2027RDP_NSC_MaterialsMemo_Final

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Request for Non-Substantive Change (NSC) to the 
Redistricting Data Program (RDP)
OMB Control No. 0607-0988
U.S. Department of Commerce
U.S. Census Bureau
Purpose
The Redistricting Data Program (RDP) is administered in accordance with Public Law (P.L.) 94-171. The RDP provides states, the District of Columbia (DC), and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (PR) the opportunity to delineate the small area geographies for which they need to receive data tabulations to support their redistricting efforts. The RDP provides high-quality redistricting data to the states, DC, and PR in a timely manner in support of their redistricting efforts. The RDP also collects state legislative district and congressional district plans from the states, DC, and PR, delineated using the decennial census P.L. 94-171 redistricting data tabulations, and conducts a biennial collection of updates to those state legislative and congressional district boundaries. These collections are in support of the U.S. Census Bureau’s role as the designated official manager of congressional and state legislative district boundaries under the National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) Management Plan. 
The RDP is one of many voluntary geographic partnership programs that collect boundaries and attributes to update the Census Bureau's geographic database of addresses, streets, and boundaries. The Census Bureau uses its geographic database, the Master Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) System, to link statistical data from surveys and censuses (e.g., Decennial, Economic) to locations and areas, such as cities, congressional and state legislative districts, and counties. To tabulate statistics by localities, the Census Bureau must have accurate addresses, streets, boundaries, and their attributes. 
Approved on November 18, 2024, the current RDP Office of Management and Budget (OMB) collection will expire on November 30, 2027. This non-substantive change (NSC) requests updates to materials used for the RDP, which include:
    • GUPS Web Guide
    • GUPS Standalone Guide
    • Non-GUPS Guide
    • Quick Start Guide
Background
The RDP provides the states, DC, and PR the opportunity to suggest census block boundaries for use in the 2030 Census redistricting data tabulations (Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171) Summary File) during the Block Boundary Suggestion Project (BBSP). Participation is voluntary and allows the states, DC, and PR to provide suggestions to their block boundaries to fit their redistricting needs. The materials in this submission are in regard to BBSP Verification which is scheduled to start in January 2027 and last through May 2027. Participants can review and update their data using the Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS) or participants can use their own geographic information system (GIS) software.  For GUPS, there are currently two versions available, GUPS Standalone which is a desktop-based version of the software and GUPS Web which is a cloud-based version of the software. 

There are no substantive changes to the RDP resulting from these modifications. The finalized guides do not alter the content or objective of the RDP. The changes made were necessary to reflect the most current RDP information.
Burden
The burden of the RDP is unchanged by this update. 

Attachments
Table 1: Changes to the 2026 RDP Materials
Reported Change
Material
Location in Material
Description/Summary of Change(s)
Edited Title
Non-GUPS Guide
Title Page

Edited Title
GUPS Standalone Guide
Title Page

Edited Title
GUPS Web Guide
Title Page

Reorganized subsections within Section 2 in the Table of Contents
Non-GUPS Guide
Section 2.5.1-2.5.3 and 2.8.1-2.8.2
Reorganized the subsections for consistency and clarity; then renumbered the sections. 
Reorganized subsections within Section 3 in the Table of Contents
Non-GUPS Guide
Sections 3.3.1-3.3.4
Reorganized the subsections for consistency and clarity; then renumbered the sections.
Reorganized subsections within Section 4 in the Table of Contents
Non-GUPS Guide
Section 4.1
Reorganized the sections for consistency and clarity; then renumbered the sections.
Added Introduction.
Non-GUPS Guide
Introduction
Added final text for Introduction. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section. 
Added content to Section 1
Non-GUPS Guide
Section 1
Added final text for Section 1. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Added content to Section 2
Non-GUPS Guide
Section 2
Added final text for Section 2. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Added content to Section 3
Non-GUPS Guide
Section 3
Added final text for Section 3. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Added content to Section 4
Non-GUPS Guide
Section 4
Added final text for Section 4. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Appendix
Non-GUPS Guide
Appendix A and B
Modified Appendix A and B across the guides and removed Appendix C-E as they were no longer needed.
Reorganized subsections within Section 2 in the Table of Contents
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 2.6.1-2.6.3 and 2.9-2.11
Reorganized the sections for consistency and clarity; then renumbered the sections.
Combined Sections 3 and 4 into one section
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 3 and 4
Integrated the sections for consistency and clarity; then renumbered the sections.
Section 5 changed into Section 4
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 4 and 5
Reorganized the subsections for consistency and clarity; then renumbered the sections.
Section 6 changed to Section 5
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 5 and 6
Reorganized the subsections for consistency and clarity; then renumbered the sections.
Added Introduction.
GUPS Standalone Guide
Introduction
Added final text for Introduction. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section. 
Added content to Section 1
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 1
Added final text for Section 1. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Added content to Section 2
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 2
Added final text for Section 2. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Added content to Section 3
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 3
Added final text for Section 3. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Added content to Section 4
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 4
Added final text for Section 4. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Added content to Section 5
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 5
Added final text for Section 5. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Appendix
GUPS Standalone Guide
Appendix A and B
Modified Appendix A and B across the guides and removed Appendix C-F as they were no longer needed.
Reorganized subsections within Section 2 in the Table of Contents
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 2.6.1-2.6.3 and 2.9-2.11
Reorganized the sections for consistency and clarity; then renumbered the sections.
Combined Sections 3 and 4 into one section
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 3 and 4
Integrated the sections for consistency and clarity; then renumbered the sections.
Section 5 changed into Section 4
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 4 and 5
Reorganized the subsections for consistency and clarity; then renumbered the sections.
Section 6 changed to Section 5
GUPS Standalone Guide
Section 5 and 6
Reorganized the subsections for consistency and clarity; then renumbered the sections.
Added Introduction.
GUPS Web Guide
Introduction
Added final text for Introduction. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section. 
Added content to Section 1
GUPS Web Guide
Section 1
Added final text for Section 1. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Added content to Section 2
GUPS Web Guide
Section 2
Added final text for Section 2. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Added content to Section 3
GUPS Web Guide
Section 3
Added final text for Section 3. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Added content to Section 4
GUPS Web Guide
Section 4
Added final text for Section 4. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Added content to Section 5
GUPS Web Guide
Section 5
Added final text for Section 5. References and hyperlinks updated throughout the section.
Appendix
GUPS Web Guide
Appendix A and B
Modified Appendix A and B across the guides and removed Appendix C-E as they were no longer needed.