[Federal Register: June 19, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 118)]
[Notices]
[Page 41690-41691]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19jn02-26]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
2002 Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons (SBO)
ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public
and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and/or continuing
information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before August 19, 2002.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Madeleine Clayton,
Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room
6608, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230, or via
e-mail at MClayton@doc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions
should be directed to Valerie Strang, (301) 457-3316, Bureau of the
Census, CSD, Room 1183-3, Washington, DC 20233-6400 or via e-mail at
Valerie.Cherry.Strang@census.gov.
[[Page 41691]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
I. Abstract
The Census Bureau plans to conduct the 2002 Survey of Business
Owners and Self-Employed Persons (SBO), previously known as the Survey
of Minority-Owned Business Enterprises and the Survey of Women-Owned
Business Enterprises (SMOBE/SWOBE). This survey will provide the only
comprehensive, regularly collected source of information on selected
economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business
owners by race, ethnicity, and gender. The survey is conducted as part
of the economic census program which is required by law to be taken
every five years under Title 13 of the United States Code, Sections
131, 193, and 224.
Businesses will be eligible to be selected for this survey if they
reported any business activity on any one of the following Internal
Revenue Service tax forms: 1040 (Schedule C), ``Profit or Loss from
Business'' (Sole Proprietorship); 1065, ``U.S. Partnership Return of
Income''; or any one of the 1120 corporate tax forms.
The following changes have been made to the 2002 SBO:
The questions about race and ethnicity have been modified
to meet OMB guidelines to allow respondents the opportunity to select
more than one race category, and the ``Some other race'' classification
has been omitted. Also, per the OMB guidelines, the Hispanic origin
question is placed before the race question.
Background research suggested difficulty with aggregate
reporting of race and ethnicity combinations for multiple owners. Thus,
the survey adopts person-level reporting for a variety of
characteristics for up to three persons owning majority interest in the
business. Based on summaries from the 1997 SMOBE/SWOBE showing 75
percent of businesses surveyed had three or fewer owners, the SBO-1
questionnaire will capture information for, at most, three owners of
firms that are not sole proprietorships. Sole proprietors will be
mailed the SBO-2 questionnaire, a shorter version of the SBO-1 form,
which will capture information for up to two owners.
Several new questions have been borrowed from the former
Characteristics of Business Owners survey, which has not been funded
for the upcoming economic census. These items will fill the void for
many data users, including the Small Business Administration and other
interested associations. Some of these new questions have been
incorporated into the individual owner questions, while others are
asked about the entire business.
The owner questions ask for age, education, if the owner is
disabled, the average number of hours spent managing or working in the
business, and whether the business provided the owner's primary source
of income. The business questions ask for the year the earliest owner
established, purchased, or acquired the business; whether the business
was home-based or family-owned; whether the business operated as a
franchise; which types of customers accounted for 10 percent or more of
the business's sales; and if the business obtained financing for
expansion, capital improvements or start-up during 2002.
A new question has been added to increase our
understanding of businesses' use of alternative employment
arrangements.
To alleviate reporting problems encountered on the 1997 SMOBE/SWOBE
and to test the aforementioned changes, a pretest of the proposed 2002
SBO form has been conducted using principles of questionnaire design
and methodological research. Cognitive interviews were completed with
more than sixty respondents in two rounds of testing of the early
versions of the SBO form. Then a voluntary mailout/mailback survey of
the revised form was conducted in February 2002, which canvassed an
additional 6,629 respondents. After two mail report form follow-ups, 37
percent of the pretest forms were returned. The form underwent further
review and analysis and additional revisions were made in an effort to
reflect, where feasible, comments received from the pretest
respondents. This resulted in the final versions of 2002 SBO-1 and SBO-
2 questionnaires to be submitted to OMB.
II. Method of Collection
The Census Bureau will use a mailout/mailback survey form to
collect the data. The questionnaires will be mailed from our National
Processing Center in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Two mail report form
follow-ups will be conducted at approximately one-month intervals. Upon
closeout of the survey, the response data will be edited and reviewed.
III. Data
OMB Number: Not available.
Form Number: SBO-1, ``Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed
Persons'' (for firms other than sole proprietorships) and SBO-2,
``Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons'' (for sole
proprietorships).
Type of Review: Regular review.
Affected Public: Large and small businesses, other for-profit and
nonprofit organizations, and publicly held corporations.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 2.5 million.
Estimated Time Per Response: 10 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 416,666.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $8,712,486.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 131,
193, and 224.
IV. Requests for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
Dated: June 13, 2002.
Madeleine Clayton,
Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 02-15375 Filed 6-18-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P