2011-20277. 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: 2012 Economic Census Covering Information; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services; Educational Services; Health Care and Social Assistance; Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation; and Other Services (Except Public Administration) Sectors.

OMB Control Number: 0607-0934.

Form Number(s): Too numerous to list here.

Type of Request: Reinstatement, with change, of an expired collection.

Burden Hours: 1,389,465 in fiscal year 2013.

Number of Respondents: 1,530,400.

Average Hours per Response: 0.9 hours.

Needs and Uses: The 2012 Economic Census covering the information; professional, scientific, and technical services; management of companies and enterprises; administrative and support and waste management and remediation services; educational services; health care and social assistance; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and other services (except public administration) sectors will use a mail canvass, supplemented by data from Federal administrative records, to measure the economic activity of more than 2.8 million establishments with payroll classified in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

The information sector comprises establishments engaged in the following processes: (a) Producing and distributing information and cultural products, (b) providing the means to transmit or distribute these products as well as data or communications, and (c) processing data.

The professional, scientific, and technical services sector comprises establishments engaged in processes where human capital is the major input. These establishments make available the knowledge and skills of their employees, often on an assignment basis, where an individual or team is responsible for the delivery of service to a client.

The management of companies and enterprises sector comprises two main types of establishments: (a) Those that hold the securities of (or other equity interest in) companies and enterprises; and (b) those (except government establishments) that administer, oversee, and manage other establishments of the company or enterprise.

The administrative and support and waste management and remediation services sector comprises establishments performing routine support activities for the day-to-day operations of other organizations. These essential activities are of the type often undertaken in-house by establishments in many sectors of the economy.

The educational services sector comprises establishments providing academic or technical instruction or educational support services such as student exchange programs and curriculum development.

The health care and social assistance sector comprises establishments that provide health care and social assistance to individuals.

The arts, entertainment, and recreation sector comprises establishments that operate facilities or provide services to meet varied cultural, entertainment, and recreational interests of their patrons. This sector includes (a) Establishments that are involved in producing, promoting, or participating in live performances, events, or exhibits intended for public viewing; (b) establishments that preserve and exhibit objects and sites of historical, cultural, or educational interest; and (c) establishments that operate facilities or provide services that enable patrons to participate in recreational activities or pursue amusement, hobby, or leisure time interests.

The other services, except public administration sector comprises establishments in one of the following subsectors: Repair and maintenance; personal and laundry services; and religious, grantmaking, civic, and professional and other similar organizations. The public administration sector is out of scope to the economic census. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the quinquennial census of governments and other current programs that measure the activities of government establishments.

The information collected will produce basic statistics by kind of business for number of establishments, receipts/revenue, payroll, and employment. It will also yield a variety of subject statistics, including receipts or revenue by product line, receipts by class of customer, and other industry-specific measures, such as exported services or personnel by occupation. Basic statistics will be summarized for the United States, states, metropolitan areas, counties and places. Tabulations of subject statistics also will present data for the United States and, in some cases, for states.

The economic census is the primary source of facts about the structure and functioning of the Nation's economy and features unique industry and geographic detail. Economic census statistics serve as part of the framework for the national accounts and provide essential information for government, business, and the general public. The Federal Government uses information from the economic census as an important part of the framework for the national income and product accounts, input-output tables, economic indexes, and other composite measures that serve as the factual basis for economic policy-making, planning, and program administration. Further, the census provides sampling frames and benchmarks for current surveys of business which track short-term economic trends, serve as economic indicators, and contribute critical source data for current estimates of the gross domestic product. State and local governments rely on the economic census as a unique source of comprehensive economic statistics for small geographic areas for use in policy-making, planning, and program administration. Finally, industry, business, academe, and the general public use information from the economic census for evaluating markets, preparing business plans, making business decisions, developing economic models and forecasts, conducting economic research, and establishing benchmarks for their own sample surveys.

If the economic census was not conducted, the Federal government would lose vital source data and benchmarks for the national accounts, input-output tables, and other composite measures of economic activity, causing a substantial degradation in the quality of these important statistics. Further, the government would lose critical benchmarks for current sample-based economic surveys and an essential source of detailed, comprehensive economic information for use in policy-making, planning, and program administration.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit, Not-for-profit institutions; State, local or Tribal Governments.

Frequency: One time.

Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

Legal Authority: This information collection is part of the 2012 Economic Census, which is required by law under Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.). Section 131 of this statute directs the taking of a census at 5-year intervals. Section 224 makes reporting mandatory.

OMB Desk Officer: Brian Harris-Kojetin, [phone].

Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, [phone], Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at [e-mail]).

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to Brian Harris-Kojetin, OMB Desk Officer either by fax [phone]) or e-mail ([e-mail]).

Dated: August 5, 2011.

Glenna Mickelson,

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.