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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