Census Saw 'Spike' in VSDs, but Levels Returning to Normal

The Census Bureau has seen a large “spike” in voluntary disclosures during the past few years, with some officials handling 10 at a time, a Commerce Department official said during the Bureau of Industry and Security's annual update conference June 29. The official said disclosures increased at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and have remained high since but are just starting to return to normal levels. “My staff was like, … 'Oh, my God. I have like 10 I’m processing.’ Everybody was processing 10,” the official said, speaking on background under a conference policy for certain career personnel.

The official said the increase in disclosures is seen as a positive because it's a sign industry is “trying to be compliant” with the agency’s export regulations. “You don't want to get these penalties, and we're here to help process” the disclosures, the official said.