[Federal Register: May 13, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 91)]
[Notices]
[Page 22509-22510]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13my09-21]
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Notices
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
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[[Page 22509]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; Notice of
Intent To Seek Approval of a New Information Collection
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (OASCR) is seeking
comments from all interested individuals and organizations on a new
information collection. This notice announces the OASCR's intention to
request approval for a new information collection aimed at
standardizing and consolidating the race, ethnicity, sex, national
origin, disability and age (RESNODA) data for agencies within the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) that serve agricultural producers and
landowners. This information collection will assist the USDA agencies
in the compilation of program application and participation rate data
for socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers for programs that serve
agricultural producers and landowners. USDA continues to seek ways to
improve delivery of program services and benefits, fulfill various
civil rights responsibilities, and increase participation for those who
are eligible to receive benefits and assistance.
DATES: We will consider comment that we receive by July 13, 2009.
ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. In your
comment, include date, and page number of this issue of the Federal
Register. You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
E-mail: Send comments to: Rhonda.davis@usda.gov.
Mail: Ms. Rhonda Davis, Director, Planning, Performance
and Accountability Division, OASCR, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Mailstop 9475, Washington, DC 20250.
You may also send comments to the Desk Officer for Agriculture,
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, Washington, DC 20503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rhonda Davis, Director, Planning,
Performance and Accountability Division, phone (202) 720-1010.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 14006 of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008
(2008 Farm Bill; Pub. L. 110-246) requires the Secretary of Agriculture
to compile program application and participation rate data on socially
disadvantaged farmers or ranchers by race, ethnicity, and gender. The
collection of data is necessary to provide USDA with the composition of
its constituents, particularly from a race and ethnicity standpoint.
Further, data is necessary to give USDA a baseline on its applicants
and participants and assist it in planning and assisting its
constituents.
The goal of a farm program focused collection of RESNODA data is to
reduce the burden on citizens to provide this type of information by
creating a single voluntary survey transaction where the data is
collected, one time in a standard format. For subsequent transactions
where this information is needed to report on application or
participation rates or to improve program participation, the Department
will provide the opportunity for the applicant or participant to revise
their data. If no revisions are made, USDA will reuse the data
previously collected.
This information collection request is intended over a period time
to consolidate a number of agency collections of RESNODA data and to
minimize the number of separate forms and transactions required to
obtain USDA services, thereby reducing the burden in collecting this
information from the public.
When collected manually, a paper form will be used in conjunction
with the appropriate program application form as a tear-off where the
application for services will be electronically transmitted to the
appropriate agency for action, and information from the paper form will
be electronically transmitted to a Departmental repository to be used
in subsequent customer transactions and for applicable Civil Rights
analysis and reporting. The electronically collected data will reside
in an enterprise database.
While the demographic data will be available for management
reporting purposes to comply with section 14006 of the 2008 Farm Bill,
a flag would graphically indicate to USDA employees that the
information had been previously collected. The privacy of the data will
be protected. The existing customer data Systems of Record will be
modified or created if applicable to meet the Privacy Act requirement.
Description of Information Collection
Title: Customer Information.
OMB Number: 0503-NEW.
Type of Request: New information collection.
Abstract: The purpose of the collection is to enable the agency
heads to report annually to the Secretary of Agriculture on the
collection of RESNODA data for all USDA farm programs, and to further
ensure that this information is collected only once for each customer.
When established, this information will assist OASCR and USDA agencies
in assessing farm programs for each county and State in the United
States based on program application and participation rate data for
agricultural producers and landowners.
Estimate of Burden: For the initial collection of RESNODA data, the
estimated burden is 3 minutes per response either collected manually
through a Departmental form or collected electronically through the
USDA.gov web portal.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The Department estimates
14,000,000 constituents subject to the collection of RESNODA data.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 700,000 hours.
We are requesting comments on all aspects of this information
collection including the following to help us:
(1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the
Department, including
[[Page 22510]]
whether the information will have practical utility;
(2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden of the
proposed collection of information, including the validity of
methodology and assumptions used;
(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including the use of appropriate, automated,
electronic, mechanical or other technology.
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.
Summary of 2004 Comments
A previous notice requesting comments on this information
collection request was published in the Federal Register on June 23,
2004 (69 FR 34990-34991). The 60-day comment period for the notice
closed on August 23, 2004; 6 comments were received. The scope of the
request for information collection approval has been narrowed to
initially focus on information collected by the three service center
agencies, the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the National Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), and Rural Development (RD). None of the
comments addressed any issues related to information collection by FSA,
NRCS, or RD.
Signed at Washington, DC on May 7, 2009.
Joe Leonard, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
[FR Doc. E9-11109 Filed 5-12-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-98-P