Notice2021-24502
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Business Pulse Survey
Primary source
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Published
November 9, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentCensus Bureau
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites 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. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed new Business Pulse Survey prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 214 (Tuesday, November 9, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 214 (Tuesday, November 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62150-62151]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24502]
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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; Business Pulse Survey
AGENCY: Census Bureau, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites 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. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the
proposed new Business Pulse Survey prior to the submission of the
information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before January 10, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#24704c4b4945570a6e0a77494d504c6447414a5751570a434b52"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="beead6d1d3dfcd90f490edd3d7cad6fedddbd0cdcbcd90d9d1c8">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference Business Pulse
Survey in the subject line of your comments. You may also submit
comments, identified by Docket Number USCB-2021-0027, to the Federal e-
Rulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. All comments received
are part of the public record. No comments will be posted to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> for public viewing until after the comment period
has closed. Comments will generally be posted without change. All
Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address)
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information. You may submit attachments to electronic
comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Stephanie Studds, Chief, Economic Indicator Division, 301-763-2633,
and <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7a090e1f0a121b14131f54161f1f54090e0f1e1e093a191f14090f09541d150c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="186b6c7d68707976717d36747d7d366b6c6d7c7c6b587b7d766b6d6b367f776e">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The U.S. Census Bureau plans to request a 3-year approval from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a new survey, the Business
Pulse Survey. During the Coronavirus pandemic, the Census Bureau
launched new weekly and monthly programs to measure the pandemic's
impact on the economy. The Census Bureau was commended by policy
makers, media, academia, and other stakeholders on its timeliness and
rapid response to their data needs to understand the impact of the
pandemic on the economy. The Census Bureau has a need to collect and
publish economic baseline data on a frequent, ongoing basis.
The Business Pulse Survey will be a new experimental survey with
bi-weekly data collection and publication. This continuous near real
time data publication will provide a baseline of the U.S. economy and
will measure change as a result of current and future economic shocks.
The ongoing nature of the Business Pulse Survey is in response to
stakeholder feedback on the Small Business Pulse Survey (SBPS), which
was that economic baseline or `norms' data would have been helpful to
have in comparison to the SBPS data on pandemic impact.
The Business Pulse Survey will evolve and progress to its full
desired scope over time, in stages or phases. The Census Bureau plans
to learn from the incremental progress of the Business Pulse Survey and
make improvements to the survey as it matures. Initially, the Business
Pulse Survey will be an expansion of the Small Business Pulse Survey
(OMB Number: 0607-1014). The SBPS was restricted to small businesses
with 1-499 employees and included only a single island territory,
Puerto Rico. The Business Pulse Survey's initial sample criteria will
include all single unit employer businesses in the U.S. and U.S. Island
Areas. At full scope, the Business Pulse Survey will allow for data
collection from businesses across most non-farm sectors of the U.S.
economy, while producing statistics on employer and non-employer
businesses across all employer size classes, as well as geographically
detailed data on the fifty U.S. states, Washington DC, and the U.S.
Island Areas.
The Business Pulse Survey will collect the following high-level
topics:
<bullet> Overall current business performance or business climate
<bullet> Change in operating revenues/sales/receipts
<bullet> Change in employment
<bullet> Change in hours of paid employees
[[Page 62151]]
<bullet> Expectations: Future performance
Business Pulse Survey data would be collected in near-real time and
disseminated as experimental products. Business Pulse Survey data will
be experimental with the goal of meeting Census Bureau quality
standards for regularly occurring, non-experimental statistics.
II. Method of Collection
The data will be collected by paper or electronic instruments,
depending on whether respondent email is available.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0607-XXXX.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission, new information collection
request.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 45,000 responses/bi-weekly.
Estimated Time per Response: 6 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 117,000.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 (This is not the cost of
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services
required specifically by the collection.)
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 131 and 182.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address,
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly
available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2021-24502 Filed 11-8-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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