[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 70 (Thursday, April 10, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 19455]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-7619]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service


Notice of Intent To Extend a Currently Approved Information 
Collection

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, 
USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
regulations (5 CFR part 1320) that implement the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the 
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service's (CSREES) 
intention to request approval for an extension of a currently approved 
information collection for Children, Youth, and Families at Risk 
(CYFAR).

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by June 9, 2008 
to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will 
be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
    E-mail: [email protected];
    Mail: Jason Hitchcock, Information Systems and Technology 
Management, USDA/CSREES, STOP 2216, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20250-2216;
    Hand Delivery/Courier: Jason Hitchcock, Information Systems and 
Technology Management, USDA/CSREES, 800 9th Street, SW., Room 4217, 
Waterfront Centre, Washington, DC 20024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason Hitchcock, (202) 720-4343.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Year-End 
Report.
    OMB Number: 0524-0043.
    Expiration Date of Current Approval: January 31, 2009.
    Type of Request: Intent to seek approval for the extension of a 
currently approved information collection for three years.
    Abstract: Funding for the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk 
(CYFAR) community project grants is authorized under section 3(d) of 
the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.), as amended, and other 
relevant authorizing legislation, which provides jurisdictional basis 
for the establishment and operation of Extension educational work for 
the benefit of youth and families in communities. The CYFAR funding 
program supports community-based programs serving children, youth, and 
families in at-risk environments. CYFAR funds are intended to support 
the development of high-quality, effective programs based on research 
and to document the impact of these programs on intended audiences.
    The CYFAR Year-End Report collects demographic and impact data from 
each community site where federal assistance is provided. It allows 
CSREES staff to gauge the impact of the program on the target audience 
and to make programmatic improvements. This collection also allows 
program staff to demonstrate the capacity developed in locales where 
federal assistance is provided.
    The evaluation processes of CYFAR are consistent with the 
requirements of legislation and OMB requirements. The Government 
Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA)(31 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), the 
Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act of 1998 (FAIR Act) (Pub. L. 
105-270), and the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education 
Reform Act of 1998 (AREERA) (7 U.S.C. 7601 et seq.; Pub. L. 105-185), 
together with OMB requirements, support the reporting requirements 
requested in this information collection. One of the five Presidential 
Management Agenda initiatives, Budget and Performance Integration, 
builds on GPRA and earlier efforts to identify program goals and 
performance measures, and link them to the budget process. The FAIR Act 
requires the development and implementation of a system to monitor and 
evaluate agricultural research and extension activities in order to 
measure the impact and effectiveness of research, extension, and 
education programs. AREERA requires a performance evaluation to be 
conducted to determine whether federally funded agricultural research, 
extension, and education programs result in public goods that have 
national or multistate significance.
    The immediate need for this information collection is to provide a 
means for satisfying accountability requirements. The long-term 
objective is to provide a means to enable the evaluation and assessment 
of the effectiveness of programs receiving federal funds and to fully 
satisfy requirements of performance and accountability legislation in 
GPRA, the FAIR Act, and AREERA.
    Estimate of Burden: There are currently CYFAR projects in 48 states 
and 3 territories. Each state and territory is required to submit an 
annual year-end report which includes demographic and impact data on 
each of the community projects. CSREES estimates the burden of this 
collection to be 322 hours per response. There are currently 51 
respondents, thus making the total annual burden of this collection an 
estimated 16,422 hours.
    Comments: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
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 
the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance 
the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; 
and (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.
    Obtaining a Copy of the Information Collection: A copy of the 
information collection and related instructions may be obtained free of 
charge by contacting Jason Hitchcock by telephone, (202) 720-4343, or 
by e-mail, [email protected].

    Done in Washington, DC, this 4th day of April, 2008.
Gale Buchanan,
Undersecretary, Research, Education, and Economics.
[FR Doc. E8-7619 Filed 4-9-08; 8:45 am]
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