Template for EEIC Requests

Request for Emergency Economic Information Collection (EEIC)

Under the EEIC Generic Clearance (0607-XXXX)

Requirements for use of the generic clearance

The Emergency Economic Information Collection (EEIC) generic clearance may only be used for collections that are responsive 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.

Emergencies, once declared by the authorized state, local, 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

A declared emergency or national interest event arising as a direct result of a declared emergency would need to have a perceived impact on U.S. businesses and/or state or local governments in order for the Census Bureau to collect EEIC information in response.

An EEIC Question Bank has been developed for use. Given that these questions have all undergone pre-testing and have been previously submitted to OMB for review, EEIC questions should be pulled from the question bank whenever possible. In cases where circumstances do not afford time necessary to complete full pre-testing for new or revised content prior to fielding, at a minimum, all new and revised content will undergo expert review. Parallel testing must also occur, unless the Census Bureau and OMB agree that parallel testing is not required. Additionally, responses must be evaluated for quality.

EEIC questions may be included as supplemental questions on existing Census Bureau surveys or conducted as new special-purpose surveys.

Requirements for preparing an EEIC request

Prepare a written Justification addressing each of the following questions. Be sure to use the provided Main Header, question headers and question numbers as shown below:

Request for Emergency Economic Information Collection (EEIC)

Under the EEIC Generic Clearance (0607-XXXX)

1. Necessity and Description of the Collection

Describe the declared emergency or national interest event requiring the collection. Tell why the emergency or event has necessitated the collection.

By what date is OMB approval requested? The standard review time at OMB is ten business days . However, we may request a review in as few as three business days if special justification is provided.

Include a functional description of the collection and how it will be conducted.

Describe the Affected Public. Who are the respondents? What economic sector(s) (NAICS) are targeted?

Will the collection be conducted as questions added to an existing collection or as an entirely new survey? (Any existing survey that will carry EEIC questions must display the OMB number of both the underlying survey and the Generic Clearance (0607-XXXX).)

What is the frequency of the collection (monthly, weekly, etc.)? Provide justification for this frequency.

How long will the collection be conducted? A timeframe for collecting the EEIC information must be set out. If the need arises to revise the EEIC collection or to extend past this timeframe, a new Request for EEIC must be submitted.

2. Needs and uses

How will the Census Bureau use the information to understand and gauge the impact of the emergency upon the universe under study?

3. Use of Information Technology

Describe any plans to collect the information electronically.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

Describe your efforts to identify duplication with other information collections both inside and outside the Census Bureau, including non-Federal collections. If the same or similar information is available elsewhere, indicate whether (and if so, to what extent) that information is used. If existing information is not used, tell why it cannot be used or modified for the purposes described in Question 2 above.

5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

If the collection is targeted toward small businesses, provide detailed justification about how the burden on small businesses will be minimized.

6. Efforts to Consult outside the Agency

Describe any outside consultations we have held in developing the information collection.

Identify the partner and/or stakeholder agencies. Who has requested the information? For what purpose? What kind of data will be provided to stakeholders and in what form?

7. Assurance of Confidentiality and Reporting Requirement

What is the Title 13 authority for the collection?

Will the collection be mandatory or voluntary?

Will responses be held confidential? If so, what is the authority under which this assurance of confidentiality is made?

How is all the above information provided to respondents?

8. Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Costs

Include a table showing a calculation of the hour burden of the collection. The table should include the following:

• Number of respondents

• Frequency of response

• Average time to answer questions

• Total Annual Burden in Hours (respondents x frequency x average time to complete)

Include a calculation of the wage cost estimate for the burden imposed. Use wage data from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program for appropriate occupations in most cases.

9. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

Include the cost of developing the EEIC survey or the incremental cost of adding EEIC questions to an existing collection.

10. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule

Describe plans for publication of any data resulting from the collection. Include a table with high level schedule for conducting the collection, tabulation, publication, etc..

11. Statistical Aspects of the Collection

For an EEIC conducted as a new survey, describe any statistical methodologies to be used. In cases where an EEIC is conducted as questions added to an existing collection, describe any changes or supplements to existing statistical methodologies that will be employed for the EEIC. If there are no changes, refer the reader to the most recently approved ICR detailing information about the statistical aspects of the collection.

12. Questionnaire Pre-Testing and Evaluation

If all the questions to be included have all been pulled from the EEIC Question Bank of pre-tested questions, include a statement here indicating that. If not, identify those questions that have not undergone pre-testing and provide special justification for using any questions not in the Question Bank. Include a description of the results from expert review, the plans for testing in parallel (unless Census and OMB have agreed this is not needed), and any other relevant information about how the questions were developed. Additionally, describe plans to evaluate responses for quality.

13. Contacts

Include contact(s) for questions about the overall collection and the statistical aspects of the collection.

ATTACHMENTS

You must attach the information collection instrument or specific questions to be added to an existing survey.

Also attach any new letter or other information to be provided to respondents (other than those already provided to respondents in an existing survey).