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

35562

Vol. 63, No. 125

Tuesday, June 30, 1998

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

June 26, 1998.

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,

Public Law 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, DC 20503 and to

Departmental 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.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

Title: 7 CFR 319, 321, 352—Foreign

Quarantine Notices.

OMB Control Number: 0579–0049

Summary of Collection: The United

States Department of Agriculture is

responsible for preventing plant

diseases or insect pests from entering

the United States. The Plant Quarantine

Act and the Federal Plant Pest Act

authorize the Department to carry out

this mission. Section 1 of the Plant

Quarantine Act (7 U.S.C. 154) requires

the Secretary of Agriculture to issue a

permit for the importation into the

United States of any nursery stock, and

to prescribe conditions and regulations

for issuing these permits. Section 5 of

the Plant Quarantine Act (7 U.S.C. 159)

authorizes the Secretary to determine

whether the unrestricted importation of

any plants, fruits, vegetables, roots,

bulbs, seeds or other plant products not

included by the term ‘‘nursery stock’’

will result in the introduction of plant

diseases or insect pest into the United

States, and to then specify which of

these products will be subject to the

provisions of Section 1 of the Plant

Quarantine Act. Implementing the laws

is necessary in order to prevent

injurious plant and insect pests from

entering the United States, a situation

that could produce serious

consequences for Agriculture.

Accordingly, the Animal Plant and

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) uses

a number of forms and documents to

collect information on planned

importations of plants, fruits, vegetables

and/or plan products to the United

States.

Need and Use of the Information:

APHIS is required to collect information

from a variety to individuals, both

within and outside of the United States,

who are involved in growing, packing,

handling, transporting, and importing

foreign plants, fruits, vegetables, roots,

bulbs, seeds, and other plant products.

The information that APHIS collects is

vital to helping ensure that these

products do not harbor plant or insect

pests.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit; Individual or

households; Not-for-profit institutions;

Farms; State, Local or Tribal

Government.

Number of Respondents: 53,271.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 88,232.

Assistant Secretary for Administration,

Office of Civil Rights

Title: Collection of Information on

Women in Agriculture.

OMB Control Number: 0508–NEW.

Summary of Collection: USDA’s

Office of Civil Rights, Accountability

Division was formed and assigned

responsibility for collecting data and

measuring USDA’s program delivery,

procurement, export, and business

development activities to women. The

Accountability Division is seeking

approval of an information collection to

survey participants at the Second

International Conference on Women in

Agriculture to gather demographic data

on women in agriculture and, more

specifically, information on customer

satisfaction with USDA programs and

services. The conference will be held in

Washington, D.C. June 28–July 2.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information will be collected through an

automated survey using computer

workstations positioned at various sites

throughout the conference facility. The

information will be used by USDA’s

Office of Civil Rights to:

• Identify issues and/or barriers

regarding program or service delivery,

• Establish baseline data/information

related to program performance and

customer service,

• Provide potential solutions to

barriers in program and/or service

delivery,

• Identify serious issues that would

merit a compliance or further review by

the Office of Civil Rights.

Description of Respondents:

Individuals or households; Business or

other for-profit; Not-for-profit

institutions; Farms; State, Local, or

Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents: 1,300.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

Annually.

Total Burden Hours: 221.

Emergency approval for this

information collection has been

requested by June 26, 1998.

Food and Nutrition Service

Title: Annual Report of State Revenue

Matching.

OMB Control Number: 0584–0075.

Summary of Collection: The National

School Lunch Program, administered by
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 125 /Tuesday, June 30, 1998 / Notices 35563

the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), is

mandated by the National School Lunch

Act, 42 U.S.C. 1751 and the Child

Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. 1771.

Under the program, States are required

to match 30 percent (or a lesser percent

based on per capita income) of the

Federal funds made available for the

School Lunch Program. Annually, the

State agencies are required to report to

FNS, the total funds used in order to

receive Federal reimbursement for

meals served to eligible participants

using form FNS–13.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information collected allows FNS to

monitor State compliance with the

revenue matching requirement. Without

this information, States may receive

Federal funds which are not warranted.

Monitoring the matching of State funds

is essential to preventing fraud, waste,

or abuse in the National School Lunch

Program.

Description of Respondents: State,

Local, or Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents: 57.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

Annually.

Total Burden Hours: 4,560.

National Agricultural Statistics Service

Title: Cold Storage.

OMB Control Number: 0535–0001.

Summary of Collection: Providing

information on national supplies of food

in refrigerated storage facilities has been

the responsibility of the Department of

Agriculture since 1914. This service is

the outcome of an investigation made by

the Department in 1911, in response to

allegations that food warehouses were

being used by food speculators to

‘‘corner-the-market’’ and drive up prices

paid by consumers. NASS will collect

information using a biennial survey of

refrigerated warehouses to provide a

benchmark of the capacity available for

refrigerated storage of the nation’s food

supply.

Need and Use of the Information:

NASS collects information from the

Cold Storage Report that includes

inventory statistics for approximately

100 food items held in public, private,

and semi-private refrigerated

warehouses. The stock figures in the

Cold Storage Report are used by food

processors, food brokers, and farmers in

making production, marketing, and

pricing decisions.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 3,195.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

Monthly; Biannually; Other (8 times/

years).

Total Burden Hours: 4,505.

Farm Service Agency

Title: Insured Farm Ownership Loan

Policies, Procedures, and

Authorizations.

OMB Control Number: 0560–0157.

Summary of Collection: The

Consolidated Farm and Rural

Development Act of 1972, authorizes

the Secretary and the Farm Service

Agency (FSA) to make direct farm

ownership (FO) loans to eligible

applicants who are unable to obtain

commercial credit. The collection of

information is needed to process

applicant requests for FSA FO loans in

a timely manner while maintaining the

highest lending standards possible to

protect the interests of the government.

The purpose of FSA’s direct FO program

is to help family farmers become

financially successful. FSA has various

tools to assist family farmers including

low interest rates, flexible repayment

terms, and individualized credit

supervision and counseling.

Need and Use of the Information: The

collection of information is used by FSA

employees to ensure that loans

involving the purchase of real estate are

properly documented and secured. This

protects the interests of both the farm

borrower and the Government.

Description of Respondents:

Individuals or households; Farms.

Number of Respondents: 160.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 53.3.

Food and Nutrition Service

Title: Repayment Demand and

Program Disqualification.

OMB Control Number: 0584–NEW.

Summary of Collection: In

conjunction with the Food Stamp Act of

1977, the Food and Nutrition Service

(FNS) implements regulations that

provide requirements for food stamp

household application, certification,

and continued eligibility for food stamp

benefits. Occasionally, FNS must

initiate collection action for repayment

of overissued benefits resulting from

inadvertent household and State agency

overissuances, and overissuances due to

intentional program violations.

Information is collected in these

instances through the appropriate State

agency to document the claim of

overissuance and initiate repayment.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information will be collected by State

agency personnel from individuals

collecting food stamp benefits. The State

agencies must maintain all records

associated with this collection for a

period of three years so that FNS can

review documentation during

compliance reviews and other audits.

Without approval of this information

collection, FNS would not be able to

correct accidental or fraudulent

overpayment errors in the Food Stamp

Program.

Description of Respondents:

Individuals or households; State, Local,

or Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents: 43,810.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 185,474.

Rural Housing Service

Title: 7 CFR 1806–A, ‘‘Real Property

Insurance’’.

OMB Control Number: 0575–0087.

Summary of Collection: Rural

Housing Service (RHS) Multi-Family

Housing (MFH) program is administered

under the provisions of the Housing Act

of 1949 and Sections 303(c), and 321(b)

of the consolidated Farm and Rural

Development Act (CONTACT). This

regulation is currently shared by the

Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the

MFH of the RHS. The regulation governs

the servicing of property insurance on

buildings and land securing and interest

of RHS or FSA in connection with an

FSA Farm Loan Program or RHS MFH

loan. The information collected pertains

to the verification of insurance on

property securing Agency loans. The

information required is submitted by

FSA or RHS borrowers to agency offices.

It is necessary to protect the government

from losses due to weather, natural

disasters, or fire and ensure that the

Act’s loan making requirements of

hazards insurance are met by loan

applicants.

Need and Use of the Information:

RHS MFH collects information from

borrowers documenting that they have

sufficient insurance on their property

that would repair or replace the

valuable structures on the property

should it be damaged. This protects the

Government from losses due to weather,

natural disasters or fire.

Description of Respondents:

Individuals or households; Farms;

Business or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 20,386.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

Annually.

Total Burden Hours: 12,562.

Nancy Sternberg,

Departmental Information Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 98–17358 Filed 6–29–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–01–M