[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 176 (Friday, September 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54764-54765]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-22897]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44
U.S.C. chapter 35).
Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
Title: Public Employment & Payroll Forms.
OMB Control Number: 0607-0452.
Form Number(s): E-1 through E-10.
Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Number of Respondents: 44,088.
Average Hours per Response: 1 hour and 5 minutes.
Burden Hours: 47,903.
Needs and Uses: This information collection request covers the
questionnaires needed to conduct the public employment program for the
2015 Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll, the 2016 Annual
Survey of Public Employment & Payroll, and the 2017 Census of
Governments: Employment.
The Census of Governments: Employment and its related program, the
Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll, provide a rich source of
data on state and local government employment and payroll in the United
States. Data have been collected annually since 1957. A census is
conducted every five years (years ending in `2' and `7'). A sample of
state and local governments is used to collect data in the intervening
years, with a new sample selected every five years (years ending in `4'
and `9'). The survey provides state and local government data on full-
time and part-time employment, part-time hours worked, full-time
equivalent employment, and payroll statistics by governmental function
(e.g., elementary and secondary education, higher education, police
protection, fire protection, financial administration, central staff
services, judicial and legal, highways, public welfare, etc.).
The 10 questionnaires for collecting the data are each tailored to
the unique characteristics of the type and size of government or
government agency to be surveyed. The type of employment and payroll
data to be collected No changes will be made to the form content as
currently approved. However, formatting changes will be made to the
forms to facilitate data capture using current technology, Integrated
Computer Assisted Data Entry (iCADE), and to clarify wording and form
flow with respondents such as integrating the instruction in bullet
form into the questions. These changes were cognitively tested.
The Census of Governments: Employment and its related program, the
Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll, provide data on state and
local government employment and payroll in the United States. Census
Bureau staff apply a standard set of criteria while classifying
government employment activity in order to provide what is perhaps the
only complete and uniform set of data on the employment activities of
governments in the United States.
Statistics compiled from data gathered using these forms are used
in several important Federal government programs. Economists at the
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) use the statistics for developing the
National Income and Product Accounts. According to the Chief
Statistician of BEA, ``The data obtained from these forms are critical
to BEA for maintaining reliable estimates. Specifically, BEA uses
national, state, local, and type-of-government aggregate data by
function for full-time and part-time employees, payroll, and number of
part-time hours worked to prepare estimates of functional payrolls for
the public sector
[[Page 54765]]
of the gross domestic product (GDP). BEA also uses these data to
prepare estimates of state and local government compensation of
employees in both the annual and benchmark input-output accounts.''
BEA also uses the Census of Governments and the Annual Survey of
Public Employment & Payroll to derive state-level estimates of the
employment and wages and salaries of students and their spouses who are
employed by public institutions of higher education in which the
students are enrolled. There is no other national or state source for
information on student workers at state institutions of higher
education.
The employment data are used for two other data collection efforts
currently conducted by the Census Bureau. The Medical Expenditures
Panel Survey (MEPS) collects data for the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) on health plans offered to state and local
government employees. The MEPS sample of public employees is drawn from
the Census of Governments: Employment component universe and employment
data from the survey are used in statistical methods for creating
national estimates on health plans. The Criminal Justice Employment and
Expenditure program (CJEE), sponsored by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics (BJS), uses employment data to provide employee and payroll
statistics on police protection and correctional activities.
State and local government officials use these employment data to
analyze and assess individual government labor force and wage levels.
Both management and labor consult these data during wage and salary
negotiations.
Public interest groups of many types produce analyses of public
sector activities using these data. User organizations representing
state and local government include the Council of State Governments,
the National Conference of State Legislatures, Government Research
Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Association of
Counties, National League of Cities, and the National Association of
Towns and Townships. Another category of users, having a more specific
focus on government activities, includes organizations such as the
National School Boards Association and the National Sheriffs
Association.
A variety of private sector organizations and individuals make use
of these employment and payroll data. Notable research organizations
include the Brookings Institution and the Nelson A. Rockefeller
Institute of Government.
Both public and private universities utilize these data.
Instructors, researchers, and students in schools of public
administration, political science, management, and industrial relations
as well as other members of the public also use employment data.
Affected Public: State, local or tribal government; Federal
government.
Frequency: Annually.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, U.S.C., Section 161 and 182.
This information collection request may be viewed at
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce
collections currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice
to [email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806.
Dated: September 8, 2015.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-22897 Filed 9-10-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P