44 U.S.C. § 3576 - U.S. Code - Unannotated Title 44. Public Printing and Documents § 3576. Designated Statistical Agencies

(1) To authorize the 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.

(2) To reduce the paperwork burdens imposed on businesses that provide requested information to the Federal Government.

(3) To improve the comparability and accuracy of Federal economic statistics by allowing the Bureau of the Census, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to update sample frames, develop consistent classifications of establishments and companies into industries, improve coverage, and reconcile significant differences in data produced by the three agencies.

(4) To increase understanding of the United States economy, especially for key industry and regional statistics, to develop more accurate measures of the impact of technology on productivity growth, and to enhance the reliability of the Nation's most important economic indicators, such as the National Income and Product Accounts.

(1) identify opportunities to eliminate duplication and otherwise reduce reporting burden and cost imposed on the public in providing information for statistical purposes;

(2) enter into joint statistical projects to improve the quality and reduce the cost of statistical programs; and

(3) protect the confidentiality of individually identifiable information acquired for statistical purposes by adhering to safeguard principles, including--

(1)In general.--A Designated Statistical Agency may provide business data in an identifiable form to another Designated Statistical Agency under the terms of a written agreement among the agencies sharing the business data that specifies--

(2)Responsibilities of agencies under other laws.--The provision of business data by an agency to a Designated Statistical Agency under this section shall in no way alter the responsibility of the agency providing the data under other statutes (including sections 552 and 552b of title 5) with respect to the provision or withholding of such information by the agency providing the data.

(3)Responsibilities of officers, employees, and agents.--Examination of business data in identifiable form shall be limited to the officers, employees, and agents authorized to examine the individual reports in accordance with written agreements pursuant to this section. Officers, employees, and agents of a Designated Statistical Agency who receive data pursuant to this section shall be subject to all provisions of law, including penalties, that relate--

(4)Notice.--Whenever a written agreement concerns data that respondents were required by law to report and the respondents were not informed that the data could be shared among the Designated Statistical Agencies, for exclusively statistical purposes, the terms of such agreement shall be described in a public notice issued by the agency that intends to provide the data. Such notice shall allow a minimum of 60 days for public comment.

(1)General use.--Business data provided by a Designated Statistical Agency pursuant to this section shall be used exclusively for statistical purposes.

(2)Publication.--Publication of business data acquired by a Designated Statistical Agency shall occur in a manner whereby the data furnished by any particular respondent are not in identifiable form.

(1) The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce.

(2) The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department of Commerce.

(3) The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.