Notice2021-23567
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; 2020 Census Count Question Resolution Operation
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 29, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentCensus Bureau
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 207 (Friday, October 29, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 207 (Friday, October 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59980-59982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23567]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; 2020 Census Count Question Resolution Operation
The Department of Commerce will submit the following information
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the
general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and
continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of
our information collection requirements and minimize the public's
reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the
Federal Register on August 4, 2020 during a 60-day comment period. This
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
Agency: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.
Title: 2020 Census Count Question Resolution Operation.
OMB Control Number: 0607-0879.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular submission, Request for a Reinstatement,
with Change, of a Previously Approved Collection.
Number of Respondents: 1,500.
Average Hours per Response: 5.2 (based on 40 records per case).
Burden Hours: 7,800.
Needs and Uses:
Introduction
The 2020 Census Count Question Resolution Operation (CQR) provides
a mechanism for tribal, state, and local governmental units in the
United States and Puerto Rico, or their designated representatives, to
request that the Census Bureau review their boundaries and/or housing
counts by block to correct any in-scope error(s) affecting the
inclusion and/or geographic allocation of housing and population. The
term ``housing'' refers to individual housing units and group quarters.
Please note, the population counts for a census block or other
geographic units below the state level may seem inaccurate due to
disclosure avoidance measures the Census Bureau applies to the
published data. Population counts at the block level have the most
``noise'' of any geographic level due to disclosure avoidance and
differential privacy to protect against data disclosure. Additional
information on both disclosure avoidance and differential privacy is
available at the following URL: <a href="http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/2020/planning-management/process/disclosure-avoidance.html">www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/2020/planning-management/process/disclosure-avoidance.html</a>.
The Census Bureau will accept 2020 Census CQR cases from tribal,
state, and local governmental units from January 3, 2022 through June
30, 2023. The eligible governmental units and geographies are the same
as in previous decades for the 2020 Census CQR. The Census Bureau will
conduct CQR case research by examining the census records for the 2020
tabulation block(s) identified in the CQR case. All boundaries in the
published 2020 Census results are current as of January 1, 2020, and
all housing and population counts are current as of April 1, 2020;
therefore, any changes to boundaries or housing counts that occurred
past those dates are out of scope. No new Census information products
will be created by the 2020 Census CQR and no revisions will be made to
2020 Census information products, such as the apportionment counts
delivered to the President for apportionment or the 2020 Census Public
Law 94-171 Redistricting Data Files and Geographic Products. Federal
law requires data collection for the census to end, so the Census
Bureau cannot continue collecting information for the census through
the Count Question Resolution operation (CQR). CQR can correct only
errors that occurred during the processing of information collected
during the 2020 enumeration.
Once a resolution is determined for each CQR case, the Census
Bureau will respond to the governmental unit in writing with an
official determination letter, even if the case is determined to be out
of scope or that no corrections are warranted. However, if research
determines that changes are appropriate, the determination letter will
be accompanied by certified housing and population count corrections,
which governmental units can use for any purpose requiring their
official Census counts. The Census Bureau will incorporate all CQR
revisions into the intercensal population estimates and American
Community Survey estimates starting in 2022 and will post the new
counts on the CQR website. The Census Bureau will attempt to respond to
each inquiry within 90 days of receipt and complete all case research
and resolution by no later than September 30, 2023.
Eligible Participants
The Census Bureau will only accept cases from the eligible
participants listed below or their designee. Details on how to
designate someone else to submit on a government's behalf will be
explained further in the guides that will be posted on the CQR website.
The Census Bureau will not accept cases from any other type of
statistical or legally defined areas, or any other individual, group,
or organization not included in this list.
1. Tribal areas, including federally recognized American Indian
tribes with reservation and/or off-reservation trust lands, Alaska
Native Regional Corporations, and Alaska Native villages.
[cir] A review of statistically defined boundaries (e.g.,
boundaries of the tribal designated statistical areas, Oklahoma tribal
statistical areas, and Oklahoma tribal statistical area tribal
subdivisions) is out of scope for 2020 Census CQR.
[cir] A review of the statistically defined Alaska Native village
statistical area boundaries is out of scope for 2020 Census CQR.
2. States and equivalent entities (e.g., District of Columbia and
Puerto Rico).
[[Page 59981]]
[cir] States and equivalent entities can ask the Census Bureau to
review the boundaries for all legally functioning governments within
their jurisdiction.
[ssquf] Hawaii can ask the Census Bureau to review the boundaries
for the Hawaiian home lands and census designated places within their
state.
[ssquf] Puerto Rico can ask the Census Bureau to review the
boundaries for their sub-minor civil divisions (e.g., subbarrios).
[ssquf] A review of the statistically defined boundaries, such as
those for state designated tribal statistical areas is out of scope for
2020 Census CQR.
3. Counties and equivalent entities (e.g., parishes in Louisiana,
boroughs in Alaska, municipios in Puerto Rico).
[cir] County and equivalent entities can ask the Census Bureau to
review the boundaries for all legally functioning governments within
their jurisdiction.
[ssquf] Counties in Hawaii can ask the Census Bureau to review the
boundaries for the census designated places within their jurisdiction
because they are the equivalent of an incorporated place.
[ssquf] Municipios in Puerto Rico can ask the Census Bureau to
review boundaries for their sub-minor civil divisions (e.g.,
subbarrios).
4. Minor civil divisions (e.g., townships).
[cir] Minor civil divisions can ask the Census Bureau to review the
boundaries for all legally functioning governments within their
jurisdiction.
5. Consolidated cities.
6. Incorporated places (e.g., villages, towns, cities).
[cir] Because census designated places in Hawaii are the equivalent
of an incorporated place, they can ask the Census Bureau to review the
boundary and/or housing counts for their census designated place.
CQR Case Types
The 2020 Census CQR includes boundary and/or housing count cases.
Boundary cases request a Census Bureau review of legal boundaries in
effect as of January 1, 2020, and the associated addresses affected by
the boundaries identified in the inquiry. Housing count cases request a
Census Bureau review of the geographic location of housing within 2020
tabulation blocks specified in the eligible governmental unit's
inquiry, as well as a review of the census records to determine whether
census processing error(s) excluded valid housing and associated
population data.
Boundary cases must include a map (e.g., digital or hard copy)
indicating the portion of the boundary that the Census Bureau
potentially depicted incorrectly, as well as depicting the corrected
boundary as of January 1, 2020; a list of residential addresses in the
2020 tabulation blocks affected by the incorrect boundary, indicating
their correct coordinates or location in relationship to the boundary;
and supporting documentation which may include legal documentation for
certain circumstances as described in the CQR Participant Guides. The
Census Bureau provides partnership shapefiles and 2020 Census Block Map
Adobe .pdf files on the CQR website to support governmental units
creating boundary cases.
Housing count cases must include a list of contested 2020
tabulation blocks with their current housing counts, and the corrected
housing counts for both housing units and group quarters as of April 1,
2020, as well as supporting documentation as described in the CQR
Participant Guides.
CQR Case Submission
To determine whether submitting a CQR case is necessary,
governmental units need to review their boundaries and housing counts
in the published 2020 Census data. The Census Bureau recommends a
review of the Public Law 94-171 data tables to review their counts of
total housing units (Table H1), total population (Table P1), and
population of group quarters by type of group quarters (Table P5).
These data were made available on September 16, 2021 on
<a href="http://data.census.gov">data.census.gov</a>.
In addition to the redistricting data tables mentioned,
governmental units can also use the Address Count Listing Files Viewer
tool available from the CQR website to identify the specific 2020
tabulation blocks where governmental units suspect boundary or housing
count errors. The tool permits users to navigate to their governmental
unit through a web map interface, select individual census blocks, and
display the associated counts of housing units and group quarters. If
an error exists with their legal boundary(s) or housing counts,
governmental units may prepare and submit a CQR case.
To prepare a CQR case, the Census Bureau encourages the use of
digital materials from the CQR website. Governmental units that are
unable to use digital materials to prepare their case may download and
print paper copies of the digital materials to prepare their case on
paper. The Census Bureau also provides the Geographic Update
Partnership Software (GUPS) for use in preparing a CQR case. The GUPS
is a self-contained, customized geographic information system (GIS)
software application available free for download from the CQR website.
To submit any CQR case, the Census Bureau encourages governmental
units to use the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM), available at
<a href="http://respond.census.gov/swim">respond.census.gov/swim</a>. Governmental units submitting a CQR case on
paper must ship their submission following specific guidance presented
in the participant guides to the Census Bureau at the following
address:
U.S. Census Bureau, National Processing Center, ATTN: CQR Geography
Bldg. 63E, 1201 E 10th St., Jeffersonville, IN 47132
CQR Case Disposition
Boundary and/or housing count cases can result in certified housing
and/or population count corrections if during CQR case research, Census
staff discover evidence showing a boundary, geocoding, and/or coverage
error in the published 2020 Census results.
The Census Bureau will only make CQR boundary corrections if the
boundary error identified affects the location of housing in the
published 2020 Census results. Boundary cases that do not affect the
location of housing in the published results, or boundary changes that
occurred after January 1, 2020, will be resolved through the Boundary
and Annexation Survey as they are out of scope for CQR.
Census staff can resolve two kinds of housing count errors:
Geocoding and coverage. Geocoding errors involve housing that was
enumerated in the 2020 Census and is present in the published 2020
Census results in the incorrect 2020 tabulation block. The Census
Bureau will correct geocoding errors discovered in the published
results during CQR research by moving the address(es) into the
appropriate 2020 tabulation block and will provide certified housing
and/or population count corrections to any governmental unit affected
by the case.
Coverage errors involve housing (including group quarters) that was
or should have been enumerated in the 2020 Census, but which were
excluded from the published 2020 Census results due to a processing
error. Coverage errors discovered in the published results can be
resolved by adding or reinstating the address(es) in the appropriate
2020 tabulation block. The Census Bureau will provide certified housing
and/or population count corrections as appropriate.
Affected Public: Tribal, State, and Local governmental units in the
United States and Puerto Rico.
[[Page 59982]]
Frequency: Every ten years following the publication of data from
the Decennial Census.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. Section 141.
This information collection request may be viewed at
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a>. Follow the instructions to view the Department of
Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of
this notice on the following website <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>.
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search
function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB
Control Number 0607-0879.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2021-23567 Filed 10-28-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 29, 2021.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.