80 FR 54764 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 176 (September 11, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 176 (Friday, September 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54764-54765]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[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