[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 124 (Friday, June 27, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38405-38406]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-16223]


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OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET


Final Report of the Small Business Paperwork Relief Task Force

AGENCY: Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the 
President.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Management is publishing the Final Report of the 
Small Business Paperwork Relief Task Force on June 28, 2003. The Small 
Business Paperwork Relief Task Force recommends options regarding the 
feasibility of consolidating information collections, organizing a list 
of information collections, and creating interactive electronic 
systems. A Draft Report was released for public comment May 9, 2003 and 
the response to comments is included in Appendix 8 of the Final Report. 
The Final Report of the Small Business Paperwork Relief Task Force is 
posted on OMB's Web site, http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/sbpr2003.pdf, and on the Small Business Administration's Web site for 
business laws, http://www.businesslaw.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shivani Desai, Office of E-Government 
and Information Technology, Office of Management and Budget, E-mail: 
[email protected], Telephone: (202) 395-3092.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Congress directed the Director of OMB to 
convene and have a representative chair a Task Force ``to study the 
feasibility of streamlining requirements with respect to small business 
concerns regarding collection of information and strengthening 
dissemination of information'' (44 U.S.C. 3520, Pub. L. 107-198). More 
specifically, this Small Business Paperwork Relief Task Force is 
charged with examining five ways to reduce the information collection 
burden placed by government on small business concerns. They are:
    1. Examine the feasibility and desirability of requiring the 
consolidation of information collection requirements within and across 
Federal agencies and programs, and identify ways of doing so.
    2. Examine the feasibility and benefits to small businesses of 
having OMB publish a list of data collections organized in a manner by 
which they can more easily identify requirements with which they are 
expected to comply.
    3. Examine the savings and develop recommendations for implementing 
electronic submissions of information to the Federal government with 
immediate feedback to the submitter.
    4. Make recommendations to improve the electronic dissemination of 
information collected under Federal requirements.
    5. Recommend a plan to develop an interactive Government-wide 
Internet program to identify applicable collections and facilitate 
compliance.
    The Small Business Paperwork Relief Task Force is required to 
submit a report of its findings on the first three issues no later than 
one year after enactment, or June 28, 2003. A second report on the 
final two issues is required no later than two years after enactment, 
or June 28, 2004. Both reports must be submitted to the Director of 
OMB; the Small Business and Agriculture Regulatory Enforcement 
Ombudsman; and the Senate Committees on Governmental Affairs and Small 
Business and Entrepreneurship; and, the House Committees on Government 
Reform and Small Business.
    The Director of OMB appointed Dr. John D. Graham, Administrator of 
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and Mr. Mark A. 
Forman, Administrator for the Office of E-Government and Information 
Technology, to co-chair the Small Business Paperwork Relief Task Force.
    The Act specifies the following agencies to be represented on the 
SBPRA Task Force: Department of Labor (including the Bureau of Labor

[[Page 38406]]

Statistics, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration); 
Environmental Protection Agency; Department of Transportation; Office 
of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration; Internal Revenue 
Service; Department of Health and Human Services (including the Centers 
for Medicare and Medicaid Services); Department of Agriculture; 
Department of the Interior; the General Services Administration; and 
two other participants to be selected by the Director of OMB (who are 
the Department of Commerce and additional representatives from the 
Small Business Administration).
    The Small Business Paperwork Relief Task Force solicited public 
comments on the Draft Report from May 9, 2003 to June 4, 2003. All 
comments received by OMB were considered and resulted in modifications 
to the final report. A summary of the public comments with responses of 
the Task Force is attached in Appendix 8 of the Final Report.

Donald R. Arbuckle,
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

Mark Forman,
Administrator, Office of E-Government and Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 03-16223 Filed 6-26-03; 8:45 am]
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