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

18577

Vol. 62, No. 73

Wednesday, April 16, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Research Service

Notice of Intent To Extend a Currently

Approved Information Collection

AGENCY: Agricultural Research Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub.

L. 109–13) and Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR

Part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29,

1995), this notice announces the

Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS)

intention to request an extension for a

currently approved information

collection in support of USDA’s

Biological Control Documentation

Program dealing with documenting the

importation and release of foreign

biological control agents.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by June 20, 1997, to be assured

of consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

Contact Jack R. Coulson, Director, ARS

Biological Control Documentation

Center, Insect Biocontrol Laboratory,

Plant Sciences Institute, ARS, USDA,

National Agricultural Library, 4th Floor,

10301 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD

20705–2330, (301) 504–6350.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: USDA Biological Shipment

Record—Record of Shipment of Exotic

Microorganisms for Biological Control

(AD–944); Release of Exotic

Microorganisms for Biological Control

(AD–944A).

OMB Number: 0518–0017.

Expiration Date of Current Approval:

October 31, 1997.

Type of Request: Intent to extend the

currently approved information

collection.

Abstract: The purpose of the

Biological Control Documentation

Program is to record the importation

(AD–944) and field release (AD–944A)

of foreign/introduced beneficial

microorganisms (biological control). The

information collected is entered into the

USDA ‘‘Releases of Beneficial

Organisms in the United States and

Territories’’ (ROBO) database,

established in 1984. It is a cooperative

program among USDA and other federal

agencies, state governmental agencies,

and U.S. universities. The use of the

forms and the information provided is

voluntary. The program is for the benefit

of biological control research and action

agency personnel, taxonomists, federal

and state regulatory agencies,

agricultural administrators, and the

general public. Efforts are underway to

replace the paper forms with

computerized information collection,

and when completed, the forms would

be used only by those units for which

computerized input is not possible. This

information collection is due to expire

on October 31, 1997. ARS intends to

request an extension of three years.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average 1⁄12 hour per

response.

Non-Federal Respondents: Non-profit

institutions, universities, and state and

local governments.

Estimated Number of Non-Federal

Respondents: 20.

Estimated Number of Responses per

Respondent: An average of 3 (range 1–

10).

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 5 hours.

Copies of the 2 forms used in this

information collection can be obtained

from Jack R. Coulson, ARS Biological

Control Documentation Center, at (301)

504–6350.

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 the collection of information

on those who are to respond, including

through use of appropriate automated,

electronic, mechanical or other

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

Comments may be sent to: Jack R.

Coulson, Director, ARS Biological

Control Documentation Center, Insect

Biocontrol Laboratory, Plant Sciences

Institute, ARS, USDA, National

Agricultural Library, 4th Floor, 10301

Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD

20705–2350.

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for OMB approval. All comments will

also become a matter of public record.

Signed at Beltsville, MD, March 25, 1997.

A. Rick Bennett,

Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of

International Research Programs,

Agricultural Research Service, U.S.

Department of Agriculture.

[FR Doc. 97–9860 Filed 4–15–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–03–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Consumer Service

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request—Tracking Nutrition

Security Changes: State Choices and

the National Food Stamp Program

AGENCY: Food and Consumer Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Food and

Consumer Service’s intention to request

Office of Management and Budget

approval of the Tracking Nutrition

Security Changes Study.

DATES: Written comments on this notice

must be received by June 16, 1997.

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 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
18578 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 73 / Wednesday, April 16, 1997 / Notices

collected; and (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. Comments may be sent to:

Michael E. Fishman, Acting Director,

Office of Analysis and Evaluation, Food

and Consumer Service, U.S. Department

of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive,

Alexandria, VA 22302.

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) approval. All comments will also

become a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or

copies of the proposed information

collection forms should be directed to

Michael E. Fishman, (703) 305–2117.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Tracking Nutrition Security

Changes: State Choices and the National

Food Stamp Program.

OMB Number: Not yet assigned.

Expiration Date: Not applicable.

Type of Request: New collection of

information.

Abstract: The new welfare reform law,

the Personal Responsibility and Work

Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996,

grants States a number of options in

how they administer the Food Stamp

Program. The Tracking Nutrition

Security Changes Study will provide the

USDA Food and Consumer Service with

information on the nature and extent of

States’ decisions since the passage of the

new law. The study will collect and

synthesize information on State choices,

primarily in three programmatic areas:

eligibility determination, benefit

calculation, and work requirements. The

study will also assess the variance of

food stamp policy choices across States

and the implementation of these choices

at the local food stamp office level.

Information will be collected from

States in two stages. First, descriptive

information will be collected from all 50

State food stamp agencies by telephone

interviews to identify the nature and

scope of selected State food stamp

choices. Next, on-site interviews with

key informants will be conducted in 10

to 15 States. These data will be collected

for a qualitative analysis of

implementation issues and descriptions

of specific agency practices.

Affected Public: State and local

governments, State nonprofit

organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

One or two State food stamp officials

will respond from each of the 50 States

for the telephone survey. An average of

20 State and local government and

nonprofit officials in each of up to 15

States will respond to on-site

interviews, for a maximum total of 300

on-site interview respondents.

Estimated Time per Response: Phone

interviews will average 60 minutes per

State. On-site interviews will average 90

minutes per respondent.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 500 hours.

Dated: April 7, 1997.

William E. Ludwig,

Administrator, Food and Consumer Service.

[FR Doc. 97–9741 Filed 4–15–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–30–U

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Consumer Service

RIN 0584–AC54

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

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: October 1, 1996.

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.

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, 1996 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, income eligibility standards, and

deductions 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 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.

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 1996.

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 1996 TFP costs. The

adjusted average is equal to JanuaryJune 1996 TFP costs for Alaska and

Hawaii increased by the average

percentage difference between the cost

of the TFP in Alaska and Hawaii in June