Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 82.djvu/1345

 82 STAT. ]

PUBLIC LAW 90-620-OCT. 22, 1968

emments of the District of Columbia and of the territories and possessions of the United States, and their various subdivisions; "person" means an individual, partnership association, corporation, business trust, or legal representative, an organized group of persons, a State or territorial government or branch, or a political subdivision of a State or territory or a branch of a political subdivision; "information"' means facts obtained or solicited by the use of written report forms, application forms, schedules, questionnaires, or other similar methods calling either for answers to identical questions from ten or more persons other than agencies, instrumentalities, or emplo3rees of the United States or for answers to questions from a^ncies, instrumentalities, or employees of the United States which are to be used for statistical compilations of general public interest. § 3503. Duties of Director of the Bureau of the Budget With a view to carrying out the policy of this chapter, the Director of the Bureau of the Budget from time to time shall— (1) investigate the needs of the various Federal agencies for information from business enterprises, from other persons, and from other Federal agencies; (2) investigate the methods used by agencies in obtaining information; and (3) coordinate as rapidly as possible the information-collecting services of all agencies with a view to reducing the cost to the Government of obtaining information and minimizing the burden upon business enterprises and other persons, and using, as far as practicable, for continuing organization, files of information and existing facilities of the established Federal agencies. § 3504. Designation of central collection agency When, after investigation, the Director of the Bureau of the Budget is of the opinion that the needs of two or more Federal agencies for information from business enterprises and other persons will be adequately served by a single collecting agency, he shall fix a time and place for a hearing at which the agencies concerned and other interested persons may have an opportunity to present their views. After the hearing, the Director may issue an order designating a collecting agency to obtain information for two or more of the agencies concerned, and prescribing (with reference to the collection of information) the duties and functions of the collecting agency so designated and the Federal agencies for which it is to act as agent. The Director may modify the order from time to time as circumstances require, but modification may not be made except after investigation and hearing. § 3505. Independent collection by an agency prohibited While an order or modified order is in effect, a Federal agency covered by it may not obtain for itself information which it is the duty of the collecting agency designated by the order to obtain. §3506. Determination of necessity for information; hearing Upon the request of a party having a substantial interest, or upon his own motion, the Director of the Bureau of the Budget may determine whether or not the collection of information by a Federal agency is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency or for any other proper purpose. Before making a determination, he may give the agency and other interested persons an opportunity to

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