Aug 6 -- The Census Bureau invites comments to OMB by September 5, 2024 regarding Generic Clearance for Emergency Economic Information Collections.
The U.S. Census Bureau requests a 3-year extension of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the Generic Clearance for Emergency Economic Information Collections (EEIC). The EEIC provides the quick turn-around necessary for conducting emergency economic information collections in response to unanticipated international, national, or regional declared emergencies or events of national interest arising as a direct result of declared emergencies having a significant economic impact on U.S. businesses and/or state or local governments. The purpose of the collections is to gauge and monitor the economic impact of such events on U.S. businesses or organizations and state or local governments.
Emergencies, once declared by the authorized state or federal official or entity, that could trigger the need for an EEIC may have global, national, or regional impact on U.S. businesses and governments, and include the following examples:
—Pandemic or other health emergency
—Natural or manmade disaster
—Acts of war or terrorism
—Civil unrest or insurrection
Other events of national interest arising as a direct result of declared emergencies may also have a significant impact on U.S. businesses or governments. General categories of national interest events arising as a direct result of declared emergencies which could trigger the need for an EEIC are:
—Economic crises
—Financial crises
—International geo-political instabilities
—Resource shortages
—Cyberterrorism
—New legislation passed as a direct result of a declared emergency
EEIC questions may be included as supplemental questions on existing Census Bureau surveys or conducted as new special-purpose surveys. The data will be collected by paper or electronic instruments, depending on the survey or program.
EEIC questions will be chosen from a pretested Question Bank. For some subjects, the Question Bank includes specific questionnaire content. In other cases, the Question Bank includes topics which will then be addressed with questions designed to meet data needs that arise during a future unknown event. Some questions have been cognitively tested and should be considered final; some may require testing for final wording. Questions that may require testing and refinement are annotated in the Question Bank. As the Question Bank matures with new or revised content, the Census Bureau will resubmit the bank for review.
Prior to adding EEIC questions to any survey, the Census Bureau will consult with OMB and submit a request for approval, allowing between 3 and 10 business days for OMB action. Over the existing period of clearance, the EEIC Generic Clearance was used to clear supplemental questions which were added to existing surveys, responsive to both recession conditions resulting from the COVID 19 Pandemic and various severe weather events which occurred in 2022.
As data collections will be tailored to the emergency, users of the data may vary, but may include: federal, state, or local officials charged with decision- making during the emergency; business leaders and policymakers wishing to develop plans to ameliorate the effects of the emergency; academics and members of the press wishing to study and disseminate information about the emergency; and the public. The data collected will help us understand how and why data we collect in our ongoing surveys may be affected by the emergency, as well as allow us to disseminate data as part of existing releases, new releases, or experimental releases.
Census submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202407-0607-004 Click on View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comments through this site.
FR notice inviting public comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-17290
For AEA members wishing to submit comments, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806