14242 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2022 / Notices 

Form, which can be obtained online at 

https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-filea-program-discrimination-complaint, 

https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ 

ad-3027, or from any USDA office by 

calling (866) 632–9992, or by writing a 

letter addressed to USDA. The letter 

must contain the complainant’s name, 

address, telephone number, and a 

written description of the alleged 

discriminatory action in sufficient detail 

to inform the Assistant Secretary for 

Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature 

and date of an alleged civil rights 

violation. The completed AD–3027 form 

or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil 

Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, 

Washington, DC 20250–9410; or 

(2) Fax: (833) 256–1665 or (202) 690–7442; 

or 

(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, 

employer, and lender. 

Joaquin Altoro, 

Administrator, Rural Housing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–05080 Filed 3–11–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

[Docket Number RUS–22–ELECTRIC–0001] 

Announcement of Application 

Deadlines and Requirements for 

Section 313A Guarantees for Bonds 

and Notes Issued for Utility 

Infrastructure Purposes for Fiscal Year 

(FY) 2022 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Solicitation of 

Applications (NOSA). 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service 

(RUS), an agency of the United States 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

announces the solicitation of 

applications under the Guarantees for 

Bonds and Notes Issued for Utility 

Infrastructure Purposes Program (the 

313A Program) for Fiscal Year (FY) 

2022. The agency has received $750 

million for this purpose in previous 

years and has a pro-rata share of that 

amount pursuant to the most recent 

continuing resolution. The final amount 

of funding shall be determined by 

Congressional appropriations. Should 

additional funding become available 

this fiscal year, RUS reserves the right 

to increase the total funds available 

under this notice. These types of loan 

guarantees will be made available to 

qualified applicants to make utility 

infrastructure loans or to refinance 

bonds or notes issued for such purposes. 

This notice is being issued in order to 

allow applicants sufficient time to 

leverage financing, prepare and submit 

their applications, and give the Agency 

time to process applications within FY 

2022. An announcement will be made 

on the Agency website: https://

www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/noticessolicitation-applications-nosas 

regarding any amount received in the 

FY 2022 appropriations. Successful 

applications will be selected by the 

Agency for funding and subsequently 

awarded. All applicants are responsible 

for any expenses incurred in developing 

their applications. The agency 

welcomes financially feasible proposals 

which would use funds available under 

this notice to further finance eligible 

utilities projects that demonstrably 

reduce carbon emissions. 

DATES: Completed applications must be 

received or postmarked by RUS no later 

than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time 

(EDT) May 13, 2022. Applicants 

intending to mail applications must 

have their applications postmarked by 

the closing deadline. The Agency will 

allow 60 days from the date of the 

postmark for delivery. 

ADDRESSES: Applicants are required to 

submit one original and two copies of 

their loan application to the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Rural 

Utilities Service, Electric Program, 

ATTN: Amy McWilliams, Program 

Advisor, Electric Program, Rural 

Utilities Service, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250– 

1560 or via email at amy.mcwilliams@

usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amy McWilliams, Program Advisor, 

Electric Program, Rural Utilities Service, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW, 

Washington, DC 20250–1560. 

Telephone: (202) 205–8663; fax: (844) 

749–0736; or email: amy.mcwilliams@

usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Congressional Review Act 

Pursuant to the Congressional Review 

Act (5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs in 

the Office of Management and Budget 

designated this action as a major rule, as 

defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2), because it 

will result in an annual effect on the 

economy of $100,000,000 or more. 

Accordingly, there will be a mandatory 

60-day delay in effectiveness to award 

loan guarantees. However, applications 

will be accepted for 60 days beginning 

March 14, 2022 as stated in the DATES

section of this NOSA. 

Overview 

Federal Agency: Rural Utilities 

Service, USDA. 

Funding Opportunity Title: 

Guarantees for Bonds and Notes Issued 

for Utility Infrastructure Purposes for 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. 

Announcement Type: Guarantees for 

Bonds and Notes. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.850. 

Due Date for Applications: Completed 

applications must be received or 

postmarked by RUS no later than 5:00 

p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) May 

13, 2022. 

The Agency encourages applicants to 

consider projects that will promote 

equity and economic opportunity in 

rural America, specifically those that 

advance key priorities (more details are 

available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

priority-points): 

• Assisting rural communities recover 

economically from the impacts of the 

COVID–19 pandemic, particularly 

disadvantaged communities; 

• Ensuring all rural residents have 

equitable access to Rural Development 

(RD) programs and benefits from RD 

funded projects; and 

• Reducing climate pollution and 

increasing resilience to the impacts of 

climate change through economic 

support to rural communities. 

Items in Supplementary Information 

I. Program Description 

II. Federal Award Information 

III. Eligibility Information 

IV. Fiscal Year 2022 Application and 

Submission Information 

V. Application Review Information 

VI. Issuance of Guarantee 

VII. Guarantee Agreement 

VIII. Federal Administration Information 

IX. National Environmental Policy Act 

Certification 

X. Other Information and Requirements 

XI. Agency Contacts 

XII. Non-Discrimination Statement 

I. Program Description 

A. Purpose and Objectives of the 313A 

Program 

The purpose of the 313A Program is 

to guarantee loans to selected applicants 

(each referred to as ‘‘Guaranteed 

Lender’’ in this NOSA). The proceeds of 

the guaranteed loans are to be used (i) 

to make utility infrastructure loans or 

(ii) to refinance bonds or notes issued 

for such purposes to a borrower that has 

at any time received, or is eligible to 

receive, a loan under the Rural 

Electrification Act of 1936, as amended 

(RE Act). Each applicant must provide 

a statement on how it proposes to use 

the proceeds of the guaranteed bonds, 


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and the financial benefit it anticipates 

deriving from participating in the 

program pursuant to 7 CFR 1720.6(a)(3), 

or its equivalent in any subsequent 

regulation. Objectives may include, but 

are not limited to the annual savings to 

be realized by the ultimate borrower(s) 

as a result of the applicant’s use of 

lower cost loan funds provided by the 

Federal Financing Bank (FFB) and 

guaranteed by RUS. 

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 

2018 (2018 Farm Bill) modified the 

313A Program by amending the RE Act 

to allow proceeds of guaranteed bonds 

awarded under this NOSA to be used to 

make broadband loans, or to refinance 

broadband loans made to a borrower 

that has received, or is eligible to 

receive, a broadband loan under Title VI 

of the RE Act. 

The 2018 Farm Bill has also modified 

the 313A Program to allow the proceeds 

of guaranteed loans made under this 

NOSA to be used by the Guaranteed 

Lender to fund projects for the 

generation of electricity. 

B. Statutory Authority 

The 313A Program is authorized by 

Section 313A of the Rural Electrification 

Act of 1936, as amended (7 U.S.C. 940c– 

1), and is implemented by regulations 

located at 7 CFR part 1720. The 

Administrator of RUS (the 

Administrator) has been delegated 

responsibility for administering the 

313A Program. 

C. Definition of Terms 

The definitions applicable to this 

NOSA are currently published at 7 CFR 

1720.3, or its equivalent in any new 

regulation issued by RUS. 

D. Application Awards 

RUS will review and evaluate 

applications received in response to this 

NOSA based on the regulations at 7 CFR 

1720.7, and as provided in this NOSA. 

II. Federal Award Information 

Type of Awards: Guaranteed Loans. 

Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2022. 

Available Funds: The agency received 

authority to issue $750 million in loan 

guarantees for this program in FY 2021 

and has a pro-rata share of that amount 

for FY 2022 pursuant to the most recent 

continuing resolution. The final amount 

of funding for this program for FY 2022 

will be determined by Congressional 

appropriations. Should additional 

funding become available this fiscal 

year, RUS reserves the right to increase 

the total funds available under this 

notice. 

Award Amounts: RUS anticipates 

making multiple guarantees under this 

NOSA. The number, amount, and terms 

of awards under this NOSA will depend 

in part on the number of eligible 

applications and the amount of funds 

requested. In determining whether to 

make an award, RUS will take overall 

program policy objectives into account. 

Due Date for Applications: Completed 

applications must be received or post 

marked by RUS no later than 5:00 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) May 13, 

2022. 

Award Date: Awards will be made on 

or before September 30, 2022, but no 

earlier than May 13, 2022. 

Performance Period: The Rural 

Electrification Act provides that loans 

guaranteed under this program cannot 

exceed 30 years in length. 

Type of Assistance Instrument: The 

type of assistance is in the form of an 

RUS FFB Guaranteed Loan and is 

supported by a perfected lien on 

collateral sufficient to provide for full 

loan security. 

Schedule of Loan Repayment: The 

amortization method for the repayment 

of the guaranteed loan shall be repaid by 

the Guaranteed Lender: (i) In periodic 

installments of principal and interest, 

(ii) in periodic installments of interest 

and, at the end of the term of the bond 

or note, as applicable, by the repayment 

of the outstanding principal, or (iii) 

through a combination of the methods 

described in (i) and (ii) above. The 

amortization method will be agreed to 

by RUS and the Guaranteed Lender. 

III. Eligibility Information 

A. Eligible Applicants 

1. To be eligible to participate in the 

313A Program, a Guaranteed Lender 

must be: 

a. A bank or other lending institution 

organized as a private, not-for-profit 

cooperative association, or otherwise 

organized on a non-profit basis; 

b. Able to demonstrate to the 

Administrator that it possesses the 

appropriate expertise, experience, and 

qualifications to make loans for utility 

infrastructure purposes (to the extent 

that the applicant intends to use the 

guaranteed loan funds for such 

purpose); and 

c. Able to demonstrate to the 

Administrator that it has bonds or notes 

eligible for refinancing under the 313A 

Program (to the extent that the applicant 

intends to use the guaranteed loan funds 

for such purpose). 

2. To be eligible to receive a 

guarantee, a Guaranteed Lender’s bond 

must meet the following criteria: 

a. The Guaranteed Lender must 

furnish the Administrator with a 

certified list of the principal balances of 

eligible loans outstanding and certify 

that such aggregate balance is at least 

equal to the sum of the proposed 

principal amount of guaranteed bonds 

to be issued, including any previously 

issued guaranteed bonds outstanding; 

and 

b. The guaranteed bonds to be issued 

by the Guaranteed Lender would receive 

an underlying investment grade rating 

from a Rating Agency, without regard to 

the guarantee. 

3. A lending institution’s status as an 

eligible applicant does not assure that 

the Administrator will issue the 

guarantee sought in the amount or 

under the terms requested, or otherwise 

preclude the Administrator from 

declining to issue a guarantee. 

B. Cost Sharing or Matching 

There is no requirement for cost 

sharing or matching; however, 

borrowers must provide sufficient 

unencumbered collateral to secure loan 

guarantees made under this program. 

C. Other Eligibility Requirements 

Applications will only be accepted 

from lenders that serve rural areas 

defined in 7 CFR 1710.2(a) as (i) any 

area of the United States, its territories 

and insular possessions (including any 

area within the Federated States of 

Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and 

the Republic of Palau) other than a city, 

town, or unincorporated area that has a 

population of greater than 20,000 

inhabitants; and (ii) any area within a 

service area of a borrower for which a 

borrower has an outstanding loan as of 

June 18, 2008, made under titles I 

through V of the Rural Electrification 

Act of 1936, as amended (7 U.S.C. 901– 

950cc–2). For initial loans to a borrower 

made after June 18, 2008, the ‘‘rural’’ 

character of an area is determined at the 

time of the initial loan to furnish or 

improve service in the area. When a 

non-tribal applicant is proposing to use 

guaranteed loan funds made available 

through this program, for projects on 

tribal lands, the application must 

include a resolution of support from the 

Tribe or Tribes within the proposed 

service territory of the project. 

IV. Fiscal Year 2022 Application and 

Submission Information 

A. AddressTo Request Application 

Package 

All applications must be prepared and 

submitted in accordance with this 

NOSA and 7 CFR part 1720 (available 

online at https://www.ecfr.gov/current/ 

title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-XVII/part1720). 


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B. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

In addition to the required application 

specified in 7 CFR 1720.6, all applicants 

must submit the following additional 

required documents and materials: 

1. System for Awards Management 

All program applicants must be 

registered in the System for Awards 

Management (SAM) prior to submitting 

an application, unless determined 

exempt under 2 CFR 25.110. Recipients 

of guaranteed loans under this program 

must maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information at 

all times during the time they have an 

outstanding guaranteed loan or an 

application under consideration by the 

Agency. The applicant must ensure that 

the information in the database is 

current, accurate, and complete. 

Applicants must ensure they complete 

the Financial Assistance General 

Certifications and Representations in 

SAM. 

2. Restrictions on Lobbying 

Applicants must comply with the 

requirements relating to restrictions on 

lobbying activities. (See 2 CFR part 418.) 

This form is available at https://

www.gsa.gov/forms-library/disclosurelobbying-activities. 

3. Uniform Relocation Act assurance 

statement 

Applicants must comply with 49 CFR 

part 24, which implements the Uniform 

Relocation Assistance and Real Property 

Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as 

amended. (See 7 CFR 1710.124.) This 

form is available at https://

www.rd.usda.gov/resources/directives/ 

electric-sample-documents. 

4. Federal Debt Delinquency 

Requirements 

This report indicates whether the 

applicants are delinquent on any 

Federal debt (See 7 CFR 1710.126 and 

7 CFR 1710.501(a)(13)). This form (the 

Federal Debt Delinquency Certification) 

is available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

resources/directives/electric-sampledocuments. 

5. Form RD 400–4, Assurance 

Agreement 

Applicants must submit a nondiscrimination assurance commitment 

to comply with certain regulations on 

non-discrimination in program services 

and benefits and on equal employment 

opportunity as set forth in 7 CFR parts 

15 and 15b and 12 CFR part 202, 7 CFR 

1901, Subpart E, DR4300–003, DR4330– 

0300, DR4330–005. This form is 

available at: http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

resources/directives/electric-sampledocuments; and 

6. Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws 

See 7 CFR 1710.501(b)(1). These are 

required if either document has been 

amended since the last loan application 

was submitted to RUS, or if this is the 

applicant’s first application for a loan 

under the RE Act. 

C. Supplemental Documents for 

Submission 

1. Pro Forma Financial Statements 

Including Cash Flow Projections and 

Assumptions 

Each applicant must include five-year 

pro forma income statements, balance 

sheets and cash flow projections or 

business plans and clearly state the 

assumptions that underlie the 

projections, demonstrating that there is 

reasonable assurance that the applicant 

will be able to repay the guaranteed loan 

in accordance with its terms (See 7 CFR 

1720.6(a)(4)). 

2. Pending Litigation Statement 

A statement from the applicant’s 

counsel listing any pending litigation, 

including levels of related insurance 

coverage and the potential effect on the 

applicant, must be submitted to RUS. 

D. Submission Dates and Times 

To be considered, applications must 

be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) May 13, 

2022. 

E. Funding Restrictions 

Funds from loans guaranteed under 

this program may only be used in 

accordance with this notice, the 

program regulations and the RE Act. 

V. Application Review Information 

A. Criteria 

Each application will be reviewed by 

the Secretary to determine whether it is 

eligible under 7 CFR 1720.5, the 

information required under 7 CFR 

1720.6 is complete, and the proposed 

guaranteed bond complies with 

applicable statutes and regulations. The 

Secretary can at any time reject an 

application that fails to meet these 

requirements. 

B. Review and Section Process. 

1. Administrator Review 

a. Applications will be subject to a 

substantive review, on a competitive 

basis, by the Administrator based upon 

the evaluation factors listed in 7 CFR 

1720.7(b). 

2. Decisions by the Administrator 

The Administrator may limit the 

number of guarantees made to a 

maximum of five per year, to ensure a 

sufficient examination is conducted of 

applicant requests. RUS will notify the 

applicant in writing of the 

Administrator’s approval or denial of an 

application. Approvals for guarantees 

will be conditioned upon compliance 

with 7 CFR 1720.4 and 7 CFR 1720.6. 

The Administrator reserves the 

discretion to approve an application for 

an amount that was less than requested. 

C. Independent Assessment 

Before a guarantee decision is made 

by the Administrator, the Administrator 

shall request that FFB review the rating 

agency determination required by 7 CFR 

1720.5(b)(2) as to whether the bond or 

note to be issued would receive an 

investment grade rating without regard 

to the guarantee. 

VI. Issuance of the Guarantee 

The requirements under 7 CFR 1720.8 

must be met by the applicant prior to 

the endorsement of a guarantee by the 

Administrator. 

VII. Guarantee Agreement 

Each Guaranteed Lender will be 

required to enter into a Guarantee 

Agreement with RUS that contains the 

provisions described in 7 CFR 1720.8 

(Issuance of the Guarantee), 7 CFR 

1720.9 (Guarantee Agreement), and 7 

CFR 1720.12 (Reporting Requirements). 

The Guarantee Agreement will also 

obligate the Guaranteed Lender to pay, 

on an annual basis, a guarantee fee 

equal to 30 basis points (0.30 percent) 

of the outstanding principal amount of 

the guaranteed loan (See 7 CFR 

1720.10). 

VIII. Federal Administration 

Information 

Award Notices. RUS will send a 

commitment letter to an applicant once 

the guaranteed loan has been approved. 

Applicants must accept and commit to 

all terms and conditions of the 

guaranteed loan which are requested by 

RUS and FFB as follows: 

1. Compliance Conditions 

In addition to the standard conditions 

placed on the 313A Program or 

conditions requested by RUS to ensure 

loan security and statutory compliance, 

applicants must comply with the 

following conditions: 

a. Each Guaranteed Lender selected 

under the 313A Program will be 

required to post collateral for the benefit 

of RUS in an amount at least equal to 

the aggregate amount of loan advances 


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made to the Guaranteed Lender under 

the 313A Program. 

b. The pledged collateral (the Pledged 

Collateral) shall consist of outstanding 

notes or bonds payable to the 

Guaranteed Lender (the Eligible 

Instruments) and shall be placed on 

deposit with a collateral agent for the 

benefit of RUS. To be deemed Eligible 

Instruments that can be pledged as 

collateral, the notes or bonds to be 

pledged (i) cannot be classified as nonperforming, impaired, or restructured 

under generally accepted accounting 

principles; special mention loans as 

defined by the Office of the Comptroller 

of the Currency; or any other elevated 

risk categories used by the Guaranteed 

Lender, (ii) must be free and clear of all 

liens other than the lien created for the 

benefit of RUS, (iii) cannot be 

comprised of more than 30 percent of 

bonds or notes from generation and 

transmission borrowers, (iv) cannot 

have more than 5 percent of notes and 

bonds be from any one particular 

borrower and (v) cannot be unsecured 

notes. 

c. The Guaranteed Lender will be 

required to place a lien on the Pledged 

Collateral in favor of RUS (as secured 

party) at the time that the Pledged 

Collateral is deposited with the 

collateral agent. RUS will have the right, 

in its sole discretion, within 14 business 

days of the Guaranteed Lender’s written 

request to pledge Pledged Collateral, to 

reject any of the Pledged Instruments 

and require the Guaranteed Lender to 

substitute other Pledged Instruments as 

collateral with the collateral agent. Prior 

to receiving any advances under the 

313A Program, the Guaranteed Lender 

will be required to enter into a pledge 

agreement, satisfactory to RUS, with a 

banking institution serving as collateral 

agent. 

d. The Guaranteed Lender will be 

required to agree not to take any action 

that would have the effect of reducing 

the value of the pledged collateral below 

the level described above. 

e. Applicants must certify to the RUS, 

the portion of their loan portfolio that is: 

(1) Refinanced RUS debt; 

(2) Debt of borrowers for whom both 

RUS and the applicants have 

outstanding loans; and 

(3) Debt of borrowers for whom both 

RUS and the applicant have outstanding 

concurrent loans pursuant to Section 

307 of the RE Act, and the amount of 

Eligible Loans. 

2. Compliance With Federal Laws 

Applicants must comply with all 

applicable Federal laws and regulations. 

a. This loan guarantee will be subject 

to the provisions contained in the 

appropriations act for FY 2022, once 

enacted by Congress. Prior 

appropriations acts have included 

prohibitions against RUS making 

awards to applicants having corporate 

felony convictions within the past 24 

months or to applicants having 

corporate federal tax delinquencies. It is 

possible that such a provision will be 

included in the appropriations act for 

FY 2022. 

b. An authorized official within your 

organization must execute, date, and 

return the loan commitment letter and 

the Assurance Regarding Felony 

Conviction or Tax Delinquent Status for 

Corporate Applicants (Form AD–3031) 

to RUS within 14 calendar days from 

the date of the loan commitment letter, 

or by September 26, 2022, if the loan is 

approved after September 12, 2022; 

otherwise, the commitment will be void. 

This form is available at https://

www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad3031. 

c. Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) 

Filing. The Borrower must provide RUS 

with evidence that the Borrower has 

filed the UCC financing statement 

required by 7 CFR 1720.8(a)(2). Upon 

filing of the appropriate UCC financing 

statement, the Guaranteed Lender will 

provide RUS with a perfection opinion 

by outside counsel which demonstrates 

that RUS’s security interest in the 

pledged collateral under the Pledge 

Agreement is perfected. 

d. Additional conditions may be 

instituted for future obligations. 

3. Reporting Requirements 

Guaranteed Lenders are required to 

comply with the financial reporting 

requirements and Pledged Collateral 

review and certification requirements 

set forth in 7 CFR 1720.12. 

IX. National Environmental Policy Act 

Certification 

For any proceeds to be used to 

refinance bonds and notes previously 

issued by the Guaranteed Lender for RE 

Act purposes that are not obligated for 

specific projects, RUS has determined 

that these financial actions will not 

individually or cumulatively have a 

significant effect on the human 

environment as defined by the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its 

implementing regulations at 40 CFR 

parts 1500–1508. However, for any new 

projects funded through the 313A 

Program, applicants must consult with 

RUS and comply with the Agency 

regulations at 7 CFR part 1970. 

X. Other Information and Requirements 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act 

(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), OMB must 

approve all ‘‘collection of information’’ 

as a requirement for ‘‘answers to *** 

identical reporting or recordkeeping 

requirements imposed on ten or more 

persons *** ’’ (44 U.S.C. 3502(3)(A).) 

RUS has concluded that the reporting 

requirements contained in this rule/ 

funding announcement will involve less 

than 10 persons and do not require 

approval under the provisions of the 

Act. 

Applications must contain all the 

required elements of this NOSA, and all 

standard requirements as required by 7 

CFR part 1720. Additional supporting 

data or documents may be required by 

RUS depending on the individual 

application or financial conditions. All 

applicants must comply with all Federal 

laws and regulations. 

XI. Agency Contacts 

A. Website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

contact-us/national-office/rus. 

B. Phone: (202) 720–9540. 

C. Email: amy.mcwilliams@usda.gov. 

D. Main point of contact: Amy 

McWilliams, Program Advisor; Phone: 

(202) 205–8663. 

XII. USDA Non-Discrimination 

Statement 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights laws and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, the USDA, its 

Mission Areas, agencies, staff offices, 

employees, and institutions 

participating in or administering USDA 

programs are prohibited from 

discriminating based on race, color, 

national origin, religion, sex, gender 

identity (including gender expression), 

sexual orientation, disability, age, 

marital status, family/parental status, 

income derived from a public assistance 

program, political beliefs, or reprisal or 

retaliation for prior civil rights activity, 

in any program or activity conducted or 

funded by USDA (not all bases apply to 

all programs). Remedies and complaint 

filing deadlines vary by program or 

incident. 

Program information may be made 

available in languages other than 

English. Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means of 

communication to obtain program 

information (e.g., Braille, large print, 

audiotape, American Sign Language) 

should contact the responsible Mission 

Area, agency, or staff office; the USDA 

TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 


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(voice and TTY); or the Federal Relay 

Service at (800) 877–8339. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, a complainant should 

complete a Form AD–3027, USDA 

Program Discrimination Complaint 

Form, which can be obtained online at 

https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ 

ad-3027, from any USDA office, by 

calling (866) 632–9992, or by writing a 

letter addressed to USDA. The letter 

must contain the complainant’s name, 

address, telephone number, and a 

written description of the alleged 

discriminatory action in sufficient detail 

to inform the Assistant Secretary for 

Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature 

and date of an alleged civil rights 

violation. The completed AD–3027 form 

or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410; or 

(2) Fax: (833) 256–1665 or (202) 690– 

7442; or 

(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 940c–1. 

Christopher A. McLean, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–05238 Filed 3–11–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Notice of Public Meeting of the 

Massachusetts Advisory Committee 

AGENCY: Commission on Civil Rights. 

ACTION: Announcement of meeting. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given, 

pursuant to the provisions of the rules 

and regulations of the U.S. Commission 

on Civil Rights (Commission), and the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(FACA), that a meeting of the 

Massachusetts Advisory Committee to 

the Commission will convene by 

conference call on Thursday, March 24, 

2022, at 2:00 p.m. (ET). The purpose of 

the meeting is to discuss the next civil 

rights project. 

DATES: Thursday, March 24, 2022, at 

2:00 p.m. (ET). 

Public WebEx Conference Link (video 

and audio): https://tinyurl.com/ 

sp6atz8m. 

To Join by Phone Only: Dial 1–800– 

360–9505; Access code: 2762 179 4933#. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Evelyn Bohor at ero@usccr.gov or by 

phone at 202–921–2212. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

meeting is available to the public 

through the WebEx link above. If joining 

only via phone, callers can expect to 

incur charges for calls they initiate over 

wireless lines, and the Commission will 

not refund any incurred charges. 

Individuals who are deaf, deafblind and 

hard of hearing may also follow the 

proceedings by first calling the Federal 

Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339 and 

providing the Service with the call-in 

number found through registering at the 

web link provided above for the 

meeting. 

Members of the public are entitled to 

make comments during the open period 

at the end of the meeting. Members of 

the public may also submit written 

comments; the comments must be 

received in the Regional Programs Unit 

within 30 days following the respective 

meeting. Written comments may be 

emailed to Barbara Delaviez at ero@

usccr.gov. Persons who desire 

additional information may contact the 

Regional Programs Unit at (202) 809– 

9618. Records and documents discussed 

during the meeting will be available for 

public viewing as they become available 

at the www.facadatabase.gov. Persons 

interested in the work of this advisory 

committee are advised to go to the 

Commission’s website, www.usccr.gov, 

or to contact the Regional Programs Unit 

at the above phone number or email 

address. 

Agenda: Thursday, March 24, 2022; 

2:00 p.m. (ET) 

1. Roll call 

2. Concept Gate and Next Steps 

3. Public Comment 

4. Other Business 

5. Adjourn 

Dated: March 8, 2022. 

David Mussatt, 

Supervisory Chief, Regional Programs Unit. 

[FR Doc. 2022–05239 Filed 3–11–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Census Bureau 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; National Sample Survey of 

Registered Nurses 

AGENCY: Census Bureau, Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection, 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, invites the general public and 

other Federal agencies to comment on 

proposed, and continuing information 

collections, which helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection 

requirements and minimize the public’s 

reporting burden. The purpose of this 

notice is to allow for 60 days of public 

comment on the proposed 

reinstatement, with change, of National 

Sample Survey of Registered Nurses 

(NSSRN), prior to the submission of the 

information collection request (ICR) to 

OMB for approval. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments regarding this proposed 

information collection must be received 

on or before May 13, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments by 

email to addp.nssrn@census.gov. Please 

reference National Sample Survey of 

Registered Nurses (NSSRN) in the 

subject line of your comments. You may 

also submit comments, identified by 

Docket Number USBC–2022–0006, to 

the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. All comments 

received are part of the public record. 

No comments will be posted to http:// 

www.regulations.gov for public viewing 

until after the comment period has 

closed. Comments will generally be 

posted without change. All Personally 

Identifiable Information (for example, 

name and address) voluntarily 

submitted by the commenter may be 

publicly accessible. Do not submit 

Confidential Business Information or 

otherwise sensitive or protected 

information. You may submit 

attachments to electronic comments in 

Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF 

file formats. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

specific questions related to collection 

activities should be directed to Daniel 

Doyle, Assistant Survey Director, (301) 

763–5304, and daniel.p.doyle@

census.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) 

Health Resources Services 

Administration’s (HRSA) National 

Center for Health Workforce Analysis 

(NCHWA), the National Sample Survey 

of Registered Nurses (NSSRN) is 

conducted to assist in fulfilling the 

Congressional mandates of the Public 

Health Service Act. Under 42 U.S.C. 

Section 294n(b)(2)(A), the Secretary of 

Health and Human Services (the 

Secretary) must establish a National 

Center for Health Workforce Analysis 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with NOTICES1