2026 Census Test - Group Quarters Advance Contact 30-day FRN

48444

Notices

Federal Register
Vol. 90, No. 202
Wednesday, October 22, 2025

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1

Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; 2026 Census Test—Group
Quarters Advance Contact (GQAC)
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 November 4,
2024, during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30
days for public comments.
Agency: U.S. Census Bureau,
Department of Commerce.
Title: Group Quarters Advance
Contact.
OMB Control Number: 0607–XXXX.
Form Number(s): Group Quarters
Advance Contact Instrument—D6–QFE–
GA.
Type of Request: Regular submission.
This is a new information collection.
Number of Respondents: 600.
Average Hours per Response: 15
minutes.
Burden Hours: 150.
Needs and Uses: During the years
preceding the 2030 Census, the Census
Bureau will pursue its commitment to
developing a well-managed, costeffective, high quality decennial census.
The Census Bureau will streamline data
collection processes and implement
new and improved methods to count the

VerDate Sep<11>2014

15:38 Oct 21, 2025

Jkt 265001

U.S. population for the 2030 Census.
This includes improved methods for
counting individuals residing in Group
Quarters (GQs). A GQ is a place that is
designed to house a group of people
who typically are nonrelatives and have
similar objectives, needs, or restrictions.
These places provide care or services for
the occupants (such as supervision,
health care, or other types of assistance)
and/or have certain communal facilities
that are shared by the occupants (such
as communal bathrooms or kitchens).
GQs include a range of unconventional
household compositions or locations
such as college/university student
housing, residential treatment centers,
nursing/skilled nursing facilities, group
homes, correctional facilities, military
barracks, and workers’ dormitories. GQ
administrators play a vital role in data
collection during Group Quarters
Advance Contact (GQAC). They provide
critical updates about the facility and
residents.
The 2026 Census Test GQAC will be
fielded to 600 GQ facilities across two
regional census areas that encompasses
six test sites in Western Texas; Tribal
Lands within Arizona; Colorado
Springs, CO; Western North Carolina;
Spartanburg, SC; and Huntsville, AL.
These locations were chosen because
they possess particular characteristics
that support the Census Bureau’s focus
on several enhancement areas for the
broader 2026 Census Test and the 2030
Census, including: making it easier for
people to respond on their own online,
by phone, or by mail; improving inperson household data collection;
improving methods for counting people
living in GQs; enhancing the
infrastructure that supports census
operations; and processing data
concurrently with data collection. The
enhancement of GQAC data collection
falls solely under the enhancement area
on improving methods for counting
people living in GQs. It will meet that
goal by making it easier for GQ
administrators to provide information
about the GQ, allowing them to select a
method of enumeration for the residents
of the GQ, and enhancing the
infrastructure that supports census
operations. The GQAC data collection
period is February 2026 through March
2026.
The 2026 Census Test GQAC will
utilize the GQ Contact Frame
Maintenance system that will include

PO 00000

Frm 00001

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

the GQ facility name (linked to the
possible GQs), facility address, name of
GQ administrator/primary and
secondary points of contact, phone
number of contact person(s), and email
address of the contact person(s).
During the 2020 Census, GQAC was
conducted with the GQ administrator by
telephone (In-Office GQAC) or a
personal visit (In-Field GQAC). For the
2026 Census Test, advance contact
information will also be collected by
phone or by in-person visit(s).
The 2026 Census Test GQAC will
enable the Census Bureau to contact the
GQ administrators to collect pertinent
information about the GQs such as:
• GQ type,
• Name, phone number and email of
the contact person,
• Verification/updates to the GQ
address the Census Bureau has in their
inventory,
• Expected population for the GQ on
Census Day, April 1, 2026,
• Desired method of enumeration for
their residents, and
• Depending on the enumeration
method selected, the date and time for
an appointment.
During In-Office GQAC, office clerks
will call the GQ administrator (using the
phone number on file for the case or
researching it using the internet) and
conduct interviews while electronically
collecting responses and making entries
into an instrument to verify and/or
update the GQ information and
documenting their preferred
enumeration method in preparation for
conducting the upcoming enumeration.
The In-Field GQAC operation will
include all unresolved cases from the
In-Office GQAC. Field staff will work
with GQs for which pre-enumeration
information such as contact information
was not obtained. Field staff will visit
each identified GQ and conduct an inperson interview with the GQ contact
person using an electronic device to
capture the same information collected
during In-Office GQAC. During the 2020
Census and previous decennial
censuses, in-field GQAC was conducted
by field staff visiting each identified GQ
and collecting response data on a paper
questionnaire.
The content of the GQAC reflects
topics that are required by the GQAC
operation to enable the Group Quarters
Enumeration (GQE) in the larger 2026
Census Test, which in turn will inform
improvements for the 2030 Census.

E:\FR\FM\22OCN1.SGM

22OCN1

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1

Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 202 / Wednesday, October 22, 2025 / Notices
Since the 60-day Federal Register
Notice (FRN) on this proposed
collection was published, the Census
Bureau needed to make a number of
changes to GQAC.
• The Census Bureau descoped the
web-based GQAC for GQ administrators
from the 2026 Census Test. The Census
Bureau no longer plans to allow GQ
administrators to log into a secure webbased GQAC instrument to review,
verify, and if needed, update the GQ
information, or select a method of data
collection in preparation for conducting
the upcoming enumeration operations.
Instead, Census Bureau office clerks will
use the same platform that had been
planned for GQ administrators to collect
this information.
• Emails to GQ administrators for
web-based GQAC that were mentioned
in the 60-day FRN will no longer be
sent.
• Also descoped were plans to
implement a process to virtually
complete the Special Sworn Status form
for GQ administrators who select the
web-based GQAC. The system to track/
maintain completed Special Sworn
Status forms (BC–1759) collected during
the American Community Survey and
other Census Bureau web-based surveys
is still in progress because it may be
needed during GQE.
• The proposed annual burden hours
have decreased from the 217 hours as
the Census Bureau estimated in the 60day Federal Register Notice for this
information collection to 150 hours. The
number of respondents grew from 434
in the 60-day Federal Register notice to
600, but the average time per response
was reduced from 30 minutes to 15
minutes when the calling script was
updated based on the final GQAC
specification following the submission
of the 60-day FRN.
• The form number(s) indicated on
the 60-day Federal Register notice listed
the numbers for the envelopes, letters,
and the confidentiality notice. This 30day Federal Register notice removes
those numbers, and instead now only
lists the form number for the collection
instrument. Other respondent materials
will be available to the public on
RegInfo.gov. (See instructions below.)
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations; Not-for-profit
institutions.
Frequency: One-time (February–
March 2026).
Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. 141
and 193.
This information collection request
may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to view the

VerDate Sep<11>2014

15:38 Oct 21, 2025

Jkt 265001

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 www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain. Find this
particular information collection by
selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day
Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or
by using the search function and
entering the title of the collection.

48445

within 3 months of expiration may be
renewed for 1 additional year if the
parties make no change to the matching
program and certify that the program
has been conducted in compliance with
the matching agreement.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may
submit written comments on this notice
by mail or email to HHS/ACF Tech, 330
C Street SW, Washington, DC 20024,
paris@acf.hhs.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
General questions about the matching
program may be submitted to Robin
Sheleen Dumas,
Colllins, Chief Information Officer and
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office Acting Chief Technology Officer, ACF
of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Tech, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC
Commerce Department.
20024, paris@acf.hhs.gov.
[FR Doc. 2025–19633 Filed 10–21–25; 8:45 am]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
BILLING CODE 3510–07–P
Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5
U.S.C. 552a), provides certain
protections for records related to
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
individuals applying for and receiving
HUMAN SERVICES
Federal benefits. The law governs the
use of computer matching by Federal
Administration for Children and
agencies when records in a system of
Families
records (meaning, Federal agency
records about individuals retrieved by
Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program
name or other personal identifier) are
AGENCY: Administration for Children
matched with records of other Federal
and Families, Department of Health and or non-Federal agencies. The Privacy
Human Services.
Act requires agencies involved in a
matching program to the following:
ACTION: Notice of a new matching
1. Obtain approval of a Computer
program.
Matching Agreement, prepared in
SUMMARY: In accordance with subsection accordance with the Privacy Act, by the
(e)(12) of the Privacy Act of 1974, as
Data Integrity Board of each Federal
amended, the Department of Health and agency that is a source, or recipient of
Human Services (HHS), Administration data used in the matching program. 5
for Children and Families (ACF), ACF
U.S.C. 522a(o)(1), (u)(3)(A), and (u)(4).
Tech, is providing notice of a re2. Provide adequate advance notice of
established matching program between
the matching program, including a copy
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of the agreement, to Congress and the
and State Public Assistance Agencies
Office of Management and Budget
(SPAAs) participating in the Public
(OMB). 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(A)(i) and (r).
Assistance Reporting Information
3. Publish advance notice of the
System (PARIS) Program. The matching matching program in the Federal
program provides the SPAAs with VA’s Register. 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(12).
compensation and pension data on a
4. Make the Computer Matching
periodic basis to use in determining
Agreement available to the public. 5
public assistance applicants’ and
U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(A)(ii).
recipients’ eligibility for certain public
5. Notify the individuals whose
assistance benefits. ACF Tech facilitates information will be used in the
the matching program, and the
matching program that the information
Department of Treasury, Bureau of
they provide is subject to verification
Fiscal Services, Do Not Pay (DNP)
through matching, as required by 5
conducts the matches of SPAA and VA
U.S.C. 552a(o)(1)(D).
data and provides associated support.
6. Verify match findings before
DATES: The deadline for comments on
suspending, terminating, reducing, or
this notice is November 21, 2025. The
making a final denial of an individual’s
re-established matching program will
benefits or payments, or taking other
commence not sooner than 30 days after adverse action against the individual, as
publication of this notice, provided no
required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(p).
7. Provide an annual report of the
comments are received that warrant a
matching program activities to the head
change to this notice. The matching
program will be conducted for an initial of the participating agency and OMB
and make the report available to the
term of 18 months (from approximately
public. 5 U.S.C. 552a(u)(3)(D).
October 2025 through May 2026), and

PO 00000

Frm 00002

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

E:\FR\FM\22OCN1.SGM

22OCN1