[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 71 (Tuesday, April 13, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19452-19453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-8303]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program helps to 
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, 
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, 
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of 
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The 
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the 
proposed revision of the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) forms and a 
change in its publication practices in the Quarterly Census of 
Employment and Wages (QCEW) program.
    A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be 
obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
ADDRESSES section below on or before June 14, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 3255, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212, telephone number 
202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, 
telephone number 202-691-7628. (See ADDRESSES section).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The ARS forms are used to verify and update existing 2002 North 
American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes. They also are 
used to update employers' business names and addresses and other 
geographical information. In addition, the forms provide a source of 
multiple worksite information, which is critical to the development of 
the BLS Business Establishment List (BEL). The BEL serves as a sampling 
frame and a benchmark for many BLS surveys.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate 
of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected;
     Minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., 
permitting electronic submissions of responses; and
     Evaluate the change in the agency's publication 
practices in the QCEW program.

III. Current Action

    The QCEW program publishes employment and wage data for groupings 
defined by industry and geography. The ARS is used to verify the 
industry code and location of businesses. For each grouping, there are 
three data items produced and published: the number of establishments, 
employment, and wages. The proposed publication change only applies to 
the number of establishments data item.
    The BLS proposes to publish the number of establishments for every 
industry by geography grouping, regardless of the size of the grouping. 
Currently, the number, or frequency, of establishments may be 
suppressed from publication when a grouping is very small--usually one, 
two, or three establishments. This prevents the possible indirect 
disclosure of respondent identifying information through the use of 
information from another source. However, Statistical Policy Working 
Paper 22 from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), states, 
``Frequency data for establishments are generally not considered 
sensitive because so much information about an establishment is 
publicly available.'' Further, because the QCEW is constructed to cover 
virtually all non-agricultural employers and employment, the BLS cannot 
protect that an establishment exists and is included in the QCEW file. 
Therefore, the BLS does not consider publishing the number of 
establishments in an industry-by-geography grouping, even if one, to be 
a disclosure of confidential information even though it may be possible 
to infer the identity of a business establishment in that grouping. All 
other information on establishments maintained by the BLS in its QCEW 
file is confidential and will be used by the BLS for exclusively 
statistical purposes. The BLS believes that by following allowable OMB 
disclosure policies, the usefulness of one of the nation's most 
comprehensive economic statistical data sources will be vastly 
improved.
    The BLS uses the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) forms to gather 
industrial and geographical data on business establishments. The 
revised ARS forms are designed to verify and update NAICS codes, 
geographical information, and multiple worksite information.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: Annual Refiling Survey.
    OMB Number: 1220-0032.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-
profit; not-for-profit institutions; farms; Federal government; State, 
local, or tribal government.
    Frequency: Annually.

[[Page 19453]]



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Average     Estimated
                                        Total                                Total        time per      total
               Form                  respondents        Frequency          responses      response      burden
                                                                                          (hours)       hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3023-NVS.........................       2,286,757  Once...............       2,286,757         .083      189,800
3023-NVM.........................          35,951  Once...............          35,951          .25        8,988
3023-NCA.........................         165,397  Once...............         165,397         .167       27,621
                                  -----------------
    Totals.......................       2,488,105  ...................       2,488,105  ...........      226,409
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Total Burden Cost (Capital/Startup): $0.
    Total Burden Cost (Operating/Maintenance): $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a 
matter of public record.

    Signed in Washington, DC, this 5th day of April, 2004.
Cathy Kazanowski,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 04-8303 Filed 4-12-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P