[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 136 (Friday, July 16, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42651-42652]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-16134]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


2004-2006 Company Organization Survey

ACTION: Proposed information 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 September 14, 
2004.

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, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 2747, 
Federal Building 3, Washington, DC 20233-6100; telephone (301) 763-
4058.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau conducts the annual Company Organization Survey 
(COS) in order to update and maintain a central, multipurpose Business 
Register (BR). In particular, the COS supplies critical information on 
the composition, organizational structure, and operating 
characteristics of multi-location 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 2004-2006 COS in a similar 
manner as the 2003 COS. These collections will direct inquiries to 
approximately 55,000 multi-establishment companies, which operate over 
1.2 million establishments. This panel will be drawn from the BR 
universe of nearly 200,000 multi-establishment companies, which operate 
1.6 million establishments. Additionally, the panel will include 
approximately 10,000 large single-establishment companies that may have 
added locations during the year.
    The mailing list for the 2004-2006 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. The mailing list also 
will include entities that are most likely to have added establishments 
at other locations.
    For 2004-2006, 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

[[Page 42652]]

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 
2004-2006 COS in order to enhance content. We will include questions on 
leased employees working in the company and questions on research and 
development activities performed by the company.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0607-0444.
    Form Number: NC-99001 and NC-99007 (for single-location companies).
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Businesses and not-for-profit institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 65,000 enterprises.
    Estimated Time per Response: 2.09 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 135,917.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: Included in the total annual cost of 
the BR, which is estimated to be $10.9 million for fiscal year 2004.
    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) 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: July 12, 2004.
Madeleine Clayton,
Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-16134 Filed 7-15-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P