[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 150 (Monday, August 7, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36728-36730]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-16605]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Annual Business 
Survey (ABS)

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
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.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before October 6, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 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 Patrice Norman, U.S. Census Bureau, EWD, 8K151, 
Washington, DC 20233-6600, (301) 763-7198, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

[[Page 36729]]

I. Abstract

    The U.S. Census Bureau, with support from the National Science 
Foundation (NSF), plans to conduct the Annual Business Survey (ABS) for 
the 2017-2021 survey years. The ABS is a new survey designed to combine 
Census Bureau firm-level collections to reduce respondent burden, 
increase data quality, reduce operational costs, and operate more 
efficiently. The ABS replaces the five-year Survey of Business Owners 
(SBO) for employer businesses, the Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs 
(ASE), and the Business R&D and Innovation for Microbusinesses (BRDI-M) 
surveys. The Survey of Business Owners has been conducted as part of 
the economic census every five years since 1972 to collect selected 
economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business 
owners by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status for both employer 
and nonemployer businesses. The Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs was 
conducted for three reference years (2014, 2015, and 2016) as a 
supplement to the SBO to provide more frequent data on economic and 
demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners by 
gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status for employer businesses. 
The Business R&D and Innovation for Microbusinesses survey was first 
fielded in 2016 as an expansion to the Business R&D and Innovation 
Survey (BRDI-S) to measure firm innovation and investigate the 
incidence of R&D activities in growing sectors, such as small business 
enterprises not covered by BRDIS. Detailed R&D information for 
businesses with 10 or more employees will continue to be collected 
separately on the BRDIS. Statistics from the new ABS will be used by 
government program officials, industry organization leaders, economic 
and social analysts, business entrepreneurs, and domestic and foreign 
researchers in academia, business, and government. Estimates produced 
on owner demographic data may be used to assess business assistance 
needs, allocate available program resources, and create a framework for 
planning, directing, and assessing programs that promote the activities 
of disadvantaged groups; to assess minority-owned businesses by 
industry and area and to educate industry associations, corporations, 
and government entities; to analyze business operations in comparison 
to similar firms, compute market share, and assess business growth and 
future prospects. Estimates produced on research and development and 
innovation may be used to compare R&D costs across industries, 
determine where R&D activity is conducted geographically, and identify 
the types of businesses with R&D to contribute to the Bureau of 
Economic Analysis (BEA) system of national accounts; to increase 
investments in research and development, strengthen education, and 
encourage entrepreneurship; and to compare business innovation in the 
United States to that of other countries.
    The ABS covers all domestic, nonfarm employer businesses with 
operations during the survey year. The ABS will provide the only 
comprehensive data on business owner demographics and business 
characteristics, including financing, research and development (for 
microbusinesses), and innovation. Nonemployer businesses are not in 
scope for the ABS. The Census Bureau will submit a separate clearance 
for approval to collect business and owner characteristics from 
nonemployer businesses if it is determined that a collection is needed 
to produce those estimates. The ABS will collect the following 
information from employer businesses:
     Owner characteristics, including the gender, ethnicity, 
race, and veteran status of the principal owner(s) from all firms in 
the sample
     Various business characteristics, including financing from 
all firms in the sample
     Research and development activity and costs from firms 
with less than 10 employees
     Innovation practices from all firms in the sample
    Additional owner topics include military service, owner 
acquisition, job functions, number of hours worked, primary income, 
prior business ownership, age of owner, education and field of degree, 
citizenship and place of birth, and owner's reason for owning the 
business. Other business topics include number of owners and percent 
ownership, family owned and operated, business aspirations, funding 
sources, profitability, types of customers, types of workers, employee 
benefits, home operation, Web site use, and business activity. Starting 
with the 2018 survey, the ABS may include new module questions each 
year based on relevant business topics. Potential topics include 
technological advances, Internet usage, management and business 
practices, exporting practices, and globalization.
    The draft content for the ABS will be cognitively tested with 
approximately 20 businesses under a separate OMB generic clearance. The 
questionnaire and interview protocol will be used to assess the 
feasibility and merit of suggested changes that arise from the testing.
    The 2017 ABS will sample approximately 850,000 employer businesses 
to produce more detailed statistics. Annually from 2018-2021, the 
survey sample will be reduced to approximately 300,000 businesses to 
reduce respondent burden. Businesses that reported business activity on 
Internal Revenue Service tax forms 941, ``Employer's Quarterly Federal 
Tax Return''; 944, ``Employer's Annual Federal Tax Return''; or any one 
of the 1120 corporate tax forms will be eligible for selection.

II. Method of Collection

    The ABS will be collected using only electronic instruments. 
Respondents will receive a letter notifying them of their requirement 
to respond and how to access the survey. Letters will be mailed from 
the Census Bureau's National Processing Center in Jeffersonville, 
Indiana. Responses will be due approximately 30 days from receipt. 
Select businesses will receive a due date reminder via a letter prior 
to the due date. Additionally, two mail follow-ups to nonrespondents 
will be conducted at approximately one-month intervals. Select 
nonrespondents will receive a certified mailing for the second follow-
up if needed.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): This electronic-only collection will not utilize 
paper forms.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Large and small employer businesses.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 850,000 employer businesses for 
2017; 300,000 employer businesses for 2018-2021.
    Estimated Time per Response: 35 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 495,833 for 2017; 175,000 for 
2018-2021.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 8(b), 131, 
and 182; and Title 42, United States Code, Sections 1861-76 (National 
Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended).

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

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(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.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-16605 Filed 8-4-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P