Collection from Businesses

SBO-1-L1 -- DRAFT

(2007)

Please reply to:

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

1201 EAST TENTH STREET

JEFFERSONVILLE IN 47134-0001

FROM THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ECONOMIC PROGRAMS

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Your 2007 Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons (SBO) questionnaire,

Form SBO-1, is enclosed.

The 2007 Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons is part of the Economic Census, which is taken every 5 years. The SBO provides the government and businesses with essential data on the demographic and economic composition of businesses in the United States. The information collected in this survey is combined with data on employment, payroll, and receipts collected in the 2007 Economic Census and data from administrative records to create comprehensive estimates of

the characteristics of U.S. businesses and their owners. Information about your business is needed

to provide reliable data for your industry and geographic area.

Please complete and return your census form within the next 30 days. Under Title 13, United States Code, your response to this survey is mandatory. Title 13 also guarantees that your response is confidential and will be used only for statistical purposes. Applicable provisions of the

law are shown on the back of this letter.

Please read all instructions before completing the form. You may use estimates if book figures are not readily available. Return the completed original questionnaire to the Census Bureau in the enclosed postage-paid envelope.

To help you complete the 2007 Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons:

• You can report electronically by using our online interactive application, Census Taker. To use this secure user-friendly application, go to <www.census.gov/econhelp/sbo>, which has instructions for using Census Taker. The site also shows how to use census data and provides links to previous census results.

$ We have included with this package a set of answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding this survey.

• If you cannot find an answer on the enclosure or on the Internet, our customer help line

(1-888-824-9954) is available Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Eastern time. When calling, please refer to the 11-digit Census File Number (CFN) shown in the upper left corner of the address label on the report form.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

C. Harvey Monk, Jr.

Enclosures

NOTE -- Be sure to make a copy of the form for your records.

AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT ECONOMIC CENSUSES – SECTION 131

The Secretary shall take, compile, and publish censuses of manufactures, of mineral industries, and of

other businesses, including the distributive trades, service establishments, and transportation

(exclusive of means of transportation for which statistics are required by law to be filed with, and are

compiled and published by, a designated regulatory body), in the year 1964, then in the year 1968, and

every fifth year thereafter, and each such census shall relate to the year immediately preceding the

taking thereof.

AUTHORITY TO COLLECT PRELIMINARY AND SUPPLEMENTAL STATISTICS – SECTION 193

In advance of, in conjunction with, or after the taking of each census provided for by this chapter, the

Secretary may make surveys and collect such preliminary and supplementary statistics related to the

main topic of the census as are necessary to the initiation, taking, or completion thereof.

MANDATORY PROVISIONS OF LAW PERTAINING TO ECONOMIC CENSUSES – SECTION 224

Whoever, being the owner, official, agent, person in charge, or assistant to the person in charge, of any

company, business, institution, establishment, religious body, or organization of any nature

whatsoever, neglects or refuses, when requested by the Secretary or other authorized officer or

employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof, to answer completely and

correctly to the best of his knowledge all questions relating to his company, business, institution,

establishment, religious body, or other organization, or to records or statistics in his official custody,

contained on any census or other schedule, or questionnaire prepared and submitted to him under the

authority of this title, shall be fined not more than $500; and if he willfully gives a false answer to any

such questions, he shall be fined not more than $10,000.

CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION

Section 9

Neither the Secretary, nor any other officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or

agency thereof, may, except as provided in section 8 of this title --

(1) use the information furnished under the provisions of this title for any purpose other than the

statistical purposes for which it is supplied; or

(2) make any publication whereby the data furnished by any particular establishment or individual

under this title can be identified; or

(3) permit anyone other than the sworn officers and employees of the Department or bureau or agency

thereof to examine the individual reports.

No department, bureau, agency, officer, or employee of the Government, except the Secretary in

carrying out the purposes of this title, shall require, for any reason, copies of census reports which

have been retained by any such establishment or individual. Copies of census reports which have been

so retained shall be immune from legal process, and shall not, without the consent of the individual or

establishment concerned, be admitted as evidence or used for any purpose in any action, suit, or other

judicial or administrative proceeding.

Section 214

Whoever, being or having been an employee or staff member referred to in subchapter II of chapter I

of this title, having taken and subscribed the oath of office, or having sworn to observe the limitations

imposed by section 9 of this title, publishes or communicates any information, the disclosure of which

is prohibited under the provisions of section 9 of this title, and which comes into his possession by

reason of his being employed (or otherwise providing services) under the provisions of this title, shall

be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.

SBO-1-L1 (2007)