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,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

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

64555

Vol. 62, No. 235

Monday, December 8, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

December 5, 1997.

The Department of Agriculture has

submitted the following information

collection requirement(s) to OMB for

review and clearance under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub.

L. 104–13. Comments regarding (a)

whether the 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 burden including

the validity of the methodology and

assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance

the quality, utility and clarity of the

information to be collected; (d) 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 should be

addressed to: Desk Officer for

Agriculture, Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs, Office of

Management and Budget (OMB),

Washington, D.C. 20503 and to

Department Clearance Office, USDA,

OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, D.C.

20250–7602. Comments regarding these

information collections are best assured

of having their full effect if received

within 30 days of this notification.

Copies of the submission(s) may be

obtained by calling (202) 720–6746.

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor a collection of information

unless the collection of information

displays a currently valid OMB control

number and the agency informs

potential persons who are to respond to

the collection of information that such

persons are not required to respond to

the collection of information unless it

displays a currently valid OMB control

number.

• Natural Resources Conservation

Service

Title: Application for Payment.

OMB Control Number: 0578–0018.

Summary of Collection: Respondents

submit an application for payment

when a conservation practice as

prescribed by their contract is

completed.

Need And Use Of The Information:

The information is used to provide costshare payments to program participants.

Description of Respondents: Farms;

Individuals or households.

Number of Respondents: 21,500.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 8,062.

Emergency Processing of This

Submission Has Been Requested by

December 17, 1997.

• Agricultural Marketing Service

Title: Reporting and Recordkeeping

Requirements under Regulations (Other

than Rules of Practice) under the

Perishable Agricultural Commodities

Act, 1930.

OMB Control Number: 0581–0031.

Summary Of Collection: The

Perishable Agricultural Commodities

Act establishes a code of fair trading

practices covering the marketing of fresh

and frozen fruits and vegetables. It

protects growers, shippers, and

distributors by prohibiting unfair

practices.

Need And Use Of The Information:

The Perishable Agricultural

Commodities Act requires nearly all

commission merchants, dealers, and

brokers buying or selling fruits and/or

vegetables in interstate or foreign

commerce to be licensed. The

information collected is used to

administer licensing provisions under

the Act.

Description Of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit; Individuals or

households; Farms.

Number Of Respondents: 25,550.

Frequency Of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion;

Annually.

Total Burden Hours: 118,806.

• Food and Consumer Service

Title: Food Distribution Forms.

OMB Control Number: 0584–0293.

Summary of Collection: Information

collected includes agreements and

contracts with recipient agencies and

storage facilities, inventory reports and

audits.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information is used to ensure the

efficient and effective administration of

Food Distribution Programs at Federal,

State, and local levels.

Description of Respondents: State,

Local or Tribal Government; Individuals

or households; Business or other forprofit; Not-for-profit institutions;

Federal Government.

Number of Respondents: 396,893.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion;

Monthly; Quarterly; Semi-annually;

Annually.

Total Burden Hours: 1,157,508.

• Food and Consumer Service

Title: Annual Report NET Program, 7

CFR Part 3016.40.

OMB Control Number: 0584–0062.

Summary of Collection: State agencies

submit an annual performance report of

the Nutrition and Education Training

Program.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information is used to monitor

accomplishments.

Description of Respondents: State,

Local or Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents: 56.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: Annually.

Total Burden Hours: 896.

• Agricultural Marketing Service

Title: Fresh Bartlett Pears Grown in

Oregon and Washington, M.O. 931.

OMB Control Number: 0581–0092.

Summary of Collection: Information is

collected from handlers and growers for

appointing committee members,

conducting referendums, and reporting

on shipments and disposition of

product.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information is used to administer

Marketing Order 931.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 1,565.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion;

Weekly; Biennially; Semi-Monthly.

Total Burden Hours: 1,176.

• Agricultural Marketing Service

Title: Apricots Grown in Designated

Counties in Washington, M.O. No. 922.

OMB Control Number: 0581–0095.
64556 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 1997 / Notices

Summary of Collection: Information is

collected from respondents for

appointing committee members,

conducting referendums, and requesting

waivers for inspection.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information is used to administer

Marketing Order 922.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 430.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion;

Biennially.

Total Burden Hours: 39.

Donald Hulcher,

Departmental Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–32032 Filed 12–5–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Consumer Service

RIN 0584–AC58

Food Stamp Program: Maximum

Allotments for Alaska, Hawaii, Guam,

and the Virgin Islands

AGENCY: Food and Consumer Service,

USDA.

ACTION: General notice.

SUMMARY: By this notice, the

Department of Agriculture is updating

for Fiscal Year 1998 the maximum food

stamp allotments for participating

households in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam,

and the Virgin Islands. These annual

adjustments, required by law, take into

account changes in the cost of food and

statutory adjustments since the amounts

were last calculated.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This notice is effective

December 8, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Margaret Werts Batko, Assistant Branch

Chief, Certification Policy Branch,

Program Development Division, Food

and Consumer Service, U.S. Department

of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive,

Alexandria, VA 22302, or telephone at

(703) 305–2516. The e-mail address is

MargaretlBatko@FCS.USDA.GOV.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Implementation

As required by Section 3(o) of the

Food Stamp Act of 1977 (the Act), 7

U.S.C. 2012 (o), State agencies should

have implemented this action on

October 1, 1997, based on advance

notice of the new amounts. As required

by regulations published at 47 FR 46485

(October 19, 1982), annual statutory

adjustments to the maximum allotment

levels and income eligibility standards

are issued by General Notices published

in the Federal Register and not through

rulemaking proceedings.

Executive Order 12866

This notice has been determined to be

not significant for purposes of Executive

Order 12866 and therefore has not been

reviewed by the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB).

Executive Order 12372

The Food Stamp Program is listed in

the Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance under No. 10.551. For the

reasons set forth in the Final rule and

related notice to 7 CFR part 3015,

subpart V (48 FR 29916, June 24, 1983),

this program is excluded from the scope

of Executive Order No. 12372 which

requires intergovernmental consultation

with State and local officials.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

The Under Secretary for Food,

Nutrition, and Consumer Services has

certified that this action will not have a

significant economic impact and will

not have an impact on a substantial

number of small entities. The action

will increase the amount of money

spent on food through increases in food

stamp benefits. However, this money

will be distributed among all eligible

food stamp vendors, so the effect on any

one vendor will not be significant.

Paperwork Reduction Act

This action does not contain reporting

or record keeping requirements subject

to review by OMB pursuant to the

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507.

Unfunded Mandate Reform Act of 1995

(UMRA)

Title II of UMRA establishes

requirements for Federal agencies to

assess the effects of their regulatory

actions on State, local, and tribal

governments and the private sector.

Under Section 202 of the UMRA, FCS

generally must prepare a written

statement, including a cost-benefit

analysis, for proposed and final rules

with ‘‘Federal mandates’’ that may

result in expenditures to State, local, or

tribal governments, in the aggregate, or

to the private sector, of $100 million or

more in any one year. When such a

statement is needed for a rule, section

205 of the UMRA generally requires FCS

to identify and consider a reasonable

number of regulatory alternatives and

adopt the least costly, more costeffective or least burdensome alternative

that achieves the objectives of the rule.

This notice contains no Federal

mandates (under the regulatory

provisions of Title II of the UMRA) for

State, local, and tribal governments or

the private sector of $100 million or

more in any one year. Thus today’s rule

is not subject to the requirements of

Sections 202 and 205 of the UMRA.

Background

Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) and Allotments

As provided for in Section 3(o) of the

Act, the TFP is a plan for the

consumption of foods of different types

(food groups) that families might use to

provide nutritious meals and snacks for

family members. The plan provides for

a diet required to feed a family of four

persons consisting of a man and woman

aged 20 to 50, a child 6 to 8 and a child

9 to 11. The cost of the TFP is adjusted

monthly to reflect changes in the costs

of the food groups.

The TFPs for Alaska and Hawaii are

based on an adjusted average for the sixmonth period that ends with June 1997.

Since the Bureau of Labor Statistics (the

source of food price data) no longer

publishes monthly information to

compute Alaska and Hawaii TFPs, the

adjusted average provides a proxy for

actual June 1997 TFP costs. The

adjusted average is equal to JanuaryJune 1997 TFP costs for Alaska and

Hawaii increased by the average

percentage difference between the cost

of the TFP in Alaska and Hawaii in June

and the January-June average in 1986 (a

1.53 percent increase over January-June

costs in Alaska and 1.82 percent

increase in Hawaii).

For the period January through June

1997, the average cost of the TFP was

$502.90 in Alaska, and $645.50 in

Hawaii. The proxy in Alaska for actual

June 1997 TFP costs was $510.59. This

proxy is multiplied by three separate

adjustment factors to create three TFPs

for Urban Alaska, Rural I Alaska, and

Rural II Alaska. The proxy in Hawaii for

actual June 1997 TFP costs was $657.24.

The June 1997 cost of the TFP was

$602.20 in Guam and $525.30 in the

Virgin Islands.

The maximum food stamp allotment

is paid to households that have no net

income. For households with some type

of income, their allotments are

determined by reducing the maximum

allotment for their household size by 30

percent of the household’s net income

in accordance with Section 8 (a) of the

Act, 7 U.S.C. 2017 (a). To obtain the

maximum food stamp allotment for each

household size, the TFP costs are

divided by four, multiplied by the

appropriate household size and

economy of scale factor, and the final

result rounded down to the nearest

dollar.