Notice2025-12895
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Direct Investment Surveys: BE-15, Annual Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States
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
July 10, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentEconomic Analysis Bureau
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 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 preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 130 (Thursday, July 10, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 130 (Thursday, July 10, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30624-30625]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-12895]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Direct Investment Surveys: BE-15, Annual Survey of Foreign
Direct Investment in the United States
AGENCY: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of 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 of 1995 (PRA), 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
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before September 8, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to
Kirsten Brew, Chief, Multinational Operations Branch, Bureau of
Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, by email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#541f3d262720313a7a16263123143631357a333b22"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="95defce7e6e1f0fbbbd7e7f0e2d5f7f0f4bbf2fae3">[email protected]</span></a> and <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6636342705090b0b030812152604030748010910"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="99c9cbd8faf6f4f4fcf7edead9fbfcf8b7fef6ef">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference OMB
Control Number 0608-0034 in the subject line of your comments. Do not
submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Kirsten Brew, Chief, Multinational Operations Branch, Bureau of
Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce; via phone at (301-278-
9152); or via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#baf1d3c8c9cedfd494f8c8dfcdfad8dfdb94ddd5cc"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="347f5d464740515a1a76465143745651551a535b42">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Annual Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States
(BE-15) obtains sample data on the financial structure and operations
of foreign-owned U.S. business enterprises. The data are needed to
provide reliable, useful, and timely measures of foreign direct
investment in the United States to assess its impact on the U.S.
economy. The sample data are used to derive universe estimates in
nonbenchmark years from similar data reported in the BE-12 benchmark
survey, which is conducted every five years. The data collected include
balance sheets; income statements; property, plant, and equipment;
employment and employee compensation; merchandise trade; sales of goods
and services; taxes; and research and development activity for the U.S.
operations. In addition to this national data, several data items are
collected by state, including employment and property, plant, and
equipment.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) proposes the following
changes to the BE-15 survey to align its international survey program
with available resources:
Discontinue collection of minority-owned U.S. affiliates in annual
survey years. This change would eliminate the filing requirement for
minority-owned U.S. affiliates whose assets, sales or gross operating
revenues, or net income (loss) exceed $40 million that were previously
required to report on the BE-15B or BE-15C form. A minority-owned U.S.
affiliate is a U.S. affiliate in which the combined direct and indirect
voting interest of all foreign parents of the U.S. affiliate is 50
percent or less. In addition, the following form modifications are
proposed:
(a) Supplement B on the BE-15A, B and C forms which collects
information on U.S. affiliates in which the reporting affiliate has a
direct ownership interest, but which are not fully consolidated, will
be removed.
(b) Question 8 on the BE-15B and C forms and question 9 on the BE-
15A form which asks for the number of unconsolidated U.S. entities
reported on the Supplement B will be eliminated.
[[Page 30625]]
(c) The BE-15 Claim for Exemption from Filing would be modified to
include an exemption option for minority-owned U.S. affiliates.
II. Method of Collection
BEA contacts potential respondents by mail in March of each year;
responses covering a reporting company's fiscal year ending during the
previous calendar year are due by May 31. Reports are required from
each U.S. business enterprise in which a foreign person has more than
50 percent of the voting stock in an incorporated business enterprise,
or an equivalent interest in an unincorporated business enterprise, and
that meets the additional conditions detailed in the BE-15 forms and
instructions. Entities required to report will be contacted
individually by BEA. Entities not contacted by BEA have no reporting
responsibilities.
BEA requires electronic filing through its eFile system for use in
reporting on the BE-15 annual survey forms. In addition, BEA provides
links to all its survey forms and reporting instructions on its website
(<a href="http://www.bea.gov/fdi">www.bea.gov/fdi</a>) for download and review.
Potential respondents of the BE-15 are selected from those U.S.
business enterprises that were required to report on the 2022 BE-12,
Benchmark Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States,
along with those U.S. business enterprises that subsequently entered
the direct investment universe. The BE-15 is a sample survey; universe
estimates are developed from the reported sample data.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0608-0034.
Form Number: BE-15.
Type of Review: Revision.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,400 annually, of which
approximately 3,200 file A forms, 1,600 file B forms, 1,000 file C
forms, and 600 file Claim for Exemption forms.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 150,700 hours. Total annual
burden is calculated by multiplying the estimated number of submissions
of each form by the average hourly burden per form, which is 44.45
hours for the A form, 3.60 hours for the B form, 2.1 hours for the C
form, and 1 hour for the Claim for Exemption form.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 23.5 hours per respondent (150,700
hours/6,400 respondents) is the average but may vary considerably among
respondents because of differences in company size and complexity.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: International Investment and Trade in Services
Survey Act (Pub. L. 94-472, 22 U.S.C. 3101-3108, as amended).
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department of
Commerce/Bureau of Economic Analysis 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,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2025-12895 Filed 7-9-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-06-P
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