Request for Extension and Revision of a Currently Approved Information Collection; Debt Settlement Policies and Procedures, 54893-54894 [05-18493]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 180 / Monday, September 19, 2005 / Notices and (c) Virginia/Carolina (Virginia and North Carolina). For the initial appointments, the Farm Bill required the Secretary to stagger the terms of the members so that: (a) One producer member and peanut industry member from each peanut producing region serves a one-year term; (b) one producer member and peanut industry member from each peanut producing region serves a two-year term; and (c) one producer member and peanut industry member from each peanut producing region serves a three-year term. The term ‘‘peanut industry representatives’’ includes, but is not limited to, representatives of shellers, manufacturers, buying points, marketing associations and marketing cooperatives. The Farm Bill exempted the appointment of the Board from the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The initial Board was appointed by the Secretary and announced on December 5, 2002. USDA invites those individuals, organizations, and groups affiliated with the categories listed above to nominate individuals for membership on the Board. Nominees sought by this action would fill a vacant producer member position from the Southeast peanut producing region for the remainder of a 3-year term of office that ends June 30, 2006. Nominees should complete a Peanut Standards Board Background Information form and submit it to Mrs. Clark. Copies of this form may be obtained at the Internet site: https:// www.ams.usda.gov/fv/peanutfarmbill.htm, or from Mrs. Clark. USDA seeks a diverse group of members representing the peanut industry. Equal opportunity practices will be followed in all appointments to the Board in accordance with USDA policies. To ensure that the recommendations of the Board have taken into account the needs of the diverse groups within the peanut industry, membership shall include, to the extent practicable, individuals with demonstrated abilities to represent minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and limited resource agriculture producers. Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7958. Lloyd C. Day, Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service. [FR Doc. 05–18583 Filed 9–16–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–02–P VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:48 Sep 16, 2005 Jkt 205001 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Farm Service Agency Commodity Credit Corporation Request for Extension and Revision of a Currently Approved Information Collection; Debt Settlement Policies and Procedures Farm Service Agency and the Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to request renewal of the information collection currently approved and used in support of the FSA and CCC Debt Settlement Policies and Procedures program. Provisions in the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 and in the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 have resulted in a decrease in burden hours for information collection under the FSA and CCC Debt Settlement Policies and Procedures program. DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before November 18, 2005 to be assured consideration. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas F. Harris II, Claims Program Specialist, Financial Management Division, Farm Service Agency, USDA, STOP 0581, Washington, DC 20250– 0581; telephone (703) 305–1439. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Debt Settlement Policies and Procedures. OMB Control Number: 0560–0146. Expiration Date of Approval: March 31, 2006. Type of Request: Extension and Revision of a Currently Approved Information Collection. Abstract: The information collected under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Number 0560–0146, as identified above, is needed to enable FSA and CCC to effectively administer the regulations at 7 CFR 792 (FSA) and 7 CFR 1403 (CCC) relating to debt settlement policies and procedures and to the identification of and settlement of outstanding claims. Collection of outstanding debts owed to FSA or to CCC can be effected by installment payments if a debtor furnishes satisfactory evidence of inability to pay a claim in full, and if the debtor specifically requests for an installment agreement. Part of the requirement is that the debtors furnish this request in PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 54893 writing and with a financial statement or other information that would disclose a debtor’s assets and liabilities. This information is required in order to evaluate any proposed plan. Such documentation requests furnished by the debtor are also used in the other collection tools employed by both FSA and CCC in managing debt settlement policies and procedures. If an installment agreement is approved, then a Promissory Note (CCC–279), or an approved alternative promissory note format, must be executed between the debtor and the FSA/CCC representative(s). During the past 2 years, over $10,687,000 in debt collection was facilitated by the use of this requested information and the establishment of 160 Promissory Notes between Debtors and FSA and CCC. Of that amount, $4,392,516 has been collected by 08/01/2005, leaving approximately $6,294,629 outstanding. Total active Note amount for all years is presently $15,922,583.75, with a total outstanding amount of $8,638,168.19. The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 requires the head of an agency to take all appropriate steps to collect delinquent debts before discharging such debts. These steps require the employment of these information collection forms and formats which have been successfully used for the past several years and which have become familiar tools for both the agency employees and for the producer. Thus, forms and formats already exist and are in use. The need to develop and introduce new forms and formats into the marketplace would add additional burdens and costs to both the producer and to the agency in the handling of the claim settlement and collection processes and would create additional burdens not called for under the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996. Estimate of burden: Public reporting burden for this information collection is estimated to average 60 minutes per response. Respondents: Producers participating in FSA and CCC programs. Estimated number of Annual Respondents: 100. Estimated number of Responses per Respondent: 1. Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 100 hours. Topics for comment include but are not limited to the following: (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 E:\FR\FM\19SEN1.SGM 19SEN1 54894 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 180 / Monday, September 19, 2005 / Notices assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; or (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. Comments should be sent to the Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503, and to Thomas F. Harris II, Claims Program Specialist, Financial Management Division, Farm Service Agency, USDA, STOP 0581, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250–0581; telephone (703) 305– 1439. Copies of the information collection may be obtained from Thomas F. Harris II at the above address. 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. Signed at Washington, DC, on September 7, 2005. James R. Little, Administrator, Farm Service Agency and Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation. [FR Doc. 05–18493 Filed 9–16–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–05–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food Safety and Inspection Service [Docket No. 05–029N] National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments. AGENCY: SUMMARY: This notice announces that the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) will hold public meetings of the full Committee and subcommittees on September 26–29, 2005. The Committee will discuss: (1) Consumer guidelines for the safe cooking of poultry products, (2) analytical utility of Campylobacter methodologies, and (3) determination of cooking parameters for safe seafood for consumers. DATES: The full Committee will hold an open meeting on Wednesday, September 28, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Subcommittee on Consumer Guidelines for the Safe Cooking of Poultry Products, will hold VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:48 Sep 16, 2005 Jkt 205001 open meetings on Monday, September 26, 2005, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on Tuesday, September 27, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Subcommittee on Determination of Cooking Parameters for Safe Seafood for Consumers will hold open meetings on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and on Thursday, September 29, 2005, from 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Omni Colonnade Hotel, 180 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, FL 33134; telephone number 305–441–2600. All documents related to full Committee meetings will be available for public inspection in the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Docket Room, 300 12th Street, SW., Room 102, Cotton Annex, Washington, DC 20250, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, as soon as they become available. The NACMCF documents will also be available on the Internet at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/ 2005_Notices_Index/. FSIS will finalize an agenda on or before the meeting dates and post it on the FSIS Internet Web page https:// www.fsis.usda.gov/News/ Meetings_&_Events/. Also, the official transcripts of the September 2005 full Committee meeting, when they become available, will be kept in the FSIS Docket Room at the above address and will also be posted on https://www.fsis.usda.gov/ About/NACMCF_Meetings/. FSIS welcomes comments on the topics to be discussed at the public meeting. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods: • Mail, including floppy disks or CD– ROM’s, and hand- or courier-delivered items: Send to Docket Clerk, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service, 300 12th Street, SW., Room 102, Cotton Annex, Washington, DC 20250. • Electronic mail: fsis.regulationscomments@fsis.usda.gov. All submissions received must include the Agency name and docket number 05–029N. All comments submitted in response to this notice, as well as research and background information used by FSIS in developing this document, will be available for public inspection in the FSIS Docket Room at the address listed above between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The comments also will be posted on the Agency’s Web site at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/ regulations/2005_Notices_Index/. See the disclaimer section below regarding modifications that may be PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 necessary due to the presentation of the comments. The mailing address for the contact person below, Karen Thomas, is: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA, Office of Public Health Science, Aerospace Center, Room 333, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250–3700. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Persons interested in making a presentation, submitting technical papers, or providing comments should contact Karen Thomas, phone (202) 690–6620, Fax (202) 690–6334, e-mail address: karen.thomas@fsis.usda.gov, or at the mailing address above. Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or other special accommodations should notify Ms. Thomas, by September 19, 2005. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The NACMCF was established in 1988, in response to a recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences for an interagency approach to microbiological criteria for foods, and in response to a recommendation of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, as expressed in the Rural Development, Agriculture, and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill for fiscal year 1988. The Charter for the NACMCF is available for viewing on the FSIS Internet web page at https:// www.fsis.usda.gov/About/ NACMCF_Charter/. The NACMCF provides scientific advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on public health issues relative to the safety and wholesomeness of the U.S. food supply, including development of microbiological criteria and review and evaluation of epidemiological and risk assessment data and methodologies for assessing microbiological hazards in foods. The Committee also provides advice to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Departments of Commerce and Defense. Dr. Richard Raymond, Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA, is the Committee Chairperson; Dr. Robert E. Brackett, Director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), is the Vice-Chairperson; and Gerri Ransom, FSIS, is the Executive Secretariat. At the meetings the week of September 26–29, 2005 the Committee will discuss: • Consumer guidelines for the safe cooking of poultry products, E:\FR\FM\19SEN1.SGM 19SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 180 (Monday, September 19, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54893-54894]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-18493]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency

Commodity Credit Corporation


Request for Extension and Revision of a Currently Approved 
Information Collection; Debt Settlement Policies and Procedures

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency and the Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the intention of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the 
Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to request renewal of the 
information collection currently approved and used in support of the 
FSA and CCC Debt Settlement Policies and Procedures program. Provisions 
in the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 and in 
the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 have resulted in a decrease 
in burden hours for information collection under the FSA and CCC Debt 
Settlement Policies and Procedures program.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before November 
18, 2005 to be assured consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas F. Harris II, Claims Program 
Specialist, Financial Management Division, Farm Service Agency, USDA, 
STOP 0581, Washington, DC 20250-0581; telephone (703) 305-1439.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Debt Settlement Policies and Procedures.
    OMB Control Number: 0560-0146.
    Expiration Date of Approval: March 31, 2006.
    Type of Request: Extension and Revision of a Currently Approved 
Information Collection.
    Abstract: The information collected under the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) Number 0560-0146, as identified above, is needed to 
enable FSA and CCC to effectively administer the regulations at 7 CFR 
792 (FSA) and 7 CFR 1403 (CCC) relating to debt settlement policies and 
procedures and to the identification of and settlement of outstanding 
claims. Collection of outstanding debts owed to FSA or to CCC can be 
effected by installment payments if a debtor furnishes satisfactory 
evidence of inability to pay a claim in full, and if the debtor 
specifically requests for an installment agreement. Part of the 
requirement is that the debtors furnish this request in writing and 
with a financial statement or other information that would disclose a 
debtor's assets and liabilities. This information is required in order 
to evaluate any proposed plan. Such documentation requests furnished by 
the debtor are also used in the other collection tools employed by both 
FSA and CCC in managing debt settlement policies and procedures. If an 
installment agreement is approved, then a Promissory Note (CCC-279), or 
an approved alternative promissory note format, must be executed 
between the debtor and the FSA/CCC representative(s). During the past 2 
years, over $10,687,000 in debt collection was facilitated by the use 
of this requested information and the establishment of 160 Promissory 
Notes between Debtors and FSA and CCC. Of that amount, $4,392,516 has 
been collected by 08/01/2005, leaving approximately $6,294,629 
outstanding. Total active Note amount for all years is presently 
$15,922,583.75, with a total outstanding amount of $8,638,168.19.
    The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 requires the head of an 
agency to take all appropriate steps to collect delinquent debts before 
discharging such debts. These steps require the employment of these 
information collection forms and formats which have been successfully 
used for the past several years and which have become familiar tools 
for both the agency employees and for the producer. Thus, forms and 
formats already exist and are in use. The need to develop and introduce 
new forms and formats into the marketplace would add additional burdens 
and costs to both the producer and to the agency in the handling of the 
claim settlement and collection processes and would create additional 
burdens not called for under the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 
1996.
    Estimate of burden: Public reporting burden for this information 
collection is estimated to average 60 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Producers participating in FSA and CCC programs.
    Estimated number of Annual Respondents: 100.
    Estimated number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 100 hours.
    Topics for comment include but are not limited to the following: 
(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

[[Page 54894]]

assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity 
of the information to be collected; or (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. Comments should be sent to the Desk Officer for 
Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503, and to Thomas F. Harris 
II, Claims Program Specialist, Financial Management Division, Farm 
Service Agency, USDA, STOP 0581, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., 
Washington, DC 20250-0581; telephone (703) 305-1439. Copies of the 
information collection may be obtained from Thomas F. Harris II at the 
above address.
    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.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on September 7, 2005.
James R. Little,
Administrator, Farm Service Agency and Executive Vice President, 
Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 05-18493 Filed 9-16-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P

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