[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 250 (Wednesday, December 31, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75483-75484]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-32014]


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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 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 250 / Wednesday, December 31, 2003 / 
Notices  

[[Page 75483]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

December 23, 2003.
    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, Public Law 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), [email protected] or fax (202) 395-5806 and to Departmental 
Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20050-
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.

Farm Service Agency

    Title: On-line Registration for FSA-sponsored Events and 
Conferences.
    OMB Control Number: 0560-0226.
    Summary of Collection: The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking a 
blanket approval for all On-Line Registrations for FSA-sponsored events 
and conferences. The respondents will need to submit the information 
on-line to pay and to make reservation prior to attending any 
conferences and events. The respondents that do not have access to the 
Internet can mail or fax the information.
    Need and Use of the Information: FSA will collect the name, 
organization, organizations address, country, phone number, State, 
payment options and special accommodations from respondents. FSA will 
use the information to get payment, confirm and make hotel and other 
necessary arrangement for the respondents.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals or households; Farms; 
Business or other for-profit; Federal government, Not-for-profit 
institutions; State, local or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 900.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 225.

Farm Service Agency

    Title: USDA Minority Farm Register.
    OMB Control Number: 0560-NEW.
    Summary of Collection: In order to conduct outreach to socially 
disadvantaged people, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) must first, 
identify the people who are to be the recipients of and who desires the 
outreach services; and second, obtain their permission under the 
Privacy Act to release information to the organizations that will be 
conducting the outreach. The purpose of this data collection is to 
establish a voluntary register of minority farmers, landowners, tenants 
and others with an agricultural interest. The Register will provide a 
name and address file of those interested in outreach efforts. The 
authority for the collection of this information can be found at 7 
U.S.C. 2279.
    Need and Use of the Information: FSA will collect the name, 
address, phone number, social security number, farm location, race, 
ethnicity and gender from the Minority Farm Register Permission Form, 
FSA-1045. FSA will manage the register and will release names, 
addresses and phone numbers of individuals to approved outreach 
organizations requesting lists of individuals with particular racial 
and ethnic characteristics.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals or households; Farms; Not-
for-profit institutions; State, local or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 55,500.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Other (once).
    Total Burden Hours: 34,225.

Food and Nutrition Service

    Title: Performance Reporting System, Management Evaluation.
    OMB Control Number: 0584-0010.
    Summary of Collection: The purpose of the Performance Reporting 
System is to ensure that each State agency and project area is 
operating the Food Stamp Program in accordance with the Act, 
regulations, and the State agency's Plan of Operation. Section 11 of 
the Food Stamp Act of 1977, amended, requires State agencies to 
maintain necessary records to ascertain that the Food Stamp Program is 
operating in compliance with the Act and regulations and must make 
these records available to the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) for 
inspection.
    Need and Use of the Information: FNS will use the information to 
evaluate state agency operations and to collect information that is 
necessary to develop solutions to improve the State's administration of 
Program policy and procedures. Each State agency is required to submit 
one review schedule every one, two, or three years, depending on the 
project areas make-up of the state.
    Description of Respondents: State, local, or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 54.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 492,356.

Food and Nutrition Service

    Title: 7 CFR Part 226 Child and Adult Care Food Program.
    OMB Control Number: 0584-0055.
    Summary of Collection: Section 17 of the National School Lunch Act, 
as amended (42 U.S.C. 1766), authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to 
provide

[[Page 75484]]

cash reimbursement and commodity assistance, on a per meal basis, for 
food service to children in nonresidential child care centers and 
family day care homes, and to eligible adults in nonresidential adult 
day care centers. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has established 
application, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements to 
manage the Program effectively, and ensure that the legislative intent 
of this mandate is responsibly implemented. The information collected 
is necessary to enable institutions wishing to participate in the Child 
and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to submit applications to the 
administering agencies, execute agreements with those agencies, and 
claim the reimbursement to which they are entitled by law.
    Need and Use of the Information: FNS and State agencies 
administering the Program will use the collected information to 
determine eligibility of institutions to participate in the CACFP, 
ensure acceptance of responsibility in managing an effective food 
service, implement systems for appropriating Program funds, and ensure 
Compliance with all statutory and regulatory requirements.
    Description of Respondents: State, local, or tribal government; 
Individuals or households; Not-for-profit institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 2,930,467.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion; 
Biennially; Semi-annually; Monthly and Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 5,778,439.
    Title: Application for the Senior Community Service Employment 
Program.
    OMB Control Number: 0596-0099.
    Summary of Collection: The Senior Community Service Employment 
Program (SCSEP) is administered by Title V of the Older Americans Act 
of 1965, as amended. The Secretary of Labor administers this program in 
order to foster and promote useful part-time opportunities in community 
services activities for unemployed low-income persons who are age 55 or 
older. The Forest Service (FS) participates as one of 13 national 
sponsors under a grant agreement from the Department of Labor, which 
operates the SCSEP in 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto 
Rico. Under the grant agreement the FS recruits and enrolls 
approximately 5,000 economically disadvantaged persons annually to 
perform part-time community service assignments within the national 
forest and surrounding communities. Through the SCSEP the vast majority 
of applicants become self-reliant and independent of welfare program 
and have upgraded their skills and transition into the regular labor 
market. The FS will collect information using form FS 1800-21b 
``Application for Senior Community Service Employment Program.''
    Need and Use of the Information: FS will collect the following 
information: Identification data (name, address, and birth date); 
eligibility information (number in family, income and signature); 
applicant's disposition (family income level determination, eligibility 
determination, community service assignment determination); and other 
information such as age, sex, education level, ethnic group, social 
security number, his/her veteran and handicapped position. The 
information will be used to identify personal data. The information 
will also be used to provide the administrative office, Department of 
Labor, data on the program's target attainments. If the FS does not 
collection the above data from each applying to the SCSEP, participant 
eligibility determination could not be legally made thereby eliminating 
the FS as a national program sponsor.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals households.
    Number of Respondents: 6,500.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Other (initial application).
    Total Burden Hours: 1,083.

Forest Service

    Title: Guidelines for Eligibility and Required Documentation for 
the Golden Access Passport.
    OMB Control Number: 0596-NEW.
    Summary of Collection: The Golden Access Passport was created in 
1980 by an amendment to the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act 
(LWCFA) of 1965. A Golden Access Passport is a free, lifetime permit 
that is issued without charge by the National Park Service, Bureau of 
Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, Department of 
Agriculture, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of 
Defense to citizens or persons who are domiciled (permanent residents) 
in the United States, regardless of age, and who have a medical 
determination and documentation of blindness or permanent disability. 
Golden Access Passport may be obtained in person and upon proof of 
blindness or medically determined permanent disability in accordance 
with the criteria established in the LWCFA of 1965, as amended. In 
order to clarify and simplify the process for persons with disabilities 
to obtain the Golden Access Passport, all of the agencies that issue 
this free lifetime Passport cooperated in the development of the 
Guidelines for Eligibility and Required Documentation for the golden 
Access Passport. The authority for this information collection can be 
found at 16 U.S.C. 4601-6a(b).
    Need and Use of the Information: Each agency will use the 
guidelines when assisting customers seeking to obtain the Passport. The 
applicant's document or signed statement is used to verify that the 
individual is qualified to receive the Golden Access Passport. The 
documentation must be shown or the statement signed in person to ensure 
that the person signing the Passport is the person to whom the 
documentation was issued. If the agencies did not have a process by 
which to determine that these golden Access Passports are only issued 
to persons who have been medically determined to be blind or 
permanently disabled, the agencies would not be able to issue Passports 
in accordance with the LWCFA requirements.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals or households.
    Number of Respondents: 59,810.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Other (Initial Application).
    Total Burden Hours: 4,984.

Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-32014 Filed 12-30-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-01-M