E6-2473. 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 with 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. Currently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed reinstatement of the “Current Population Survey (CPS) Volunteer Supplement.” A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) 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 April 24, 2006.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments to Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212, telephone number 202-691-7628. (This is not a toll free number.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, telephone number 202-691-7628. (See ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The September 2006 CPS Volunteer Supplement will be conducted at the request of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and USA Freedom Corps. The Volunteer Supplement will provide information on the total number of individuals in the U.S. involved in unpaid volunteer activities, measures of the frequency or intensity with which individuals volunteer, types of organizations that facilitate volunteerism, and the activities in which volunteers participate. It will also provide information on civic engagement.

Because the Volunteer Supplement is part of the CPS, the same detailed demographic information collected in the CPS will be available on respondents to the Supplement. Comparisons of volunteer activities will be possible across characteristics such as sex, race, age, and educational attainment of the respondent. It is intended that the Supplement will be conducted annually, if resources permit, in order to gauge changes in volunteerism.

II. Current Action

Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the CPS Volunteer Supplement. The September 2006 instrument includes some revisions made since the September 2005 instrument. A follow-up question to the ones that determine volunteer status was added to probe for volunteering for religious organizations. A question was added to determine the main activity a volunteer performs for his main organization. Two questions were added to determine if individuals had attended public meetings or worked with neighbors to improve something, and how frequently these events occurred. The questions on volunteering abroad and those asked of people who no longer volunteer were dropped.

Type of Review: Reinstatement, with change, of a previously approved collection for which approval has expired.

Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Title: CPS Volunteer Supplement.

OMB Number: 1220-0176.

Affected Public: Households.

Total Respondents: 58,000.

Frequency: Annually.

Total Responses: 112,000

Average Time Per Response: 4 minutes.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 7,467 hours.

Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.

Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.

III. Desired Focus of Comments

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in comments that:

• 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.

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 14th day of February, 2006.

Kimberley Hill,

Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.