80 FR 24999 - Data Collection Available for Public Comments

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 84 (May 1, 2015)

The Small Business Administration (SBA) intends to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the collection of information described below. The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35 requires federal agencies to publish a notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information before submission to OMB, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice complies with that requirement.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 84 (Friday, May 1, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24999-25000]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-10258]


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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION


Data Collection Available for Public Comments

ACTION: 60-day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Small Business Administration (SBA) intends to request 
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the 
collection of information described below. The Paperwork Reduction Act 
(PRA) of 1995, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35 requires federal agencies to 
publish a notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed 
collection of information before submission to OMB, and to allow 60 
days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice complies 
with that requirement.

DATES: Submit comments on or before June 30, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Send all comments to Erin Kelley, Director of Research & 
Policy, National Women's Business Council, Small Business 
Administration, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20416 or via email at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Kelley, Director of Research & 
Policy, National Women's Business Council, 202 205-6826, 
[email protected], or Curtis B. Rich, Management Analyst, 202-205-
7030, [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Women's Business Council (NWBC) 
is a non-partisan federal advisory council that serves as an 
independent source of advice and counsel to the President, Congress, 
and the Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance 
to women business owners. Members of the Council are prominent women 
business owners and leaders of women' business organizations.
    As part of NWBC's outreach and engagement with women business 
owners, NWBC would like to collect information on three populations:

[[Page 25000]]

Attendees of public meetings; successful women business owners; and 
attendees of research webinars.
    For the public meeting data collection, the goal is to understand 
the demographics of the NWBC audience and their reasons for engaging 
with the NWBC, in order to best cater the material and programming for 
that specific audience, and produce meaningful and relevant content for 
future programming. The NWBC also intends to stay in contact with this 
audience, as they are important stakeholders. The information collected 
from this audience will enable us to achieve this goal.
    For the research webinars, the goal is to do market research and 
understand the marketplace of researchers that may bid on NWBC research 
contracting opportunities, in order to cultivate the marketplace with 
the intention of increasing the quality of NWBC research. The NWBC also 
intends to stay in contact with this audience, as they are important 
stakeholders. The information collected from this audience will enable 
us to achieve this goal.
    For the successful women business owners segment, the goal of this 
project is to collect and amplify success stories in order to raise the 
visibility of women business owners. This goal is in accordance with an 
NWBC recommendation, which reads as follows:

    There should be greater and regular recognition of successful 
women in business. Research has shown that role models are an 
important factor in an individual's decision to pursue 
entrepreneurship. Media attention tends to focus on men 
entrepreneurs; increasing the visibility and profile of successful 
women entrepreneurs will normalize the idea of women founding and 
leading companies.

    The information collected from this audience will enable us to 
achieve this goal and also take action on one of our own 
recommendations.
    The surveys will consist of three separate questionnaires targeting 
attendees of NWBC events, attendees of research webinars, and women 
business owners. Each questionnaire will take between 5 and 20 minutes 
to complete (see below for the estimated burden analysis of each 
questionnaire). The survey questions will explore a range of issues, 
including:
     Public Meeting Attendees: Demographics, geography, contact 
information, type of employment (federal employee, press, researcher, 
business owner).
     Research Webinar Attendees: Demographic information, 
subject matter expertise, company/organization information, hot topics 
in the attendees' fields of expertise.
     Women Business Owners: Demographics information, business 
information, contact information, questions on motivation, attitude, 
success, and overcoming challenges.
    The data from the survey will be used to cultivate an audience and 
understand their needs so as to make more relevant policy 
recommendations; inform outreach strategy to potential vendors of NWBC 
research; and increase the visibility of successful women business 
owners and inspire others.

Solicitation of Public Comments

    SBA is requesting comments on (a) whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the agency to properly perform its 
functions; (b) whether the burden estimates are accurate; (c) whether 
there are ways to minimize the burden, including through the use of 
automated techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) 
whether there are ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information.

Summary of Information Collection

    Title: NWBC Public Meeting Registration.
    Description of Respondents: Attendees of NWBC events; attendees of 
research webinars; subjects of role modeling profiles.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 800 (600 from NWBC events; 100 
from role modeling project; and 100 from research webinar attendees).
    Total Estimated Annual Hour Burden: 90 hours total.

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                                                  Event attendees
                                   ---------------------------------------------    Success stories      Total
                                             NWBC                Research                               (hours)
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Estimated survey hour burden......  5 minutes............  5 minutes...........  20 minutes..........
Sample population hour burden       50 hours.............  6.25 hours..........  33.33 hours.........         90
 estimate.
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Curtis B. Rich,
Management Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2015-10258 Filed 4-30-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8025-01-P