[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 176 (Wednesday, September 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 73635]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20558]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XE278]


Adjustment of Fees for Seafood Inspection Services

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of fee schedule.

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SUMMARY: The NMFS Seafood Inspection Program (SIP) is notifying program 
participants that its fee schedule for fiscal year 2025 will remain as 
established on November 1, 2022.

DATES: The fee schedule applies to services rendered as of October 1, 
2024, until notified otherwise.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Wilson, Office of International 
Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, 301-427-8350 or at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS operates a fee-for-service Seafood 
Inspection Program under the authorities of the Agricultural Marketing 
Act of 1946, as amended, the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, and the 
Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970. The regulations implementing the SIP 
are contained in 50 CFR parts 260 and 261. The SIP offers inspection, 
grading, and certification services, including the use of official 
quality grade marks which indicate that specific products have been 
federally inspected. Those wishing to participate in the program must 
request the services and submit specific compliance information. Since 
1992, NMFS implemented inspection services based on guidelines 
recommended by the National Academy of Sciences, known as Hazard 
Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP).
    Under the implementing regulations for the SIP, fees are reviewed 
at least annually to ascertain that the hourly fees charged are 
adequate to recover the costs of the services rendered. Any necessary 
adjustments to fees are made in accordance with the requirements of 50 
CFR 260.81 and are notified to program participants as stipulated at 50 
CFR 260.70. This Federal Register notice serves to inform program 
participants of the fee schedule, which remains unchanged.
    SIP costs used for the calculation of user fees include all 
relevant direct and indirect costs to the program, and applicable 
administrative overhead and surcharges. SIP fees must be set to promote 
full cost recovery of the program absent other appropriations.
    SIP costs include all field operations, program administrative 
overhead, and management, and include expenses for labor for 
inspectors, facilities, information technology infrastructure, and 
other operational costs. SIP fees are set to recover those costs based 
on revenue projections from expected billable service hours and the 
number of certificates requests. Forecasts of demand for services use 
historical data on actual billed services that are adjusted annually 
for inflation, known events that might affect the predicted output of 
billable services, and seasonality of when forecasted services will 
take place throughout the year.
    NMFS will assess its fees as outlined in this notice, which will 
apply until notified otherwise. Fees will be charged to contract and 
non-contract customers requesting services as listed below. The cost of 
other applicable services rendered will be recovered through fee 
collection using the base rate of $238 per hour.

Fees and Charges for the U.S. Department of Commerce Seafood Inspection 
Program

    The per hour fees and charges for fishery products inspection 
services are not being revised and will remain as established on 
November 1, 2022, for fiscal year 2025 and will be assessed as follows. 
Any travel associated with a billable service will be an additional 
charge.

Contract Rates

     Regular time: Services provided during any 8-hour shift.
     Overtime: Services provided outside the inspector's normal 
work schedule.
     In addition to any hourly service charge, a night 
differential fee equal to 10 percent of the employee's hourly salary 
will be charged for each hour of service provided after 6 p.m. and 
before 6 a.m. A guarantee of payment is required for all contracts 
equal to 3 months of service or $10,000, whichever is greater.

Non-Contract Rates

     Regular time: Services provided within the inspector's 
normal work schedule, Monday through Friday.
     Overtime: Services provided outside the inspector's normal 
work schedule.
     Any services under contract in excess of the contracted 
hours will be charged at the non-contract rate.

             Table 1--Contract and Non-Contract Hourly Rates
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Contract Rates:
    Regular.............................................            $238
    Overtime............................................             357
    Sundays & Holidays..................................             476
All Non-Contract Rates:
    Regular Time........................................             357
    Overtime............................................             536
    Sundays & Holidays..................................             714
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Certificates

    All certificate requests, whether or not a product inspection was 
conducted, will be billed at a set flat rate of $97 per request.
    Additional information about, and applications for, Program 
services and fees may be obtained from NMFS (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section).

    Dated: September 5, 2024.
Alexa Cole,
Director, Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-20558 Filed 9-10-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P