44 U.S.C. § 3575: Findings

Summary

It supports sharing business data among the Bureau of the Census, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics for statistical purposes only. Federal statistics help many people make decisions, so the agencies must get more efficient, but some laws now limit data sharing. Making reporting easier helps more businesses respond, which improves accuracy. Sharing data will help track fast changes in U.S. businesses, keep industry labels consistent, fix odd data, adjust samples for new or closed firms, and correct mistakes faster. Public Law 94–472 let these agencies share data on foreign‑owned firms and expand industry detail from 135 to over 800 industries without asking respondents for more information. Part B of this subchapter continues this data sharing while keeping respondents’ information highly confidential.

Title 44, §3575

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The Congress finds the following:

(1)Federal statistics are an important source of information for public and private decision-makers such as policymakers, consumers, businesses, investors, and workers.

(2)Federal statistical agencies should continuously seek to improve their efficiency. Statutory constraints limit the ability of these agencies to share data and thus to achieve higher efficiency for Federal statistical programs.

(3)The quality of Federal statistics depends on the willingness of businesses to respond to statistical surveys. Reducing reporting burdens will increase response rates, and therefore lead to more accurate characterizations of the economy.

(4)Enhanced sharing of business data among the Bureau of the Census, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics for exclusively statistical purposes will improve their ability to track more accurately the large and rapidly changing nature of United States business. In particular, the statistical agencies will be able to better ensure that businesses are consistently classified in appropriate industries, resolve data anomalies, produce statistical samples that are consistently adjusted for the entry and exit of new businesses in a timely manner, and correct faulty reporting errors quickly and efficiently.

(5)Congress enacted the International Investment and Trade in Services Survey Act (Public Law 94–472), which allowed the Bureau of the Census, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to share data on foreign-owned companies. The Act not only expanded detailed industry coverage from 135 industries to over 800 industries with no increase in the data collected from respondents but also demonstrated how data sharing can result in the creation of valuable data products.

(6)With part B of this subchapter, the sharing of business data among the Bureau of the Census, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics continues to ensure the highest level of confidentiality for respondents to statistical surveys.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The International Investment and Trade in Services Survey Act, referred to in par. (5), is Pub. L. 94–472, Oct. 11, 1976, 90 Stat. 2059, which is classified generally to chapter 46 (§ 3101 et seq.) of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 3101 of Title 22 and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective 180 days after Jan. 14, 2019, see section 403 of Pub. L. 115–435, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2019 Amendment note under section 306 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

§3575 Findings

Summary

Title 44, §3575

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Short Title

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Effective Date

Citations & Metadata