49506 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 169 / Friday, September 3, 2021 / Notices 

status of R&D must be known and 

analyzed. Without comprehensive 

business R&D statistics, it would be 

impossible to evaluate the health of 

science and technology in the United 

States or to make comparisons between 

the technological progress of our 

country and that of other nations. 

BERD is a joint statistical project 

between the National Center for Science 

and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) 

within the National Science Foundation 

(NSF) and the Census Bureau. 

NCSES has published annual R&D 

statistics collected from the Survey of 

Industrial Research and Development 

(1953–2007), the Business R&D and 

Innovation Survey (2008–2016), the 

Business Research and Development 

Survey (2017 and 2018), and the 

Business Enterprise Research and 

Development Survey (2019 and 2020) 

for 67 years. The results of the surveys 

are used to assess trends in R&D 

expenditures by industry sector, 

investigate productivity determinants, 

formulate science and tax policy, and 

compare individual company 

performance with industry averages. 

This survey is the Nation’s primary 

source for international comparative 

statistics on business R&D spending. 

BERD will continue to collect the 

following types of information: 

• R&D expense based on accepted 

accounting standards. 

• Worldwide R&D of domestic 

companies. 

• Business segment detail. 

• R&D related capital expenditures. 

• Detailed data about the R&D 

workforce. 

• R&D strategy and data on the 

potential impact of R&D on the market. 

Beginning in 2020, in an effort to 

reduce burden, BERD began rotating 

select content off the survey in 

alternating years. In 2020, questions 

related to detail of R&D performed by 

others, activities with academia, 

industries of business and specific 

federal agency funding R&D, and areas 

of application for R&D were removed 

from BERD. In 2021, all of those 

questions will be reintroduced to the 

survey and the Intellectual Property and 

Technology Transfer Section will be 

removed from the survey. BERD plans to 

continue rotating this content in 

alternating years. 

Beginning in 2021, the BERD will 

revise its existing Capital Expenditures 

section to collect additional information 

on assets. Cognitive testing on these 

questions conducted by the Census 

Bureau in 2018 revealed that these 

questions pose no substantive impact on 

burden (the data requested are all 

readily available in most companies’ 

books) and would provide context on 

capital stock of R&D active companies 

not currently available in any other data 

source. After collecting two consecutive 

years of data (for 2021 and 2022), BERD 

plans to collect the additional assets 

questions in alternating years, similar to 

the other rotating content. So, in 2023, 

BERD would have the smaller 

[previously collected] Capital 

Expenditures section, and in 2024 

would reinstate the more robust Assets 

section and so on. 

Information from BERD will continue 

to support NCSES’ responsibility to 

collect information on Research and 

Development for overall support for 

Federal policy discussions, as required 

under the America COMPETES 

Reauthorization Act of 2010. 

Policy officials from many Federal 

agencies rely on these statistics for 

essential information. Businesses and 

trade organizations rely on BERD data to 

benchmark their industry’s performance 

against others. For example, total U.S. 

R&D expenditures statistics are used by 

the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) 

for incorporating R&D as fixed 

investment in updates to the National 

Income and Product Accounts (NIPAs). 

Also, NCSES, BEA and the Census 

Bureau periodically seek to use BERD 

data to augment global R&D investment 

information that is obtained from BEA’s 

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and 

U.S. Direct Investment Abroad (USDIA) 

surveys. Further, the Census Bureau 

links data collected by BERD with other 

statistical files. At the Census Bureau, 

historical company-level R&D data are 

linked to a file that contains information 

on the outputs and inputs of companies’ 

manufacturing plants. Researchers can 

analyze the relationships between R&D 

funding and other economic variables 

by using micro-level data. 

Individuals and organizations access 

the survey statistics via the internet in 

annual InfoBriefs published by NCSES 

that announce the availability of 

statistics from each cycle of BERD and 

detailed statistical table reports that 

contain all of the statistics NCSES 

produces from BERD. Information about 

the kinds of projects that rely on 

statistics from BERD is available from 

internal records of Census’ Center for 

Economic Studies. In addition, survey 

statistics are regularly cited in trade 

publications and many researchers use 

the survey statistics from these 

secondary sources without directly 

contacting NCSES or the Census Bureau. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. 

Frequency: Annually. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: The survey is 

conducted under the authority of Title 

13, United States Code, Sections 8(b), 

131, and 182; Title 42, United States 

Code, Sections 1861–76 (National 

Science Foundation Act of 1950, as 

amended); and Section 505 within the 

America COMPETES Reauthorization 

Act of 2010. 

This information collection request 

may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov. 

Follow the instructions to view the 

Department of Commerce collections 

currently under review by OMB. 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted within 30 days of the 

publication of this notice on the 

following website www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. Find this 

particular information collection by 

selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day 

Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or 

by using the search function and 

entering either the title of the collection 

or the OMB Control Number 0607–0912. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of 

the Chief Information Officer, Commerce 

Department. 

[FR Doc. 2021–19134 Filed 9–2–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Census Bureau 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; Current Population Survey, 

Annual Social and Economic 

Supplement 

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection, 

request for comment. 

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 Annual Social and Economic 

Supplement (ASEC) to the Current 

Population Survey, prior to the 

submission of the information collection 

request (ICR) to OMB for approval. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 169 / Friday, September 3, 2021 / Notices 49507 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments regarding this proposed 

information collection must be received 

on or before November 2, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments by 

email to the Current Population Surveys 

Branch email address at dsd.cps@

census.gov. Please reference the Annual 

Social and Economic Supplement 

(ASEC) in the subject line of your 

comments. You may also submit 

comments, identified by Docket Number 

USBC–2021–0021, to the Federal eRulemaking 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 Lisa 

Cheok, U.S. Census Bureau, (301) 763– 

3806 (or via the internet at dsd.cps@

census.gov). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The Census Bureau plans to request 

clearance from the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for the 

collection of data concerning the 

Annual Social and Economic 

Supplement (ASEC) to be conducted in 

conjunction with the February, March, 

and April Current Population Survey 

(CPS). The Census Bureau and the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics sponsor this 

supplement, which had its beginnings 

in 1942. This collection is authorized 

under Title 13, United States Code, 

Sections 141 and 182; and Title 29, 

United States Code, Sections 1–9. The 

current clearance expires December 31, 

2021. The ASEC data collection 

questions remain largely unchanged 

from its most recent collection in 2021, 

however, there are minor changes and 

additions requested. The changes are 

limited to questions on stimulus 

payments, free and reduced price school 

lunch, pandemic school meals, and 

advanced child tax credit payments. 

Information on work experience, 

personal income, noncash benefits, 

current and previous year health 

insurance coverage, employersponsored insurance take-up, and 

migration is collected through the 

ASEC. The work experience items in the 

ASEC provide a unique measure of the 

dynamic nature of the labor force as 

viewed over a one-year period. These 

items produce statistics that show 

movements in and out of the labor force 

by measuring the number of periods of 

unemployment experienced by people, 

the number of different employers 

worked for during the year, the 

principal reasons for unemployment, 

and part-/full-time attachment to the 

labor force. We can make indirect 

measurements of discouraged workers 

and others with a casual attachment to 

the labor market. 

The income data from the ASEC are 

used by social planners, economists, 

government officials, and market 

researchers to gauge the economic wellbeing of the country as a whole, and 

selected population groups of interest. 

Government planners and researchers 

use these data to monitor and evaluate 

the effectiveness of various assistance 

programs. Market researchers use these 

data to identify and isolate potential 

customers. Social planners use these 

data to forecast economic conditions 

and to identify special groups that seem 

to be especially sensitive to economic 

fluctuations. Economists use ASEC data 

to determine the effects of various 

economic forces, such as inflation, 

recession, recovery, and so on, and their 

differential effects on various 

population groups. 

The ASEC is the official source of 

national poverty estimates calculated in 

accordance with the Office of 

Management and Budget’s Statistical 

Policy Directive 14. Two other 

important national estimates derived 

from the ASEC are real median 

household income and the number and 

percent of individuals without health 

insurance coverage. 

The ASEC also contains questions 

related to: (1) Medical expenditures; (2) 

presence and cost of a mortgage on 

property; (3) child support payments; 

and (4) amount of child care assistance 

received. These questions enable 

analysts and policymakers to obtain 

better estimates of family and household 

income, and more precisely gauge 

poverty status. 

II. Method of Collection 

The ASEC information will be 

collected by both personal visit and 

telephone interviews in conjunction 

with the regular February, March and 

April CPS interviewing. All interviews 

are conducted using computer-assisted 

interviewing. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0607–0354. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Revision of a Currently Approved 

Collection. 

Affected Public: Households. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

78,000. 

Estimated Time per Response: 25 

minutes. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 32,500. 

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, United 

States Code, Sections 141 and 182; and 

Title 29, United States Code, Sections 

1–9. 

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 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
49508 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 169 / Friday, September 3, 2021 / Notices 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of 

the Chief Information Officer, Commerce 

Department. 

[FR Doc. 2021–19126 Filed 9–2–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Economic Development Administration 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; Requirements for Approved 

Construction Investments 

AGENCY: Economic Development 

Administration, Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection, 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), 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 preceding submission of the 

collection to OMB. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments regarding this proposed 

information collection must be received 

on or before November 2, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments to 

Sydney Milner, Program Analyst, 

Performance, Research and National 

Technical Assistance Division, 

Economic Development Administration, 

U.S. Department of Commerce, via 

email at smilner@eda.gov. You may also 

submit comments to PRAcomments@

doc.gov. Please reference OMB Control 

Number 0610–0096 in the subject line of 

your comments. Do not submit 

Confidential Business Information or 

otherwise sensitive or protected 

information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

specific questions related to collection 

activities should be directed to Sydney 

Milner, Program Analyst, Performance, 

Research and National Technical 

Assistance Division, Economic 

Development Administration, U.S. 

Department of Commerce, via email at 

smilner@eda.gov via phone at (202) 

365–4040. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The Economic Development 

Administration (EDA) leads the Federal 

economic development agenda by 

promoting innovation and 

competitiveness, preparing American 

regions for growth and success in the 

worldwide economy. Guided by the 

basic principle that sustainable 

economic development should be 

locally-driven, EDA works directly with 

communities and regions to help them 

build the capacity for economic 

development based on local business 

conditions and needs. The Public Works 

and Economic Development Act of 1965 

(PWEDA) (42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.) is 

EDA’s organic authority and is the 

primary legal authority under which 

EDA awards financial assistance. Under 

PWEDA, EDA provides financial 

assistance to both rural and urban 

distressed communities by fostering 

entrepreneurship, innovation, and 

productivity through investments in 

infrastructure development, capacity 

building, and business development to 

attract private capital investments and 

new and better jobs to regions 

experiencing economic distress. Further 

information on EDA programs and 

financial assistance opportunities can be 

found at www.eda.gov. 

To effectively administer and monitor 

its economic development assistance 

programs, EDA collects certain 

information from applications for, and 

recipients of, EDA investment 

assistance. EDA may award assistance 

for construction projects through its 

Public Works and Economic Adjustment 

Assistance (EAA) programs. Public 

Works program investments help 

support the construction or 

rehabilitation of essential public 

infrastructure and facilities necessary to 

generate or retain private sector jobs and 

investments, attract private sector 

capital, and promote vibrant economic 

ecosystems, regional competitiveness, 

and innovation. The EAA program 

provides a wide range of technical, 

planning, and infrastructure assistance 

in regions experiencing adverse 

economic changes that may occur 

suddenly or over time. 

EDA seeks comments from the public 

and other Federal agencies on a 

proposed revision and extension of the 

series of checklists and templates that 

constitute EDA’s post-approval tool for 

construction projects. These checklists 

and templates, as well as any special 

conditions incorporated into the terms 

and conditions at the time of award, 

supplement the requirements that apply 

to EDA-funded construction projects. 

II. Method of Collection 

The checklists and templates are 

collected via both paper and electronic 

submissions. These checklists and 

templates, as well as any special 

conditions incorporated into the terms 

and conditions at the time of award, 

supplement the requirements that apply 

to EDA-funded construction projects. 

As a part of this renewal process, EDA 

plans to make clarifying edits to the 

series of checklists and templates, 

thereby facilitating timely completion 

by the award recipient and approval by 

EDA. None of the edits are expected to 

increase the time burden on the 

respondent nor do the modifications 

change the type of collected 

information. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0610–0096. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission; 

Revision and extension of a currently 

approved collection. 

Affected Public: Recipients of EDA 

construction (Public Works or Economic 

Assistance Adjustment) awards, 

including (1) cities or other political 

subdivisions of a state, including a 

special purpose unit of state or local 

government engaged in economic or 

infrastructure development activities, or 

a consortium of political subdivisions; 

(2) states; (3) institutions of higher 

education or a consortium of 

institutions of higher education; (4) 

public or private non-profit 

organizations or associations; (5) District 

Organizations; and (6) Indian Tribes or 

a consortia of Indian Tribes. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

3,500. 

Estimated Time per Response: 2 

hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 7,000 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $407,330 (cost assumes 

application of U.S. Bureau of Labor 

Statistics first quarter 2021 mean hourly 

employer costs for employee 

compensation for professional and 

related occupations of $58.19). 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: The Public Works 

and Economic Development Act of 1965 

(42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.) 

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, 


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