[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 169 (Wednesday, August 31, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59980-59981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20899]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Agricultural Statistics Service


Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics

AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of the Charter renewal for the Advisory Committee on 
Agriculture Statistics.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking renewal 
of the 2-year charter for its discretionary committee, the Advisory 
Committee on Agriculture Statistics. Effective October 1, 1996, 
responsibility for the census of agriculture program was transferred to 
the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) at USDA from the 
Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. Effective February 
2, 1997, NASS also received the transferred program positions and staff 
from the Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. 
Responsibility for the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics, 
which is a discretionary committee and was established by agency 
authority, was transferred, along with its allocated slot, to USDA with 
the census of agriculture program.

    Authority: The Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics was 
originally established by the Secretary of Commerce on July 16, 
1962. The Committee is also established in accordance with the 
provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 
5 U.S.C. App.2.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hubert Hamer, Administrator, National 
Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, (202) 
720-2707, or email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Purpose: The purpose of the Committee is to advise the Secretary on 
the conduct of the periodic censuses and surveys of agriculture, other 
related surveys, and the types of agricultural information to obtain 
from respondents. The committee also prepares recommendations regarding 
the content of agriculture reports, and presents the views and needs 
for data of major suppliers and users of agriculture statistics. The 
committee draws on the experience and expertise of its members to form 
a collective judgment concerning agriculture data collected and the 
statistics issued by the National Agricultural Statistics Service 
(NASS).
    Description of Duties: The duties of the Committee are solely 
advisory in nature. The Committee makes recommendations to the 
Secretary of Agriculture with regard to the agricultural statistics 
program of NASS, and such other matters as it may deem advisable, or 
which the Secretary of Agriculture, Under Secretary for Research, 
Education, and Economics, or the Administrator of NASS may request.
    Agency or Official to Whom the Committee Reports: The Committee 
reports to the Secretary of Agriculture through the Under Secretary for 
Research, Education, and Economics.
    Committee Membership: The Secretary of Agriculture will appoint the 
membership of the Committee. Furthermore, members will serve for two-
year terms, and can serve no more than three consecutive terms. 
Membership will consist of 20 individuals with diverse capabilities 
distinguished by their broad range of knowledge and interest in, though 
not limited to, agricultural economics, rural sociology, farm policy 
analysis, and agricultural education. Members will also be drawn from 
representatives of state and local governments; agriculture-related 
industry and trade or marketing associations; major national farm 
organizations; and producer organizations. A representative from the 
Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, and a representative 
from the Economic Research Service, USDA, shall serve as ex officio 
members of the Committee.
    This Committee will be fairly balanced in its membership in terms 
of the points of view represented and the functions to be performed. 
Steps will be taken to encourage fresh points of view, such as 
establishing staggered membership terms and limiting the number of 
renewed memberships.
    Equal opportunity practices in accordance with USDA policies will 
be followed in all appointments to the Committee. To ensure that the 
recommendations of the Committee have taken into account the needs of 
the diverse groups served by USDA, membership will include to the 
extent possible, individuals with demonstrated ability to represent the 
needs of all racial and ethnic groups, women and men, and persons with 
disabilities.
    The USDA prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and 
activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, 
disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, 
parental

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status, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic 
information, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income 
is derived from any public assistance program.
    Ethics Statement: To maintain the highest levels of honesty, 
integrity and ethical conduct, no Committee or subcommittee member 
shall participate in any ``specific party matters'' (i.e., matters are 
narrowly focused and typically involve specific transactions between 
identified parties) such as a lease, license, permit, contract, claim, 
grant, agreement, or related litigation with the Department in which 
the member has a direct or indirect financial interest. This includes 
the requirement for Committee or Subcommittee members to immediately 
disclose to the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) any specific party 
matter in which the member's immediate family, relatives, business 
partners or employer would be directly seeking to financially benefit 
from the Committee's recommendations.
    All members will receive ethics training to identify and avoid any 
actions that would cause the public to question the integrity of the 
Committee's advice and recommendations. Members who are appointed as 
``Representatives'' are not subject to Federal ethics laws because such 
appointment allows them to represent the point(s) of view of a 
particular group, business sector or segment of the public.
    Members appointed as ``Special Government Employees'' (SGEs) are 
considered intermittent Federal employees and are subject to Federal 
ethics laws. SGE's are appointed due to their personal knowledge, 
academic scholarship, background or expertise. No SGE may participate 
in any activity in which the member has a prohibited financial 
interest. Appointees who are SGEs are required to complete and submit a 
Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-450 form) and, upon 
request, USDA will assist SGEs in preparing these financial reports. To 
ensure the highest level of compliance with applicable ethical 
standards USDA will provide ethics training to SGEs on an annual basis. 
The provisions of these paragraphs are not meant to exhaustively cover 
all Federal ethics laws and do not affect any other statutory or 
regulatory obligations to which advisory committee members are subject.
    Recordkeeping: The records of this Committee, formally and 
informally established subcommittees, or other subgroups of the 
committee, shall be handled in accordance with General Records Schedule 
26, Item 2 or other approved agency records disposition schedule. These 
records shall be available for public inspection and copying, subject 
to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. Information about this 
Committee is available online at:https://www.nass.usda.gov/About_NASS/Advisory_Committee_on_Agriculture_Statistics/index.php.

    Signed at Washington, DC, August 22, 2016.
Renee Picanso,
Associate Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2016-20899 Filed 8-30-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-20-P