Non-substantive change request memo

Memorandum
TO:

Elizabeth M. Ashley, OMB/OIRA and
Jay W. Rappaport, EOP/OMB (Intern)

FROM:

Cynthia Gillham, Economist
U.S. CPSC, Directorate for Economic Analysis

DATE: June 8, 2022

SUBJECT: Request for Approval of Non-Substantive Change to the
Generic Clearance for Focus Groups (OMB Control No.
3041- 0136) to increase the approved number of
responses

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is requesting an increase in the approved number of
responses for the Focus Group Generic Information Collection Request (ICR) clearance, as a non-substantive
change request. The approved Focus Group Generic ICR is set to expire on January, 31, 2024. As of June 6,
2022, 532 or the approved response burden for this collection were used. (See table below.)

Responses
Time burden (hours)

Burden Used
(as of 6/6/2022)
532 used responses
404 used hours

Burden approved
(expires 1/31/2024)
650 approved responses
1,950 approved hours

In order to accommodate planned CPSC focus groups and to not inhibit the CPSC’s ability to learn more
about consumer interactions with and perceptions of consumer product hazards, the Agency requests an
increase in the focus group budget of total responses. We request an increase of 1,850 responses for a total of
2,500 responses.
CPSC is not requesting an increase in the budget of approved burden hours, because the remaining 1,5461
hours approved for the collection would be sufficient.2 The reason the approved response burden is essentially
used up, while the approved hourly burden remains sufficient is that CPSC is now better accounting for the
burden to screened respondents not selected for participation in the focus group.
CPSC expects that the new number of total responses would provide a sufficient budget of approved
responses to solicit and obtain direct feedback from consumers on issues related to consumer product safety
until the Generic Clearance expires on January 31, 2024.
1
2

1,950 approved hours – 404 used hours = 1,546 remaining hours.
At a rate of 1.32 responses per hour (532 responses/404 hours), the remaining 1,546 hours exceed the expected hourly
burden for the number of additional responses in the case this request is approved; in other words, 1,968 ( 2,500 – 532)
additional responses would create a burden of 1,491 hours (1,968 responses / 1.32 responses per hour ), out of the 1,546
unused hours currently remaining in the time burden estimate.

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