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,

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Notices Federal Register

9979 

Vol. 74, No. 44 

Monday, March 9, 2009 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program: Agency Information 

Collection Activities: Proposed 

Collection; Comment Request; 

Disaster Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program 

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice invites the general public and 

other public agencies to comment on 

proposed information collections. This 

information collection is based on the 

Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

Emergency Assistance Act and Section 

5(h) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

2008, which provide the Secretary of 

Agriculture with the authority to 

develop a Disaster Supplemental 

Nutrition Assistance Program (D–SNAP) 

to address the needs of families 

temporarily in need of food assistance 

after a disaster. The information 

collection under this notice is required 

for the establishment and operation of a 

D–SNAP. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before May 8, 2009. 

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 shall 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; (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who respond to this 

information collection, 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 

Sandra Clark, Chief, Certification Policy 

Branch, Program Development Division, 

Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park 

Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 

22302. Comments may also be faxed to 

the attention of Ms. Clark at (703) 305– 

2486. The Internet address is: 

Sandy.Clark@FNS.USDA.GOV. All 

written comments will be open for 

public inspection at the office of the 

Food and Nutrition Service during 

regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday) at 3101 

Park Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia, 

22302, Room 812. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

be a matter of public record. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information 

should be directed to Ms. Clark at (703) 

305–2495. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Disaster Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program (D–SNAP). 

OMB Number: 0584–0336. 

Expiration Date: June 30, 2009. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

previously approved collection. 

Abstract: Pursuant to the Robert T. 

Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 

Assistance Act, Pub. L. 100–707, and 

Section 5(h) of the Food and Nutrition 

Act of 2008, 7 U.S.C. 2014(h), the 

Secretary of Agriculture has the 

authority to develop a Disaster 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program (D–SNAP) to address the 

temporary food needs of families 

following a disaster. The information 

collection under this notice is required 

to be provided by State agencies in 

order to receive approval from the Food 

and Nutrition Service (FNS) to operate 

a D–SNAP in response to a disaster. 

The number of disasters that occur 

annually and the average number of 

households affected by the disasters 

cannot be predicted. During the period 

from calendar year 2003 through 

calendar year 2008, the number of State 

requests to operate disaster programs 

has ranged from a low of five in 

calendar year 2006 to a high of 26 in 

calendar year 2005, which included 

program modifications requested by 

some States to accommodate evacuees 

from disasters which did not directly 

affect the States themselves. The 

information collection under this 

reporting burden is limited to the 

burden experienced by State agencies in 

preparing their requests to operate D– 

SNAPs. The burden associated with the 

actual operation of D–SNAPs, including 

the processing of applications from 

households affected by disasters, is 

included under OMB docket #0584– 

0064 rather than this information 

collection. FNS estimates that 

approximately 10 hours of State agency 

personnel time are required to prepare 

such requests. The burden associated 

with preparing requests to operate D– 

SNAPs does not vary significantly from 

disaster to disaster and is relatively 

independent of the scope of the disaster. 

Major disasters require little additional 

document preparation time than 

relatively minor disasters. Based on an 

estimate of 14 State agency requests per 

year to operate D–SNAPs and 10 hours 

of State agency personnel time to 

prepare each application, FNS has 

calculated an estimated burden of 140 

hours per year in an average year. This 

represents a significant increase from 

our previous estimate, which was based 

on an annual average of eight disaster 

programs. 

Affected Public: State and local 

governments. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 14. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

14. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Recipient: 1. 

Estimated Time per Response: 10 

hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 140 

hours. 

Dated: March 3, 2009. 

E. Enrique Gomez, 

Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition 

Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–4824 Filed 3–6–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P 


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