[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 139 (Monday, July 21, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43078-43079]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-18409]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission For OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce (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: Current Industrial Reports (Wave I Mandatory & Voluntary 
Surveys).
    Form Number(s): MQ325B, MQ327D, MA311D, MA325F, MA327C, MA331A, 
MA331B, MA331E, MA332Q, MA333A, MA333M, MA333N, MA334B, MA335A, MA335F, 
MA335H and MA335K.
    OMB Approval Number: 0607-0392.
    Type of Request: Regular submission.
    Burden Hours: 9,519.
    Number of Respondents: 9,309.
    Average Hours Per Response: 54 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The Census Bureau conducts a series of monthly, 
quarterly, and annual surveys as part of the Current Industrial Reports 
(CIR) program. The CIR program focuses primarily on the quantity and 
value of shipments of particular products and occasionally with data on 
production and inventories; unfilled orders, receipts, stocks and 
consumption; and comparative data on domestic production, exports, and 
imports of the products they cover.
    Primary users of these data are government agencies, business 
firms, trade associations, and private research and consulting 
organizations. The Federal Reserve Board uses CIR data in its monthly 
index of industrial production as well as its annual revision to the 
index. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics (BLS) use the CIR data in the estimate of components of 
gross domestic product (GDP) and the estimate of output for 
productivity analysis, respectively. Many

[[Page 43079]]

government agencies, such as the International Trade Commission, 
Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Department of 
Energy, Federal Aviation Administration, BEA, and International Trade 
Administration use the data for industrial analysis, projections, and 
monitoring import penetration. Private business firms and organizations 
use the data for trend projections, market analysis, product planning, 
and other economic and business-oriented analysis.
    Due to the large number of surveys in the CIR program, for 
clearance purposes, the CIR surveys are divided into ``waves.'' There 
are three waves that include the mandatory and voluntary surveys. 
Mandatory and voluntary surveys historically have been divided into 
separate clearance requests, making six separate clearances. Each year, 
one wave (or two clearance requests) is submitted for OMB review. We 
are now combining the mandatory and voluntary surveys of each wave into 
one clearance request, reducing the total number of clearance requests 
from six to three, and the number of OMB submissions annually from two 
to one. This year we are submitting the mandatory and voluntary surveys 
contained in Wave I for OMB review.
    Also, in this request, we are converting the MA311D, 
``Confectionery'' and MA333N, ``Fluid Power Products'' from mandatory 
collections to voluntary. Due to a lack of funding, we are 
discontinuing M336L, ``Truck Trailers'' and MQ332E, ``Plumbing 
Fixtures.''
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: Wave I contains surveys that are conducted quarterly and 
annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Wave I contains both mandatory and 
voluntary surveys.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 182, 224, and 225.
    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) 482-0266, 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: July 15, 2003.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-18409 Filed 7-18-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P