This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

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rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

26177

Vol. 65, No. 88

Friday, May 5, 2000

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Economic Research Service

Intent To Seek Approval to Collect

Information

AGENCY: Economic Research Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) implementing regulations, this

notice announces the Economic

Research Service’s (ERS) intention to

request approval for a new information

collection on the declining participation

in the Food Stamp Program (FSP) and

the role of policies and local

administrative practices in the FSP or in

related programs, such as Temporary

Assistance to Needy Families (TANF),

in affecting participation. This

information will contribute to a better

understanding of the reasons behind the

large declines in food stamp

participation since passage of the

Personal Responsibility and Work

Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by July 10, 2000 to be assured

of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments

concerning this notice to Peggy J. Cook,

Food Assistance and Rural Economy

Branch, Food and Rural Economics

Division, Economic Research Service,

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1800 M.

Street, NW, Room S–2078, Washington,

DC 20036–5831. For further information

contact: Peggy J. Cook, 202–694–5419.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Paperwork Reduction Act

Submission (OMB–83–I).

OMB Number: Not yet assigned.

Expiration Date: N/A.

Type of Request: New collection of

information.

Abstract: ERS has the responsibility to

provide social and economic

intelligence on consumer, food

marketing, and rural issues, including:

domestic food assistance programs; lowincome assistance programs; food

security status of the poor; food

consumption determinants and trends;

consumer demand for food quality,

safety, and nutrition; food market

competition and coordination; and food

safety regulations.

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)

administers the nutrition assistance

programs of the U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA). The Food Stamp

Program (FSP) is the cornerstone of the

Nation’s nutrition safety net for lowincome Americans. The program’s

intent is to eliminate hunger and enable

eligible low-income persons to obtain a

more nutritionally adequate diet by

providing food stamp coupons (or other

forms of payment) redeemable at many

retail food stores. Benefits provided

under the FSP come solely from Federal

dollars, but the program is administered

jointly by Federal, State, and local

governments who also share the costs of

program administration. The program is

in operation in the 50 States, the District

of Columbia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin

Islands. In 1998, the program

distributed more than $16.6 billion to

19.8 million people living in 7.8 million

households.

USDA is concerned about the declines

in FSP participation that have occurred

since 1994 and whether or not the FSP

is reaching all those in need. National

food stamp rolls declined by one-third

between 1994, when 28.8 million

persons received food stamps in an

average month, and 1999, when an

average of 18.8 persons received

benefits each month. According to some

analysts, factors like the strong

economy, changes in the size and

composition of the potential eligibility

pool, and Federal changes in the food

stamp eligibility rules legislated under

the Personal Responsibility and Work

Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996

(PRWORA) do not fully explain the

decline. Little is known about the

possible influences of other program

factors on FSP participation, in

particular, the effects of post-PRWORA

changes on how States and local offices

administer and operate the FSP in

respect to other programs, especially the

TANF program. Information also is

lacking about the extent to which the

levels of awareness and motivations of

potentially eligible households affect

their decisions to seek and to continue

food stamp participation. The data

collected in this study are designed to

provide information about the role of

policies and local administrative

practices in the FSP and in related

programs in affecting participation.

A sample of FSP caseworker

supervisors and caseworkers will be

asked questions to identify specific

policies and practices in local FSP

administration that may affect eligible

households’ access to and participation

in the FSP. Questions will concern

policies and practices affecting:

contacting the FSP office; filing the FSP

application and completing the process;

ongoing requirements for FSP

recipients; and FSP/TANF benefit

reductions or TANF termination.

Respondents also will be asked

questions concerning their perspectives

on post-PRWORA changes in policies

and practices. A sample of FSP

applicants will be asked questions

concerning: trigger events that led to

their food stamp application; their

understanding of the application

process and requirements; expected

benefits and costs; and household

characteristics and circumstances. A

sample of presumptively FSP-eligible

households who are not participating in

the Program will be asked questions

concerning: reasons for not applying to

the FSP, perceived eligibility; previous

experience with FSP, TANF, and

Medicaid programs; perceived costs of

participation; and household

characteristics and circumstances.

The sampling design for the study is

a two-stage national probability sample

of new and recertifying food stamps

applicants. The first stage of the

sampling is the selection of local sites.

The study will be conducted in a

nationally representative sample of 120

local food stamp offices. The sample

will include at least one office in nearly

all of the forty-eight contiguous states

and the District of Columbia, yet still

use a probabilistic sampling approach

that yields good statistical precision in

overall estimates. The second stage of

the sampling involves selecting, within

each of the 120 sampled local offices, a

representative sample of new and

recertifying food stamp applicants.

Within each of the sampled local

26178 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 88 / Friday, May 5, 2000 / Notices

offices, food stamp caseworker

supervisors and food stamp caseworkers

will be sampled. In addition, a randomdigit-dial telephone survey also will be

conducted with a sample of

presumptively FSP-eligible households,

living in the areas served by the 120

sampled local food stamp offices, who

are not participating in the FSP.

ERS, working with Abt Associates and

Health Systems Research, will conduct

the telephone surveys of FSP

supervisors and caseworkers, FSP

applicant households, and FSP-eligible

nonparticipating households. FSP

applicant households without

telephones will be interviewed inperson. The household telephone

interviews will be conducted using

Computer-Assisted-Telephone

Interviewing (CATI). Responses are

voluntary and confidential. To

minimize the burden on applicant

households, a substantial portion of

needed data will be collected by

abstraction from local offices’ case file

records. Survey data will be used with

other data for statistical purposes and

reported only in aggregate or statistical

form.

No existing data sources, including

FNS administrative data, can provide all

the information needed to complete the

Study of Program Access and Declining

Food Stamp Participation. These data

and the research they will support are

vital to the USDA’s ability to

understand reasons for recent declines

in FSP participation.

Estimate of Burden: Public burden for

this data collection is estimated, on

average, as 60 minutes for caseworker

supervisors and caseworkers; 30

minutes for food stamp applicants; 5

minutes for screening households to

determine presumptive FSP eligibility;

and 30 minutes for FSP-eligible

nonparticipants. The estimates include

time for listening to instructions,

gathering data needed, and responding

to questionnaire items.

Respondents: FSP caseworker

supervisors, FSP caseworkers, FSP

applicants, households with residential

telephone numbers, and presumptively

FSP-eligible households.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

240 FSP caseworker supervisors, 480

FSP caseworkers, 1,425 FSP applicants,

33,333 households with residential

telephone numbers, and 1800

presumptively FSP-eligible households.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 5111 hours.

Copies of the information to be

collected can be obtained from Peggy J.

Cook, Food Assistance and Rural

Economy Branch, Food and Rural

Economics Division, Economic Research

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

1800 M. Street, NW, Room S–2078,

Washington, DC 20036–5831, 202–694–

5419.

Comments

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 will 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 used; (c)

ways to enhance the quality, utility and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the

burden of collection of information on

those who are to respond, including

through the use of appropriate

automated, electronic, mechanical, or

other technological collection

techniques. Comments should be sent to

the address stated in the preamble. 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 at Washington, D.C., this 28th day

of April, 2000.

James Blaylock,

Associate Director, Food and Rural

Economics Division.

[FR Doc. 00–11203 Filed 5–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–18–M

COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR

SEVERELY DISABLED

Procurement List Proposed Additions

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From

People Who Are Blind or Severely

Disabled.

ACTION: Proposed additions to

procurement list.

SUMMARY: The Committee has received

proposals to add to the Procurement List

services to be furnished by nonprofit

agencies employing persons who are

blind or have other severe disabilities.

COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED ON OR

BEFORE: June 5, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase

From People Who Are Blind or Severely

Disabled, Crystal Gateway 3, Suite 310,

1215 Jefferson Davis Highway,

Arlington, Virginia 22202–4302.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Louis R. Bartalot (703) 603–7740.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

notice is published pursuant to 41

U.S.C. 47(a) (2) and 41 CFR 51–2.3. Its

purpose is to provide interested persons

an opportunity to submit comments on

the possible impact of the proposed

actions.

If the Committee approves the

proposed additions, all entities of the

Federal Government (except as

otherwise indicated) will be required to

procure the services listed below from

nonprofit agencies employing persons

who are blind or have other severe

disabilities.

I certify that the following action will

not have a significant impact on a

substantial number of small entities.

The major factors considered for this

certification were:

1. The action will not result in any

additional reporting, recordkeeping or

other compliance requirements for small

entities other than the small

organizations that will furnish the

services to the Government.

2. The action will result in

authorizing small entities to furnish the

services to the Government.

3. There are no known regulatory

alternatives which would accomplish

the objectives of the Javits-WagnerO’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46–48c) in

connection with the services proposed

for addition to the Procurement List.

Comments on this certification are

invited. Commenters should identify the

statement(s) underlying the certification

on which they are providing additional

information.

The following services have been

proposed for addition to Procurement

List for production by the nonprofit

agencies listed:

Dispatcher Services, Federal Building, 222

West 7th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska

NPA: Portland Habilitation Center, Inc.,

Portland, Oregon

Grounds Maintenance, DC Air National

Guard, 201st Mission Support Squadron,

Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland

NPA: Melwood Horticultural Training

Center, Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Janitorial/Custodial, Butler U.S. Army

Reserve Center/OMS, 360 Evan City

Road, Butler, Pennsylvania

NPA: The Easter Seal Society of Western

Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Operation of the Alternate Format Center,

Department of Education, Mary Switzer

Building, 330 C Street, SW, Washington,

DC

NPA: Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind,

Washington, DC

Recycling Service, Scott Air Force Base,

Illinois

NPA: Challenge Unlimited, Inc., Alton,

Illinois

Rita L. Wells,

Deputy Director (Policy and Program

Coordination).

[FR Doc. 00–11287 Filed 5–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6353–01–P