[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 6 (Thursday, January 9, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1308-1309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-485]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Consumer Service
Summer Food Service Program for Children; Program Reimbursement
for 1997
AGENCY: Food and Consumer Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice informs the public of the annual adjustments to
the reimbursement rates for meals served in the Summer Food Service
Program for Children (SFSP). These adjustments reflect changes in the
Consumer Price Index and are required by the statute governing the
Program. In addition, this year's operating rates are lower as a result
of amendments made by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act of 1966.
EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1997.
[[Page 1309]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert M. Eadie, Chief, Policy and
Program Development Branch, Child Nutrition Division, Food and Consumer
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Alexandria, Virginia 22302,
(703) 305-2620.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action is not a rule as defined by the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612) and thus is exempt from
the provisions of that Act. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507), no new recordkeeping or reporting
requirements have been included that are subject to approval from the
Office of Management and Budget.
This action is exempted from review by the Office of Management and
Budget under Executive Order 12866.
This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance under No. 10.559 and is subject to the provisions of
Executive Order 12372 which requires intergovernmental consultation
with State and local officials, (7 CFR Part 3015, Subpart V, and final
rule related notice published at 48 FR 29114, June 24, 1983).
Definitions
The terms used in this Notice shall have the meaning ascribed to
them in the regulations governing the Summer Food Service Program for
Children (7 CFR Part 225).
Background
Pursuant to section 13 of the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) (42
U.S.C. 1761) and the regulations governing the SFSP (7 CFR Part 225),
notice is hereby given of adjustments in Program payments for meals
served to children participating in the SFSP during the 1997 Program.
Adjustments are based on changes in the food away from home series of
the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers for the period
November 1995 through November 1996.
The operating rates being adjusted in this notice are lower than
those which were in effect during the 1996 Program. This is due to the
enactment of Public Law 104-193, the Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, on August 22, 1996. Section
706(b) of this statute amended section 13(b) of the NSLA to set new
maximum SFSP operating rates and to require the rates to be adjusted
down to the nearest whole cent. This resulted in the lowering of the
rates from $2.1675 to $1.97 for lunches and suppers, from $1.2075 to
$1.13 for breakfasts, and from $.5700 to $.4600 for supplements.
Finally, after adjusting these rates by 3 percent (to reflect an
increase in the CPI for food away from home, from 150.2 in November
1995 to 154.7 in November 1996), the resulting operating rates were
rounded down to the nearest whole cent, as opposed to the nearest
quarter cent, as was previously the case.
The new 1997 reimbursement rates in dollars are as follows:
Maximum Per Meal Reimbursement Rates
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Operating Costs
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Breakfast...................................................... $1.16
Lunch or Supper................................................ 2.02
Supplement..................................................... .47
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Administrative Costs
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a. For meals served at rural or self-preparation sites:
Breakfast.................................................... .115
Lunch or Supper.............................................. .2125
Supplement................................................... .0575
b. For meals served at other types of sites:
Breakfast.................................................... .09
Lunch or Supper.............................................. .175
Supplement................................................... .045
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The total amount of payments to State agencies for disbursement to
Program sponsors will be based upon these Program reimbursement rates
and the number of meals of each type served.
The Department points out that Public Law 104-193 established new
maximum operating rates for all SFSP sponsors but did not change the
base administrative rates or the rounding method for those rates. The
administrative rates being adjusted in this notice are the rates which
were in effect during 1996. In addition, the SFSP administrative
reimbursement rates continue to be adjusted to the nearest quarter-cent
as has previously been the case.
Authority: Secs. 9, 13 and 14, National School Lunch Act, as
amended (42 U.S.C. 1758, 1761 and 1762a).
Dated: December 30, 1996.
George A. Braley,
Acting Administrator, Food and Consumer Service.
[FR Doc. 97-485 Filed 1-8-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P