Take Action! Annual Business Survey and More
by Meghan Maury
Survey of the Week: Annual Business Survey. The ABS provides information on measures of research and development (R&D) as well as business and owner characteristics by sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. Changes to the ABS in 2026 include reducing sample size (which may limit the ability to produce sub-national estimates) and "streamlining" content by removing questions on work from home, sexual orientation, gender identity, business collaboration with other entities like universities, and management practices.
Comments due Nov. 3
Every time the government makes a change to a survey or a form — or introduces a new survey or form — you have the right to weigh in on that decision. The Take Action! newsletter highlights surveys or forms the government is changing, renewing, or introducing. Click the links to tell the government what you think about the changes they are making.
Note: The Take Action tab of DataIndex.us provides information about even more surveys, forms, evaluations, and records notices than are listed in your weekly newsletter.
Federal Grant Reporting
Education: Required Information for Annual Improper Payment Estimation. In response to a May 2025 OIG report, ED is introducing a new form for institutions of higher education to report information required to carry out its payment integrity plan and publish payment integrity information on an annual basis.
Comments due Oct. 27.Housing: Recipient Financial Reporting Demonstration. HUD is testing a consolidated, consistent mechanism for HUD to confirm that grantees are spending their funds properly in order to add additional oversight to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.
Comments due Nov. 3.
Data Management
Health Research: Data Management Plan (DMP) Template. CDC is introducing a data management plan template for its sub-unit CIOs that will allow CDC to understand the number and types of datasets that are being released and shared alongside publications. According to the listing, the proposed new metadata elements for a unified DMP will also help guide CDC-funded researchers towards greater collaborations through fostering data reuse; improve reproducibility by encouraging greater data documentation; and improve accessibility by making CDC data more open and reusable to researchers and the public.
Comments due Oct. 27.
Forms
Education: Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). These forms collect information on SEVP-certified schools and information on the F- and M-visa nonimmigrant students that the SEVP-certified schools admit into their programs of study. The forms are being revised to collect additional information from schools (such as school ownership, time necessary to complete the program, and whether a program is in a hybrid or low residency format) and from students (such as on legal guardian information and whether a student is engaging in online education, on-campus employment, and whether any employment or training is being conducted on-site or remotely).
Comments due Nov. 3.Education: Application for Approval To Participate in Federal Student Aid Programs. ED uses information submitted on this form to determine whether higher education institutions are eligible to participate in the Title IV programs. The listing indicates that changes are being made to the form, but it's unclear from the listing what changes are being made.
Comments due Oct. 24.Discrimination: NRC Formal Discrimination Complaint. NRC is renewing the clearance on its discrimination complaint forms. Though technically not a part of this renewal, earlier in the year NRC processed a "nonsubstantive change" to these forms removing the option to select sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy as the basis of a discrimination complaint. Because the public was denied an opportunity to comment on those changes at the time, it would be appropriate to comment on those changes during this comment period.
Comments due Nov. 3.
Surveys
Internet Access: NTIA Internet Use Survey. This survey, a supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), asks roughly 60 questions about whether and how Americans use the Internet. NTIA has made several changes to the survey in this iteration; commenters to the 60-day notice supported most of the changes and suggested minor revisions - it doesn't appear that NTIA has changed anything in response to those comments.
Comments due Oct. 2.Food Safety: FDA Food Safety and Nutrition Survey. FDA is reinstating its Food Safety Survey and Health and Diet Survey, to measure consumers' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about food safety and nutrition issues. The proposed 2025 FSANS will contain many of the same questions and topics as the previous surveys to facilitate measuring trends in food safety and diet knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors over time. The proposed survey will also be updated to explore emerging consumer food safety and nutrition topics and to expand understanding of previously asked topics.
Comments due Oct. 3.
Also of Note:
Farmworkers: Discontinuation: Agricultural Labor Survey. USDA is discontinuing this survey, arguing that "Although USDA has used FLS data for various actions in the past, those purposes can be fulfilled by relying on other available sources of data, such as the OEWS program." Experts on this data suggest that OEWS is not a reasonable substitute for the FLS. USDA is not formally accepting comments about this collection, but lists the OMB clearance officer’s contact information, which could be a conduit for feedback.
This newsletter is made possible by a very generous donation from the Leadership Conference Education Fund.