Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, 11739-11741 [2016-04993]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 44 / Monday, March 7, 2016 / Notices
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
Title: Importation of Baby Corn and
Baby Carrots from Zambia.
OMB Control Number: 0579–0284.
Summary of Collection: Under the
Plant Protection Act (PPA) (7 U.S.C.
7701—et seq.) the Secretary of
Agriculture is authorized to carry out
operations or measures to detect,
eradicate, suppress, control, prevent, or
retard the spread of plant pests new to
the United States or not known to be
widely distributed throughout the
United States. Regulations authorized
by the PPA concerning the importation
of fruits and vegetables into the United
States from certain parts of the world
are contained in ‘‘Subpart Fruits and
Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56–8 through
319.56–50). The Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
regulations allow the importation into
the continental United States of fresh,
dehusked immature (baby) sweet corn
and fresh baby carrots from Zambia. As
a condition of entry, both commodities
are subject to inspection at the port of
first arrival and must be accompanied
by a phytosanitary certificate with an
additional declaration stating that the
commodity has been inspected and
found free of the quarantine pest listed
in the certificate.
Need and Use of the Information:
APHIS requires that some plants or
plant products are accompanied by a
photosanitary inspection certificate that
is completed by plant health officials in
the originating or transiting country.
APHIS uses the information on the
certificate to determine the pest
condition of the shipment at the time of
inspection in the foreign country. This
information is used as a guide to the
intensity of the inspection APHIS
conducts when the shipment arrives.
Description of Respondents: Federal
Government; Businesses or other forprofit.
Number of Respondents: 3.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting:
On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 14.
Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016–04892 Filed 3–4–16; 8:45 am]
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Dixie Resource Advisory Committee
Meeting
AGENCY:
Forest Service, USDA.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:37 Mar 04, 2016
Jkt 238001
ACTION:
Notice of meeting.
The Dixie Resource Advisory
Committee (RAC) will meet in Cedar
City, Utah. The committee is authorized
under the Secure Rural Schools and
Community Self-Determination Act (the
Act) and operates in compliance with
the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
The purpose of the committee is to
improve collaborative relationships and
to provide advice and recommendations
to the Forest Service concerning projects
and funding consistent with Title II of
the Act. RAC information can be found
at the following Web site: https://
cloudapps-usda-gov.force.com/FSSRS/
RAC_page?id=001t0000002Jcv8AAC.
DATES: The meeting will be held
Wednesday, April 6th, 2016 from 9 a.m.
to 6 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.
All RAC meetings are subject to
cancellation. For status of meeting prior
to attendance, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
1789 North Wedgewood Lane, Cedar
City City, UT 84721, in the Dixie
National Forest Supervisors Office, in
the SO Conference Room. The meeting
will also a have a VTC feed to the
Powell Ranger District office, Main
Conference room, in Panguitch, UT
84759, with the address of, 225 East
Center Street. A conference call line will
also be available. The phone number
will be 888–844–9904 with an access
code of 6404629.
Written comments may be submitted
as described under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION. All comments, including
names and addresses when provided,
are placed in the record and are
available for public inspection and
copying. The public may inspect
comments received at 1789 North
Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City, UT
84721. Please call ahead to facilitate
entry into the building.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jason Hamilton, Resource Advisory
Committee Coordinator, by phone at
435–865–3794 or via email at
jdhamilton@fs.fed.us.
Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339
between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.,
Eastern Standard Time, Monday
through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
purpose of the meeting is to:
1. Listen to Dixie Resource Advisory
Committee, Title II project proposals,
and for the Resource Advisory
Committee to vote and recommend
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
11739
projects to be approved by the
Designated Federal Officer on the Dixie
National Forest.
The meeting is open to the public.
The agenda will include time for people
to make oral statements of three minutes
or less. Individuals wishing to make an
oral statement should request in writing
by Friday, March 25th, 2016 to be
scheduled on the agenda. Anyone who
would like to bring related matters to
the attention of the committee may file
written statements with the committee
staff before or after the meeting. Written
comments and requests for time to make
oral comments must be sent to Jason
Hamilton, 1789 North Wedgewood
Lane, Cedar City, UT 84721; by email to
jdhamilton@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to
435–865–3791.
Meeting Accommodations: If you are
a person requiring reasonable
accommodation, please make requests
in advance for sign language
interpreting, assistive listening devices,
or other reasonable accommodation. For
access to the facility or proceedings,
please contact the person listed in the
section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT. All reasonable
accommodation requests are managed
on a case by case basis.
Dated: February 26, 2016.
Angelita S. Bulletts,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2016–04969 Filed 3–4–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
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: Survey of State Government
Research and Development.
OMB Control Number: 0607–0933.
Form Number(s): Survey Frame
Review Module; SRD–1 (State Agency
Web Form).
Type of Request: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Number of Respondents: 604.
Average Hours per Response: 1 hour
and 45 minutes.
Burden Hours: 1,056.
Needs and Uses: The Census Bureau
is requesting clearance to conduct the
Survey of State Government Research
and Development (SGRD) for the 2016–
E:\FR\FM\07MRN1.SGM
07MRN1
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
11740
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 44 / Monday, March 7, 2016 / Notices
2018 survey years with the revisions
outlined in this document. The Census
Bureau conducts this survey on behalf
of the National Science Foundation’s
(NSF) National Center for Science and
Engineering Statistics (NCSES). The
NSF Act of 1950 includes a statutory
charge to ‘‘provide a central
clearinghouse for the collection,
interpretation, and analysis of data on
scientific and engineering resources and
to provide a source of information for
policy formulation by other agencies in
the Federal Government.’’ Under the
aegis of this legislative mandate, NCSES
and its predecessors have sponsored
surveys of research and development
(R&D) since 1953, including the SGRD
since 2006. This survey has helped to
expand the scope of R&D collections to
include state governments, where
previously there had been no regularly
established collection efforts, and thus a
gap in the national portfolio of R&D
statistics.
NCSES sponsors surveys of R&D
activities of Federal agencies, higher
education institutions, and private
industries. The results of these surveys
provide a consistent information base
for both federal and state government
officials, industry professionals, and
researchers to use in formulating public
policy and planning in science and
technology. These surveys allow for the
analysis of current and historical trends
of R&D in the U.S. and in international
comparisons of R&D with other
countries. The data collected from the
SGRD fills a void that previously existed
for collection of R&D activities.
Although NCSES conducted periodic
data collections of state government
R&D in 1995, 1988 and 1987, more
frequent collection was necessary to
account for the changing dynamic of
state governments’ role in performing
and funding R&D and their role as
fiduciary intermediaries of federal funds
for R&D. The survey is a census of state
government departments, agencies,
commissions, public authorities, and
other dependent entities as defined by
the Census Bureau’s Census of
Governments program, that performed
or funded R&D activities in a given
fiscal year.
The Census Bureau, serving as
collection agent, employs a
methodology similar to the one used to
collect information from state and local
governments on other established
censuses and surveys. This
methodology involves identifying a
central coordinator in each state who
will assist Census Bureau staff in
identifying appropriate state agencies to
be surveyed. Since not all state agencies
have the budget authority or operational
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:37 Mar 04, 2016
Jkt 238001
capacity to perform or fund R&D,
NCSES and Census Bureau staffs have
identified those agencies most likely to
perform or fund R&D based on state
session laws, authorizing legislation,
budget authority, previous R&D
activities, and reports issued by state
government agencies. The state
coordinators, based on their knowledge
of the state government’s own activities
and priorities, are asked to confirm
which of the selected agencies
identified should be sent the survey for
a given fiscal year or to add additional
agencies to the survey frame. These state
coordinators also verify the final
responses at the end of the data
collection cycle and may assist with
nonresponse follow-up with individual
state agencies. The collection approach
using a central state coordinator is used
successfully at the Census Bureau in
surveys of local school districts, as well
as the annual surveys of state and local
government finance.
As part of the President’s FY 2014
Budget Request to Congress, the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB)
recommended NCSES receive an
additional ‘‘$500,000 to increase the
frequency of the Survey of State
Government Research and
Development.’’ Starting with the FY
2016 survey cycle, NCSES will collect
data on an annual basis instead of a
biennial format that was used for state
government fiscal years 2010 and 2011,
2012 and 2013, and 2014 and 2015. This
change from biennial to annual
collection will increase the frequency
and timeliness of survey results; thus
increasing the utility of the statistics for
data users, including the Bureau of
Economic Analysis and the state
governments themselves, while also
allowing for the annual inclusion of
these data in NCSES’s own National
Patterns of R&D report. Currently,
NCSES must develop estimates for the
non-Federal government component of
the National Patterns data during the
survey’s off-year. Increasing the
frequency by changing to an annual data
collection cycle will allow for more
accurate National Patterns of R&D.
Results from the National Patterns are
used by OMB during the budget
formulation process, as well as by the
Office of Science and Technology Policy
(OSTP), and others interested in science
and technology investments, and
international competitiveness of R&D.
The 2016 survey will follow the same
content that was collected during the FY
2014 and FY 2015 Survey of State
Government R&D.
The survey announcements and forms
used in the SGRD are:
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Survey Announcement. The
Governor’s letter is mailed to the
Governor’s Office to announce the
survey collection and to solicit
assignment of a State Coordinator. The
State Coordinator’s Announcement is
sent electronically at the beginning of
each survey period to solicit assistance
in identifying state agencies which may
perform or fund R&D activities. Later,
state coordinators are asked to review
final data submitted by state agencies.
Form SRD–1. This form contains item
descriptions and definitions of the
research and development items
collected by the Census Bureau on
behalf of the NSF. It is used primarily
as a worksheet and instruction guide by
the state agencies. All state agencies
supply their data by electronic means.
Final survey results produced by
NCSES contain state and national
estimates and are useful to a variety of
data users interested in R&D
performance, including: The National
Science Board; the OMB; the Office of
Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
and other science policy makers;
institutional researchers; and private
organizations; and many state
governments.
Legislators, policy officials, and
researchers rely on statistics to make
informed decisions about R&D
investment at the Federal, state, and
local level. These statistics are derived
from the existing NCSES sponsored
surveys of Federal agencies, higher
education institutions, and private
industry. The total picture of R&D
expenditures, however, had been
incomplete due to the lack of data from
state governments prior to this
implementation of the SGRD in 2006,
which now fills that void.
State government officials and policy
makers garner the most benefit from the
results of this survey. Governors and
legislatures need a reliable,
comprehensive source of data to help in
evaluating how best to attract the hightech R&D industries to their state.
Officials are able to evaluate their
investment in R&D based on
comparisons with other states. These
comparisons include the sources of
funding, the type of R&D being
conducted, and the type of R&D
performer.
State governments serve a unique role
within the national portfolio of R&D.
Not only are they both performers and
funders of R&D like other sectors such
as the Federal Government, higher
education, or industry, but they also
serve as fiduciary intermediaries
between the Federal Government and
other R&D performers while also
providing state specific funds for R&D.
E:\FR\FM\07MRN1.SGM
07MRN1
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 44 / Monday, March 7, 2016 / Notices
The information collected from the
SGRD provides data users with
perspective on this complex flow of
funds. Survey results are used at the
Federal level to assess and direct
investment in technology and economic
issues. Congressional committees and
the Congressional Research Service use
results of the R&D surveys. The BEA
uses these data to estimate the
contribution of state agency-funded R&D
to the overall impact of treating R&D as
an investment in BEA’s statistics of
gross domestic product by state-area.
NSF also uses data from this survey
in various publications produced about
the state of R&D in the U.S. The Science
and Engineering Indicators, for example,
is a biennial report mandated by
Congress and describes quantitatively
the condition of the country’s R&D
efforts, and includes data from the
SGRD. Survey results are also included
in the National Patterns of Research and
Development report’s tabulations.
The availability of state R&D survey
results are posted to NSF’s Web page
allowing for public access from a variety
of other data users as well. Media,
university researchers, nonprofit
organizations, and foreign government
officials are also consumers of state R&D
statistics. All users are able to utilize
this information in an attempt to better
understand the Nation’s R&D resources.
Affected Public: State, local, or tribal
government.
Frequency: Annually.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United
States Code, Sections 8(b) and Title 42,
United States Code, Sections 1861–76
(National Science Foundation Act of
1950, as amended).
This information collection request
may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to view
Department of Commerce collections
currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to OIRA_Submission@
omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395–5806.
Dated: March 2, 2016.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016–04993 Filed 3–4–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–07–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:37 Mar 04, 2016
Jkt 238001
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Foreign-Trade Zones Board
[B–79–2015]
Authorization of Production Activity;
Foreign-Trade Subzone 38A; BMW
Manufacturing Co., LLC; (Motor
Vehicle Body Parts and Lithium-Ion
Batteries); Spartanburg, South
Carolina
On October 27, 2015, BMW
Manufacturing Company, LLC, operator
of Subzone 38A, submitted a
notification of proposed production
activity to the Foreign-Trade Zones
(FTZ) Board for its facility in
Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The notification was processed in
accordance with the regulations of the
FTZ Board (15 CFR part 400), including
notice in the Federal Register inviting
public comment (80 FR 72948,
November 23, 2015). The FTZ Board has
determined that no further review of the
activity is warranted at this time. The
production activity described in the
notification is authorized, subject to the
FTZ Act and the FTZ Board’s
regulations, including Section 400.14,
and further subject to a restriction
requiring that foreign status textilebased polyester fleece vent pads
(classified within HTSUS Subheading
5911.90) be admitted to the zone in
privileged foreign status (19 CFR
146.41).
Dated: March 1, 2016.
Andrew McGilvray,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–05012 Filed 3–4–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–533–865]
Certain Cold-Rolled Steel Flat Products
From India: Affirmative Preliminary
Determination of Sales at Less Than
Fair Value and Postponement of Final
Determination and Extension of
Provisional Measures
Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce
(the ‘‘Department’’) preliminarily
determines that certain cold-rolled steel
flat products (‘‘cold-rolled steel’’) from
India are being, or are likely to be, sold
in the United States at less than fair
value (‘‘LTFV’’), as provided in section
733(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as
AGENCY:
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
11741
amended (‘‘the Act’’). The period of
investigation (‘‘POI’’) is July 1, 2014,
through June 30, 2015. The collapsed
entity JSW Steel Limited (‘‘JSWSL’’)/
JSW Coated Products Limited (‘‘JSCPL’’)
(collectively ‘‘JSW’’) is the sole
mandatory respondent in this
investigation. The estimated weightedaverage dumping margins of sales at
LTFV are shown in the ‘‘Preliminary
Determination’’ section of this notice.
Interested parties are invited to
comment on this preliminary
determination.
DATES: Effective March 7, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Patrick O’Connor or Jeffrey Pedersen,
AD/CVD Operations, Office IV,
Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington,
DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482–0989 or
(202) 482–2769, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Department published the notice
of initiation of this investigation on
August 24, 2015.1 For a complete
description of the events that followed
the initiation of this investigation, see
the Preliminary Decision Memorandum
that is dated concurrently with this
determination and is hereby adopted by
this notice.2 A list of topics included in
the Preliminary Decision Memorandum
is included as Appendix II to this
notice. The Preliminary Decision
Memorandum is a public document and
is on file electronically via Enforcement
and Compliance’s Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Centralized
Electronic Service System (‘‘ACCESS’’).
ACCESS is available to registered users
at https://access.trade.gov, and to all
parties in the Central Records Unit,
room B8024 of the main Department of
Commerce building. In addition, a
complete version of the Preliminary
Decision Memorandum can be found at
https://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The
signed Preliminary Decision
Memorandum and the electronic
1 See Certain Cold-Rolled Steel Flat Products
From Brazil, the People’s Republic of China, India,
Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, the
Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom:
Initiation of Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigations, 80
FR 51198 (August 24, 2015) (‘‘Initiation Notice’’).
2 See Memorandum from Christian Marsh, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Operations, to Paul Piquado,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and
Compliance ‘‘Decision Memorandum for the
Preliminary Determination in the Less-Than-Fair
Value Investigation of Certain Cold-Rolled Steel
Flat Products from India’’ (‘‘Preliminary Decision
Memorandum’’), dated concurrently with this
notice.
E:\FR\FM\07MRN1.SGM
07MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 44 (Monday, March 7, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11739-11741]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-04993]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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: Survey of State Government Research and Development.
OMB Control Number: 0607-0933.
Form Number(s): Survey Frame Review Module; SRD-1 (State Agency Web
Form).
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Number of Respondents: 604.
Average Hours per Response: 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Burden Hours: 1,056.
Needs and Uses: The Census Bureau is requesting clearance to
conduct the Survey of State Government Research and Development (SGRD)
for the 2016-
[[Page 11740]]
2018 survey years with the revisions outlined in this document. The
Census Bureau conducts this survey on behalf of the National Science
Foundation's (NSF) National Center for Science and Engineering
Statistics (NCSES). The NSF Act of 1950 includes a statutory charge to
``provide a central clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation,
and analysis of data on scientific and engineering resources and to
provide a source of information for policy formulation by other
agencies in the Federal Government.'' Under the aegis of this
legislative mandate, NCSES and its predecessors have sponsored surveys
of research and development (R&D) since 1953, including the SGRD since
2006. This survey has helped to expand the scope of R&D collections to
include state governments, where previously there had been no regularly
established collection efforts, and thus a gap in the national
portfolio of R&D statistics.
NCSES sponsors surveys of R&D activities of Federal agencies,
higher education institutions, and private industries. The results of
these surveys provide a consistent information base for both federal
and state government officials, industry professionals, and researchers
to use in formulating public policy and planning in science and
technology. These surveys allow for the analysis of current and
historical trends of R&D in the U.S. and in international comparisons
of R&D with other countries. The data collected from the SGRD fills a
void that previously existed for collection of R&D activities. Although
NCSES conducted periodic data collections of state government R&D in
1995, 1988 and 1987, more frequent collection was necessary to account
for the changing dynamic of state governments' role in performing and
funding R&D and their role as fiduciary intermediaries of federal funds
for R&D. The survey is a census of state government departments,
agencies, commissions, public authorities, and other dependent entities
as defined by the Census Bureau's Census of Governments program, that
performed or funded R&D activities in a given fiscal year.
The Census Bureau, serving as collection agent, employs a
methodology similar to the one used to collect information from state
and local governments on other established censuses and surveys. This
methodology involves identifying a central coordinator in each state
who will assist Census Bureau staff in identifying appropriate state
agencies to be surveyed. Since not all state agencies have the budget
authority or operational capacity to perform or fund R&D, NCSES and
Census Bureau staffs have identified those agencies most likely to
perform or fund R&D based on state session laws, authorizing
legislation, budget authority, previous R&D activities, and reports
issued by state government agencies. The state coordinators, based on
their knowledge of the state government's own activities and
priorities, are asked to confirm which of the selected agencies
identified should be sent the survey for a given fiscal year or to add
additional agencies to the survey frame. These state coordinators also
verify the final responses at the end of the data collection cycle and
may assist with nonresponse follow-up with individual state agencies.
The collection approach using a central state coordinator is used
successfully at the Census Bureau in surveys of local school districts,
as well as the annual surveys of state and local government finance.
As part of the President's FY 2014 Budget Request to Congress, the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recommended NCSES receive an
additional ``$500,000 to increase the frequency of the Survey of State
Government Research and Development.'' Starting with the FY 2016 survey
cycle, NCSES will collect data on an annual basis instead of a biennial
format that was used for state government fiscal years 2010 and 2011,
2012 and 2013, and 2014 and 2015. This change from biennial to annual
collection will increase the frequency and timeliness of survey
results; thus increasing the utility of the statistics for data users,
including the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the state governments
themselves, while also allowing for the annual inclusion of these data
in NCSES's own National Patterns of R&D report. Currently, NCSES must
develop estimates for the non-Federal government component of the
National Patterns data during the survey's off-year. Increasing the
frequency by changing to an annual data collection cycle will allow for
more accurate National Patterns of R&D. Results from the National
Patterns are used by OMB during the budget formulation process, as well
as by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and others
interested in science and technology investments, and international
competitiveness of R&D.
The 2016 survey will follow the same content that was collected
during the FY 2014 and FY 2015 Survey of State Government R&D.
The survey announcements and forms used in the SGRD are:
Survey Announcement. The Governor's letter is mailed to the
Governor's Office to announce the survey collection and to solicit
assignment of a State Coordinator. The State Coordinator's Announcement
is sent electronically at the beginning of each survey period to
solicit assistance in identifying state agencies which may perform or
fund R&D activities. Later, state coordinators are asked to review
final data submitted by state agencies.
Form SRD-1. This form contains item descriptions and definitions of
the research and development items collected by the Census Bureau on
behalf of the NSF. It is used primarily as a worksheet and instruction
guide by the state agencies. All state agencies supply their data by
electronic means.
Final survey results produced by NCSES contain state and national
estimates and are useful to a variety of data users interested in R&D
performance, including: The National Science Board; the OMB; the Office
of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and other science policy
makers; institutional researchers; and private organizations; and many
state governments.
Legislators, policy officials, and researchers rely on statistics
to make informed decisions about R&D investment at the Federal, state,
and local level. These statistics are derived from the existing NCSES
sponsored surveys of Federal agencies, higher education institutions,
and private industry. The total picture of R&D expenditures, however,
had been incomplete due to the lack of data from state governments
prior to this implementation of the SGRD in 2006, which now fills that
void.
State government officials and policy makers garner the most
benefit from the results of this survey. Governors and legislatures
need a reliable, comprehensive source of data to help in evaluating how
best to attract the high-tech R&D industries to their state. Officials
are able to evaluate their investment in R&D based on comparisons with
other states. These comparisons include the sources of funding, the
type of R&D being conducted, and the type of R&D performer.
State governments serve a unique role within the national portfolio
of R&D. Not only are they both performers and funders of R&D like other
sectors such as the Federal Government, higher education, or industry,
but they also serve as fiduciary intermediaries between the Federal
Government and other R&D performers while also providing state specific
funds for R&D.
[[Page 11741]]
The information collected from the SGRD provides data users with
perspective on this complex flow of funds. Survey results are used at
the Federal level to assess and direct investment in technology and
economic issues. Congressional committees and the Congressional
Research Service use results of the R&D surveys. The BEA uses these
data to estimate the contribution of state agency-funded R&D to the
overall impact of treating R&D as an investment in BEA's statistics of
gross domestic product by state-area.
NSF also uses data from this survey in various publications
produced about the state of R&D in the U.S. The Science and Engineering
Indicators, for example, is a biennial report mandated by Congress and
describes quantitatively the condition of the country's R&D efforts,
and includes data from the SGRD. Survey results are also included in
the National Patterns of Research and Development report's tabulations.
The availability of state R&D survey results are posted to NSF's
Web page allowing for public access from a variety of other data users
as well. Media, university researchers, nonprofit organizations, and
foreign government officials are also consumers of state R&D
statistics. All users are able to utilize this information in an
attempt to better understand the Nation's R&D resources.
Affected Public: State, local, or tribal government.
Frequency: Annually.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 8(b) and
Title 42, United States Code, Sections 1861-76 (National Science
Foundation Act of 1950, as amended).
This information collection request may be viewed at
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce
collections currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice
to OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395-5806.
Dated: March 2, 2016.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-04993 Filed 3-4-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
