2017 US Code
Title 13 - Census
Chapter 5 - Censuses
Subchapter I - Manufactures, Mineral Industries, and Other Businesses
Sec. 131 - Collection and publication; five-year periods

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.

(Aug. 31, 1954, ch. 1158, 68 Stat. 1019; Pub. L. 85–207, §8, Aug. 28, 1957, 71 Stat. 482; Pub. L. 88–532, Aug. 31, 1964, 78 Stat. 737.)

Based on title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., §121 (June 19, 1948, ch. 502, §1, 62 Stat. 478; June 18, 1954, ch. 315, 68 Stat. 258).

Section was subsection (a) of section 121 of title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed. The remainder of such section 121, which constituted subsection (b) thereof, is incorporated in subchapter IV of this chapter.

At the beginning, "The Secretary", meaning the Secretary of Commerce, was substituted for a reference to the Director of the Bureau of the Census, and, at the end, the provision that the territorial scope of the censuses should be determined by the Secretary was substituted for the provision of section 121 of title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., that such determination should be made by the Director with the approval of the Secretary, to conform with 1950 Reorganization Plan No. 5, §§1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1263, which transferred all functions of all officers and employees, agencies and bureaus of the Department of Commerce to the Secretary. However, the Secretary, under that plan, may delegate any of such transferred functions, as well as any other of his functions, to any of such officers, employees, agencies and bureaus. See, also, section 4 of this title.

The reference in section 121 of title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., to the year "1949" as the year for commencement of the quinquennial censuses was changed to the year "1954", since the former designation is obsolete, and the provision of such section that the census of manufacturers should not be taken in 1949 was omitted as obsolete.

Changes were made in phraseology.

1964—Pub. L. 88–532 substituted "in the year 1964, then in the year 1968, and" for "in the year 1954 and" and struck out provisions which related to the taking of certain censuses in the year 1955.

1957—Pub. L. 85–207 struck out sentence which included the United States and its territories and such possessions as the Secretary might determine in the censuses to be taken. See section 191 of this title.

Pub. L. 100–533, title V, §501, Oct. 25, 1988, 102 Stat. 2697, provided that:

"(a) Bureau of Labor Statistics.—The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor shall include in any census report it may prepare on women owned business data on—

"(b) Bureau of the Census.—The Bureau of the Census of the Department of Commerce shall include in its Business Census for 1992 and each such succeeding census data on the number of corporations which are 51 per centum or more owned by women.

"(c) Combined Study.—Not later than one hundred and eighty days after the effective date of this section [Oct. 25, 1988], the Office of the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration (hereinafter referred to in this subsection as the 'Office') shall conduct a study and prepare a report recommending the most cost effective and accurate means to gather and present the data required to be collected pursuant to subsections (a) and (b). The Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor shall provide the Office such assistance and cooperation as may be necessary and appropriate to achieve the purposes of this subsection."