[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 91 (Wednesday, May 13, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22509-22510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11109]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 91 / Wednesday, May 13, 2009 / 
Notices  

[[Page 22509]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; Notice of 
Intent To Seek Approval of a New Information Collection

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (OASCR) is seeking 
comments from all interested individuals and organizations on a new 
information collection. This notice announces the OASCR's intention to 
request approval for a new information collection aimed at 
standardizing and consolidating the race, ethnicity, sex, national 
origin, disability and age (RESNODA) data for agencies within the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) that serve agricultural producers and 
landowners. This information collection will assist the USDA agencies 
in the compilation of program application and participation rate data 
for socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers for programs that serve 
agricultural producers and landowners. USDA continues to seek ways to 
improve delivery of program services and benefits, fulfill various 
civil rights responsibilities, and increase participation for those who 
are eligible to receive benefits and assistance.

DATES: We will consider comment that we receive by July 13, 2009.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. In your 
comment, include date, and page number of this issue of the Federal 
Register. You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: Send comments to: [email protected].
     Mail: Ms. Rhonda Davis, Director, Planning, Performance 
and Accountability Division, OASCR, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Mailstop 9475, Washington, DC 20250.
    You may also send comments to the Desk Officer for Agriculture, 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rhonda Davis, Director, Planning, 
Performance and Accountability Division, phone (202) 720-1010.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Section 14006 of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 
(2008 Farm Bill; Pub. L. 110-246) requires the Secretary of Agriculture 
to compile program application and participation rate data on socially 
disadvantaged farmers or ranchers by race, ethnicity, and gender. The 
collection of data is necessary to provide USDA with the composition of 
its constituents, particularly from a race and ethnicity standpoint. 
Further, data is necessary to give USDA a baseline on its applicants 
and participants and assist it in planning and assisting its 
constituents.
    The goal of a farm program focused collection of RESNODA data is to 
reduce the burden on citizens to provide this type of information by 
creating a single voluntary survey transaction where the data is 
collected, one time in a standard format. For subsequent transactions 
where this information is needed to report on application or 
participation rates or to improve program participation, the Department 
will provide the opportunity for the applicant or participant to revise 
their data. If no revisions are made, USDA will reuse the data 
previously collected.
    This information collection request is intended over a period time 
to consolidate a number of agency collections of RESNODA data and to 
minimize the number of separate forms and transactions required to 
obtain USDA services, thereby reducing the burden in collecting this 
information from the public.
    When collected manually, a paper form will be used in conjunction 
with the appropriate program application form as a tear-off where the 
application for services will be electronically transmitted to the 
appropriate agency for action, and information from the paper form will 
be electronically transmitted to a Departmental repository to be used 
in subsequent customer transactions and for applicable Civil Rights 
analysis and reporting. The electronically collected data will reside 
in an enterprise database.
    While the demographic data will be available for management 
reporting purposes to comply with section 14006 of the 2008 Farm Bill, 
a flag would graphically indicate to USDA employees that the 
information had been previously collected. The privacy of the data will 
be protected. The existing customer data Systems of Record will be 
modified or created if applicable to meet the Privacy Act requirement.

Description of Information Collection

    Title: Customer Information.
    OMB Number: 0503-NEW.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Abstract: The purpose of the collection is to enable the agency 
heads to report annually to the Secretary of Agriculture on the 
collection of RESNODA data for all USDA farm programs, and to further 
ensure that this information is collected only once for each customer. 
When established, this information will assist OASCR and USDA agencies 
in assessing farm programs for each county and State in the United 
States based on program application and participation rate data for 
agricultural producers and landowners.
    Estimate of Burden: For the initial collection of RESNODA data, the 
estimated burden is 3 minutes per response either collected manually 
through a Departmental form or collected electronically through the 
USDA.gov web portal.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The Department estimates 
14,000,000 constituents subject to the collection of RESNODA data.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 700,000 hours.
    We are requesting comments on all aspects of this information 
collection including the following to help us:
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the 
Department, including

[[Page 22510]]

whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including the use of appropriate, automated, 
electronic, mechanical or other technology.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.

Summary of 2004 Comments

    A previous notice requesting comments on this information 
collection request was published in the Federal Register on June 23, 
2004 (69 FR 34990-34991). The 60-day comment period for the notice 
closed on August 23, 2004; 6 comments were received. The scope of the 
request for information collection approval has been narrowed to 
initially focus on information collected by the three service center 
agencies, the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the National Resources 
Conservation Service (NRCS), and Rural Development (RD). None of the 
comments addressed any issues related to information collection by FSA, 
NRCS, or RD.

    Signed at Washington, DC on May 7, 2009.
Joe Leonard, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
[FR Doc. E9-11109 Filed 5-12-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-98-P