[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 235 (Friday, December 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85584-85585]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-26968]


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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; Quarterly Services Survey (QSS)

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, 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 (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 Quarterly Services 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 February 6, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference the Quarterly 
Services Survey in the subject line of your comments. You may also 
submit comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2023-0017, 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 Kathryn Nelson, U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Indicators Division, 
301-763-7052 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The U.S. Census Bureau plans to request a three-year extension of 
the current Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance of the 
Quarterly Services Survey (QSS). The QSS covers employer firms with 
establishments located in the United States and classified in select 
service industries as defined by the North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS). The QSS coverage currently includes all 
or parts of the following NAICS sectors: utilities (excluding 
government owned); transportation and warehousing (except rail 
transportation and postal); information; finance and insurance (except 
funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles); real estate and rental 
and leasing; professional, scientific, and technical services (except 
offices of notaries); administrative and support and waste management 
and remediation services; educational services (except elementary and 
secondary schools, junior colleges, and colleges, universities, and 
professional schools); health care and social assistance; arts, 
entertainment, and recreation; accommodation; and other services 
(except public administration). The primary estimates produced from the 
QSS are quarterly estimates of total operating revenue and the 
percentage of revenue by source. The survey also produces estimates of 
total operating expenses from tax-exempt firms in industries that have 
a large not-for-profit component. For hospitals, the survey produces 
estimates of the number of inpatient days and discharges, and for 
select industries in the arts, entertainment, and recreation sector, 
the survey produces estimates of admissions revenue.
    Firms are selected for the QSS using a stratified design with 
strata defined by industry, tax status, and estimated size based on 
annual revenue. The current

[[Page 85585]]

sample was introduced in the third quarter of 2017. The sample consists 
of approximately 19,500 firms and is a subsample of firms from the 
larger Service Annual Survey (SAS) approved under OMB Number 0607-0422. 
Each quarter the QSS sample is updated to reflect the addition of new 
businesses and the removal of firms that have gone out-of-business. 
Starting with survey year 2023, which will be collected in calendar 
year 2024, the SAS will be integrated into the Annual Integrated 
Economic Survey (AIES) approved under OMB Number 0607-1024.
    The Bureau of Economic Analysis uses the survey results as input to 
its quarterly Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and GDP by industry 
estimates. The estimates provide the Federal Reserve Board and Council 
of Economic Advisors with timely information to assess current economic 
performance. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services use the QSS 
estimates to develop hospital-spending estimates for the National 
Accounts. Other government and private stakeholders also benefit from a 
better understanding of important cyclical components of the U.S. 
service economy.

II. Method of Collection

    We will collect this information by internet, mail, and telephone 
follow-up. A significant number of QSS respondents receive an initial 
email with their username and authentication code for submission by 
internet. The remaining respondents are either mailed only their 
username and authentication code for submission by internet or mailed a 
full form. Respondents that report via the internet in any given 
quarter have the option to choose how they want to receive forms in the 
future, i.e., email or mailed form.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0907.
    Form Numbers: QSS-1A, QSS-1E, QSS-1PA, QSS-1PE, QSS-2A, QSS-2E, 
QSS-3A, QSS-3E, QSS-3SA, QSS-3SE, QSS-4A, QSS-4E, QSS-4FA, QSS-4FE, 
QSS-4SA, QSS-4SE, QSS-5A, QSS-5E.
    Type of Review: Regular Submission, Request for an Extension of a 
Currently Approved Collection.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; Not-
for-profit institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 22,300 respondents filing a total 
of 96,800 reports a year. (Some respondents file more than one report 
quarterly).
    Estimated Time per Response: 15 minutes: QSS-1A, QSS-1E, QSS-1PA, 
QSS-1PE, QSS-2A, QSS-2E, QSS-3A, QSS-3E, QSS-3SA, QSS-3SE, QSS-5A, QSS-
5E.
10 minutes: QSS-4A, QSS-4E, QSS-4FA, QSS-4FE, QSS-4SA, QSS-4SE.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 20,700 hours.
    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: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. 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 Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-26968 Filed 12-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P