[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 16, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32024-32025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-12719]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Economic Analysis


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Direct Investment Surveys: BE-11, Annual Survey of U.S. Direct 
Investment Abroad

AGENCY: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of 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 of 1995 (PRA), 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 
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before August 16, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Ricardo Limes, Chief, Multinational Operations Branch, Bureau of 
Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, by email to 
[email protected] and [email protected]. Please reference OMB 
Control Number 0608-0053 in the subject line of your comments. Do not 
submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Ricardo Limes, Chief, Multinational Operations Branch, Bureau of 
Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce; via phone at (301) 278-
9659; or via email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Annual Survey of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad (BE-11) obtains 
sample data on the financial structure and operations of U.S. parents 
and their foreign affiliates. The data are needed to provide reliable, 
useful, and timely measures of U.S. direct investment abroad to assess 
its impact on the U.S. and foreign economies. The sample data are used 
to derive universe estimates in non-benchmark years from similar data 
reported in the BE-10, Benchmark Survey of U.S. Direct Investment 
Abroad, which is conducted every five years. The data collected include 
balance sheets; income statements; property, plant, and equipment; 
employment and employee compensation; merchandise trade; sales of goods 
and services; taxes; and research and development activity.
    The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is not proposing any changes 
to the BE-11 survey.

II. Method of Collection

    BEA contacts potential respondents by mail in March of each year; 
responses covering a reporting company's fiscal year ending during the 
previous calendar year are due by May 31. Reports are required from 
each U.S. person that has a direct and/or indirect ownership interest 
of at least 10 percent of the voting stock in an incorporated foreign 
business enterprise, or an equivalent interest in an unincorporated 
foreign business enterprise, and that meets the additional conditions 
detailed in the BE-11 forms and instructions. Entities required to 
report will be contacted individually by BEA. Entities not contacted by 
BEA have no reporting responsibilities.
    BEA offers electronic filing through its eFile system for use in 
reporting on the BE-11 annual survey forms. In addition, BEA posts all 
its survey forms and reporting instructions on its website 
(www.bea.gov/dia). These may be downloaded, completed, printed, and 
submitted via fax or mail.
    Potential respondents of the BE-11 are selected from those U.S. 
parents that reported owning foreign business enterprises in the 2019 
BE-10, Benchmark Survey of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad, along with 
entities that subsequently entered the direct investment universe. The 
BE-11 is a sample survey; universe estimates are developed from the 
reported sample data.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0608-0053.
    Form Number: BE-11.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, reinstatement without change.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,500 respondents (U.S. parents). 
A complete response includes a BE-11 A form for the U.S. parent's 
domestic operation and one or more BE-11 B, C, or D forms for its 
foreign affiliates that meet the BE-11 survey requirements. BEA 
estimates that U.S. parents will submit 3,500 A forms, 24,000 B forms,

[[Page 32025]]

1,900 C forms, 100 D forms, and 500 Claim for Exemption forms.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 316,900 hours. Total annual 
burden is calculated by multiplying the estimated number of submissions 
of each form by the average hourly burden per form, which is 7 hours 
for the A form, 12 hours for the B form, 2 hours for the C form, 1 hour 
for the D form, and 1 hour for the Claim for Exemption form.
    Estimated Time per Respondent: 90.5 hours per respondent (316,900 
hours/3,500 U.S. parents) is the average but may vary considerably 
among respondents because of differences in company structure, 
complexity, and the number of foreign affiliates each U.S. parent must 
report.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: International Investment and Trade in Services 
Survey Act (Pub. L. 94-472, 22 U.S.C. 3101-3108, as amended).

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. 2021-12719 Filed 6-15-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-06-P