[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 183 (Friday, September 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65363-65364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20568]


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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 Business 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 to the Annual Business Survey prior to the submission 
of these information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before November 21, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference Annual Business 
Survey in the subject line of your comments. You may also submit 
comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2023-0008, 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 Patrice Hall, Branch Chief, Business Owners Branch, 301-763-7198, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    In an effort to improve the measurement of business dynamics in the 
United States, the Census Bureau is conducting the Annual Business 
Survey (ABS). The ABS combines Census Bureau firm-level collections to 
reduce respondent burden, increase data quality, reduce operational 
costs, and operate more efficiently. The ABS provides information on 
select 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 and 
nonprofit organizations, business topics such as innovation and 
technology, as well as other business characteristics. 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. Title 13, United States Code, sections 8(b), 131, 
and 182; title 42, United States Code, section 1861-76 (National 
Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended); and section 505 within the 
America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 authorize this collection. 
Sections 224 and 225 of title 13, United States Code, require response 
from sampled firms.
    The ABS includes all nonfarm employer businesses filing Internal 
Revenue Service (IRS) tax forms as individual proprietorships, 
partnerships, or any other type of corporation, with receipts of $1,000 
or more. Also included are nonprofit organizations to measure their 
research activities. Annually the ABS samples 300,000 employer business 
and 8,000 nonprofit organizations. Every five years, the ABS sample 
increases to 858,000 to serve as a benchmark and produce detailed 
comprehensive estimates for women-, minority-, and veteran-owned 
businesses at the 2-6-digit NAICS, U.S., State, metropolitan 
statistical area (MSA), county, and economic place levels, while also 
providing research activities for microbusinesses and nonprofit 
organizations. The 2023 ABS sampled approximately 858,000 businesses 
and organizations (850,000 employer businesses + 8,000 nonprofit 
organizations). The sample size is reduced to approximately 308,000 for 
the four following years (2024-2027 ABS) to minimize the burden on 
survey respondents. The smaller sample size will yield summary-level 
estimates for women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businesses at the 2-
4 digit NAICS, U.S., state, and MSA levels. The Census Bureau uses 
administrative data to estimate the probability that a firm is 
minority- or women-owned. Each firm is then placed in one of eight 
frames for sampling. The sampling frames are: American Indian or 
Alaskan Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic, Non-
Hispanic White Men, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 
Publicly Owned, and Women. The sample is stratified by state, industry, 
and frame. The Census Bureau selects some companies with certainty 
based on volume of sales, payroll, number of paid employees or NAICS. 
All certainty cases are sure to be selected and represent only 
themselves. The ABS samples approximately 8,000 nonprofit organizations 
who are required to complete IRS form 990, in order to compile national 
estimates of R&D performance within this sector. Of note, nonprofit 
organizations will only see questions relating to research activities 
and will not be asked any questions relating to owner demographics.
    The ABS is designed to allow for incorporating new content each 
survey year based on topics of relevance. Each year new questions are 
submitted to the OMB for approval.
    The ABS collects the following information from employer 
businesses:
     Owner characteristics, including sex, ethnicity, race, and 
veteran status from the principal owner(s) of the business.
     Company information including, worldwide sales, domestic 
sales, number of employees, and business ownership from all employer 
businesses in the sample.
     Business characteristics from all employer businesses in 
the sample.
     Research and development from businesses with between 1-9 
employees.
    Additional owner topics may 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 status and place of birth, disability, gender

[[Page 65364]]

identity, sexual orientation, and owner's reason for owning the 
business. Other business topics may include number of owners and 
percent ownership, family owned and operated, business aspirations, 
funding sources, profitability, types of customers, types of workers, 
employee benefits, franchise operations, work from home practices, and 
business activity. Potential module topics for the ABS may cover 
innovation, technology and internet usage, technology transfer, climate 
impact and sustainability practices, management and business practices, 
exporting practices, domestic and foreign transactions, design, worker 
training, and financing.
    The ABS collects the following information from nonprofit 
organizations:

 Research activities performed or funded by nonprofit 
organizations
 Research funding sources
 Type of research
 Research personnel counts

II. Method of Collection

    The ABS is primarily collected electronically using a web-based 
questionnaire. Those selected for the survey receive an initial letter 
informing the respondents of their requirement to complete the survey 
as well as instructions on accessing the survey. Responses will be due 
approximately 30 days from initial mailing. Respondents will also 
receive a due date reminder approximately one week before responses are 
due. The Census Bureau plans to conduct two follow-up mailings and an 
optional third follow-up if deemed necessary based on check-in rates. 
Nonrespondents may receive a certified mailing for the second and third 
follow-up mailings. The Census Bureau may also plan to conduct an email 
follow-up to select nonrespondents reminding them to submit their 
report in the electronic instrument. Follow-up operations may also 
include a paper questionnaire or telephone follow-up to assist with 
collecting data from select nonrespondents. Response data will be 
processed as they are received. Upon the close of the collection 
period, data processing will continue, and records will be edited, 
reviewed, tabulated, and released publicly.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-1004.
    Form Number(s): ABS-1.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for a Revision of a 
Currently Approved Collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations 
(large and small employer businesses), nonprofit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 308,000.
    Estimated Time per Response: 58 minutes for employer businesses; 
3.5 hours for nonprofit organizations that must complete the entire 
module, 20 minutes for all other nonprofit organizations.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 296,000.
    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, United States Code, sections 8(b), 131, 
and 182; title 42, United States Code, section 1861-76 (National 
Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended); and section 505 within the 
America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 authorize this collection. 
Sections 224 and 225 of title 13, United States Code, require response 
from sampled firms.

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 Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-20568 Filed 9-21-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P