[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 129 (Monday, July 6, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40199-40200]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-14415]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Annual Retail 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 Retail 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 September 4, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference Annual Retail 
Trade Survey in the subject line of your comments. You may also submit 
comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2020-0016, 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 Chris Savage, Chief, Retail Trade Branch, Economy-Wide Statistics 
Division, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC 
20233; (301) 763-4834; or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS) covers employer firms with 
establishments located in the United States and classified in the 
retail trade sector, as defined by the North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS).
    Firms are selected for this survey using a stratified random sample 
where strata are defined by industry and annual sales size. The sample 
consisting of businesses classified in the Retail Trade sector as 
defined by the 2012

[[Page 40200]]

NAICS, is drawn from the Business Register (BR). The BR is the Census 
Bureau's master business list and contains basic economic information 
for more than 160,000 multi-establishment companies representing 1.8 
million affiliated establishments, 5 million single establishment 
companies, and nearly 21 million non-employer businesses. The BR 
obtains information through direct data collections and administrative 
record information from other federal agencies. The ARTS sample is 
updated quarterly to reflect employer business ``births'' and 
``deaths'', adding new employer businesses identified in the Business 
and Professional Classification Survey and deleting firms and subunits 
of firms identified by their Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) 
when it is determined they are no longer active. The sample is also 
updated to reflect mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, splits, and 
other changes to the business universe.
    The data items requested in the ARTS include annual sales, annual 
e-commerce sales, year-end inventories, sales taxes, total operating 
expenses, detailed operating expenses in reference years ending in 2 
and 7, purchases, accounts receivables, and, for selected industries, 
sales by merchandise line. These data are used to satisfy a variety of 
public and business needs such as economic market analysis, company 
performance, and forecasting future demands.
    Data are collected electronically using the Census Bureau's secure 
online reporting instrument (Centurion). This electronic system of 
reporting is designed to allow respondents easier access, convenience 
and flexibility. Data are automatically stored and results are 
available immediately. In rare cases where the company has no access to 
the internet, the Census Bureau can arrange for the company to provide 
data to an analyst via telephone.
    From survey year 2016 through survey year 2019, there were eight 
electronic form types (SA-44, SA-44A, SA-44C, SA-44D, SA-44E, SA-44N 
SA-44S and SA-44T). Starting with survey year 2020 (which will be 
collected in 2021), there will only be four electronic form types (SA-
44C, SA-44D, SA44-S and SA44-T). Forms SA-44A, SA-44E and SA-44N are 
being removed to streamline data collection operations.
    Government agencies, private businesses, and researchers often use 
the estimates generated from the ARTS. For example, the ARTS serves as 
a benchmark for the estimates produced from the Census Bureau's Monthly 
Retail Trade Survey (MRTS). The 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 ARTS are released to the public 
approximately 13 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 ARTS website. In the future, however, the data 
will be released via the Census Bureau's dissemination platform, 
data.census.gov. The survey year 2020 data products are scheduled to be 
released through the U.S. Census Bureau enterprise 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: 0607-0013.
    Form Number(s): SA-44C, SA-44D, SA44-S and SA44-T.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for a Revision of a 
Currently Approved Collection.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 17,297.
    Estimated Time per Response: 39 minutes (2020 and 2021 survey 
years);
    201 minutes (2022 survey year--additional items collected).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 11,243 hours (2020 and 2021 
survey years);
    57,945 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. 2020-14415 Filed 7-2-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P