Feb 2 -- The Under Secretary for Economic Affairs requests the nomination of individuals to the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee (FESAC or the Committee). The Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, in coordination with the Directors of the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the Census Bureau, as well as the Commissioner of the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), will consider nominations received in response to this notice, as well as from other sources. Nominations for FESAC will be accepted on an ongoing basis and will be considered as and when vacancies arise.
Objectives and Scope of FESAC Activities: The Committee advises the Directors of BEA and the Census Bureau, as well as the Commissioner of BLS, on statistical methodology and other technical matters related to the design, collection, tabulation, and analysis of federal economic statistics.
Description of the FESAC Member Duties: The Committee functions solely as an advisory committee to the senior officials of BEA, the Census Bureau, and BLS (the agencies). Important aspects of the Committee's responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
a. Recommending research to address important technical problems arising in the field of Federal economic statistics;
b. Identifying areas in which better coordination of the agencies' activities would be beneficial;
c. Exploring ways to enhance the agencies' economic indicators to improve their timeliness, accuracy, and specificity to meet changing demands and future data needs;
d. Improving the means, methods, and techniques to obtain economic information needed to produce current and future economic indicators; and
e. Coordinating, in its identification of agenda items, with other existing academic advisory committees chartered to provide agency-specific advice, for the purpose of avoiding duplication of effort.
The Committee meets once or twice a year, budget permitting. Additional meetings may be held as deemed necessary by the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs or the Designated Federal Official. All Committee meetings are open to the public in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
FESAC Membership: The Committee will comprise approximately sixteen members who serve at the pleasure of the Secretary of Commerce. Members shall be appointed by the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs in consultation with the agencies. Committee members shall be professionals in appropriate disciplines, including economists, statisticians, survey methodologists, computer scientists, data scientists, and behavioral scientists who are experts in their fields and are recognized for their scientific, professional, and operational achievements and objectivity. Membership will represent data users with expertise from the public sector, academia, and the private sector. Members will be chosen to achieve a balanced membership that will meet the needs of the agencies.
Members shall serve as Special Government Employees (SGEs) and shall be subject to the applicable ethics rules. A FESAC member term is three years. Members may serve more than one term.
FESAC webpage @BEA:
https://apps.bea.gov/fesac/
FESAC webpage @FACAdatabase:
https://www.facadatabase.gov/FACA/s/FACACommittee/a10t0000001gznlAAA/com000272
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-02126