[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 130 (Friday, July 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39988-39990]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16564]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Risk Management Agency

[Docket No. FCIC-12-0007]


Notice of Request for Approval of a New Information Collection

AGENCY: Risk Management Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the intention of the Risk 
Management Agency (RMA) to request approval for a new information 
collection for Federal Crop Insurance Program Delivery Cost Survey and 
Interview.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by September 4, 2012 to 
be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: FCIC prefers that comments be submitted electronically 
through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. You may submit comments, 
identified by Docket ID No. FCIC-12-0007, by any of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Stan Harkey, Product Analysis & Accounting Division, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency, Beacon Facility-
Mail Stop 0811, P.O. Box 419205, Kansas City, MO 64141-6205, (816) 926-
3799.
    All comments received, including those received by mail, will be 
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided, and can be accessed by the public. All 
comments must include the agency name and

[[Page 39989]]

docket number or Regulatory Information Number (RIN) for this rule. For 
detailed instructions on submitting comments and additional 
information, see http://www.regulations.gov. If you are submitting 
comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal and want 
to attach a document, we ask that it be in a text-based format. If you 
want to attach a document that is a scanned Adobe PDF file, it must be 
scanned as text and not as an image, thus allowing FCIC to search and 
copy certain portions of your submissions. For questions regarding 
attaching a document that is a scanned Adobe PDF file, please contact 
the RMA Web Content Team at (816) 823-4694 or by email at 
[email protected].
    Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 
comments received for any dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review the 
complete User Notice and Privacy Notice for Regulations.gov at http://www.regulations.gov/#!privacyNotice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stan Harkey, Product Analysis & 
Accounting Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management 
Agency, Beacon Facility-Mail Stop 0811, P.O. Box 419205, Kansas City, 
MO 64141-6205, (816) 926-3799.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Federal Crop Insurance Program Delivery Cost Survey and 
Interview.
    OMB Number: 0563--NEW.
    Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from approval date.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Abstract: The Risk Management Agency (RMA), through the Federal 
Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), provides crop insurance to American 
agricultural producers through cooperative financial assistance 
agreements with private-sector insurance companies (known as Approved 
Insurance Providers, or AIPs) who sell and service the policies. The 
insurance companies who sell and service FCIC policies are reimbursed 
for their administrative and operating (A&O) expenses directly by RMA 
on behalf of the policyholders. The amount of the A&O expense 
reimbursement paid to these companies has been an issue of legislative 
interest by Congress, an audit target for program oversight bodies, and 
a primary focus of recent negotiations between the companies and RMA. 
Congress directed the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct 
a review of crop insurance delivery costs, and in April 2009, GAO 
released Report GAO-09-445, ``Crop Insurance: Opportunities Exist to 
Reduce the Costs of Administering the Program.'' Among GAO's 
recommendations was that RMA conduct a ``study of the costs associated 
with selling and servicing crop insurance policies to establish a 
standard method for assessing agencies' reasonable costs in selling and 
servicing policies.'' RMA agreed with this recommendation and is 
therefore conducting a study to determine the reasonable and necessary 
economic costs of selling and servicing Federal crop insurance 
policies. The information collection efforts (i.e., interviews and 
surveys) that are being announced herein will be an important part of 
the study. Specifically, RMA plans to conduct interviews with AIPs, 
insurance agents and insured farmers, and surveys to both insurance 
agents and insured farmers.

Interviews

    The purpose of the interviews with AIPs and insurance agents is to 
understand the activities performed and types of costs incurred by the 
AIPs and insurance agents to deliver Federal crop insurance. The 
purpose of the interviews with insured farmers is to gain a good 
understanding of the interactions between the insurance agents and 
insured farmers and the level of agent services required by farmers to 
make an informed insurance choice. Information obtained from the 
interviews with different stakeholders (AIPs, insurance agents and 
insured farmers) will help RMA understand the expenses AIPs incur in 
delivering the Federal crop insurance and such information will be used 
to help design the survey instruments and determine the type of data 
that needs to be collected from the insurance agents and insured 
farmers.

Surveys

    The purpose of the survey of the insurance agents is to collect 
relevant cost data incurred by the insurance agents in selling and 
servicing the Federal crop insurance policies. In order to determine 
the cost incurred by the insurance agents, information on the time 
insurance agents spend on each task required for selling and servicing 
the Federal crop insurance (including the insurance agents' out of 
pocket expenses for support staff and travel) will be gathered from the 
survey. General background information on the surveyed insurance 
agents, e.g. geographical region, types of crop insurance sold, and 
number of crop insurance policies sold, will also be collected. A 
parallel survey of the insured farmers to whom the sampled insurance 
agents sell crop insurance will be conducted to determine the level of 
service (e.g. number of insurance agent visits, educational services, 
and other services) that is necessary for the farmers to make an 
informed decision.

Interviews With AIPs

    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 2 hours per response.
    Type of Respondents: AIPs.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 15.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 15.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 31 hours.

Interviews With Insurance Agents

    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 1.5 hours per response.
    Type of Respondents: Insurance agents.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 60.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 15.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 0.25.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 26 hours.

Interviews With Insured Farmers

    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 1.5 hours per response.
    Type of Respondents: Insured farmers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 60.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 15.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 0.25.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 26 hours.

Survey of Insurance Agents

    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 0.5 hour per response.
    Type of Respondents: Insurance agents.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,627.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 788.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 0.3.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 600 hours.

Survey of Insured Farmers

    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information

[[Page 39990]]

is estimated to average 0.5 hour per response.
    Type of Respondents: Insured farmers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 525.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 158.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 0.3.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 120 hours.
    Comments are invited on: (1) 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; (2) 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; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology. Comments may be sent to Stan Harkey, Product 
Analysis & Accounting Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk 
Management Agency, Beacon Facility-Mail Stop 0811, P.O. Box 419205, 
Kansas City, MO 64141-6205. All comments received will be available for 
public inspection during regular business hours at the same address.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public 
record.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on June 27, 2012.
William J. Murphy,
Manager, Federal Crop Insurance Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2012-16564 Filed 7-5-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-08-P