Notice2023-20568
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Annual Business Survey
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
September 22, 2023
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 revision to the Annual Business Survey prior to the submission of these information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 183 (Friday, September 22, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 183 (Friday, September 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65363-65364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20568]
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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; Annual Business Survey
AGENCY: U.S. 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 revision to the Annual Business Survey prior to the submission
of these information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before November 21, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fca89493919d8fd2b6d2af91958894bc9f99928f898fd29b938a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a3f7cbcccec2d08de98df0cecad7cbe3c0c6cdd0d6d08dc4ccd5">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference Annual Business
Survey in the subject line of your comments. You may also submit
comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2023-0008, 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 Patrice Hall, Branch Chief, Business Owners Branch, 301-763-7198,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#41312035332822246f2f6f29202d2d0122242f3234326f262e37"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c7b7a6b3b5aea4a2e9a9e9afa6abab87a4a2a9b4b2b4e9a0a8b1">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
In an effort to improve the measurement of business dynamics in the
United States, the Census Bureau is conducting the Annual Business
Survey (ABS). The ABS combines Census Bureau firm-level collections to
reduce respondent burden, increase data quality, reduce operational
costs, and operate more efficiently. The ABS provides information on
select economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and
business owners by sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. Further,
the survey measures research and development for microbusinesses and
nonprofit organizations, business topics such as innovation and
technology, as well as other business characteristics. The ABS is
sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
(NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) and conducted by
the Census Bureau. Title 13, United States Code, sections 8(b), 131,
and 182; title 42, United States Code, section 1861-76 (National
Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended); and section 505 within the
America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 authorize this collection.
Sections 224 and 225 of title 13, United States Code, require response
from sampled firms.
The ABS includes all nonfarm employer businesses filing Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) tax forms as individual proprietorships,
partnerships, or any other type of corporation, with receipts of $1,000
or more. Also included are nonprofit organizations to measure their
research activities. Annually the ABS samples 300,000 employer business
and 8,000 nonprofit organizations. Every five years, the ABS sample
increases to 858,000 to serve as a benchmark and produce detailed
comprehensive estimates for women-, minority-, and veteran-owned
businesses at the 2-6-digit NAICS, U.S., State, metropolitan
statistical area (MSA), county, and economic place levels, while also
providing research activities for microbusinesses and nonprofit
organizations. The 2023 ABS sampled approximately 858,000 businesses
and organizations (850,000 employer businesses + 8,000 nonprofit
organizations). The sample size is reduced to approximately 308,000 for
the four following years (2024-2027 ABS) to minimize the burden on
survey respondents. The smaller sample size will yield summary-level
estimates for women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businesses at the 2-
4 digit NAICS, U.S., state, and MSA levels. The Census Bureau uses
administrative data to estimate the probability that a firm is
minority- or women-owned. Each firm is then placed in one of eight
frames for sampling. The sampling frames are: American Indian or
Alaskan Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic, Non-
Hispanic White Men, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
Publicly Owned, and Women. The sample is stratified by state, industry,
and frame. The Census Bureau selects some companies with certainty
based on volume of sales, payroll, number of paid employees or NAICS.
All certainty cases are sure to be selected and represent only
themselves. The ABS samples approximately 8,000 nonprofit organizations
who are required to complete IRS form 990, in order to compile national
estimates of R&D performance within this sector. Of note, nonprofit
organizations will only see questions relating to research activities
and will not be asked any questions relating to owner demographics.
The ABS is designed to allow for incorporating new content each
survey year based on topics of relevance. Each year new questions are
submitted to the OMB for approval.
The ABS collects the following information from employer
businesses:
<bullet> Owner characteristics, including sex, ethnicity, race, and
veteran status from the principal owner(s) of the business.
<bullet> Company information including, worldwide sales, domestic
sales, number of employees, and business ownership from all employer
businesses in the sample.
<bullet> Business characteristics from all employer businesses in
the sample.
<bullet> Research and development from businesses with between 1-9
employees.
Additional owner topics may include military service, owner
acquisition, job functions, number of hours worked, primary income,
prior business ownership, age of owner, education and field of degree,
citizenship status and place of birth, disability, gender
[[Page 65364]]
identity, sexual orientation, and owner's reason for owning the
business. Other business topics may include number of owners and
percent ownership, family owned and operated, business aspirations,
funding sources, profitability, types of customers, types of workers,
employee benefits, franchise operations, work from home practices, and
business activity. Potential module topics for the ABS may cover
innovation, technology and internet usage, technology transfer, climate
impact and sustainability practices, management and business practices,
exporting practices, domestic and foreign transactions, design, worker
training, and financing.
The ABS collects the following information from nonprofit
organizations:
<bullet> Research activities performed or funded by nonprofit
organizations
<bullet> Research funding sources
<bullet> Type of research
<bullet> Research personnel counts
II. Method of Collection
The ABS is primarily collected electronically using a web-based
questionnaire. Those selected for the survey receive an initial letter
informing the respondents of their requirement to complete the survey
as well as instructions on accessing the survey. Responses will be due
approximately 30 days from initial mailing. Respondents will also
receive a due date reminder approximately one week before responses are
due. The Census Bureau plans to conduct two follow-up mailings and an
optional third follow-up if deemed necessary based on check-in rates.
Nonrespondents may receive a certified mailing for the second and third
follow-up mailings. The Census Bureau may also plan to conduct an email
follow-up to select nonrespondents reminding them to submit their
report in the electronic instrument. Follow-up operations may also
include a paper questionnaire or telephone follow-up to assist with
collecting data from select nonrespondents. Response data will be
processed as they are received. Upon the close of the collection
period, data processing will continue, and records will be edited,
reviewed, tabulated, and released publicly.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0607-1004.
Form Number(s): ABS-1.
Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for a Revision of a
Currently Approved Collection.
Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations
(large and small employer businesses), nonprofit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 308,000.
Estimated Time per Response: 58 minutes for employer businesses;
3.5 hours for nonprofit organizations that must complete the entire
module, 20 minutes for all other nonprofit organizations.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 296,000.
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: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, sections 8(b), 131,
and 182; title 42, United States Code, section 1861-76 (National
Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended); and section 505 within the
America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 authorize this collection.
Sections 224 and 225 of title 13, United States Code, require response
from sampled firms.
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 Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-20568 Filed 9-21-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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