21478 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 78 / Friday, April 21, 2000 / Notices

• 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;

• Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and

• 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.

III. Current Action

The IPP continues to modernize data

collection and processing to permit

more timely release of its indexes, and

to reduce reporter burden. The IPP is

testing initiation techniques to reduce

burden such as less frequent sampling

of more stable item areas, use of broader

item areas in certain cases, and

retention of items initiated in previous

samples that reporters still trade. In

order to reduce the time required for

processing new items, direct entry of

initiation data from the field was

recently implemented. The IPP is testing

the application of new technology to

repricing and the use of fax telephone

lines to permit direct collection and

entry into the BLS reporters’ repricing

database. The IPP also is considering

use of the Internet for monthly

repricing.

Type of Review: Revision.

Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Title: International Price Program/U.S.

Import Price Indexes.

OMB Number: 1220–0026.

Affected Public: Business or other for

profit.

Total Respondents: (FY 2000) 4,935.

Frequency: Quarterly/Monthly.

Total Responses: (FY 2001) 40,240.

Average Time Per Response: 36.18

minutes.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: (FY

2001) 24,246 hours.

Form Total respondents Frequent Total responses

Average

time per response

(hours)

Estimated

total burden

(hours)

Initiation Visit (includes form 3008) ............................................. 1,700 annually ................. 1,700 1.00 1,700

Form 3007D ................................................................................. 3,235 Monthly/quarterly ... 38,540 .585 22,546

Totals .................................................................................... 4,935 ................................ 40,240 .................... 24,246

Total Burden Cost (capital/startup):

$0.

Total Burden Cost (operating/

maintenance): $0.

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or

included in the request for Office of

Management and Budge approval of the

information collection request; they also

will become a matter of public record.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 17th day of

April 2000.

W. Stuart Rust, Jr.,

Chief, Division of Management Systems,

Bureau of Labor Statistics.

[FR Doc. 00–9977 Filed 4–20–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–24–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Proposed Collection; Comment

Request

ACTION: Notice.

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 an opportunity to

comment on proposed and/or

continuing collections of information in

accordance with the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44

U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. 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 revision of the ‘‘International

Price Program—U.S. Export Price

Indexes.’’ A copy of the proposed

information collection request (ICR) can

be obtained by contacting the individual

listed 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 June 20, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Sytrina

D. Toon, BLS Clearance Officer,

Division of Management Systems,

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 3255,

2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE.,

Washington, DC 20212, telephone

number 202–691–7628 (this is not a toll

free number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sytrina D. Toon, BLS Clearance Officer,

telephone number 202–691–7628. (See

ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

The U.S. Export Price Indexes,

produced continuously by the Bureau of

Labor Statistics’ International Price

Program (IPP) since 1971, measure price

change over time for all categories of

exported products, as well as many

services. The Office of Management and

Budget has listed the Export Price

Indexes as a Principal Federal Economic

Indicator since 1982. The indexes are

widely used in both the public and

private sectors. The primary public

sector use is the deflation of the U.S.

Trade Statistics and the Gross Domestic

Product; the indexes also are used in

formulating U.S. trade policy and in

trade negotiations with other countries.

In the private sector, uses of the Export

Price Indexes include market analysis,

inflation forecasting, contract escalation,

and replacement cost accounting.

The IPP indexes are closely followed

statistics and are viewed as a sensitive

indicator of the economic environment.

The U.S. Department of Commerce uses

the monthly statistics to produce

monthly and quarterly estimates of

inflation-adjusted trade flows. Without

continuation of data collection, it would

be extremely difficult to construct

accurate estimates of the U.S. Gross

Domestic Product. In addition, Federal

policymakers in the Department of

Treasury, the Council of Economic

Advisers, and the Federal Reserve Board

utilize these statistics on a regular basis

to improve these agencies’ formulation

and evaluation of monetary and fiscal

policy and evaluation of the general

business environment.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is

particularly interested comments which:

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 78 / Friday, April 21, 2000 / Notices 21479

• 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;

• 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;

• Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and

• 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.

III. Current Action

The IPP continues to modernize data

collection and processing to permit

more timely release of its indexes, and

to reduce reporter burden. The IPP is

testing initiation techniques to reduce

burden such as less frequent sampling

of more stable item areas, use of broader

item areas in certain cases, and

retention of items initiated in previous

samples that reporters still trade. In

order to reduce the time required for

processing new items, direct entry of

initiation data from the field was

recently implemented. The IPP is testing

the application of new technology to

repricing and the use of fax telephone

lines to permit direct collection and

entry into the BLS reporters’ repricing

database. The IPP also is considering

use of the Internet for monthly

repricing.

Type of Review: Revision.

Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Title: International Price Program/U.S.

Export Price Indexes.

OMB Number: 1220–0025.

Affected Public: Business or other for

profit.

Total Respondents: (FY 2000) 4,935.

Frequency: Quarterly/Monthly.

Total Responses: (FY 2001) 40,240.

Average Time Per Response: 34.86.

minutes.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: (FY

2001) 23,379 hours.

Form Total respondents Frequency Total responses

Average

time per response

(hours)

Estimated

total burden

(hours)

Initiation visit (includes form 4008) .............................................. 2,700 Annually ................. 1,700 1.00 1,700

Form 3007D ................................................................................. 3,235 Montly, Quarterly ... 38,540 .5625 21,679

Totals .................................................................................... 4,935 ................................ 40,240 .................... 23,379

Total Burden Cost (capital/startup):

$0.

Total Burden Cost (operating/

maintenance): $0.

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, this 17th day of

April 2000.

W. Stuart Rust, Jr.,

Chief, Division of Management Systems,

Bureau of Labor Statistics.

[FR Doc. 00–9978 Filed 4–20–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–24–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Proposed Collection; Comment

Request

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as

part of its continuing effort to reduce

paperwork and respondent burden,

conducts a pre-clearance consultation

programs to provide the general public

and Federal agencies an opportunity to

comment on proposed and/or

continuing collections of information in

accordance with the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44

U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. 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 revision of the Survey of

Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. A

copy of the proposed information

collection request (ICR) can be obtained

by contacting the individual listed 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 June 20, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Sytrina

D. Toon, BLS Clearance Officer,

Division of Management Systems,

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 3255,

2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE.,

Washington, DC 20212, telephone

number 202–691–7628 (this is not a toll

free number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sytrina D. Toon, BLS Clearance Officer,

telephone number 202–691–7628. (See

Addresses section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

Section 24(a) of the Occupational

Safety and Health Act of 1970 requires

the Secretary of Labor to develop and

maintain an effective program of

collection, compilation, and analysis of

statistics on occupational injuries and

illnesses. The Commissioner of Labor

Statistics has been delegated the

responsibility for ‘‘Furthering the

purpose of the Occupational Safety and

Health Act by developing and

maintaining an effective program of

collection, compilation, analysis and

publication of occupational safety and

health statistics.’’ The Bureau of Labor

Statistics (BLS) fulfills this

responsibility, in part, by conducting

the Survey of Occupational Injuries and

Illnesses in conjunction with

participating State agencies. The BLS

Survey of Occupational Injuries and

Illnesses provides the nations’s primary

indicator of the progress towards

achieving the goal of safer and healthier

workplaces. The survey produces the

overall rate of occurrence of work

injuries and illnesses by industry,

which can be compared to prior years to

produce measures of the rate of change.

These data are used to improve safety

and health programs and measure the

change in work-related injuries and

illnesses.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is

particularly interested in comments

which: