[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 126 (Monday, July 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31291-31293]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13967]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census

[Docket Number 190606489-9489-01]


Current Mandatory Business Surveys

AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of determination.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of the Census (U.S. Census Bureau) will conduct the

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following current mandatory business surveys in 2019: Annual Business 
Survey (ABS), Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM), Annual Retail Trade 
Survey (ARTS), Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS), Service Annual 
Survey (SAS), Report of Organization (formerly Company Organization 
Survey), Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders Survey, Annual Capital 
Expenditures Survey (ACES), Business Research and Development (R&D) 
Survey (BRDS), and the Business and Professional Classification Report. 
We have determined that data collected from these surveys are needed to 
aid the efficient performance of essential governmental functions and 
have significant application to the needs of the public and industry. 
The data derived from these surveys, most of which have been conducted 
for many years, are not publicly available from nongovernmental or 
other governmental sources.

ADDRESSES: The Census Bureau will make available the reporting 
instructions to the organizations included in the surveys. Additional 
copies are available upon written request to the Director, 4600 Silver 
Hill Road, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC 20233-0101.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nick Orsini, Associate Director for 
Economic Programs, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, 8H132, 
Washington, DC 20233, Telephone: 301-763-1858; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The surveys described herein are authorized 
by Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Sections 131, 182 and 193 and 
are necessary to furnish current data on the subjects covered by the 
major censuses. These surveys are made mandatory under the provisions 
of Sections 224 and 225 of Title 13, U.S.C. These surveys will provide 
continuing and timely national statistical data for the period between 
economic censuses. The data collected in the surveys will be within the 
general scope and nature of those inquiries covered in the economic 
census. The most recent economic census was conducted in 2018 for the 
reference year 2017. The next economic census will occur in 2023 for 
the reference year 2022.

Annual Business Survey

    The ABS provides information on selected economic and demographic 
characteristics for businesses and business owners by sex, ethnicity, 
race, and veteran status. Further, the survey measures research and 
development for microbusinesses, new business topics, such as 
innovation and technology, as well as other business characteristics. 
The ABS is designed to incorporate new content each survey year based 
on topics of relevance. The topics included on the 2019 ABS collection 
will be: Company Information; Owner Characteristics; Innovation; 
Research & Development; and Technology and Intellectual Property. The 
ABS is sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering 
Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) and 
conducted by the Census Bureau for five years (2018-2022).

Annual Survey of Manufactures

    The ASM collects annual industry statistics, such as total value of 
shipments, employment, payroll, workers' hours, capital expenditures, 
cost of materials consumed, supplemental labor costs, and so forth. 
This survey is conducted on a sample basis, and covers all 
manufacturing industries, including data on plants under construction 
but not yet in operation. The ASM data are used to benchmark and 
reconcile monthly data on manufacturing production and inventories. In 
2019, the ASM will begin collecting information about the use of 
robotics in manufacturing.

Annual Retail Trade Survey

    The ARTS collects data on annual sales, sales tax, e-commerce 
sales, year-end inventories, total operating expenses, purchases, and 
accounts receivable from a sample of employer firms with establishments 
classified in retail trade as defined by the North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS). These data serve as a benchmark for the 
more frequent estimates compiled from the Monthly Retail Trade Survey.

Annual Wholesale Trade Survey

    The AWTS collects data on annual sales, e-commerce sales, year-end 
inventories held both inside and outside of the United States, method 
of inventory valuation, total operating expenses, purchases, gross 
selling value, and commissions from a sample of employer firms with 
establishments classified in wholesale trade as defined by the NAICS. 
These data serve as a benchmark for the more frequent estimates 
compiled from the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey.

Service Annual Survey

    The SAS collects annual data on total revenue, select detailed 
revenue, total and detailed expenses, and e-commerce revenue for a 
sample of businesses in the service industries. These industries 
include Utilities; Transportation and Warehousing; Information; Finance 
and Insurance; Real Estate and Rental and Leasing; Professional, 
Scientific, and Technical Services; Administration and Support and 
Waste Management and Remediation Services; Educational Services; Health 
Care and Social Assistance; Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation; 
Accommodation and Food Services; and Other Services as defined by the 
NAICS. These data serve as a benchmark for the more frequent estimates 
compiled from the Quarterly Services Survey.

Report of Organization

    The Report of Organization collects annual data on ownership or 
control by a domestic or foreign parent and ownership of foreign 
affiliates. This includes research and development, company activities 
such as employees from a professional employer organization, 
operational status, mid-March employment, first-quarter payroll, and 
annual payroll of establishments from a sample of multi-establishment 
enterprises in order to update and maintain a centralized, multipurpose 
Business Register.

Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders Survey

    The Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders Survey collects annual data on 
sales and unfilled orders in order to provide annual benchmarks for 
unfilled orders for the monthly Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, 
and Orders (M3) survey. The Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders Survey data 
are also used to determine whether it is necessary to collect unfilled 
orders data for specific industries on a monthly basis, as some 
industries are not requested to provide unfilled orders data in the M3 
Survey.

Annual Capital Expenditures Survey

    The ACES collects annual data on the amount of business 
expenditures for new and used structures and equipment from a sample of 
non-farm, non-governmental companies, organizations, and associations. 
Both employer and nonemployer companies are included in the survey. The 
data are the sole source of investment in buildings and other 
structures, machinery, and equipment by all private nonfarm businesses 
in the United States, by the investing industry, and by kind of 
investment. In 2019, the Census Bureau will begin collecting 
information about expenditures for both industrial and service robotics 
at the company level across 19 NAICS sectors.

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Business Research and Development Survey

    The BRDS collects annual data on spending for research and 
development activities by businesses. This survey replaced the Survey 
of Industrial Research and Development that had been collected since 
the 1950s. The BRDS collects global as well as domestic spending 
information, more detailed information about the R&D workforce, and 
information regarding intellectual property from U.S. businesses. The 
Census Bureau collects and compiles this information in accordance with 
a joint project agreement between the National Science Foundation (NSF) 
and the Census Bureau. The NSF posts the joint project's information 
results on their website.

Business and Professional Classification Report

    The Business and Professional Classification Report collects one-
time data on a firm's type of business activity from a sample of newly 
organized employer firms. The data are used to update the sampling 
frames for our current business surveys to reflect these newly opened 
establishments. Additionally, the business classification data will 
help ensure businesses are directed to complete the correct report in 
the economic census.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required 
to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure 
to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements 
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) unless that collection of 
information displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) control number. In accordance with the PRA, 44 U.S.C., Chapter 
45, OMB approved the surveys described in this notice under the 
following OMB control numbers: ABS, 0607-1004; ASM, 0607-0449; ARTS, 
0607-0013; AWTS, 0607-0195; SAS, 0607-0422; Report of Organization, 
0607-0444; Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders Survey, 0607-0561; ACES, 
0607-0782; BRDS, 0607-0912; and Business and Professional 
Classification Report, 0607-0189.
    Based upon the foregoing, I have directed that the current 
mandatory business surveys be conducted for the purpose of collecting 
these data.

    Dated: June 24, 2019.
Steven D. Dillingham,
Director, Bureau of the Census.
[FR Doc. 2019-13967 Filed 6-28-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P