Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2017 / Notices 41925 

Notice and other pertinent RRH or FLH 

transfer and program provisions 

consistent with 7 CFR part 3560, prior 

to the issuance of any MPR offer. In the 

case of transfers, the transferee must 

comply with the requirements of 7 CFR 

3560.406 including all Agency approval 

and closing conditions prior to closing 

any of the MPR tools. The Agency will 

provide additional guidance to the 

applicant and request information and 

documents necessary to complete the 

underwriting and review process. Since 

the character of each application may 

vary substantially depending on the 

type of transaction proposed, 

information requirements will be 

provided as appropriate. 

Complete project information must be 

submitted as soon as possible, but in no 

case later than 45 calendar days from 

the date of Agency notification of the 

applicant’s selection for further 

processing. MPR transfer applicants 

must submit a preliminary transfer 

request as required by 7 CFR 3560.406 

(c) within 45 days of the RD notification 

and will be allowed a total of 180 days 

in which to submit the final transfer 

MPR application. If the State Office 

determines there exists compelling 

reasons the full transfer application 

cannot be delivered within the stated 

timeframe and upon the receipt of the 

applicant’s written request the MPR due 

date may be extended for an additional 

period of 90 days (Section VI. B. will 

apply). Any extensions beyond the 

former must recommended by the State 

Office and concurred by the HQ Review 

Underwriter assigned to the State. 

Notwithstanding the aforementioned, 

any pre-applications selected under this 

Notice’s, will be considered withdrawn 

on December 31, 2018, if not approved 

by the Agency. These deadlines will not 

be extended, so please plan your 

transaction’s timeline accordingly. 

Applicants may reapply for funding 

under future rounds and/or Notices as 

they may be made available. 

Failure to submit the required 

information in a timely manner will 

result in the Agency discontinuing the 

processing of the request. 

The Agency will work with the 

applicants selected for further 

processing in accordance with the 

following: 

a. Based on the feasibility of the type 

of transaction that will best suit the 

project and the availability of funds, 

further eligibility confirmation 

determinations will be conducted by the 

Agency. 

b. If an Agency-approved CNA has not 

already been submitted to the Agency, 

an Agency-approved CNA will be 

required (see 7 CFR 3560.103(c) and the 

Agency’s published ‘‘Guidance on the 

Capital Needs Assessment Process’’ 

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

programs-services/housingpreservationrevitalizationdemonstration-loansgrants and the CNA Statement of Work 

together with any non-conflicting 

amendments). Agency-approved CNAs 

must be prepared by a qualified 

independent contractor, and are 

obtained to determine needed repairs 

and any necessary adjustments to the 

reserve account for long-term project 

viability. 

c. Underwriting will be conducted by 

the Agency. The feasibility and 

structure of each revitalization proposal 

will be based on the Agency’s 

underwriting and determination of the 

MPR funding tools that will minimize 

the cost to the Government consistent 

with the purposes of this Notice. 

C. MPR Offers. 

Approved MPR offers will be 

presented to successful applicants who 

will then have up to 15 calendar days 

to accept or reject the offer in writing. 

If no offer is made or if the applicant 

fails to accept or reject the offer 

presented, the application will be 

rejected and appeal rights will be given. 

Closing of MPR offers will occur within 

six months of the obligation of MPR 

tools unless extended in writing by the 

Agency. All Offers are explicitly made 

subject to the availability of 

appropriated funds. Should sufficient 

funds not be available at any time to 

funds any authorized MPR offers for 

which funds have not been obligated, 

including those with only transfer debt 

deferral, the Agency may notify the 

applicant accordingly and the 

authorization may be cancelled. 

VI. Non-Discrimination Statement 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, the USDA, its 

Agencies, offices, and 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. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means of communication for 

program information (e.g., Braille, large 

print, audiotape, American Sign 

Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

TTY) or contact USDA through the 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, AD– 

3027, found online at http://

www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_

cust.html and at any USDA office or 

write a letter addressed to USDA and 

provide in the letter all of the 

information requested in the form. To 

request a copy of the complaint form, 

call (866) 632–9992. Submit your 

completed form or letter 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; 

(2) fax: (202) 690–7442; or 

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

VII. Award Agency Contacts 

USDA Rural Development MFH State 

Office contacts can be found at: http:// 

rd.udsa.gov/contact-us/state-offices. 

(Note: Telephone numbers listed are not 

toll-free.) 

Appropriation Act funding will be 

posted on the Rural Development Web 

site. 

All adverse determinations are 

appealable pursuant to 7 CFR part 11. 

Instructions on the appeal process will 

be provided at the time an applicant is 

notified of the adverse action. 

Dated: August 29, 2017. 

Richard A. Davis, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Housing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18753 Filed 9–1–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Census Bureau 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Comment Request; 2017–2019 

Business Research and Development 

Surveys 

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, 

Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, as part of its continuing 

effort to reduce paperwork and 

respondent burden, invites the general 

public and other Federal agencies to 

mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES

41926 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2017 / Notices 

comment on proposed and/or 

continuing information collections, as 

required by the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, written 

or on-line comments must be submitted 

on or before November 6, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments 

to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 

Paperwork Clearance Officer, 

Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 

14th and Constitution Avenue NW., 

Washington, DC 20230 (or via the 

Internet at PRAcomments@doc.gov). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of the information collection 

instrument(s) and instructions should 

be directed to Michael Flaherty, U.S. 

Census Bureau, HQ–6H149, 4600 Silver 

Hill Rd., Suitland, MD 20746, (301) 

763–7699 (or via the internet at 

michael.j.flaherty@census.gov). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The U.S. Census Bureau, with support 

from the National Science Foundation 

(NSF), plans to conduct the Business 

Research and Development Survey 

(BRDS) for the 2017–2019 survey years 

(collected in calendar years 2018–2020). 

The BRDS covers all domestic, nonfarm, for-profit businesses with at least 

10 paid employees. The BRDS provides 

the only comprehensive data on 

Research and Development (R&D) costs 

and detailed expenses by type and 

industry. 

The Census Bureau has conducted an 

R&D survey since 1957 (the Survey of 

Industrial Research and Development 

(SIRD) from 1957–2007 and the 

Business R&D and Innovation Survey 

(BRDIS) from 2008–2016), collecting 

primarily financial information on the 

systematic work companies undertake 

to discover new knowledge or use 

existing knowledge to develop new or 

improved goods and services. 

From 2008–2015, the BRDIS collected 

R&D and innovation data from 

companies with five or more employees. 

In 2016, the BRDIS collected R&D and 

innovation data from companies with at 

least one paid employee. Beginning in 

2017, the BRDS will no longer collect 

innovation data and only companies 

with at least 10 paid employees will be 

in scope. The Census Bureau will 

continue to collect R&D data from 

companies with fewer than 10 

employees, and innovation data from all 

companies, however, beginning in 2017, 

these data will be collected on a 

different survey. 

The 2017–2019 BRDS will continue to 

collect the following types of 

information: 

• R&D expense based on accepted 

accounting standards. 

• Worldwide R&D of domestic 

companies. 

• Business segment detail. 

• R&D-related capital expenditures. 

• Detailed data about the R&D 

workforce. 

• R&D strategy and data on the 

potential impact of R&D on the market. 

• R&D directed to application areas of 

particular national interest. 

• Data measuring intellectual 

property protection activities and 

technology transfer. 

Domestic and foreign researchers in 

academia, business, and government 

analyze and cite data from the BRDS. 

Among the federal government users are 

the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) 

and the White House’s Office of Science 

and Technology Policy (OSTP). BEA 

includes R&D in the system of national 

accounts that measures the economic 

well-being of the country. BRDS data are 

key inputs into these accounts, which 

feed into the calculation of the U.S. 

Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The 

White House, in 2006, issued the 

American Competitiveness Initiative to 

‘‘increase investments in research and 

development, strengthen education, and 

encourage entrepreneurship.’’ In 

support of this initiative and in 

response to legislative mandates, data 

on R&D are delivered to OSTP, 

primarily in the biennial National 

Science Board report Science and 

Engineering Indicators. Also, the 

National Science Foundation (NSF) 

produces a series of publications 

containing R&D data including the 

National Patterns of R&D Resources 

series, the S&E State Profile series, and 

the annual Business R&D and 

Innovation series. Special reports and 

other publications are also prepared. 

II. Method of Collection 

Beginning in 2017, the BRDS will 

follow a primarily electronic collection 

strategy. The BRD–1 form will be 

available on the Web site to assist 

respondents with gathering the required 

data prior to reporting online. Paper 

forms will also be sent to respondents 

upon request, however no paper forms 

will be included in initial mail packets. 

The online survey automatically skips 

questions that do not apply [based on 

previous responses] and checks for 

common errors. Links to detailed 

question-by-question instructions will 

be embedded in the electronic 

instrument. Excel spreadsheets are 

available to facilitate the electronic 

collection of information from various 

areas of the companies. Respondents 

have the capability to download the 

spreadsheets from the Census Bureau’s 

Web site. A consolidator spreadsheet is 

also available to assist companies that 

need to gather information from 

business units and then compile the 

information into one company report. 

The due date will be six weeks after 

mail out. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0607–0912. 

Form Number: BRD–1. 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Affected Public: All domestic, nonfarm, for-profit (public or private) 

businesses with at least 10 paid 

employees. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

45,000. 

Estimated Time per Response: 3.3 

hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 148,600. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $0. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: Title 13, United 

States Code, Sections 8(b), 131, and 182; 

and Title 42, United States Code, 

Sections 1861–76 (National Science 

Foundation Act of 1950, as amended). 

IV. Request for 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 shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (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 respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Departmental PRA Lead, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18656 Filed 9–1–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P 

mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES