[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 3, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34174-34175]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-11961]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Annual Wholesale Trade Survey

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Information Collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the 
proposed revision of the Annual Wholesale Trade Survey, prior to the 
submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for 
approval.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before August 3, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference Annual Wholesale 
Trade Survey in the subject line of your comments. You may also submit 
comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2020-0014, to the Federal e-
Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. All comments received 
are part of the public record. No comments will be posted to http://www.regulations.gov for public viewing until after the comment period 
has closed. Comments will generally be posted without change. All 
Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address) 
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do 
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information. You may submit attachments to electronic 
comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to John Dougherty, Chief, Wholesale Trade Branch, Economy-Wide 
Statistics Division, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, 
Washington, DC 20233; (301) 763-8936; or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS) covers employer firms with 
establishments located in the United States and classified in the 
wholesale trade sector, as defined by the North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS). This includes distributors, 
manufacturers' sales branches and offices, and agents and brokers.

[[Page 34175]]

    Firms are selected for this survey using a stratified simple random 
sample. For the AWTS, the strata are defined by type of operation, 
industry, and annual sales size. The sample is drawn from the Business 
Register (BR), which is the Census Bureau's master business list. The 
BR contains basic economic information for more than 7.4 million 
employer businesses and over 22.5 million nonemployer businesses; it is 
updated through direct data collections and administrative records from 
other federal agencies. In order to account for new businesses (births) 
and businesses that discontinue operations (deaths), the AWTS sample is 
updated quarterly. The sample is also updated to reflect mergers, 
acquisitions, divestitures, splits, and other changes to the business 
universe.
    Data are collected electronically using Centurion, the Census 
Bureau's secure online reporting instrument. This system is designed to 
make the reporting process more flexible and convenient for 
respondents. The response-driven nature of the instrument also reduces 
respondent burden. Data are automatically stored, and the results are 
available immediately to the Census Bureau. If a company does not have 
access to the internet, the Census Bureau can arrange for the business 
to provide its data to an analyst via telephone.
    The data items requested in the AWTS include annual sales, e-
commerce sales, number of establishments, inventories, purchases, 
operating expenses, commissions, sales on own account, and gross 
selling value. In response to a request from the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis (BEA), the 2022 AWTS will also collect detailed operating 
expenses and sales tax information. Respondents are only asked to 
provide data for these two items in years ending in 2 and 7, which 
coincide with the Economic Census collection. For survey year 2020, the 
AWTS may include additional questions related to the impact coronavirus 
disease 2019 (COVID-19) had on firms. A final decision has not been 
made yet on the inclusion of these questions.
    From survey year 2016 through survey year 2019, there were five 
electronic form types (SA-42, SA-42A, SA-42A-MSBO, SA-42-AGBR, and SA-
42A-AGBR). Starting with survey year 2020 (which will be collected in 
2021), there will only be three electronic form types (SA-42A, SA-42A-
MSBO, and SA-42A-AGBR). SA-42 and SA-42-AGBR are being removed to 
streamline data collection operations and reduce respondent burden. 
Each of the three remaining form types will continue to ask a different 
subset of the data items previously mentioned. This ensures businesses 
only see items that are relevant to their type of operation.
    Government agencies, private businesses, and researchers often use 
the estimates generated from the AWTS. For example, the AWTS serves as 
a benchmark for the estimates produced from the Census Bureau's Monthly 
Wholesale Trade Survey (MWTS). BEA utilizes the data when developing 
its gross domestic product (GDP) estimates and the national accounts' 
input-output tables. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) uses the data 
as an input to its producer price indices and in developing 
productivity measurements. Furthermore, business and industry groups 
utilize the data to forecast future demand.
    Estimates generated from the AWTS are released to the public 
approximately 14 months after the reference year has concluded. These 
national-level estimates are published (for the various items 
collected) by NAICS code and type of operation. Currently, the data are 
disseminated through the AWTS website. Beginning with survey year 2020, 
the Census Bureau also will release the data via the Census Bureau's 
dissemination platform, data.census.gov.

II. Method of Collection

    The Census Bureau primarily collects this information via the 
internet. In the rare situation where a respondent does not have access 
to the internet, the data are collected by telephone.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0195.
    Form Number(s): SA-42A, SA-42A-MSBO, SA-42A-AGBR.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, Revision of a currently 
approved collection.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 7,743.
    Estimated Time per Response: 31.2 minutes (2020 and 2021 survey 
years). 85.2 minutes (2022 survey year--additional items collected).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,026 hours (2020 and 2021 
survey years). 10,995 hours (2022 survey year--additional items 
collected).
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 (This is not the cost of 
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for 
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to 
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services 
required specifically by the collection.)
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. Sections 131 and 182.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our 
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, 
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information 
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly 
available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-11961 Filed 6-2-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P