# § 6. Information from other Federal departments and agencies; acquisition of reports from other governmental and private sources
**(a)** The Secretary, whenever he considers it advisable, may call upon any other department, agency, or establishment of the Federal Government, or of the government of the District of Columbia, for information pertinent to the work provided for in this title.
**(b)** The Secretary may acquire, by purchase or otherwise, from States, counties, cities, or other units of government, or their instrumentalities, or from private persons and agencies, such copies of records, reports, and other material as may be required for the efficient and economical conduct of the censuses and surveys provided for in this title.
**(c)** To the maximum extent possible and consistent with the kind, timeliness, quality and scope of the statistics required, the Secretary shall acquire and use information available from any source referred to in subsection (a) or (b) of this section instead of conducting direct inquiries.
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**Source Credit**: (Aug. 31, 1954, ch. 1158, 68 Stat. 1013; Pub. L. 85–207, § 3, Aug. 28, 1957, 71 Stat. 481; Pub. L. 94–521, § 5(a), Oct. 17, 1976, 90 Stat. 2460.)
### Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., §§ 122, 215, 252, and , U.S.C., 1952 ed., The Public Health and Welfare (, ; , ; , title VI, § 607, ; , ).
Section consolidates , U.S.C., 1952 ed., with those parts of sections 122 and 252 of such title which respectively made such section 215 applicable to the quinquennial censuses of manufacturers and the mineral industries and other businesses, and governments, and with that part of subsection (b) of , U.S.C., 1952 ed., which made such section 215 applicable to the decennial censuses of housing (see subchapters I, II, and III of chapter 5 of this title). As originally enacted in 1929, such section 215 had related only to the decennial censuses of population, agriculture, etc., the provisions for which are continued in subchapter II of chapter 5 of this title.
The provisions, as revised in this section, relate, not only to the censuses referred to above, but also, to all other investigations provided for in this title. This was probably the Congressional intent.
Words in , U.S.C., 1952 ed., “on request of the Director of the Census”, were omitted since all functions under this title are vested primarily in the Secretary (of Commerce), in view of 1950 Reorganization Plan No. 5, §§ 1, 2, eff. , 15 F.R. 3174, . See Revision Note to .
Changes were made in phraseology.
For remainder of sections 122 and 252 of title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., and of , U.S.C., 1952 ed. (which has been transferred in its entirety to this revised title), see Distribution Table.
## Editorial Notes
### Amendments
1976— substituted “Information from other Federal departments and agencies; acquisition of reports from other governmental and private sources” for “Requests to other departments and offices for information, acquisition of reports from governmental and other sources” in section catchline.
Subsec. (a). substituted “considers” for “deems”, and “agency, or establishment of the Federal Government, or of the government of the District of Columbia” for “or office of the Government”.
Subsec. (c). added subsec. (c).
1957— inserted “, acquisition of reports from governmental and other sources” in section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), and added subsec. (b).
## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
### Effective Date of 1976 Amendment
Amendment by effective , see , set out as a note under .