Presubmission (60-Day) Federal Register Notice

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. Census Bureau

Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Current Population Survey, Annual
Social and Economic Supplement

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on or before (insert 60
days after date of publication in the FEDERAL REGISTER).

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork
Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at [email protected]).
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or copies
of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions should be directed to Lisa Cheok,
U.S. Census Bureau, ADDP/CPS HQ-7H136A, Washington, D.C. 20233-8400,
(301) 763-3806 (or via the Internet at [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
I.

Abstract
The Census Bureau plans to request clearance from the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for the collection of data concerning the Annual Social and Economic
Supplement (ASEC) to be conducted in conjunction with the February, March, and April
Current Population Survey (CPS). The Census Bureau has conducted this supplement
annually for more than 50 years. The Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics
sponsor this supplement. The current clearance expires December 31, 2018.

The ASEC data collection was last redesigned in 2015. For 2019, the data
collection questions and design will remain identical to the version fielded since 2015.

Information on work experience, personal income, noncash benefits, current and
previous year health insurance coverage, employer-sponsored insurance take-up, and
migration is collected through the ASEC. The work experience items in the ASEC
provide a unique measure of the dynamic nature of the labor force as viewed over a one2

Commented [TJM(F1]: For the next submission, change this
to 70 years.

year period. These items produce statistics that show movements in and out of the labor
force by measuring the number of periods of unemployment experienced by people, the
number of different employers worked for during the year, the principal reasons for
unemployment, and part-/full-time attachment to the labor force. We can make indirect
measurements of discouraged workers and others with a casual attachment to the labor
market.

The income data from the ASEC are used by social planners, economists,
government officials, and market researchers to gauge the economic well-being of the
country as a whole, and selected population groups of interest. Government planners and
researchers use these data to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of various assistance
programs. Market researchers use these data to identify and isolate potential customers.
Social planners use these data to forecast economic conditions and to identify special
groups that seem to be especially sensitive to economic fluctuations. Economists use
ASEC data to determine the effects of various economic forces, such as inflation,
recession, recovery, and so on, and their differential effects on various population groups.

The ASEC is the official source of national poverty estimates calculated in
accordance with the Office of Management and Budget’s Statistical Policy Directive 14.
Two other important national estimates derived from the ASEC are real median
household income and the number and percent of individuals without health insurance
coverage.
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The ASEC also contains questions related to: 1) medical expenditures;
2) presence and cost of a mortgage on property; 3) child support payments; and 4)
amount of child care assistance received. These questions enable analysts and
policymakers to obtain better estimates of family and household income, and more
precisely gauge poverty status.

II.

Method of Collection
The ASEC information will be collected by both personal visit and telephone
interviews in conjunction with the regular February, March and April CPS interviewing.
All interviews are conducted using computer-assisted interviewing.

III.

Data
OMB Control Number: 0607-0354.
Form Number: There are no forms. We conduct all interviewing on computers.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: Households.
Frequency: Annually
Estimated Number of Respondents: 78,000.
Estimated Time Per Response: 25 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 32,500.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: There are no costs to the respondents other than
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their time.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141 and 182; and Title 29,
United States Code, Sections 1-9.

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.

Sheleen Dumas,
PRA Department Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.

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(FR Doc. 18-XXXX; Filed XX-XX-18; 8:45 a.m.)
BILLING CODE: 3510-07-P.

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