[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 207 (Friday, October 25, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65532-65533]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-27215]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission For OMB Review; Comment Request

    DOC has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
clearance the following proposal for collection of information under 
the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: 2002 Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons 
(SBO).
    Form Number(s): SBO-1, SBO-2.
    Agency Approval Number: None.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Burden: 416,666 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 2,500,000.
    Avg Hours Per Response: 10 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The 2002 Survey of Business Owners and Self-
Employed Persons (SBO) will provide the only comprehensive, regularly 
collected source of information on selected economic and demographic 
characteristics for businesses and

[[Page 65533]]

business owners by gender, ethnicity, and race. It is conducted as part 
of the economic census program. This survey was previously known as the 
Survey of Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (SMOBE) and the Survey of 
Women-Owned Business Enterprises (SWOBE).
    For the 2002 SBO, significant changes have been made to the 
questionnaire. These changes include the following:
    [sbull] The questions about race and ethnicity have been modified 
to meet the OMB guidelines to allow respondents the opportunity to 
select more than one race. Also, per the OMB guidelines, the Hispanic 
origin question is placed before the race question.
    [sbull] The survey adopts person-level reporting for a variety of 
characteristics for up to three individual owners, because background 
research suggested difficulty with aggregate reporting of race and 
ethnicity combinations for multiple owners.
    [sbull] Several new questions have been borrowed from the former 
Characteristics of Business Owners survey, which has not been funded 
for the upcoming economic census. These items will fill the void for 
many data users.
    [sbull] A new question has also been added to increase our 
understanding of the businesses' use of alternative employment 
arrangements.
    These data are needed to evaluate the extent and growth of business 
ownership by minorities and women in order to provide a framework for 
assessing and directing Federal, state, and local government programs 
designed to promote the activities of disadvantaged groups. The Small 
Business Administration and the Minority Business Development Agency 
use the SBO data when allocating resources for their business 
assistance programs. The data are also widely used by private firms and 
individuals to evaluate their own businesses and markets, by the media 
for news stories, by researchers and academia for determining firm 
characteristics, and by the legal profession in evaluating the 
concentration of minority businesses in particular industries and/or 
geographic areas.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit.
    Frequency: Every five years.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 131, 193, & 224.
    OMB Desk Officer: Susan Schechter, (202) 395-5103.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-3129, Department of Commerce, room 6625, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Susan Schechter, OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202-395-7245) or e-
mail ([email protected]).

    Dated: October 21, 2002.
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 02-27215 Filed 10-24-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P