[Federal Register: June 8, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 108)]
[Notices]
[Page 27088-27089]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08jn09-13]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
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: Quarterly Services Survey.
Form Number(s): QSS-1(A), QSS-1(E), QSS-2(A), QSS-2(E), QSS-3(A),
QSS-3(E), QSS-4(A), QSS-4(E), QSS-5(A), QSS-5(E), QSS-1A-PEO, QSS-1E-
PEO.
OMB Control Number: 0607-0907.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Burden Hours: 13,500.
Number of Respondents: 15,400.
Average Hours per Response: 13 minutes.
Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau requests an extension with
revision of the current OMB approval of the Quarterly Services Survey
(QSS). The QSS currently canvasses and collects data from employer
businesses in select service industries. These industries include truck
transportation; couriers and messengers; warehousing and storage;
information; credit intermediation and related activities; securities,
commodity contracts, and other financial investments and related
activities; rental and leasing; professional, scientific and technical
services; administrative and support and waste management and
remediation services; healthcare and social assistance; arts,
entertainment, and recreation; and other services (except public
administration). The QSS provides the most current reliable measures of
total operating revenue and percentage of revenue by class of customer
(for selected industries) on a quarterly basis. In addition, the QSS
provides the only current quarterly measure of total operating expenses
from tax-exempt firms in industries that have a large not-for-profit
component.
The QSS is a major source for the development of quarterly Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) and an indicator of short-term economic change.
The total operating revenue estimates produced from the QSS provide
current trends of economic service industry activity in the United
States from service providers with paid employees. In addition to
revenue, we also collect total operating expenses from tax-exempt firms
in industries that have a large not-for-profit component. Operating
expenses provide a better measure of the economic activity of these
firms. Expense estimates produced by the QSS, in addition to inpatient
days and discharges for the hospital industry, are used by the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to project and study hospital
regulation, Medicare payment adequacy, and other related projects.
Beginning in June 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau will expand the QSS
to include coverage of utilities; air transportation; water
transportation; transit and ground passenger transportation; pipeline
transportation; scenic and sightseeing transportation; support
activities for transportation; monetary authorities-central bank;
insurance carriers and related services; real estate; lessors of
nonfinancial intangible assets (except copyrighted works); and
educational services.
In the year 2010, for select questionnaires, we may replace select
questions with industry specific variable content. This questionnaire
adjustment was proposed by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
According to the BEA, an implementation of such proposed changes would
assist them in making better use of the QSS data and lead to improved
estimates of Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) services.
The BEA is the primary Federal user of data collected in the QSS.
The BEA utilizes these timely data to make improvements to the national
accounts for service industries. In the National Income and Product
Accounts (NIPA), the quarterly data allow more accurate estimates of
both PCE and private fixed investment. For example, recently published
revisions to the quarterly NIPA estimates resulted from the
incorporation of new source data from the QSS. Revenue data from the
QSS are also used to produce estimates of gross output by industry that
allow BEA to produce a much earlier version of the gross domestic
product by industry estimates.
Estimates produced from the QSS are used by the BEA as a component
of quarterly GDP estimates. The estimates also provide the Federal
Reserve Board (FRB) and Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) with timely
information on current economic performance. All estimates collected
from this survey are used extensively by various government agencies
and departments on economic policy decisions; private businesses; trade
organizations; professional associations; academia; and other various
business research and analysis organizations.
[[Page 27089]]
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit
institutions.
Frequency: Quarterly.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Section 182.
OMB Desk Officer: Brian Harris-Kojetin, (202) 395-7314.
Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance
Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, Room 7845, 14th and
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at
dhynek@doc.gov).
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 (202-395-7245)
or e-mail (bharrisk@omb.eop.gov).
Dated: June 2, 2009.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-13197 Filed 6-5-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P