OMB Surveys

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Links to Federal Laws Directives and Guidance

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

In 1995 Congress enacted the most recent version of the Paperwork Reduction Act (Public Law 104-13), amending the law originally passed in 1980. The legislation gives the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the authority to regulate Federal agency information gathering from individuals, agencies, organizations, and businesses outside the Federal government. Chief among the eleven purposes listed in the introduction to the legislation are the needs to eliminate any unnecessary intrusion on public’s time or privacy and to insure that Federal agencies collect reliable information germane to their immediate needs. The 1995 act gives direction to OMB on setting administrative procedures, and it gives direction to Federal agencies on data collection and reporting procedures.
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (pdf, 122KB)

Section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriation Act of 2001

In 2001 Congress enacted Public Law 106-554 directing OMB to issue guidance for ensuring the quality of data disseminated by Federal agencies by maximizing the objectivity, utility and integrity of the information collected. Section 515

OMB Guidelines on Section 515 of Public Law 106-554

OMB responded to the PL 106-554 by issuing guidelines for data quality in a 2001 directive, “Guidelines for Ensuring and Maximizing the Quality, Objectivity, Utility, and Integrity of Information Disseminated by Federal Agencies.”
OMB Guidelines on Section 515

OMB Bulletin, “Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review”

In December 2004, OMB issued a bulletin emphasizing the need for agencies to seek peer review in the data quality assurance process. This includes seeking outside input and review on the design and analysis of surveys.
Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review (pdf, 238 KB)

Questions and Answers When Designing Surveys for Information Collections

OMB’s issued its most comprehensive guidance on questionnaire design in January 2006. This guidance takes the questionnaire administrator through the whole process from requesting generic OMB approval of questionnaires, through choosing a method for questionnaire administration, questionnaire design, sampling, response rates, analysis, and reporting survey results.
Guidance on Agency Survey and Statistical Information (pdf, 814KB)

Office of Management and Budget Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Surveys

This document provides specific data collections standards for Federal agencies. The document explains basic concepts in the data collection and the quality assurance process and offers guidelines for meeting each standard.
Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Surveys (pdf, 318KB)

Army Regulation 335-15: Management Information Control System

This regulation ‘s purpose is to ensure that Army offices only collect mission-related data; make collections complete, clear, and brief; and use effective technology in collecting information.
Army Regulation 335-15 (Army employees only) (pdf, 390 KB)

OCE Supplement to Army Regulation 335-15

This supplement defines the reporting requirements and other responsibilities within the Corps to meet the requirements of Army Regulation 335-15.
OCE Supplement to Army Regulation 335-15

The E-Government Act of 2002, Public Law 107-347

The E-Government Act promotes the use of web-based information gathering and dissemination to ease the paperwork burden on individuals and businesses and to promote efficiency for the government in information collections.
E-Government Act of 2002