(a) The Secretary, whenever he considers it advisable, may call upon any other department, agency, or establishment of the Federal Government, or of the government of the District of Columbia, for information pertinent to the work provided for in this title.

(b) The Secretary may acquire, by purchase or otherwise, from States, counties, cities, or other units of government, or their instrumentalities, or from private persons and agencies, such copies of records, reports, and other material as may be required for the efficient and economical conduct of the censuses and surveys provided for in this title.

(c) To the maximum extent possible and consistent with the kind, timeliness, quality and scope of the statistics required, the Secretary shall acquire and use information available from any source referred to in subsection (a) or (b) of this section instead of conducting direct inquiries.

(Aug. 31, 1954, ch. 1158, 68 Stat. 1013; Pub. L. 85–207, §3, Aug. 28, 1957, 71 Stat. 481; Pub. L. 94–521, §5(a), Oct. 17, 1976, 90 Stat. 2460.)

Based on title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., §§122, 215, 252, and section 1442 of title 42, U.S.C., 1952 ed., The Public Health and Welfare (June 18, 1929, ch. 28, §15, 46 Stat. 25; June 19, 1948, ch. 502, §2, 62 Stat. 479; July 15, 1949, ch. 338, title VI, §607, 63 Stat. 441; Sept. 7, 1950, ch. 910, §1, 64 Stat. 784).

Section consolidates section 215 of title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., with those parts of sections 122 and 252 of such title which respectively made such section 215 applicable to the quinquennial censuses of manufacturers and the mineral industries and other businesses, and governments, and with that part of subsection (b) of section 1442 of title 42, U.S.C., 1952 ed., which made such section 215 applicable to the decennial censuses of housing (see subchapters I, II, and III of chapter 5 of this title). As originally enacted in 1929, such section 215 had related only to the decennial censuses of population, agriculture, etc., the provisions for which are continued in subchapter II of chapter 5 of this title.

The provisions, as revised in this section, relate, not only to the censuses referred to above, but also, to all other investigations provided for in this title. This was probably the Congressional intent.

Words in section 215 of title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., “on request of the Director of the Census”, were omitted since all functions under this title are vested primarily in the Secretary (of Commerce), in view of 1950 Reorganization Plan No. 5, §§1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1263. See Revision Note to section 4 of this title.

Changes were made in phraseology.

For remainder of sections 122 and 252 of title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., and of section 1442 of title 42, U.S.C., 1952 ed. (which has been transferred in its entirety to this revised title), see Distribution Table.

**1976**—Pub. L. 94–521 substituted “Information from other Federal departments and agencies; acquisition of reports from other governmental and private sources” for “Requests to other departments and offices for information, acquisition of reports from governmental and other sources” in section catchline.

Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 94–521 substituted “considers” for “deems”, and “agency, or establishment of the Federal Government, or of the government of the District of Columbia” for “or office of the Government”.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 94–521 added subsec. (c).

**1957**—Pub. L. 85–207 inserted “, acquisition of reports from governmental and other sources” in section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), and added subsec. (b).

Amendment by Pub. L. 94–521 effective Oct. 17, 1976, see section 17 of Pub. L. 94–521, set out as a note under section 1 of this title.