[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 61 (Monday, March 31, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15430-15431]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-7540]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


2003 Company Organization Survey

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing efforts 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before May 30, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Paul Hanczaryk, Bureau of the Census, Room 2747, 
Federal Building 3, Washington, DC 20233-6100; telephone (301) 763-
4058.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Abstract

    The Census Bureau conducts the annual Company Organization Survey 
(COS) in order to update and maintain a central, multipurpose Business 
Register (BR), formerly known as the Standard Statistical Establishment 
List (SSEL). In particular, the COS supplies critical information on 
the composition, organizational structure, and operating 
characteristics of multi-establishment companies.
    The BR serves two fundamental purposes:
    First and most important, it provides sampling populations and 
enumeration lists for the Census Bureau's economic surveys and 
censuses, and it serves as an integral part of the statistical 
foundation underlying those programs. Essential for this purpose is the 
BR's ability to identify all known United States business 
establishments and their parent companies. Further, the BR must 
accurately record basic business attributes needed to control sampling 
and enumeration. These attributes include industrial and geographic 
classifications, and contact information (for example, name and 
address).
    Second, it provides establishment data that serve as the basis for 
the annual County Business Patterns (CBP) statistical series. The CBP 
reports present data on number of establishments, first quarter 
payroll, annual payroll, and mid-March employment summarized by 
industry and employment size class for the United States, the District 
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, counties, and county-equivalents. No other 
annual or more frequent series of industry statistics provides 
comparable detail, particularly for small geographic areas.

II. Method of Collection

    The Census Bureau will conduct the 2003 COS in the same manner as 
the 2001 COS. (In 2002 the COS was conducted in conjunction with the 
2002 Economic Census to minimize response burden). These collections 
will direct inquiries to approximately 80,000 multi-establishment 
companies, which operate over 1.1 million establishments. This panel 
will be drawn from the BR universe of nearly 200,000 multi-
establishment companies, which operate 1.6 million establishments.
    The mailing list for the 2003 COS will include a certainty 
component, consisting of all multi-establishment companies with 50 or 
more employees, and those multi-establishment companies with 
administrative record values that indicate organizational changes. A 
non-certainty component will be drawn from the remaining multi-
establishment companies based on employment size.
    For 2003, electronic reporting will be available to all COS 
respondents. Companies will receive and return responses by secure 
Internet transmission. Companies that cannot use the Internet will 
receive a CD-ROM containing their electronic data. All respondents will 
be allowed to mail the data via diskette or CD-ROM or submit their 
response data via the Internet.
    The instrument will include inquiries on ownership or control by a 
domestic parent, ownership or control by a foreign parent, and 
ownership of foreign affiliates. Further, the instrument will list an 
inventory of establishments belonging to the company and its 
subsidiaries, and will request updates to these inventories, including 
additions, deletions, and changes to information on EIN, name and 
address, industrial classification, payroll, end-of-year operating 
status, mid-March employment, first quarter payroll, and annual 
payroll.
    Additionally, the Census Bureau will ask certain questions in the 
2003 COS in order to enhance content. We will include questions on the 
number of leased employees working in the establishments of the company 
and questions on research and development activities performed by the 
company.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0607-0444.
    Form Number: NC-99001.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit, not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 80,000 enterprises.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 1.76 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 141,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: Included in the total annual cost of 
the BR, which is estimated to be $10.3 million for fiscal year 2003.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 of United States Code, Sections 182, 195, 
224, and 225.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c)

[[Page 15431]]

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: March 25, 2003.
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-7540 Filed 3-28-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P