[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 124 (Tuesday, June 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34761-34763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-16534]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 124 / Tuesday, June 29, 1999 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

June 24, 1999.
    The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following 
information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13. Comments 
regarding (a) whether the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy 
of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology should be addressed to: Desk 
Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Washington, DC 20503 and To 
Departmental Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, 
DC 20250-7602. Comments regarding these information collections are 
best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of 
this notification. Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by 
calling (202) 720-6746.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to 
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not 
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

Rural Utilities Service

    Title: Financial Requirement & Expenditure Statement.
    OMB Control Number: 0572-0015.
    Summary of Collection: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is a 
credit agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It makes loans 
(direct and guaranteed) to finance electric, telecommunications, and 
water and waste water facilities in rural areas. RUS' electric program 
is a leader in lending to upgrade, expand, maintain and replace the 
vast rural American electric infrastructure. The RUS loan portfolio 
totals nearly $42 billion. RUS also acts as a catalyst for private 
sector investment in rural America and assists borrowers by enabling 
them to more easily obtain ``market financing.'' The Rural 
Electrification Act (RE Act) of 1936, 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq., authorizes 
and empowers the Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service to make 
loans in the several States and Territories of the United States for 
rural electrification and the furnishing of electric energy to persons 
in rural areas who are not receiving central station service. Eligible 
borrowers for RUS financial assistance include rural cooperative, 
nonprofit, limited-dividend, or mutual associations; municipalities; 
Indian Tribes; people's utility districts; states, territories, and 
subdivisions and agencies thereof; and, commercial corporations. These 
entities are obligated to serve the public welfare and, in many 
instances, are subject to State regulatory oversight. RUS electric 
borrowers use RUS form 595 to request an advance of loan funds. RUS 
will collect information using RUS form 595.
    Need and Use of the Information: RUS will collect information on 
the distribution, transmission, generation, headquarters facilities, 
and acquisitions. The information enables the Government to ensure that 
loan funds are expended and advanced by RUS to electric borrowers only 
for US approved budget processes and amounts. Under RUS loan contracts, 
advances are made to borrowers as they need funds for their previously 
authorized construction projects. The Government's security would be 
impaired if it could not determine with assurance that loan fund 
advances and expenditures were being made in accordance with the 
borrower's obligations and commitments.
    Description of Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions; Business 
or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 798.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 26,334.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

    Title: National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS).
    OMB Control Number: 0579-0079.
    Summary of Collection: The mission of the National Animal Health 
Monitoring System (NAHMS) Program of the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service (APHIS) is to deliver statistically-valid and 
scientifically-sound animal health information to consumers, animal 
health officials, private practitioners, animal industry groups, policy 
makers, public health officials, media, educational institutions, and 
others. Annually, NAHMS conducts studies of specific livestock and 
poultry issues. NAHMS is proposing to collect information in 
conjunction with the Equine '98 study. Information for the study will 
be collected voluntarily on a national basis from people involved in 
the equine (horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules) industry using surveys 
and other structured forms.
    Need and Use of the Information: The information collected through 
the NAHMS Equine '98 study will be used to estimate risk factors for 
regional and national prevalence of specific pathogens; support the 
industry goal of providing optimal health care for equids by 
determining current practices in health management; provide baseline 
estimates of equine health conditions; provide information on mortality 
and morbidity as it relates to body system categories such as 
respiratory disease, colic, and lameness; and determine the cost of 
disease.
    Description of Respondents: Farms; State, Local, or Tribal 
Government.
    Number of Respondents: 5,468.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion; Monthly.
    Total Burden Hours: 10,454.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

    Title: Tuberculosis.
    OMB Control Number: 0579-0084.

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    Summary of Collection: Title 21 U.S.C. authorizes the Secretary of 
Agriculture to prevent, control and eliminate domestic diseases such as 
tuberculosis, as well as to take actions to prevent and to manage 
exotic diseases such as hog cholera, African swine fever, and other 
foreign diseases. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
(APHIS) oversees the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis 
Eradication Program to eliminate bovine tuberculosis, a serious disease 
of livestock. The disease also affects man through contacts with 
infected animals or their byproducts. APHIS works with State and other 
federal organizations to conduct epidemiologic investigations to locate 
bovine tuberculosis and provide a means of controlling it. Information 
is collected using a variety of forms to properly identify, test, and 
transport animals that are infected with or exposed to tuberculosis.
    Need and Use of the Information: APHIS will collect information to 
search for infected herds, maintain identification of livestock, 
monitor deficiencies in identification of animals for movement, and 
monitor program deficiencies in suspicious and infected herds. 
Continued collection of this information is essential for program 
progress aimed at controlling and eradicating bovine tuberculosis.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Farms; 
State, Local, or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 5,031.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion; Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 17,372.

Food and Nutrition Service

    Title: Survey of State Public Health and Community Nutrition 
Workforce.
    OMB Control Number: 0584-NEW.
    Summary of Collection: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program 
for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) was created by the Congress in 
1972 to provide nutritious food, nutrition education, and health care 
referrals to meet the special nutritional needs of low-income pregnant, 
postpartum, and breastfeeding women, and their infants and children (up 
to age five) who are at nutritional risk. The program seeks to meet the 
special nutritional needs to these individuals and to prevent health 
and development problems associated with poor nutrition during 
pregnancy and early childhood. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), 
which administers the WIC Program, needs workforce information to 
provide technical assistance to improve state agency administrative 
systems, including recruitment and retention of qualified nutrition 
staff. FNS has executed a cooperative agreement with the Association of 
State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors (ASTPHND) to 
collect, process, aggregate, analyze and report the survey data. 
Legislative authority for the Survey of State Public Health Nutrition 
Workforce is provided under section 17(g) of the Child Nutrition Act of 
1966 as amended through Pub. L. 105-24. The FNS will collect 
information from the public health nutrition workforce using a survey 
which will be distributed by mail, fax, email or hand delivered to 
their worksite.
    Need and use of the Information: FNS will collect information to 
assist with workforce recruitment and retention; identify trends in the 
experience and preparation of the public health nutrition workforce; 
compare current qualifications of WIC nutrition staff with the 
workforce resources needed to carry out the program at the state and 
local level; and identify training and development needs of WIC 
personnel in relation to their job responsibilities, credentials, 
education, and tenure. The information is needed to assess efforts to 
recruit and retain public health nutritionists to staff the WIC Program 
at the state and local levels. Recruitment and retention of qualified 
staff is essential to maintaining the quality of nutrition services by 
providing an environment where staff is appropriately selected, 
trained, and supported.
    Description of Respondents: State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 8055.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: Other; one-time.
    Total Burden Hours: 3233.4.

Rural Utilities Service

    Title: Request for Mail List Data.
    OMB Control Number: 0572-0051.
    Summary of Collection: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) manages 
loan programs in accordance with the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, 
7 U.S.C. 901 et seq., as amended, (Re Act) and as prescribed by Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-129, Policies for Federal 
Credit Programs and Non-tax Receivables. RUS Form 87 is used for the 
RUS electric and telephone programs to obtain the name and addresses of 
the borrowers' officials with whom RUS must communicate directly in 
order to administer the agency's lending programs. RUS will collect 
information using form RUS 87.
    Need and use of the Information: RUS will collect information to 
assure that correspondence with the borrowers is properly directed; 
documents submitted to RUS, such as loan applications and requests for 
the advance of loan funds, are signed by the appropriate officials and 
regulatory and administrative obligations are met to provide 
information to persons directly involved with carrying out Department 
programs and activities.
    Description of Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions; business 
or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 905.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 226.

Food and Nutrition Service

    Title: 7 CFR Part 215 SMP Special Milk Program for Children.
    OMB Control Number: 0584-0005.
    Summary of Collection: Responsibility for administering the Special 
Milk Program (SMP) at the Federal level has been assigned to the Food 
and Nutrition Service (FNS). 7 CFR part 215 legislation requires that 
SMP operations within the States be administered by State Agencies 
(SAs). Section 2 of the Child Nutrition Act sets forth the intent of 
the Congress as being ``to safeguard the health and well-being of the 
Nation's children, and to encourage the domestic consumption of 
agricultural and other foods by assisting the States, through grants-
in-aid and other means, to meet effectively the nutritional needs of 
our children.'' The SMP is a performance-funded program. For each half-
pint of milk served free to an eligible child, in a School Food 
Authority (SFA) operating the SMP in its pricing mode, the SA 
reimburses the SFA for the cost of obtaining the milk. For each half-
pint of milk served to a paying child in a pricing program, or to any 
child in a nonpricing program, the SA reimburses the SFA at a rate set 
by statute. The SA obtains from FNS the Federal funds necessary to make 
SMP reimbursement payments. FNS pays the SA at the same rates at which 
the SA reimburses SFAs. FNS will collect information using Form FNS-10.
    Need and use of the Information: FNS will collect information to 
compute the amount of Federal SMP funds due the SA under the 
performace-funding formula; analyze and evaluate the results of program 
operations within each State and nationwide; respond to data requests 
from the Congress, OMB, advocacy groups and the general public; develop 
budget projections of the amount of Federal funds needed to pay SMP 
program benefits; and regulate the flow of Federal funds to SA. Without

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this information FNS would not be able to evaluate program operations.
    Description of Respondents: State, Local, or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 16,370.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: Monthly, 
Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 830,184.
Nancy B. Sternberg,
Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-16534 Filed 6-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-01-M