Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 204 / Tuesday, October 24, 2017 / Notices 49175 

discussion by dialing the following 

Conference Call Toll-Free Number: 1– 

877–419–6600; Conference ID: 5627103. 

Please be advised that before being 

placed into the conference call, the 

operator will ask callers to provide their 

names, their organizational affiliations 

(if any), and an email address (if 

available) prior to placing callers into 

the conference room. Callers can expect 

to incur charges for calls they initiate 

over wireless lines, and the Commission 

will not refund any incurred charges. 

Callers will incur no charge for calls 

they initiate over land-line connections 

to the toll-free phone number. 

Persons with hearing impairments 

may also follow the discussion by first 

calling the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 

at 1–800–977–8339 and provide the FRS 

operator with the Conference Call TollFree Number: 1–877–419–6600, 

Conference ID: 5627103. Members of the 

public are invited to submit written 

comments; the comments must be 

received in the regional office by Friday, 

November 24, 2017. Written comments 

may be mailed to the Rocky Mountain 

Regional Office, U.S. Commission on 

Civil Rights, 1961 Stout Street, Suite 

13–201, Denver, CO 80294, faxed to 

(303) 866–1050, or emailed to Evelyn 

Bohor at ebohor@usccr.gov. Persons 

who desire additional information may 

contact the Rocky Mountain Regional 

Office at (303) 866–1040. 

Records and documents discussed 

during the meeting will be available for 

public viewing as they become available 

at https://facadatabase.gov/committee/ 

meetings.aspx?cid=259 and clicking on 

the ‘‘Meeting Details’’ and ‘‘Documents’’ 

links. Records generated from this 

meeting may also be inspected and 

reproduced at the Rocky Mountain 

Regional Office, as they become 

available, both before and after the 

meeting. Persons interested in the work 

of this advisory committee are advised 

to go to the Commission’s Web site, 

www.usccr.gov, or to contact the Rocky 

Mountain Regional Office at the above 

phone number, email or street address. 

Agenda 

• Welcome and Roll-call 

Gwen Kircher, Chair, Montana 

Advisory Committee 

• Introductions 

• Brief update on Commission and 

Region Activities 

• Discuss current civil rights issues of 

importance in the state 

• Next Steps 

• Open Comment 

Exceptional Circumstance: Pursuant 

to 41 CFR 102–3.150, the notice for this 

meeting is given less than 15 calendar 

days prior to the meeting because of the 

exceptional circumstance of limited 

staffing and no DFO availability. 

Dated: October 19, 2017. 

David Mussatt, 

Supervisory Chief, Regional Programs Unit. 

[FR Doc. 2017–23037 Filed 10–23–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Bureau of the Census 

[Docket Number 170912889–7889–01] 

Annual Business Survey 

AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, 

Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of consideration and 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Bureau of the Census (Census 

Bureau) is considering a proposal to 

conduct an Annual Business Survey 

(ABS). Based on information and 

recommendations received by the 

Census Bureau, we understand that the 

data have significant application to the 

needs of other government agencies and 

the public. The ABS will provide the 

only comprehensive data on business 

owner demographics and business 

characteristics, including financing, 

research and development (for 

microbusinesses), and innovation. 

These data are not publicly available 

from nongovernment or other 

governmental sources. 

DATES: Written comments on this notice 

must be submitted on or before 

November 24, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: Please direct all written 

comments to Aneta Erdie, U.S. Census 

Bureau, Economic Reimbursable 

Surveys Division (ERD), 6H139, 

Washington, DC 20233–6600, (301) 763– 

4841, Aneta.Erdie@census.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of the information collection 

instrument(s) and instructions should 

be directed to Patrice Norman, U.S. 

Census Bureau, ERD, 8K151, 

Washington, DC 20233–6600, (301) 763– 

7198, Patrice.C.Norman@census.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Census Bureau, with support from the 

National Science Foundation (NSF), is 

considering a plan to conduct an ABS 

for the 2017–2021 survey years. The 

Proposed ABS will be conducted under 

the authority of Title 13, United States 

Code, Sections 8(b), 131, and 182; and 

Title 42, United States Code, Sections 

1861–76 (National Science Foundation 

Act of 1950, as amended). The ABS is 

a new survey designed to combine 

Census Bureau firm-level collections to 

reduce respondent burden, increase data 

quality, reduce operational costs, and 

operate more efficiently. The ABS 

replaces the five-year Survey of 

Business Owners (SBO) for employer 

businesses, the Annual Survey of 

Entrepreneurs (ASE), and the Business 

Research and Development (R&D) and 

Innovation for Microbusinesses 

(BRDI–M) surveys. The SBO has been 

conducted as part of the economic 

census every five years since 1972 to 

collect selected economic and 

demographic characteristics for 

businesses and business owners by 

gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran 

status for both employer and 

nonemployer businesses. The ASE was 

conducted for three reference years 

(2014, 2015, and 2016) as a supplement 

to the SBO to provide more frequent 

data on economic and demographic 

characteristics for businesses and 

business owners by gender, ethnicity, 

race, and veteran status for employer 

businesses. The BRDI–M survey was 

first fielded in 2016 as an expansion to 

the Business R&D and Innovation 

Survey (BRDI–S) to measure firm 

innovation and investigate the 

incidence of R&D activities in growing 

sectors, such as small business 

enterprises not covered by BRDI–S. 

Government program officials, 

industry organization leaders, economic 

and social analysts, business 

entrepreneurs, and domestic and foreign 

researchers in academia, business, and 

government will use statistics from the 

new ABS. Estimates produced on owner 

demographic data may be used to assess 

business assistance needs in order to 

allocate available program resources, 

and to create a framework for planning, 

directing, and assessing programs that 

promote the activities of disadvantaged 

groups. Estimates also may be used to 

assess minority-owned businesses by 

industry and area; to educate industry 

associations, corporations, and 

government entities; to analyze business 

operations in comparison to similar 

firms; to compute market share; and, to 

assess business growth and future 

prospects. Estimates produced on R&D 

and innovation may be used to compare 

R&D costs across industries, determine 

where R&D activity is conducted 

geographically, and identify the types of 

businesses with R&D. Estimates may be 

used to contribute to the Bureau of 

Economic Analysis (BEA) system of 

national accounts; to increase 

investments in research and 

development; to strengthen education 

and encourage entrepreneurship; and to 


asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
49176 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 204 / Tuesday, October 24, 2017 / Notices 

compare business innovation in the 

United States to that of other countries. 

The ABS would cover all domestic, 

nonfarm employer businesses with 

operations during the survey year. 

Nonemployer businesses would not be 

within the scope of the ABS. The 

Census Bureau will submit a separate 

request for approval to collect business 

and owner characteristics from 

nonemployer businesses if it is 

determined that a collection is needed 

to produce those estimates. 

The ABS would collect the following 

information from employer businesses: 

—Owner characteristics, including the 

gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran 

status of the principal owner(s) from 

all firms in the sample; 

—Various business characteristics, 

including financing, from all firms in 

the sample; 

—Research and development activity 

and costs from firms with less than 10 

employees; and 

—Innovation practices from all firms in 

the sample. 

Additional owner topics include 

military service, owner acquisition, job 

functions, number of hours worked, 

primary income, prior business 

ownership, age of owner, education and 

field of degree, citizenship and place of 

birth, and reason for owning the 

business. Other business topics include 

number of owners and percent 

ownership, family owned and operated, 

business aspirations, funding sources, 

profitability, types of customers, types 

of workers, employee benefits, home 

operation, Web site use, and business 

activity. Starting with the 2018 survey, 

the ABS may include new module 

questions each year based on relevant 

business topics. Potential topics include 

technological advances, Internet usage, 

management and business practices, 

exporting practices, and globalization. 

The draft content for the ABS will be 

cognitively tested with approximately 

20 businesses. The questionnaire and 

interview protocol will be used to assess 

the feasibility and merit of suggested 

changes that arise from the testing. 

The 2017 ABS will sample 

approximately 850,000 employer 

businesses to produce statistics that are 

more detailed. Annually from 2018– 

2021, the survey sample will be reduced 

to approximately 300,000 businesses to 

reduce respondent burden. Businesses 

which reported business activity on 

Internal Revenue Service tax forms 941, 

‘‘Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax 

Return;’’ 944, ‘‘Employer’s Annual 

Federal Tax Return;’’ or any one of the 

1120 corporate tax forms will be eligible 

for selection. 

The ABS will be collected using only 

electronic instruments. Respondents 

will receive a letter notifying them of 

their requirement to respond and how to 

access the survey. Responses will be 

due approximately 30 days from receipt. 

Select businesses will receive a due date 

reminder via a letter prior to the due 

date. Additionally, two mail follow-ups 

to nonrespondents will be conducted at 

approximately one-month intervals. 

Select nonrespondents will receive a 

certified mailing for the second followup if needed. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

Notwithstanding any other provision 

of law, no person is required to respond 

to, nor shall a person be subject to a 

penalty for failure to comply with a 

collection of information subject to the 

requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act (PRA) unless that 

collection of information displays a 

currently valid Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) control number. In 

accordance with the PRA, 44 U.S.C., 

Chapter 45, the Census Bureau will 

submit a request for approval to the 

OMB for approval of the ABS. The 

Census Bureau previously published a 

notice in the Federal Register on August 

7, 2017 (82 FR 36728) informing the 

public of this planned submission and 

inviting public comment. 

Dated: October 18, 2017. 

Ron S. Jarmin, 

Associate Director for Economic Programs, 

Performing the Non-Exclusive Functions and 

Duties of the Director Bureau of the Census. 

[FR Doc. 2017–23041 Filed 10–23–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Performance Review Board 

Membership 

AGENCY: Economics and Statistics 

Administration, Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Economics and Statistics 

Administration (ESA) announces the 

appointment of members who will serve 

on the ESA Performance Review Board 

(PRB). The purpose of the PRB is to 

provide fair and impartial review of 

senior executive service and scientific 

and professional performance 

appraisals, bonus recommendations, 

pay adjustments and Presidential Rank 

Award nominations. The term of each 

PRB member will expire on December 

31, 2019. 

DATES: The date of service of appointees 

to the ESA Performance Review Board 

is based upon publication of this notice. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with 5 U.S.C. 4314(c)(4), the 

names and position titles of the 

members of the PRB are set forth below: 

John M. Abowd, Associate Director for 

Research and Methodology, Census 

Bureau 

Dina Beaumont, Senior Advisor for 

Trade Initiatives Implementation, 

International Trade Administration 

Lisa M. Blumerman, Associate Director 

for Decennial Census Programs, 

Census Bureau 

Eric Branstad, Senior White House 

Advisor, Office of the Secretary 

Stephen B. Burke, Deputy Under 

Secretary for Economic Affairs, ESA 

Joanne Buenzli Crane, Chief Financial 

Officer, Census Bureau 

Gregory Capella, Deputy Director, 

National Technical Information 

Service 

Paul Farello, Associate Director for 

International Economics, Bureau of 

Economic Analysis (BEA) 

Ron Jarmin, Associate Director for 

Economic Programs, Census Bureau 

Enrique Lamas, Associate Director for 

Demographic Programs, Census 

Bureau 

Brian C. Moyer, Director, BEA 

Timothy Olson, Associate Director for 

Field Operations, Census Bureau 

Joel D. Platt, Associate Director for 

Regional Economics, BEA 

Kevin Smith, Associate Director for 

Information Technology and Chief 

Information Officer, Census Bureau 

Erich Strassner, Associate Director for 

National Economic Accounts, BEA 

Sarahelen Thompson, Deputy Director, 

BEA 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Latasha Ellis, Program Manager, 

Executive Resources Office, Human 

Resources Division, Census Bureau, 

4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC 

20233, 301–763–3727. 

Dated: October 11, 2017. 

Stephen B. Burke, 

Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, 

Chair, ESA Performance Review Board. 

[FR Doc. 2017–22946 Filed 10–23–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–BS–P 


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