§3143 Reports by Government Accountability Office

Summary

The Comptroller General may look at the information named in section 3142(b) and, as allowed by law (including sections 3144 and 3104(c)), may also review data at the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Bureau of Economic Analysis. The Comptroller General can send reports to the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Foreign Affairs; to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and to the Joint Economic Committee. Those reports can analyze Commerce Department reports under section 3142, suggest changes to next year’s report, recommend better data collection (including private-sector data) and survey questions, review how exchanged data are reconciled and suggest improvements to international financial data, advise on executive-branch policy coordination about foreign direct investment, and recommend better survey coverage, industry classification, and consistency across agencies. Privacy and confidentiality must be protected. The Comptroller General must not reveal any individually identifiable or confidential business information, must follow each statistical agency’s access rules, and must keep any identifiable data at the agency where it is reviewed. The Comptroller General may not combine identifiable data from those agencies with other identifiable confidential data not collected by them. Before issuing a report that uses confidential information, the Comptroller General must send the report to the agency or agencies that provided the information. Those agencies must review the report and give comments or suggestions within 10 working days. Access must follow section 716 of title 31.