81 FR 8040 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 31 (February 17, 2016)

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 17, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8040-8041]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03140]


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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: Construction Progress Reporting Surveys.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0153.
    Form Number(s): C-700, C-700(SL), C-700(R), and C-700 (F).
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Number of Respondents: 24,000.
    Average Hours per Response: 30 minutes for initial response; 10 
minutes in succeeding months.
    Burden Hours: 56,000.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau is requesting an extension 
with minor revisions of a currently approved collection for forms C-
700, Private Construction Projects; C-700(R), Multifamily Residential 
Projects, C-700(SL), State and Local Governments Projects and C-700(F), 
Federal Government Projects.
    These forms are used to conduct the Construction Progress Reporting 
Surveys (CPRS) to collect information on the dollar value of 
construction put in place on non-residential building projects under 
construction by private companies or individuals, private multifamily 
residential buildings, and building projects under construction by 
federal and state and local governments.
    The Census Bureau uses the information collected on these forms to 
publish estimates of the monthly dollar value of construction put in 
place. Statistics from the CPRS become part of the monthly ``Value of 
Construction Put in Place'' or ``Construction Spending'' series, a 
Principal Economic Indicator that is used extensively by the federal 
government in making policy decisions and used to estimate the gross 
domestic product (GDP). The private sector uses the statistics for 
market analysis and other research. Construction now accounts for 
approximately five percent of GDP.
    There are two changes planned to the content of these 
questionnaires. The first is the elimination of the data item for 
square footage of the construction project. This information was used 
for editing but is no longer needed. The second change is the addition 
of a data item to collect the projected completion date to assist with 
imputation if a

[[Page 8041]]

response is not obtained in future months.
    Form C-700 is used to collect data on construction of privately-
owned nonresidential buildings and structures. Form C-700(R) is used to 
collect data on privately-owned residential building projects with two 
or more housing units. Form C-700(SL) is used to collect data on state 
and local government construction projects. Form C-700(F) is used to 
collect data on federal government construction projects.
    Published statistics are used by all levels of government to 
evaluate economic policy, to measure progress toward national goals, to 
make policy decisions, and to formulate legislation. For example, 
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) staff uses the data to develop the 
construction components of gross private domestic investment and 
government investment in the Gross Domestic Product. The Federal 
Reserve Board and the Department of the Treasury use the data to 
develop monetary policy. Private businesses and trade organizations use 
the data to estimate demand for building materials and to schedule 
production, distribution and sales efforts.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 
institutions, State, local or tribal government; Federal government.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., sections 131 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.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-03140 Filed 2-16-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P