[Federal Register: April 10, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 70)]
[Notices]
[Page 19455]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10ap08-17]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
Notice of Intent To Extend a Currently Approved Information
Collection
AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
regulations (5 CFR part 1320) that implement the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service's (CSREES)
intention to request approval for an extension of a currently approved
information collection for Children, Youth, and Families at Risk
(CYFAR).
DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by June 9, 2008
to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will
be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: jhitchcock@csrees.usda.gov;
Mail: Jason Hitchcock, Information Systems and Technology
Management, USDA/CSREES, STOP 2216, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20250-2216;
Hand Delivery/Courier: Jason Hitchcock, Information Systems and
Technology Management, USDA/CSREES, 800 9th Street, SW., Room 4217,
Waterfront Centre, Washington, DC 20024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason Hitchcock, (202) 720-4343.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Year-End
Report.
OMB Number: 0524-0043.
Expiration Date of Current Approval: January 31, 2009.
Type of Request: Intent to seek approval for the extension of a
currently approved information collection for three years.
Abstract: Funding for the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk
(CYFAR) community project grants is authorized under section 3(d) of
the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.), as amended, and other
relevant authorizing legislation, which provides jurisdictional basis
for the establishment and operation of Extension educational work for
the benefit of youth and families in communities. The CYFAR funding
program supports community-based programs serving children, youth, and
families in at-risk environments. CYFAR funds are intended to support
the development of high-quality, effective programs based on research
and to document the impact of these programs on intended audiences.
The CYFAR Year-End Report collects demographic and impact data from
each community site where federal assistance is provided. It allows
CSREES staff to gauge the impact of the program on the target audience
and to make programmatic improvements. This collection also allows
program staff to demonstrate the capacity developed in locales where
federal assistance is provided.
The evaluation processes of CYFAR are consistent with the
requirements of legislation and OMB requirements. The Government
Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA)(31 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), the
Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act of 1998 (FAIR Act) (Pub. L.
105-270), and the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education
Reform Act of 1998 (AREERA) (7 U.S.C. 7601 et seq.; Pub. L. 105-185),
together with OMB requirements, support the reporting requirements
requested in this information collection. One of the five Presidential
Management Agenda initiatives, Budget and Performance Integration,
builds on GPRA and earlier efforts to identify program goals and
performance measures, and link them to the budget process. The FAIR Act
requires the development and implementation of a system to monitor and
evaluate agricultural research and extension activities in order to
measure the impact and effectiveness of research, extension, and
education programs. AREERA requires a performance evaluation to be
conducted to determine whether federally funded agricultural research,
extension, and education programs result in public goods that have
national or multistate significance.
The immediate need for this information collection is to provide a
means for satisfying accountability requirements. The long-term
objective is to provide a means to enable the evaluation and assessment
of the effectiveness of programs receiving federal funds and to fully
satisfy requirements of performance and accountability legislation in
GPRA, the FAIR Act, and AREERA.
Estimate of Burden: There are currently CYFAR projects in 48 states
and 3 territories. Each state and territory is required to submit an
annual year-end report which includes demographic and impact data on
each of the community projects. CSREES estimates the burden of this
collection to be 322 hours per response. There are currently 51
respondents, thus making the total annual burden of this collection an
estimated 16,422 hours.
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 the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Obtaining a Copy of the Information Collection: A copy of the
information collection and related instructions may be obtained free of
charge by contacting Jason Hitchcock by telephone, (202) 720-4343, or
by e-mail, jhitchcock@csrees.usda.gov.
Done in Washington, DC, this 4th day of April, 2008.
Gale Buchanan,
Undersecretary, Research, Education, and Economics.
[FR Doc. E8-7619 Filed 4-9-08; 8:45 am]
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