[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 33 (Tuesday, February 21, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11173-11174]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-03340]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, 
Infants, and Children (WIC) Program Regulations--Reporting and Record-
Keeping Burden

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment 
on this proposed information collection. This collection is a revision 
to a currently approved information collection in the Special 
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) 
Regulations (7 CFR part 246) for the reporting and record-keeping 
burdens associated with the WIC Program regulations.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before April 24, 2017.

ADDRESSES: 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 shall 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 that were 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 use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Comments may be sent to: Kurtria Watson, Food and Nutrition 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 
524, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to 
the attention of Kurtria Watson at 703-305-2196 or via email to 
[email protected]. Comments will also be accepted through the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov, and 
follow the online instructions for submitting comments electronically.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will 
be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of this information collection should be directed to Kurtria 
Watson at 703-605-4387.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, 
and Children (WIC) Program Regulations--Reporting and Record-keeping 
Burden.
    Form Number: N/A.
    OMB Number: 0584-0043.
    Expiration Date: April 30, 2017.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: The purpose of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program 
for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is to provide supplemental 
foods, nutrition education, and health care referrals to low income, 
nutritionally at-risk pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, 
infants, and children up to age five. Currently, WIC operates through 
State health departments in 50 States, 34 Indian Tribal Organizations, 
American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The 
Federal regulations governing the WIC Program (7 CFR part 246) require 
that certain program-related information be collected and that full and 
complete records concerning WIC operations are maintained. The 
information reporting and record-keeping burdens are necessary to 
ensure appropriate and efficient management of the WIC program.
    The reporting and record-keeping burdens covered by this 
Information Collection Burden (ICB) include requirements that involve 
the certification of WIC participants; the nutrition education that is 
provided to participants; the authorization, training and monitoring of 
vendors; and the collection of vendor pricing information in order to 
comply with the Federal regulations regarding WIC cost containment. 
State Plans are the principal source of information about how each 
State agency operates its WIC Program. Information collected from 
participants and local agencies is collected through State-developed 
forms or Management Information Systems. The information collected is 
used by the Department of Agriculture to manage, plan, evaluate, make 
decisions and report on WIC program operations. This information 
collection is requesting a revision in the burden hours due to program 
changes related to Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) delivery and 
program adjustments that primarily reflect expected changes in the 
number of WIC participants; WIC authorized vendors; and WIC local 
agencies. The revisions decreased the approved reporting burden by 
169,424 hours and decreased the total approved record-keeping burden by 
88,203 hours.

Reporting Burden

    Affected Public: Individual/Households; Business or Other for 
Profit; State, Local and Tribal Government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of 
respondents is 7,739,970. This includes: 1,927 State and local 
agencies; 7,693,319 WIC participants; and 44,724 Retail Vendors.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: The estimated number 
of responses per respondent is 3.07.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: The estimated total for annual 
responses is 23,734,452.
    Estimated Time per Response: The estimated time per response is .13 
hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: The estimated total 
annual reporting burden hours is 3,159,555.
    Current OMB Inventory: 3,328,979.
    Difference (Burden Revisions Requested): 169,424.

Record-Keeping Burden

    Estimated Number of Record-keepers: The estimated number of record-
keepers is 11,927.
    Estimated Number of Records: The estimated number of records is 
2,586.
    Total Estimated Annual Records: The total estimated annual records 
is 30,848,590.
    Estimated Annual Hours per Record-keeper: The estimated annual 
hours per record-keeper is .02.
    Estimated Total Record-keeping Burden Hours: The estimated total 
record-keeping burden hours is 607,555.
    Current OMB Inventory: 695,758.
    Difference (Burden Revisions Requested): 88,203.

[[Page 11174]]

    Estimated Grand Total for Reporting and Record-keeping Burden: The 
estimated grand total for reporting and record-keeping is 3,767,110.

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                                                                       Total         Number of
                                Total estimated       Annual         estimated     burden hours      Estimated
      Type of respondent           number of       responses per      annual        per request    burden  hours
                                  respondents       respondent       responses        (hours)
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State, Local, & Indian Tribal              1,927           6,192      11,932,833            0.20       2,397,410
 Governments (90 WIC State
 agencies; 1,837 WIC local
 agencies)...................
Business or Other For-Profit              44,724            2.24         100,338            1.77         177,455
 (44,724 WIC authorized
 vendors)....................
Individuals/Households                 7,693,319            1.52      11,701,281            0.05         584,689
 (7,693,319 WIC participants)
                              ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Reporting Burden...          7,739,970  ..............      24,756,206  ..............       3,271,644
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                                                                                         Estimated          Total
                       Type of respondent                          Estimated number      number of        estimated      Estimated time     Estimated
                                                                   of record-keepers      records      annual  records      (hours)        burden hours
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State, Local, & Indian Tribal Governments (90 WIC State                      11,927            2,586       30,848,590             0.02          607,555
 agencies; 1,837 WIC local agencies, 10,000)....................
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    Dated: February 13, 2017.
Jessica Shahin,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.
[FR Doc. 2017-03340 Filed 2-17-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-30-P