Strengthening Civil Rights Management, 10825-10826 [2018-05051]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 13, 2018 / Notices
for the various servicing authorities.
Servicing actions become necessary due
Title: 7 CFR 1780, Water and Waste
to the development of financial or other
Disposal Loan and Grant Program.
problems and may be initiated by either
OMB Control Number: 0572–0121.
Summary of Collection: Section 306 of a recipient which recognizes that a
problem exists and wished to resolve it,
the Consolidated Farm and Rural
or by the Agency. If a problem exists, a
Development Act (CONACT), 7 U.S.C.
recipient must furnish financial
1926, authorizes Rural Utilities Service
information which is used to aid in
(RUS) to make loans and grants to
resolving the problem through republic entities, federally-recognized
amortization, sale, transfer, debt
American Indian tribes, and nonprofit
corporations. The loans and grants fund restructuring, liquidation, or other
means provided in the regulations.
the development of drinking water
Description of Respondents: Business
waste water, solid waste disposal, and
or other for-profit; non-profit
storm wastewater disposal facilities in
institutions; State and local
rural areas with populations of up to
governments.
10,000 residents.
Number of Respondents: 62.
Need and Use of the Information:
Frequency of Responses: Reporting:
Rural Development’s field offices will
On occasion.
collect information from applicants/
Total Burden Hours: 729.
borrowers and consultants to determine
eligibility and project feasibility. The
Ruth Brown,
information will help to ensure
Departmental Information Collection
borrowers operate on a sound basis and
Clearance Officer.
use loan funds for authorized purposes. [FR Doc. 2018–05026 Filed 3–12–18; 8:45 am]
There are agency forms required as well BILLING CODE 3410–15–P
as other requirements that involve
certifications from the borrower,
lenders, and other parties. Failure to
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
collect proper information could result
Office of the Secretary
in improper determinations of
eligibility, use of funds and or unsound
Strengthening Civil Rights
loans.
Management
Description of Respondents: State,
Local or Tribal Government; Not-forAGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA.
profit institutions.
ACTION: Request for Information (RFI).
Number of Respondents: 865.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting:
SUMMARY: Consistent with Executive
On occasion.
Order 13781, ‘‘Comprehensive Plan for
Total Burden Hours: 150,339.
Reorganizing the Executive Branch,’’
and using the authority of the Secretary
Rural Utility Service
to reorganize the Department under
Title: Servicing of Water Programs
section 4(a) of Reorganization Plan No.
Loans and Grants.
2 of 1953 the U.S. Department of
OMB Control Number: 0572–0137.
Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting public
Summary of Collection: Authority for comment on a proposed realignment of
servicing of Water Programs Loan and
the Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Grants is contained in Section 306e of
Civil Rights (OASCR), which will
the Consolidated Farm and Rural
improve customer service, better align
Development Act, as amended. The
functions within the organization, and
information collected covers loan and
ensure improved consistency, resource
grant servicing regulations, 7 CFR part
management, and strategic decision1782, which prescribes policies and
making.
responsibilities for servicing actions
DATES: Comments and information are
necessary in connection with Water and
requested on or before March 25, 2018.
Environmental Programs (WEP) loans
and grants. WEP provides loans,
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
guaranteed loans and grants for water,
invited to submit comments regarding
sewer, storm water, and solid waste
this notice. All submissions must refer
disposal facilities in rural areas and
to ‘‘Improving Civil Rights’’ to ensure
towns of up to 10,000 people.
proper delivery.
Need and Use of the Information: The
• Electronic Submission of
Rural Utilities Service will collect
Comments. Interested persons may
information using various forms. The
submit comments electronically through
collected information for the most part
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
is financial in nature and needed by the www.regulations.gov. USDA strongly
Agency to determine if borrowers, based encourages commenters to submit
on their individual situations, qualify
comments electronically. Electronic
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Rural Utility Service
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17:47 Mar 12, 2018
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10825
submission of comments allows the
commenter maximum time to prepare
and submit a comment, and ensures
timely receipt by USDA. Commenters
should follow the instructions provided
on that site to submit comments
electronically.
• Submission of Comments by Mail,
Hand Delivery, or Courier. Paper, disk,
or CD–ROM submissions should be
submitted to the Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, USDA, Jamie
L. Whitten Building, Room 507–W, 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Washington,
DC 20250.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Winona Lake Scott, Telephone Number:
(202) 720–3808, winona.scott@
osec.usda.gov.
USDA is
committed to operating efficiently,
effectively, and with integrity, and
minimizing the burdens on individuals,
businesses, and communities for
participation in and compliance with
USDA programs. USDA works to
support the American agricultural
economy to strengthen rural
communities; to protect and conserve
our natural resources; and to provide a
safe, sufficient, and nutritious food
supply for the American people. The
Department’s wide range of programs
and responsibilities touches the lives of
every American every day.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Executive Order 13781
Executive Order 13781,
‘‘Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing
the Executive Branch’’, is intended to
improve the efficiency, effectiveness,
and accountability of the executive
branch. The principles in the Executive
Order provide the basis for taking
actions to enhance and strengthen the
delivery of USDA programs.
II. Reorganization Actions
On March 9, 2018, Secretary Perdue
will be announcing his intent to take
actions to strengthen civil rights and
customer service at USDA by taking the
following actions to ensure integrity,
consistency, and fairness:
• USDA will eliminate inefficiencies
in delivering civil rights services at the
agency and staff office level, thereby
resulting in improved civil rights
management. Under the realignment, a
Civil Rights Director and appropriate
Equal Opportunity staff will be aligned
as follows:
(1) Departmental Administration, staff
offices, and Trade and Foreign
Agricultural Affairs will share civil
rights resources;
(2) Each remaining Departmental
Mission Area will consolidate its sub-
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13MRN1
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10826
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 13, 2018 / Notices
agency resources at the Mission Area
level; and
(3) The Office of the Inspector General
(OIG) shall have an independent Civil
Rights Director.
• OASCR will direct all Departmental
civil rights activities, including those of
the Mission Areas, Departmental
Administration, staff offices, and to the
extent appropriate and lawful, OIG. The
delegations for the Assistant Secretary
for Civil Rights shall be revised as
necessary to reflect OASCR’s direct
responsibility in providing civil rights
policy direction to Mission Area and
other Civil Rights Directors and Civil
Rights staff and conveying the clear
guidance of the Office of the Secretary
on all civil rights issues.
• OASCR will implement a timely,
fair, transparent, and consistent
approach to addressing all Equal
Employment Opportunity or program
complaints, including those based on
discrimination, harassment, and
retaliation that shall be adopted by all
Mission Areas, Departmental
Administration, staff offices and, to the
extent appropriate and lawful, OIG.
• OASCR will direct an effective,
robust, and compliant mandatory civil
rights training program for all staff,
including Mission Areas, Departmental
Administration, staff offices and, to the
extent appropriate and lawful, OIG.
• OASCR will monitor and evaluate
the implementation of the reasonable
accommodation process by the Mission
Areas, Departmental Management, staff
offices and, to the extent appropriate
and lawful, OIG.
• OASCR will not address matters
that Office of Human Resource
Management (OHRM) handles
exclusively, such as setting human
resources policy, investigating and
evaluating harassment allegations for
misconduct, and reviewing and advising
on requests for reasonable
accommodations, but will serve as a
collaborative partner with OHRM on all
appropriate issues affecting civil rights
policy, implementation, and
compliance.
• OASCR will request the Mission
Areas to provide a list of all civil rights
positions on-board (full-time, part-time,
or collateral duty) within 30 days from
issuance of this Memorandum to
determine staff needs to effectuate the
purpose of this Memorandum.
• Mission Areas, Departmental
Administration, and the Staff Offices
will implement all organizational
changes necessary to effectuate the civil
rights staff realignments indicated above
based upon the direction of OASCR.
When conducting any reorganizations,
the Mission Areas, Departmental
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:47 Mar 12, 2018
Jkt 244001
Administration, and Staff Offices will
adhere to all relevant Departmental
Directives, including Departmental
Regulation 1010 and the corresponding
Congressional notification requirements.
• OASCR will eliminate the position
of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil
Rights (ASCR), so as to flatten the
organization with the Associate
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
assuming the responsibilities of the
Deputy ASCR.
• OASCR will eliminate its Policy
Division, which is no longer necessary
in an era of decreased regulations, and
will perform reduced policy functions
with staff from other areas of the
organization.
• OASCR will eliminate its Training
and Cultural Transformation Division
and will develop training with staff
from other areas of the organization.
• OASCR will eliminate its Early
Resolution and Complaint Division, and
the Department will carry out informal
counseling within each Mission Area,
with coordination from a Mission Area
Liaison within OASCR.
• OASCR’s career Senior Executive
Service (SES) Director for the Office of
Compliance, Policy, Training and
Cultural Transformation will be
reclassified as the career SES Executive
Director for Civil Rights Operations, a
position responsible for managing the
Mission Area Liaison, the Compliance
Division, and the Data and Records
Management Division over customer
service, data, and information
technology. The largest component in
this part of the OASCR organization is
the Compliance Division, which will
continue addressing compliance
reporting to oversight entities as well as
limited regulatory and policy review.
• OASCR’s career SES Director for the
Office of Adjudication will be
reclassified as the career SES Executive
Director for Civil Rights Enforcement, a
position responsible for leading not only
the Office of Adjudication, but also the
Program Planning, and Accountability
Division over budget, contracting and
procurement, human resources
management, facilities management,
strategic planning, and Continuity of
Operations for OASCR. The largest
component of this part of the OASCR
organization is the Office of
Adjudication is responsible for intake,
investigation, and adjudication of
employment discrimination complaints
from USDA employees and program
complaints of discrimination arising
within any program conducted or
assisted by USDA.
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III. Request for Information
USDA is seeking public comment on
these actions and notes that this notice
is issued solely for information and
program-planning purposes. While
responses to this notice do not bind
USDA to any further actions, all
submissions will be reviewed by the
appropriate program office, and made
publicly available on https://
www.regulations.gov.
Dated: March 8, 2018.
Winona Lake Scott,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil
Rights.
[FR Doc. 2018–05051 Filed 3–12–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Information Collection: Generic
Clearance for Social Science and
Economics Data Collections on Natural
Disasters and Disturbances
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice; request for comment.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Forest Service is seeking comments
from all interested individuals and
organizations on a new generic
information collection request, Social
Science and Economics Data Collections
on Natural Disasters and Disturbances.
DATES: Comments must be received in
writing on or before May 14, 2018 to be
assured of consideration. Comments
received after that date will be
considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Kenli Kim, National Program Leader for
Social Science Research, Forest Service,
1400 Independence Ave., SW, Mailstop
1114, Washington, DC 20250–1114, or
by electronic mail to PRAcomments@
fs.fed.us, with ‘‘PRA comment on
natural disasters and disturbances’’ in
the subject line. If comments are sent by
electronic mail, the public is requested
not to send duplicate written comments
via regular mail. Please confine written
comments to issues pertinent to the
information collection request, explain
the reasons for any recommended
changes, and, where possible, reference
the specific section or paragraph being
addressed.
All timely submitted comments,
including names and addresses when
provided, are placed in the record and
are available for public inspection and
copying. The public may inspect
comments received on this information
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\13MRN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 13, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10825-10826]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05051]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of the Secretary
Strengthening Civil Rights Management
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA.
ACTION: Request for Information (RFI).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Consistent with Executive Order 13781, ``Comprehensive Plan
for Reorganizing the Executive Branch,'' and using the authority of the
Secretary to reorganize the Department under section 4(a) of
Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1953 the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) is soliciting public comment on a proposed realignment of the
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (OASCR), which will
improve customer service, better align functions within the
organization, and ensure improved consistency, resource management, and
strategic decision-making.
DATES: Comments and information are requested on or before March 25,
2018.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding
this notice. All submissions must refer to ``Improving Civil Rights''
to ensure proper delivery.
Electronic Submission of Comments. Interested persons may
submit comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal:
https://www.regulations.gov. USDA strongly encourages commenters to
submit comments electronically. Electronic submission of comments
allows the commenter maximum time to prepare and submit a comment, and
ensures timely receipt by USDA. Commenters should follow the
instructions provided on that site to submit comments electronically.
Submission of Comments by Mail, Hand Delivery, or Courier.
Paper, disk, or CD-ROM submissions should be submitted to the Office of
the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, USDA, Jamie L. Whitten
Building, Room 507-W, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20250.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Winona Lake Scott, Telephone
Number: (202) 720-3808, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: USDA is committed to operating efficiently,
effectively, and with integrity, and minimizing the burdens on
individuals, businesses, and communities for participation in and
compliance with USDA programs. USDA works to support the American
agricultural economy to strengthen rural communities; to protect and
conserve our natural resources; and to provide a safe, sufficient, and
nutritious food supply for the American people. The Department's wide
range of programs and responsibilities touches the lives of every
American every day.
I. Executive Order 13781
Executive Order 13781, ``Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the
Executive Branch'', is intended to improve the efficiency,
effectiveness, and accountability of the executive branch. The
principles in the Executive Order provide the basis for taking actions
to enhance and strengthen the delivery of USDA programs.
II. Reorganization Actions
On March 9, 2018, Secretary Perdue will be announcing his intent to
take actions to strengthen civil rights and customer service at USDA by
taking the following actions to ensure integrity, consistency, and
fairness:
USDA will eliminate inefficiencies in delivering civil
rights services at the agency and staff office level, thereby resulting
in improved civil rights management. Under the realignment, a Civil
Rights Director and appropriate Equal Opportunity staff will be aligned
as follows:
(1) Departmental Administration, staff offices, and Trade and
Foreign Agricultural Affairs will share civil rights resources;
(2) Each remaining Departmental Mission Area will consolidate its
sub-
[[Page 10826]]
agency resources at the Mission Area level; and
(3) The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) shall have an
independent Civil Rights Director.
OASCR will direct all Departmental civil rights
activities, including those of the Mission Areas, Departmental
Administration, staff offices, and to the extent appropriate and
lawful, OIG. The delegations for the Assistant Secretary for Civil
Rights shall be revised as necessary to reflect OASCR's direct
responsibility in providing civil rights policy direction to Mission
Area and other Civil Rights Directors and Civil Rights staff and
conveying the clear guidance of the Office of the Secretary on all
civil rights issues.
OASCR will implement a timely, fair, transparent, and
consistent approach to addressing all Equal Employment Opportunity or
program complaints, including those based on discrimination,
harassment, and retaliation that shall be adopted by all Mission Areas,
Departmental Administration, staff offices and, to the extent
appropriate and lawful, OIG.
OASCR will direct an effective, robust, and compliant
mandatory civil rights training program for all staff, including
Mission Areas, Departmental Administration, staff offices and, to the
extent appropriate and lawful, OIG.
OASCR will monitor and evaluate the implementation of the
reasonable accommodation process by the Mission Areas, Departmental
Management, staff offices and, to the extent appropriate and lawful,
OIG.
OASCR will not address matters that Office of Human
Resource Management (OHRM) handles exclusively, such as setting human
resources policy, investigating and evaluating harassment allegations
for misconduct, and reviewing and advising on requests for reasonable
accommodations, but will serve as a collaborative partner with OHRM on
all appropriate issues affecting civil rights policy, implementation,
and compliance.
OASCR will request the Mission Areas to provide a list of
all civil rights positions on-board (full-time, part-time, or
collateral duty) within 30 days from issuance of this Memorandum to
determine staff needs to effectuate the purpose of this Memorandum.
Mission Areas, Departmental Administration, and the Staff
Offices will implement all organizational changes necessary to
effectuate the civil rights staff realignments indicated above based
upon the direction of OASCR. When conducting any reorganizations, the
Mission Areas, Departmental Administration, and Staff Offices will
adhere to all relevant Departmental Directives, including Departmental
Regulation 1010 and the corresponding Congressional notification
requirements.
OASCR will eliminate the position of Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR), so as to flatten the organization
with the Associate Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights assuming the
responsibilities of the Deputy ASCR.
OASCR will eliminate its Policy Division, which is no
longer necessary in an era of decreased regulations, and will perform
reduced policy functions with staff from other areas of the
organization.
OASCR will eliminate its Training and Cultural
Transformation Division and will develop training with staff from other
areas of the organization.
OASCR will eliminate its Early Resolution and Complaint
Division, and the Department will carry out informal counseling within
each Mission Area, with coordination from a Mission Area Liaison within
OASCR.
OASCR's career Senior Executive Service (SES) Director for
the Office of Compliance, Policy, Training and Cultural Transformation
will be reclassified as the career SES Executive Director for Civil
Rights Operations, a position responsible for managing the Mission Area
Liaison, the Compliance Division, and the Data and Records Management
Division over customer service, data, and information technology. The
largest component in this part of the OASCR organization is the
Compliance Division, which will continue addressing compliance
reporting to oversight entities as well as limited regulatory and
policy review.
OASCR's career SES Director for the Office of Adjudication
will be reclassified as the career SES Executive Director for Civil
Rights Enforcement, a position responsible for leading not only the
Office of Adjudication, but also the Program Planning, and
Accountability Division over budget, contracting and procurement, human
resources management, facilities management, strategic planning, and
Continuity of Operations for OASCR. The largest component of this part
of the OASCR organization is the Office of Adjudication is responsible
for intake, investigation, and adjudication of employment
discrimination complaints from USDA employees and program complaints of
discrimination arising within any program conducted or assisted by
USDA.
III. Request for Information
USDA is seeking public comment on these actions and notes that this
notice is issued solely for information and program-planning purposes.
While responses to this notice do not bind USDA to any further actions,
all submissions will be reviewed by the appropriate program office, and
made publicly available on https://www.regulations.gov.
Dated: March 8, 2018.
Winona Lake Scott,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
[FR Doc. 2018-05051 Filed 3-12-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-01-P
