[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 212 (Monday, November 3, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65250-65251]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25997]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Annual Refiling Survey

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics (BLS) sponsored information collection request (ICR) 
revision titled, ``Annual Refiling Survey,'' to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.).

DATES: Submit comments on or before December 3, 2014.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this ICR with applicable supporting documentation; 
including a description of the likely respondents, proposed frequency 
of response, and estimated total burden may be obtained free of charge 
from the RegInfo.gov Web site at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=201409-1220-002 (this link will only become active 
on the day following publication of this notice) or by contacting 
Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129 (this is not a toll-free 
number) or sending an email to [email protected].
    Submit comments about this request to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for DOL-BLS, Office of 
Management and Budget, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 
20503, Fax: 202-395-6881 (this is not a toll-free number), email: 
[email protected]. Commenters are encouraged, but not 
required, to send a courtesy copy of any comments to the U.S. 
Department of Labor--OASAM, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 
Attn: Departmental Information Compliance Management Program, Room 
N1301, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210, email: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Michel Smyth by telephone at 
202-693-4129 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email at 
[email protected].

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D).


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This ICR seeks OMB approval for revisions to 
the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS). The ARS is used in conjunction with 
the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program. The 
primary purpose of the ARS is to verify or to correct the North 
American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to 
establishments as well as to obtain accurate mailing and physical 
location addresses of establishments. As a result, changes in the 
industrial and geographical compositions of the economy are captured in 
a timely manner and reflected in BLS statistical programs. The QCEW 
program provides data necessary to administer State Unemployment 
Insurance systems. QCEW data accurately reflect the extent of coverage 
of the State UI laws and are used for determining UI total and taxable 
wages rates and for other purposes. Federal, State, and local 
government officials as well as private researchers depend on accurate 
geographical and industrial coding based on the 2012 North American 
Industry Classification System Manual.
    This ICR has been classified as a revision because of changes to 
the scope and frequency of the ARS and because of minor revisions to 
the notification letters and collection instruments. The DOL, in 
coordination with the OMB, curtailed the QCEW program through a 
permanent budget reduction of $4.8 million in FY 2014. As a part of the 
effort to develop a reduction strategy with minimal impact on data 
quality, the ARS is being reduced in scope and is changing approach.
    An analysis considered how frequently establishments changed their 
industry, location, and ownership. The analysis looked at these changes 
over three ARS cycles covering nine years, and it showed there were 
industries with low rates of change. Thus, certain NAICS industries 
exist that traditionally have low volatility based on factors such as 
infrastructure, intellectual property, or advanced degrees that make 
them unlikely candidates for transitioning from one industry to 
another. Rather than surveying one-third of businesses in these low-
change industries every year, the QCEW program will survey one-sixth of 
these businesses each year, putting them on a six-year cycle. The six-
year cycle preserves the ability to identify trends in these slow-
changing industries, while reducing workload, postage, and other

[[Page 65251]]

survey-related costs. The ARS will also exclude establishments with 
three or fewer employees starting in FY 2015. Nationwide, this will 
account for about 160,000 fewer units annually. The Act establishing 
the BLS and Wagner-Peyser Act section 15 authorize this information 
collection. See 29 U.S.C. 1, 2, and 49l-2(a).
    This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency 
generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and 
the public is generally not required to respond to an information 
collection, unless the OMB under the PRA approves it and displays a 
currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any 
other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to 
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that 
does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 
1320.6. The DOL obtains OMB approval for this information collection 
under Control Number 1220-0032. The current approval is scheduled to 
expire on December 31, 2016; however, the DOL notes that existing 
information collection requirements submitted to the OMB receive a 
month-to-month extension while they undergo review. New requirements 
would only take effect upon OMB approval. For additional substantive 
information about this ICR, see the related notice published in the 
Federal Register on July 23, 2013 (78 FR 44160).
    Interested parties are encouraged to send comments to the OMB, 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the address shown in 
the ADDRESSES section within 30 days of publication of this notice in 
the Federal Register. In order to help ensure appropriate 
consideration, comments should mention OMB Control Number 1220-0032. 
The OMB 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; and
     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 submission of responses.
    Agency: DOL-Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title of Collection: Annual Refiling Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 1220-0032.
    Affected Public: Private Sector--businesses or other for-profits, 
not-for-profit institutions, and farms.
    Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 959,209.
    Total Estimated Number of Responses: 959,209.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 100,296.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $0.

    Dated: October 28, 2014.
Michel Smyth,
Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-25997 Filed 10-31-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P