[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 94 (Thursday, May 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28927-28928]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10313]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Doc. No. AMS-LRSS-20-0032]


Notice of Request for an Extension of a Currently Approved 
Information Collection: Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention 
to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), for 
an extension of a currently approved information collection associated 
with qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback on service delivery 
by the AMS.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by July 13, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Comments are welcome and should referenced OMB No. 0581-0269 
and AMS' Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery, and the date 
and page number of this issue of the Federal Register. Comments may be 
submitted by mail to the Docket Clerk, Legislative & Regulatory Review 
Staff, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0202, Room 3943-S, 
Washington, DC 20250; Fax: (202) 690-3767; or submitted online at 
www.regulations.gov. All comments received will be available for public 
inspection in the Office of the Docket Clerk during regular USDA 
business hours or they can be viewed at www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joell Gilham, Legislative & Regulatory 
Review Staff, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0202, Room 
3943-S, Washington, DC 20250; Telephone: (202) 720-2986; Fax: (202) 
690-3767.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback 
on Agency Service Delivery-AMS.
    OMB Number: 0581-0269.
    Expiration Date of Approval: August 31, 2020.
    Type of Request: Extension of a Currently Approved Information 
Collection.
    Abstract: The proposed information collection activity provides a 
means for AMS to garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback 
in an efficient and timely manner, in accordance with the Agency's 
commitment to improving service delivery.
    By qualitative feedback we mean information that provides useful 
insights on perceptions and opinions, but not statistical surveys that 
yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of 
study. This feedback will provide insights into customer or stakeholder 
perceptions, experiences, and expectations; provide an early warning of 
issues with service; or focus attention on areas where communication, 
training, or changes in operations might improve delivery of

[[Page 28928]]

products or services. This collection will allow for ongoing, 
collaborative and actionable communications between the Agency and its 
customers and stakeholders. It will also allow feedback to contribute 
directly to the improvement of program management.
    The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: Timeliness, 
appropriateness, accuracy of information, courtesy, efficiency of 
service delivery, and resolution of issues with service delivery. 
Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to improve or 
maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If this 
information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and 
stakeholders on the Agency's services will be unavailable.
    AMS will only submit a collection for approval under this generic 
clearance if it meets the following conditions:
     The collection is voluntary;
     The collection is low-burden for respondents (based on 
considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or 
burden-hours per respondent) and is low-cost for both the respondents 
and the Federal Government;
     The collection is non-controversial and does not raise 
issues of concern to other Federal agencies;
     The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions 
from respondents who have experience with the program or may have 
experience with the program in the near future;
     Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected 
only to the extent necessary and is not retained;
     Information gathered is intended to be used only 
internally for general service improvement and program management 
purposes and is not intended for release outside of AMS (if released, 
AMS must indicate the qualitative nature of the information);
     Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of 
substantially informing influential policy decisions; and
     Information gathered will yield qualitative information; 
the collection will not be designed or expected to yield statistically 
reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the 
population of study.
    Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful 
information, but it does not yield data that can be generalized to the 
overall population. This type of generic clearance for qualitative 
information will not be used for quantitative information collections 
that are designed to yield reliably actionable results, such as 
monitoring trends over time or documenting program performance. Such 
data uses require more rigorous designs that address: the target 
population to which generalizations will be made, the sampling frame, 
the sample design (including stratification and clustering), the 
precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed 
sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing 
potential nonresponse bias, the protocols for data collection, and any 
testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior to fielding 
this study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely 
to have, such collections may still be eligible for submission for 
other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative 
results.
    As a general matter, this information collection will not result in 
any new system of records containing privacy information and will not 
ask questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and 
attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly 
considered private.
    AMS currently has approval from the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for this information collection. This approval is for 60,000 
burden hours, based on our initial request to OMB in April 2011. We are 
asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of 
these information collection activities for 3 years.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average .50 hours per response.
    Respondents: Individuals and households; businesses and 
organizations; State, local, or Tribal government.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 110,000.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 110,000.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 60,000/(Due to 
averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of 
the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per 
response.)
    Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed 
collection of the 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 through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information 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.

Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-10313 Filed 5-13-20; 8:45 am]
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