2024-11678. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for Emergency Economic Information Collections

AGENCY:

Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection, request for comment.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed extension of the Generic Clearance for Emergency Economic Information Collections, prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

DATES:

To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed information collection must be received on or before July 29, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by email to [e-mail]. Please reference Generic Clearance for Emergency Economic Information Collections in the subject line of your comments. You may also submit comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2024-0013, to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. All comments received are part of the public record. No comments will be posted to http://www.regulations.gov for public viewing until after the comment period has closed. Comments will generally be posted without change. All Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. You may submit attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or specific questions related to collection activities should be directed to Lisa Donaldson, Chief, Economy-Wide Statistics Division, 301-763-7296, and [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The U.S. Census Bureau plans to request a 3-year extension of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the Generic Clearance for Emergency Economic Information Collections (EEIC). The EEIC provides the quick turn-around necessary for conducting emergency economic information collections in response to unanticipated international, national, or regional declared emergencies or events of national interest arising as a direct result of declared emergencies having a significant economic impact on U.S. businesses and/or state or local governments. The purpose of the collections is to gauge and monitor the economic impact of such events on U.S. businesses or organizations and state or local governments.

Emergencies, once declared by the authorized state or federal official or entity, that could trigger the need for an EEIC may have global, national, or regional impact on U.S. businesses and governments, and include the following examples:

—Pandemic or other health emergency

—Natural or manmade disaster

—Acts of war or terrorism

—Civil unrest or insurrection

Other events of national interest arising as a direct result of declared emergencies may also have a significant impact on U.S. businesses or governments. General categories of national interest events arising as a direct result of declared emergencies which could trigger the need for an EEIC are:

—Economic crises

—Financial crises

—International geo-political instabilities

—Resource shortages

—Cyberterrorism

—New legislation passed as a direct result of a declared emergency

EEIC questions may be included as supplemental questions on existing Census Bureau surveys or conducted as new special-purpose surveys. The data will be collected by paper or electronic instruments, depending on the survey or program.

EEIC questions will be chosen from a pretested Question Bank. For some subjects, the Question Bank includes specific questionnaire content. In other cases, the Question Bank includes topics which will then be addressed with questions designed to meet data needs that arise during a future unknown event. Some questions have been cognitively tested and should be considered final; some may require testing for final wording. Questions that may require testing and refinement are annotated in the Question Bank. As the Question Bank matures with new or revised content, the Census Bureau will resubmit the bank for review.

Prior to adding EEIC questions to any survey, the Census Bureau will consult with OMB and submit a request for approval, allowing between 3 and 10 business days for OMB action. Over the existing period of clearance, the EEIC Generic Clearance was used to clear supplemental questions which were added to existing surveys, responsive to both recession conditions resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic and various severe weather events which occurred in 2022.

As data collections will be tailored to the emergency, users of the data may vary, but may include: federal, state, or local officials charged with decision- making during the emergency; business leaders and policymakers wishing to develop plans to ameliorate the effects of the emergency; academics and members of the press wishing to study and disseminate information about the emergency; and the public. The data collected will help us understand how and why data we collect in our ongoing surveys may be affected by the emergency, as well as allow us to disseminate data as part of existing releases, new releases, or experimental releases.

II. Method of Collection

The vast majority of business and government surveys to which EEIC questions may be added utilize the Census Bureau's online reporting system called Centurion as their primary collection system. New information collections conducted under this generic clearance will also likely collect responses electronically using Centurion.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 0607-1019.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for an Extension, without Change, of a Currently Approved Collection.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local, or Tribal government.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 300,000.

Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 50,000.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 (This is not the cost of respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services required specifically by the collection.)

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., sections 131, 161 and 182.

IV. Request for Comments

We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.