78026 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 248 / Monday, December 29, 2014 / Notices 

documents are intended to provide a 

uniform method for operations to 

comply that can reduce the burden of 

developing their own methods and 

simplify audits and inspections. 

Alternative approaches that can 

demonstrate compliance with the 

Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), 

as amended (7 U.S.C. 6501–6522), and 

its implementing regulations are also 

acceptable. The NOP strongly 

encourages industry to discuss 

alternative approaches with the NOP 

before implementing them to avoid 

unnecessary or wasteful expenditures of 

resources and to ensure the proposed 

alternative approach complies with the 

Act and its implementing regulations. 

III. Electronic Access 

Persons with access to Internet may 

obtain the draft guidance at either 

NOP’s Web site at http://

www.ams.usda.gov/nop or http://

www.regulations.gov. 

Requests for hard copies of the draft 

guidance documents can be obtained by 

submitting a written request to the 

person listed in the ADDRESSES section 

of this Notice. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 6501–6522. 

Dated: December 22, 2014. 

Rex A. Barnes, 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–30303 Filed 12–24–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Document No. AMS–ST–14–0066] 

Plant Variety Protection Board; 

Request for Nominations 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Plant Variety Protection 

Office (PVPO) is seeking candidates for 

the Plant Variety Protection Board (PVP 

Board). The PVP Board consists of 14 

members, each of whom is appointed 

for a 2-year period, with no member 

appointed for more than three 2-year 

periods. The term of the present Board 

will expire in May 2015. In order to 

provide the Secretary of Agriculture 

with a broad choice from a diverse 

group of applicants, the PVPO is asking 

for nominated members to serve on the 

Board for 2 years from the date of 

appointment. PVP Board members will 

serve without compensation, except for 

standard government reimbursable 

expenses. 

DATES: Nomination packages (an 

Application for Committee Membership 

(AD–755) and resume) must be received 

on or before February 6, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Nominations should be sent 

to Paul Zankowski, Plant Variety 

Protection Office (PVPO), Science and 

Technology, AMS, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., Room 4512, 

Washington, DC 20250; Telephone: 

(202) 720–1128; Fax: (202) 260–8976; 

Email: Paul.Zankowski@ams.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Plant 

Variety Protection Act (PVPA) (7 U.S.C. 

2321 et seq.) provides legal protection in 

the form of intellectual property rights 

to developers of new varieties of plants, 

which are reproduced sexually by seed 

or are tuber-propagated. A Certificate of 

Plant Variety Protection is awarded to 

an owner of a crop variety after an 

examination shows that it is new, 

distinct from other varieties, and 

genetically uniform and stable through 

successive generations. The term of 

protection is 20 years for most crops and 

25 years for trees, shrubs, and vines. 

The PVPA also provides for a 

statutory Board to be appointed by the 

Secretary of Agriculture (7 U.S. C. 

2327). The duties of the Board are to: (1) 

Advise the Secretary of Agriculture 

concerning the adoption of rules and 

regulations to facilitate the proper 

administration of the PVPA; (2) provide 

advisory counsel to the Secretary of 

Agriculture on all appeals from the 

Examiner; and (3) advise the Secretary 

of Agriculture on any other matters 

under the Regulations and Rules of 

Practice and on all questions under 

section 44 of the PVPA, ‘‘Public Interest 

in Wide Usage’’ (7 U.S.C. 2404). 

Reestablishing the PVP Board is 

necessary and in the public interest. 

The PVPA provides that ‘‘The Board 

shall consist of individuals who are 

experts in various areas of varietal 

development covered by this Act.’’ (7 

U.S.C. 2327(a)). The Board membership 

‘‘shall include farmer representation 

and shall be drawn approximately 

equally from the private or seed 

industry sector and from the sector of 

government or the public.’’ (7 U.S.C. 

2327(a)). 

The PVP Board consists of 14 

members, each of whom is appointed 

for a 2-year period, with no member 

appointed for more than three 2-year 

periods. The term of the present Board 

will expire in May 2015. The first 

meeting of the new Board will most 

likely be held in the summer of 2015. In 

order to provide the Secretary of 

Agriculture with a broad choice from a 

diverse group of applicants, the PVPO is 

asking for nominated members to serve 

on the Board for 2 years from the date 

of appointment. PVP Board members 

will serve without compensation, except 

for standard government reimbursable 

expenses. 

To ensure that the recommendations 

of the PVP Board take into account the 

needs of the diverse groups served by 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) (from research and production 

to trade, use, and consumption), the 

USDA will vet every candidate who 

applies for membership to the Federal 

Advisory Committee. Each applicant 

must clear all stages of the vetting 

process. Vetting is a comprehensive 

personal and professional background 

investigation that specifically includes, 

but is not limited to, an analysis of each 

candidate’s criminal history, bankruptcy 

filings, liens and judgments, affiliations 

and associations, lobbyist status, and 

prior involvement with USDA. This 

process is used to ensure that the finest 

candidates are selected to represent the 

interests of the USDA. 

Nomination packages with completed 

AD 755 background information forms 

and resumes should be submitted no 

later than February 6, 2015. Final 

selection of members will be made by 

the Secretary of Agriculture. All 

nomination materials should be mailed 

in a single, complete package to: Paul 

Zankowski, Commissioner; Plant 

Variety Protection Office; 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., Room 4512; 

Washington DC 20250. 

USDA has special interest in assuring 

that women, minority groups, and the 

physically disabled are adequately 

represented on these advisory 

committees. Nominations for female, 

minority, or disabled candidates are 

welcomed and encouraged. 

Please see http://www.ams.usda.gov/

PVPO and click on PVPO Board (under 

Resources on the right side) for 

information on the Charter, and AD 755 

form. The AD–755 form can also be 

found on the USDA Advisory 

Committee Web site (www.usda.gov/

advisory_committees.xml). The Charter 

for the PVP Board is available on the 

Web site at: http://

www.facadatabase.gov/

download.aspx?fn=Charters/1309_

2013.09.11_PVPBCharter2.7.13_(2013- 

09-11-05-03-31).pdf or may be requested 

by contacting the individual identified 

in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. 

USDA prohibits discrimination in all 

its programs and activities on the basis 

of race, color, national origin, gender, 

religion, age, disability, political beliefs, 

sexual orientation, and marital or family 

status. Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means for 

communication of program information 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 248 / Monday, December 29, 2014 / Notices 78027 

(Braille, large print, or audiotape.) 

should contact USDA’s Target Center at 

202–720–2600 (voice and TTY). 

To file a written complaint of 

discrimination, write USDA, Office of 

the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call 

202–720–5964 (voice and TTY). USDA 

is an equal opportunity provider and 

employer. 

Dated: December 22, 2014. 

Rex A. Barnes, 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–30302 Filed 12–24–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request—Evaluation of 

Demonstration Projects To End 

Childhood Hunger 

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service 

(FNS), USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

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 is a new collection for the contract 

Evaluation of Demonstration Projects to 

End Childhood Hunger. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before February 27, 2015. 

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. 

Written comments may be sent to: 

Danielle Berman, Office of Policy 

Support, Food and Nutrition Service, 

USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 

1014, Alexandria, VA 22302. 

Comments may also be submitted via 

fax to the attention of Danielle Berman 

at 703–305–2576 or via email to 

Danielle.Berman@fns.usda.gov. 

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 Danielle Berman, 

Office of Policy Support, Food and 

Nutrition Service, USDA, 3101 Park 

Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, 

VA 22302. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Evaluation of Demonstration 

Projects to End Childhood Hunger. 

Form Number: N/A. 

OMB Number: 0584–NEW. 

Expiration Date: Not Yet Determined. 

Type of Request: New Collection. 

Abstract: The Healthy, Hunger-Free 

Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010 (Public Law 

111–296), under Section 141, added a 

new Section 23 on Childhood Hunger 

Research to the Richard B. Russell 

National School Lunch Act. 

This section provides substantial new 

mandatory funding to research the 

causes and consequences of childhood 

hunger and to test innovative strategies 

to end child hunger and food insecurity. 

Congress called for the development 

and evaluation of innovative strategies 

to ‘‘reduce the risk of childhood hunger 

or provide a significant improvement to 

the food security status of households 

with children,’’ including alternative 

models of service delivery or benefit 

levels. 

The purpose of the evaluation is to 

rigorously assess the impact of five 

demonstration projects on the 

prevalence of child food insecurity, and 

other relevant outcomes. The 

demonstration projects are intended to 

test innovative strategies to end 

childhood hunger, including alternative 

models for service delivery and benefit 

levels that promote the reduction or 

elimination of childhood hunger and 

food insecurity. Projects may include 

enhanced Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for 

eligible households with children; 

enhanced benefits or innovative 

program delivery models in school 

meals programs, afterschool snacks 

programs, and the Child and Adult Care 

Food Program (CACFP); and other 

targeted Federal, State or local 

assistance, including refundable tax 

credits, emergency housing, 

employment and training, or family 

preservation services, for households 

with children who are experiencing 

food insecurity. At least one 

demonstration must be implemented in 

a rural Indian reservation where the 

prevalence of diabetes exceeds 15 

percent. Demonstration projects will be 

selected and announced in early 2015. 

The evaluation will collect data from 

all five demonstration projects in 2015 

and 2016 (two rounds of data 

collection), and from one demonstration 

project in 2017 (three rounds of data 

collection). The data will be used for 

implementation, cost, and impact 

analyses for each demonstration project. 

Analyses include (1) which agencies 

and partner organizations delivered 

services, (2) whether the way the 

demonstration model was implemented 

has an effect on any observed impacts, 

(3) the resources used in planning, 

starting up, and operating each 

demonstration project, and how those 

resources compare to those for the 

control or comparison groups, and (4) 

how cost effective the demonstration 

was in reducing childhood food 

insecurity. The primary outcome 

measure for the demonstrations will be 

the change in the prevalence of food 

insecurity among children in 

households with children as measured 

by the U.S. Household Food Security 

Survey Module. The end products will 

provide scientifically valid evidence of 

demonstration project impacts. 

Affected Public: Individuals/

households; State, local and Tribal 

governments; Private sector (for-profit 

and not-for-profit). 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

The total estimated number of 

respondents is 27,297. This includes 

27,107 individuals/households, 150 

State, local, and Tribal government 

directors/managers and staff, and 40 

private sector for-profit business and 

not-for-profit agency directors/

managers. FNS will contact 27,107 

individuals/households, out of which 

22,589 parents/guardians in the 

treatment and comparison groups will 

complete telephone surveys and 4,518 

parents/guardians will be survey 

nonrespondents. The survey sample 

sizes are large because they are needed 

to detect statistically significant 

differences in the key outcome of 

interest—child food insecurity— 

between treatment and comparison 

households within each demonstration 

site. Among the parents/guardians 

contacted for the telephone surveys, 456 

will also be contacted for the focus 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES