[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 123 (Monday, June 28, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36106-36107]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-14658]


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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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    Authority: The Small Business Paperwork Relief Act (44 U.S.C. 
3520).

SUMMARY: The Office of Management is publishing the Final Report of the 
Small Business Paperwork Relief Task Force. The Small Business 
Paperwork Relief Task Force recommends options regarding the 
improvement of the electronic dissemination of information collected 
under Federal requirements and identifies a plan to develop an 
interactive Government-wide Internet program to identify applicable 
collections and facilitate compliance. A Draft Report was released for 
public comment May 5, 2003 and the response to comments is included in 
Appendix 7 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/sbpr2004.pdf, and on the Small Business Administration's Web site for 
business laws, http://www.businesslaw.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jack Koller, Office of E-Government 
and Information Technology, Office of Management and Budget, e-mail: 
[email protected], Telephone: (202) 395-4599.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the SBPRA (44 U.S.C. 3520) Congress 
directed the Director of OMB to convene 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 Task Force is charged with examining five tasks 
designed to reduce the information collection burden placed by 
government on small businesses. These tasks are as follows:
    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.
    While carrying out its work, the Task Force is to consider 
opportunities for the coordination of Federal and State reporting 
requirements, and coordination among individuals who have been 
designated as the small business ``point of contact'' for their 
agencies.
    This report, which addresses 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

[[Page 36107]]

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 Ms. Karen S. 
Evans, Administrator for E-Government and Information Technology, to 
co-chair the Task Force.
    The Act specifies the following agencies to be represented on the 
SBPRA Task Force: Department of Labor (including the Bureau of Labor 
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 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 5, 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 7 of the Final Report.

John D. Graham,
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
Karen S. Evans,
Administrator, E-Government and Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 04-14658 Filed 6-25-04; 8:45 am]
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