Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-Food Program and Reporting System (FPRS), 49198-49199 [2015-20208]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Food and Nutrition Service

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 158 (Monday, August 17, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49198-49199]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20208]


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Notices
                                                Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 158 / Monday, August 17, 2015 / 
Notices

[[Page 49198]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Food Program and Reporting System (FPRS)

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment 
on a proposed information collection, which is a revision of a 
currently approved form.
    The purpose of the Food Programs Reporting System (FPRS) is to 
facilitate data gathering for the reporting of data for the 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special 
Nutrition Programs. FPRS consolidated certain programmatic and 
financial data reporting requirements in an electronic reporting system 
and is the primary collection point for FNS program performance 
statistics and financial data from State agencies, Indian Tribal 
Organizations and U.S. Territories participating in the nutrition 
assistance programs.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before October 16, 
2015.

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 has practical utility; 
(b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden hours, 
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions that were 
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.
    Comments may be sent to Jane Duffield, Chief, State Administration 
Branch, Program Accountability and Administration Division, 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 
818, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to 
the attention of Jane Duffield at 703-605-0795, Room 824, or via email 
to SNAP-Ed@fns.usda.gov. Comments will also be accepted through the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow 
the online instructions for submitting comments electronically.
    All written comments will be open for public inspection at the 
office of FNS during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 
Monday through Friday) at 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 808, Alexandria, 
Virginia 22302.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. All 
comments will also be a matter of public record.

CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:  Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Usha Kalro at SNAP-Ed@fns.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Food Programs Reporting System.
    OMB Number: 0584-0594.
    Form Number and Name: Worksheet FNS-759 Education and 
Administrative Reporting System.
    Expiration Date: 08/31/2016.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Abstract: The purpose of the Education and Administrative Reporting 
System (EARS) maintained in FPRS is to collect uniform and standard 
information on nutrition education activities funded through the 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program--Education (SNAP-Ed) program. 
The data collected through EARS informs management decisions, supports 
policy initiatives, and provides documentation for legislative, budget, 
and other requests that support planning within the agency. FNS intends 
to update the EARS form so that it reflects changes, specifically those 
that are a direct result of provisions in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids 
Act (HHFKA) of 2010. In addition, FNS continues to explore other ways 
to improve upon or incorporate metrics that will enhance the evaluation 
of SNAP-Ed programs. FNS developed EARS for SNAP's nutrition education 
component, SNAP-Ed, which is provided for in Section 11 of the Food and 
Nutrition Act (FNA) 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020 (f)(3)(B)(ii)). In 2003, the 
Agency convened a workgroup of diverse stakeholders to assist with this 
task, including people from the Federal, State, and local levels, as 
well as academia.
    The EARS form (FNS-759) was approved by OMB in Fiscal Year (FY) 
2007. FNS implemented the first phase of EARS in FY 2008, which 
required SNAP State agencies to report on financial items only. Full 
implementation of EARS reporting requirements was completed in FY 2010. 
EARS provides uniform data and information about the nutrition 
education activities of all participating States across the country, 
including the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Guam. Data 
gathered through the EARS form includes demographic characteristics of 
participants receiving nutrition education benefits, information about 
education topics and strategies, and use of resources. The EARS form is 
designed as an annual report that SNAP State agencies submit using FNS' 
web-based Food Program Reporting System, OMB Control No: 0584-0594, 
Expiration Date 6/30/2017. State agencies submit data between October 
15 and December 30 of each year for the prior FY's nutrition education 
activities.
    In 2010, Congress passed the HHFKA. Section 241 of the HHFKA 
replaced the existing nutrition education program under Section 11(f) 
of the Food and Nutrition Act (``FNS'' or the ``Act'') (7 U.S.C. 2011 
et seq.) with the nutrition education and obesity prevention grant 
program under Section 28. FNS continues to refer to the redesigned 
program as SNAP-Ed. Changes to the program mandated by the HHFKA 
require revisions to the currently approved EARS form/worksheet. Some 
of the major changes to SNAP-Ed are:

[[Page 49199]]

    (1) A focus on the critical problem of obesity--The program now has 
a wider range of evidence-based intervention strategies. Specifically, 
SNAP-Ed includes any combination of educational strategies, accompanied 
by environmental supports, designed to facilitate the voluntary 
adoption of healthy food and physical activity choices, as well as 
other nutrition-related behaviors. It is conducive to the well-being of 
SNAP participants and other qualifying low-income individuals and may 
involve programs at complementary organizational and institutional 
levels in addition to community and public health approaches.
    (2) A target population which more closely aligns SNAP-Ed 
participants with those in other FNS, Federal, and State-administered 
benefit programs. In the past, SNAP-Ed participants included those 
receiving SNAP or those eligible to receive SNAP. Following the 
implementation of the HHFKA, the target population is extended to 
individuals who are eligible to receive SNAP or other means-tested 
Federal assistance programs or those residing in a community with a 
significant low-income population. These means-tested programs include 
Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, among others.
    (3) Requirement for evidence-based interventions--Evidence-based 
approaches have been defined by the FNS Administrator in consultation 
with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
FNS has provided States with more flexibility by permitting States to 
use funds for nutrition education and obesity prevention interventions 
that are developed by integrating the best available research evidence, 
practice-based evidence or emerging evidence. In accordance with the 
SNAP-Ed Guidance, these may include the implementation and measurement 
of policy, systems and environmental changes (PSEs). Expanding the 
types of environmental and policy approaches that can be used in SNAP-
Ed allows State programs to build upon nutrition education and health 
promotion efforts in a way that better supports a more comprehensive 
focus on obesity prevention.
    (4) A new funding mechanism--As opposed to matching State funds for 
SNAP-Ed programs, FNS allocates 100 percent Federal grant funding to 
States, which may coordinate SNAP-Ed activities through partnerships 
with public and private entities in order to better leverage their 
financial resources. The formula proscribed by the HHFKA builds 
progressively to a 50/50 weighting of SNAP-Ed expenditures to SNAP 
participation based on the funding from the previous 12-month period 
ending January 31. For Fiscal Year 2015, 80 percent of the funding was 
based on expenditures and 10 percent of the funding was based on the 
State's SNAP participation rate. The 50/50 weighting applies to Fiscal 
Year 2018 and beyond.
    The revised form is available for review with this docket on 
www.Regulations.gov, in Supporting Documents. The proposed 
modifications to the current EARS form/worksheet include the following, 
where the items pertain to the proposed draft unless stated otherwise:
     Collect data on the number and percentage of SNAP-Ed 
eligibles and those reached through Direct Education, Social Marketing 
and PSE change interventions in a State (Item 1a-e).
     Collect data on the estimated percentage of SNAP-Ed funds 
expended to reach SNAP-Ed eligibles through the above intervention 
types (Item 1f).
     Added a statement about the Community Eligibility 
Provision as a special circumstance for determining SNAP status (Items 
2a and 2b).
     Collect data on whether SNAP-Ed participation counts for 
each age group are actual or estimated values (Items 2a and 2b).
     Collect data on additional settings where education is 
provided to SNAP-Ed participants (Item 5).
     Collect data on whether Direct Education programs are part 
of a Social Marketing initiative (Item 6a).
     Collect data on whether Direct Education supports PSEs 
(Item 6b).
     Collect data on whether direct education programs are part 
of a social marketing and/or PSE interventions (Item 6a and 6b).
     Removed question 8 on Indirect Education (on the current 
form) and added the column on ``Source(s) of Data'' to the table 
``Description of All Social Marketing Campaigns'' (Item 7).
     Collect data on PSEs (Item 8).
     Collect data focused on classifying partnerships and their 
role in SNAP-Ed programs (Item 9).
     Removed the last question on funding (Item 9 in the 
current form) since funds are now 100 percent federal allocations to 
States according to a specified formula and do not require a State 
match.
    The form has been rearranged to better accommodate the instructions 
and improve the flow of questions. This revision also reflects an 
increase in burden estimates. FNS estimates that 53 State agencies will 
respond once a year for a total of 53 annual responses. The current 
burden it takes each State agency to respond is 54 burden hours. In the 
revised data collection instrument, it will take approximately 60 
burden hours for each State agency to respond which reflects an 
increase of six burden hours per State from the last submission. The 
current burden for this collection is 2,808. FNS calculates the revised 
total burden for this collection is 3,180 annual burden hours which 
reflects an increase of 300 burden hours due to program changes and 
adjustments. There are no recordkeeping requirements imposed by this 
information collection. As this is a revision to the EARS form within 
the FPRS system, the total FPRS burden is summarized below.
    Affected Public: SNAP State agencies and Business. Respondent Type: 
Businesses are identified as non-profit organizations serving as 
implementing partners, such as extension universities, and local 
program operators.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,267.
    Number of Responses per Respondent: 7.28191.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 23,790.
    Hours per Response: 3.65157629.
    Total Annual Burden Hours (Reporting Only): 86,871.

    Dated: August 2, 2015.
Audrey Rowe,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-20208 Filed 8-14-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-30-P