27920 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 98 /Thursday, May 21, 1998 / Notices

the Rural Business-Cooperative Service

(RBS), under the Intermediary

Relending Program (IRP) to eligible IRP

intermediaries and applies to ultimate

recipients and other involved parties.

This regulation is also for servicing the

existing Rural Development Loan Fund

(RDLF) loans previously approved and

administered by the U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services (HHS)

under 45 CFR part 1076. The objective

of the IRP is to improve community

facilities and employment opportunities

and increase economic activity in rural

areas by financing business facilities

and community development. This

purpose is achieved through loans made

by RBS to intermediaries that establish

programs for the purpose of providing

loans to ultimate recipients for business

facilities and community development.

The regulations contain various

requirements for information from the

intermediaries and some requirements

may cause the intermediary to require

information from ultimate recipients.

The information requested is vital to

RBS for prudent loan servicing, credit

decisions and reasonable program

monitoring. The provisions of this

subpart supersede conflicting provisions

of any other subpart.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average 3.02 hours per

response.

Respondents: Non-profit corporations,

public agencies, and cooperatives.

Estimated number of Respondents:

420.

Estimated number of responses per

respondent: 9.96.

Estimated total annual burden on

respondents: 12,675 hours.

Copies of this information collection

can be obtained from Cheryl Thompson,

Regulations and Paperwork

Management Branch, at (202) 692–0043.

Comments

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether

the proposed collection of information

is necessary for the proper performance

of the functions of RBS, including

whether the information will have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of RBS

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 the

use of appropriate automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

Comments may be sent to Cheryl

Thompson, Regulations and Paperwork

Management Branch, U.S. Department

of Agriculture, Rural Development,

STOP 0742, 1400 Independence Ave.,

SW, Washington, DC 20250–0742. 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.

Dated: May 14, 1998.

Wilbur T. Peer,

Acting Administrator, Rural BusinessCooperative Service.

[FR Doc. 98–13639 Filed 5–20–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

National Sheep Industry Improvement

Center; Strategic Plan

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: The Rural BusinessCooperative Service (RBS) announces

the availability of the 1998 Strategic

Plan for the National Sheep Industry

Improvement Center. Section 759 of the

Federal Agriculture Improvement and

Reform Act of 1996, known as the 1996

Farm Bill, requires the National Sheep

Industry Improvement Center to submit

a yearly strategic plan to the Secretary

of Agriculture. That plan is now

available to the public.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the

Plan should be directed to Jay B.

Wilson, Executive Director, National

Sheep Industry Improvement Center,

Denver Federal Center, Building 20,

Room A1311, P.O. Box 281028,

Lakewood, CO 80228–1028. Phone

(303)–236–2858. FAX: (303)–236–7683.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jay

B. Wilson at Phone (303)–236–2858 or

Dr. Thomas H. Stafford, Director,

Cooperative Marketing Division,

Cooperative Services, RBS, USDA, 1400

Independence Ave, SW, Stop 3252,

Washington, DC 20250–3252, telephone

(202) 690–0368, (This is not a toll free

number.) FAX 202–690-2723, or e-mail

thomas.stafford@usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Federal Agriculture Improvement and

Reform Act of 1996, known as the 1996

Farm Bill, established a National Sheep

Industry Improvement Center. The

Center is to (1) promote strategic

development activities and collaborative

efforts by private and State entities to

maximize the impact of Federal

assistance to strengthen and enhance

production and marketing of sheep or

goat products in the United States; (2)

optimize the use of available human

capital and resources within the sheep

or goat industries; (3) provide assistance

to meet the needs of the sheep or goat

industry for infrastructure development,

business development, production,

resource development, and market and

environmental research; (4) advance

activities that empower and build the

capacity of the United States sheep or

goat industry to design unique

responses to special needs of the sheep

or goat industries on both a regional and

national basis; and (5) adopt flexible

and innovative approaches to solving

the long-term needs of the United States

sheep or goat industry. The Center has

a Revolving Fund established in the

Treasury to carry out the purposes of the

Center. The Act requires the Center to

submit to the Secretary an annual

strategic plan for the delivery of

financial assistance provided by the

Center.

The strategic plan is required to

identify (1) goals, methods, and a

benchmark for measuring the success of

carrying out the plan and how the plan

relates to the national and regional goals

of the Center; (2) the amount and

sources of Federal and non-Federal

funds that are available for carrying out

the plan; (3) funding priorities; (4)

selection criteria for funding; and (5) a

method of distributing funding. In

addition, the Plan summarizes the sheep

and goat industries’ needs and problems

as determined from a series of public

hearings.

The Board of Directors has submitted

this plan to the Secretary of Agriculture

and wishes to make it available to the

public.

Dated: May 13, 1998.

Dayton J. Watkins,

Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative

Service.

[FR Doc. 98–13471 Filed 5–20–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–U

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census

Census Advisory Committees on the

African American Population, on the

American Indian and Alaska Native

Populations, on the Asian and Pacific

Islander Populations, and on the

Hispanic Population

AGENCY: Bureau of the Census,

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.