2016-11443. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).

Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.

Title: 2017 Economic Census Industry Classification Report.

OMB Control Number: 0607-XXXX.

Form Number(s): None. All electronic collection.

Type of Request: New collection.

Number of Respondents: 125,000.

Average Hours per Response: 7 minutes.

Burden Hours: 14,583.

Needs and Uses: The Economic Census and current business surveys represent the primary source of facts about the structure and function of the U.S. economy, providing essential information to government and the business community in making sound decisions. This information helps build the foundation for the calculation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and other economic indicators. Crucial to its success is the accuracy and reliability of the Business Register data, which provides the Economic Census and current business surveys with their establishment lists.

Critical to the quality of data in the Business Register is that establishments are assigned an accurate economic classification, based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The primary purpose of the 2017 Economic Census Industry Classification Report is to meet this need.

New businesses are assigned NAICS codes by the Social Security Administration (SSA); however, many of these businesses cannot be assigned detailed NAICS codes, because insufficient data are provided by respondents on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form SS-4. This report, conducted in fiscal years 2017 and 2018, will mail approximately 125,000 businesses per year that have been partially classified in the economic sectors covered in the Economic Census. Businesses selected for the sample will be asked to provide data on primary business activity in order to assign proper industry classification, thus maintaining proper coverage of the business universe. The activities listed in the Principal Business or Activity question of the questionnaire will vary based upon the partial NAICS code of the establishment at the time of mail out. An example of activities listed under this item is included under the question.

The 2017 Economic Census Industry Classification Report will be used to update the classification codes contained in the Business Register, ensuring establishments will be tabulated in the correct detailed industry for the 2017 Economic Census and in succeeding economic surveys. Information obtained from these establishments will also be included in the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (CBP) publications. CBP publications provide annual data on establishment counts, employment, and payroll for all sectors of the economy at national, state, and county levels. The failure to collect this information will have an adverse effect on the quality and usefulness of economic statistics provided by the Census Bureau.

Affected Public: Business and other for-profit, Not-for-profit institutions.

Frequency: Every 5 years.

Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

Legal Authority: Title 13, U.S.C., Sections 131 and 193. This information collection request may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to [e-mail] or fax to [phone].

Dated: May 11, 2016.

Glenna Mickelson,

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.