C.,

Sections 131 and 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 through 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: April 13, 2000.

Linda Engelmeier,

Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office

of the Chief Information Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–9786 Filed 4–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census

Quarterly Survey of State and Local

Tax Revenues

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment

request.

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 June 19, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to Linda Engelmeier, Departmental

Forms Clearance Officer, Department of

Commerce, Room 5033, 14th and

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,

DC 20230 (or via the Internet at

LEngelme@doc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or

copies of the information collection

instrument(s) and instructions should

be directed to Russell Price, Chief,

Public Finance Analysis Branch–B,

Governments Division, U.S. Bureau of

the Census, Washington DC 20233–6800

(301–457–1488).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The Census Bureau plans to request

an extension of the Quarterly Survey of

State and Local Tax Revenue. The

Bureau needs state and local tax data to

publish benchmark statistics on public

sector taxes; to provide data to the

Bureau of Economic Analysis for GDP

calculations and other economic

indicators; and to provide data for

economic research and comparative

studies of governmental finances. Data

are collected on a quarterly basis from

state and local tax collecting agencies.

Tax collection data are used to

measure economic activity for the

Nation as a whole, as well as for

comparison among the various states.

These data also are useful in comparing

the mix of taxes employed by individual

states, and in determining the revenue

raising capacity of different types of

taxes.

The Quarterly Survey of Property Tax

Collections (Form F–71) is sent to 5,800

local government tax collecting agencies

in 530 county areas. While some

counties are served by a single county

level tax collection agency, others have

county, city, township, and even school

district collectors. Each agency is asked

to report the total property tax

collections during the past quarter.

The Quarterly Survey of State Tax

Collections (Form F–72) is sent to a state

level revenue, finance, or budget agency

in each state to report tax collection data

for the preceding 3-month period.

The Quarterly Survey of Selected

Local Taxes (Form F–73) is sent to 55

local tax collection agencies known to

have substantial collections of local

general sales and/or local individual

income taxes.

The expected decrease in the

respondent burden is due to a slight

reduction in the universe of the survey.

Due to the disincorporation and

consolidation of certain tax collecting

agencies, the number of respondents

receiving Form F–71 has decreased by

100. There are no planned content

changes to this form or the F–72 and F–

73 forms.

II. Method of Collection

The F–71 and F–73 portions of the

survey are conducted by mail canvass.

Responses are screened manually and

then entered on a microcomputer.

F–72 forms are sent to respondents by

facsimile. Respondents are given the

option of returning the forms through

facsimile or by mail. Several

respondents have requested to conduct

the survey through electronic mail.

Telephone follow-up of large property

tax collectors is the main method used

to maximize response. In those

instances when we are not able to obtain

a response, estimates are made for nonrespondents by using data of the same

quarter from the last year it had been

received.

III. Data

OMB Number: 0607–0112.

Form Number: F–71, F–72, and F–73.

Type of Review: Regular.

20946 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 19, 2000 / Notices

Affected Public: State and local

governments.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

5906.

Estimated Time Per Response: 25

minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 5957.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: The

estimated cost to the respondents is

$107,226.

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.

Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C.,

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 through 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: April 13, 2000.

Linda Engelmeier,

Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office

of the Chief Information Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–9787 Filed 4–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

DOC has submitted to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) for

clearance the following proposal for

collection of information under the

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction

Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).

Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.

Title: Census 2000 Test Program

Supplement.

Form Number(s): These computer

based survey instruments will have no

form number.

Agency Approval Number: 0607–

0862.

Type of Request: Revision of a

currently approved collection.

Burden: 1,680 hours (added to the

current total of 8,013 hours).

Number of Respondents: 6,660 (added

to the current total of 200,300).

Avg Hours Per Response: Residence

Rules Survey-20 minutes; Internet Usage

Survey-5 minutes.

Needs and Uses: The Census Bureau

will test several methodologies,

techniques, and strategies during

Census 2000. We received Office of

Management and Budget (OMB)

approval to conduct four separate tests,

which are collectively referred to as The

Census 2000 Test Program. We now

request approval for supplemental

collections associated with two of the

tests, which are the Alternative

Questionnaire Experiment in 2000

(AQE2000) Residence Rules Survey, and

the Response Mode and Incentive

Experiment (RMIE) Internet Usage

Survey. Results of these tests will help

in the planning of the 2010 Census.

One component of the AQE2000 tests

the effectiveness of alternative

presentation formats of residence rules.

A sub sample of the AQE2000 sample

households that returned the

experimental (alternate version of the

presentation format) and control

(current versions of the presentation

format) short forms that also provided

telephone contact information will be

reinterviewed. The Residence Rules

Survey will be conducted by telephone

with the person in the household who

signed the census form, or a

knowledgeable other person. Topics

addressed in the reinterview include

obtaining an independent listing of all

household members on April 1st

(including potentially omitted persons),

and determining whether these

members are classified as residents

according to the Census Bureau’s

residence rules. Other issues to be

explored include respondents’ ability to

comprehend the residence rules, and

possible sources of misconceptions

stemming from experimental or control

versions of the presentation format.

In the RMIE, sample households will

receive an invitation in the census

short-form mail package inviting them

to respond by one of three experimental

response modes rather than by mail—

CATI, interactive voice response (IVR),

and an Internet Questionnaire (IQ). An

incentive of a calling card worth 30

minutes of free long distance calls will

also be tested. The RMIE Internet Usage

Survey (IUS) will determine why

households that were given the option

to respond by Internet instead

responded by mail. The IUS also will

enable analysis of households that

received the incentive and those that

did not. The IUS will consist of followup telephone interviews with a sub

sample of RMIE households invited to

respond by the Internet but who

actually respond by mail. The purpose

of these interviews is to assess the

barriers to responding to the census by

the Internet. Topics to be covered by the

interview include whether or not the

respondent has access to the Internet,

why they did not use the Internet to

respond (if they have access) and if the

respondent was aware of the incentive

offered (of those in the incentive group).

Affected Public: Individuals or

households.

Frequency: One time.

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.

Legal Authority: Title 13 USC,

Sections 141 and 193.

OMB Desk Officer: Susan Schechter,

(202) 395–5103.

Copies of the above information

collection proposal can be obtained by

calling or writing Linda Engelmeier,

DOC Forms Clearance Officer, (202)

482–3272, Department of Commerce,

room 5033, 14th and Constitution

Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or

via the Internet at LEngelme@doc.gov).

Written comments and

recommendations for the proposed

information collection should be sent

within 30 days of publication of this

notice to Susan Schechter, OMB Desk

Officer, room 10201, New Executive

Office Building, Washington, DC 20503.

Dated: April 14, 2000.

Linda Engelmeier,

Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office

of the Chief Information Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–9826 Filed 4–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Export Administration

Exception to Reporting Requirement

Under the Import Certificate/ Delivery

Verification Procedures

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment

request.

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 June 19, 2000.