[Federal Register: April 24, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 79)]
[Notices]
[Page 20185-20186]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24ap03-112]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Proposed Collection, Comment Request
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format,
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the
proposed revision of the ``International Price Program--U.S. Import
Product Information.'' A copy of the proposed information collection
[[Page 20186]]
request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below
in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section of this notice on or before June 23, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer,
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080,
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212, telephone number
202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer,
telephone number 202-691-7628. (See ADDRESSES section.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The U.S. Import Price Indexes, produced continuously by the Bureau
of Labor Statistics' International Price Program (IPP) since 1971,
measure price change over time for all categories of imported products,
as well as many services. The Office of Management and Budget has
listed the Import Price Indexes as a Principal Federal Economic
Indicator since 1982. The indexes are widely used in both the public
and private sectors. The primary public sector use is the deflation of
the U.S. Trade Statistics and the Gross Domestic Product; the indexes
also are used in formulating U.S. trade policy and in trade
negotiations with other countries. In the private sector, uses of the
Import Price Indexes include market analysis, inflation forecasting,
contract escalation, and replacement cost accounting.
The IPP indexes are closely followed statistics, and are viewed as
a sensitive indicator of the economic environment. The U.S. Department
of Commerce uses the monthly statistics to produce monthly and
quarterly estimates of inflation-adjusted trade flows. Without
continuation of data collection, it would be extremely difficult to
construct accurate estimates of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. In
addition, Federal policymakers in the Department of Treasury, the
Council of Economic Advisers, and the Federal Reserve Board utilize
these statistics on a regular basis to improve these agencies'
formulation and evaluation of monetary and fiscal policy and evaluation
of the general business environment.
II. Desired Focus of Comments
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in
comments that:
[sbull] Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
[sbull] Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
[sbull] Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
[sbull] Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
III. Current Action
The IPP continues to modernize data collection and processing to
permit more timely release of its indexes, and to reduce reporter
burden. Recently, for example, the IPP has attempted to cut back the
number of months during any given year an individual respondent would
need to supply data. Respondents are only asked for data in those
months that they indicated that they might normally have changes in
their prices. The IPP is also looking into less frequent sampling of
more stable item areas, use of broader item areas in certain cases, and
retention of items initiated in previous samples that reporters still
trade. In order to reduce the time required for processing new items,
direct entry of initiation data from the field was recently
implemented. The IPP is continuing to test the feasibility of using fax
transmissions to directly collect and enter data into the BLS
reporters' repricing database. In Fiscal Year 2003 the IPP is also
developing a web-based data collection system designed to permit
respondents to enter data directly into the IPP's monthly database.
Type of Review: Revision.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Title: International Price Program/U.S. Import Product Information.
OMB Number: 1220-0026.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
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Average time Estimated
Form Total Frequency Total per response total burden
respondents responses (hours) (hours)
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Initiation Visit (includes 2,000 Annually................ 2,000 1.0 2,000
form 3008).
Form 3007D................... 3,400 Monthly................. 21,420 .63 13,495
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Total.................. 5,400 ........................ 23,420 ............. 15,495
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Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a
matter of public record.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 15th day of April, 2003.
Jes[uacute]s Salinas,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 03-10128 Filed 4-23-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-U