Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Store Applications, Forms FNS-252, FNS-252-E, FNS-252-FE, FNS-252-R, FNS-252-2 and FNS-252-C, 41043-41045 [2018-17722]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 160 / Friday, August 17, 2018 / Notices
Dated: August 13, 2018.
Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing
Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–17725 Filed 8–16–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request—Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),
Store Applications, Forms FNS–252,
FNS–252–E, FNS–252–FE, FNS–252–R,
FNS–252–2 and FNS–252–C
Food and Nutrition Service
(FNS), USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice invites the general public and
other public agencies to comment on the
proposed collection. This is a revision
of a currently approved collection in the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program and concerns Retail Store
Applications (Forms FNS–252; FNS–
252–E; FNS–252–FE; FNS–252–R; FNS–
252–2; and FNS–252–C).
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before October 16, 2018.
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 shall 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.
Comments may be sent to: Nicole
Budzius, Chief, Retailer Administration
Branch, Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, Retailer Policy and
Management Division, Food and
Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive,
Room 422, Alexandria, VA 22302.
Comments may be faxed to the attention
of Ms. Budzius at (703) 305–1863 or via
email to: RPMDHQ-WEB@fns.usda.gov.
Comments will also be accepted through
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SUMMARY:
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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 FNS office located at
3101 Park Center Drive, Room 422,
Alexandria, Virginia 22302, during
regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m. Monday through Friday).
All responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
for Office of Management and Budget
approval. All comments will be a matter
of public record.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of this information collection
should be directed to Nicole Budzius at
RPMDHQ-WEB@fns.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP)—Store
Applications.
Form Number: FNS–252; 252–E; 252–
FE; 252–R; 252–2; and 252–C.
OMB Number: 0584–0008.
Expiration Date: January 31, 2021.
Type of Request: Revision of a
currently approved collection of
information.
Abstract: Section 9(a) of the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, (the
Act) (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) requires that
FNS determine the eligibility of retail
food stores and certain food service
organizations to accept SNAP benefits
and to monitor them for compliance and
continued eligibility and to ensure
Program integrity.
FNS is also responsible for requiring
updates to application information and
reviewing retail food store applications
at least once every five years to ensure
that each firm is under the same
ownership and continues to meet
eligibility requirements. The Act
specifies that only those applicants
whose participation will ‘‘effectuate the
purposes of the program’’ should be
authorized.
There are six forms associated with
this approved Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) information
collection number 0584–0008—the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program Application for Stores, Forms
FNS–252 (English and Spanish) and
FNS–252–E (paper and online version
respectively); Farmer’s Market
Application, Form FNS–252–FE; Meal
Service Application, Form FNS–252–2;
Reauthorization Application, Form
FNS–252–R; and the Corporation
Supplemental Application, Form FNS–
252–C used for individual (chain) stores
under a corporation. For new
authorizations, the majority of
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41043
applicants use form FNS–252 or FNS–
252–E (paper or online, respectively).
FNS is responsible for reviewing retail
food store applications at least once
every five years to ensure that each firm
is under the same ownership and
continues to meet eligibility guidelines.
In order to accomplish this regulatory
requirement, form FNS–252–R is used
for reauthorization. In addition to these
forms, during authorization or
reauthorization, FNS may conduct an
on-site store visit of the firm. The store
visit of the firm helps FNS confirm that
the information provided on the
application is correct. An FNS
representative or store visit contractor
obtains permission to fill in the store
visit checklist, photograph the store and
asks the store owner or manager about
the continued ownership of the store.
Applicants using form FNS–252–E or
FNS–252–FE must also first self-register
for a Level 1 access account through the
USDA eAuthentication system in order
to start an online application. USDA
eAuthentication facilitates the
electronic authentication of an
individual.
The Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014
Farm Bill) amended the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008 (the Act) and the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) revised all retailer
application forms (paper and electronic)
in January, 2018, as a result of
regulatory changes required by the Act
and amended by the 2014 Farm Bill.
Such changes to the Act amended the
definition of ‘‘retail food store’’ to
clarify when a retailer is a restaurant
rather than a retail food store. Among
the changes made to the SNAP retailer
application form(s), the Food and
Nutrition Service (FNS) added a new
question, Question 18, concerning
restaurant licensing, and revised
Question 22, regarding total retail sales
on Form FNS–252. Currently,
respondents select a Yes or No response
if they have or are applying for a
restaurant license for their store in
Question 18. Question 22 currently asks
retailers to enter their total retail sales
by category in dollars for a one year
period. Sales categories include
gasoline, lottery, tobacco, alcohol, other
nonfood, and hot foods, cold prepared
foods, accessory foods, and staple foods.
Due to concern with the manner in
which FNS is currently asking for
retailer sales data, FNS is updating the
retailer application question regarding
sales. FNS is also removing the question
concerning restaurant licensing and the
requirement for businesses located in
community property states to provide
spousal information for each owner.
Question 22 will revert back to asking
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 160 / Friday, August 17, 2018 / Notices
for percentages for each category as
opposed to exact dollar amounts. FNS
will also change from asking for
individual sales amounts for each nonfood category to asking for the
percentage of total sales in gasoline and
an aggregate percentage of all other total
non-foods sold by the firm.
FNS intends to (1) rename Question 3,
‘‘Doing Business As (if different from
Store Name)’’ to ‘‘Legal Business Name
(if different from Store Name)’’, (2)
update Question 14 to remove the
sentence requiring spousal information
for businesses located in community
property states, and in the Business
Title section remove the word ‘‘spouse’’
in questions 14a–14d, (3) delete
Question 18 regarding restaurant
licensing, (4) revise Question 22
concerning total retail sales in the
following manner: (a) Respondents will
provide a response for either estimated
or actual sales for a one year period. If
actual sales are provided, the
respondent will indicate the applicable
tax year for this information. FNS also
added back in the option to provide
estimated retail sales per day, week,
month, or year for total retail sales in
Question 22b, and (b) provide a
percentage of total retail sales for each
category of product sold: Staple foods;
accessory foods; hot foods, cold foods
prepared on site; gasoline, and other
non-food items, (5) add a new sentence
to the Certification and Signature
Statement to more clearly outline the
risk for owners that are disqualified or
fined for violation of Program rules; and
(6) where appropriate, re-number the
questions and update assistance
material such as the General and
Specific Instructions sections and online help screens. With the exception of
the question identified in 4(b) above, no
new questions or data information is
being asked.
A draft of the proposed revision to
Question 22 is provided in Attachment
A. FNS also shared a draft of the
proposed changes with our
stakeholders. The proposed revision
incorporates the feedback FNS received
with the exception of any changes that
would render FNS unable to make an
eligibility decision or complete retailer
monitoring activities. FNS would like to
take this opportunity to clarify that
while cold foods prepared on-site, such
as at an in-store deli or salad bar, are
eligible for purchase with SNAP
benefits, collection of the percentage
sales information is still necessary for
FNS to make a restaurant determination.
Additionally, all information provided
on the application is information
‘‘provided by the retailer’’ and is
protected under Section 9(c) of the Food
and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended,
(the Act) (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) and as
such, not subject to release under the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The
feedback FNS incorporated includes
asking for sales percentages as opposed
to an exact sales amount for each
category, removing the requirement to
provide individual sales figures for
lottery, tobacco, and alcohol, rewording
‘‘cold prepared foods’’ to ‘‘cold food
prepared on site,’’ continuing to
separate hots foods from cold foods, and
clarifying the instructions for Question
22. The aggregated percentages of nonfood sales, of accessory sales, and of gas
sales, in particular, will provide FNS
with an indicator as to whether a
criteria B eligibility or restaurant
assessment are necessary.
FNS estimates that the hourly burden
time per response associated with this
information collection for respondents
remains unchanged from our previous
submission. The revisions to the
application(s) are due to program
adjustments and the update to Question
3, the removal of a sentence in Question
14, the deletion of Question 18, the
reformatting of information collected in
Question 22; and the revision to the
Certification and Signature Statement.
FNS used FY 2017 data in our
calculation of burden estimates
associated with this information
collection as this was the most complete
data available to us at this time. Table
A below clarifies the burden of this
information collection.
As currently approved by OMB, the
hourly burden rate per response varies
by the type of application used and the
response time per respondent varies
from 1 minute to 19 minutes. We
estimate the new burden, on average, to
be 9.13 minutes per respondent. There
is no recordkeeping burden associated
with these forms.
Affected Public: Business for Profit;
Retail food stores; Farmers’ Markets,
Military Commissaries and Meal
Services.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
The total estimated number of
respondents is 143,354 annually.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: Respondents complete
either 1 application form at initial
authorization or 1 reauthorization
application, as appropriate, for a total of
1 response each.
Estimated Total Annual Responses:
143,354.
Estimated Time per Response: 9.13
minutes (0.1534941). The estimated
time response varies from 1 minute to
19 minutes depending on respondent
group, as shown in the table below:
TABLE A—REPORTING ESTIMATE OF HOUR BURDEN
[Summary of burden—#0584–0008]
(a)
Affected public
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
Description of
collection activity
Respondent type
(b)
Form No.
Number of
respondents
Number of
responses
per
respondent
Total
annual
responses
(cxd)
Hours per
response
Total
burden
(exf)
Reporting
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
Farms, Business for
not for profit.
SNAP Retailer,
Farmers’ Market,
and Meal Service.
Applications Received.
Applications Received.
E-Authentication ......
Applications Received.
Applications Received.
Applications Received.
Store Visits ..............
Reauthorization .......
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PO 00000
252 ..........................
252–E ......................
1,381
31,480
1
1
1,381
31,480
0.3167
0.25
437.36
7,870
252–E and FNS–
252–FE.
252–FE ....................
33,213
1
33,2139
0.1336
4,437.25
1,730
1
1,730
0.25
432.50
252–2 ......................
386
1
386
0.25
96.50
252–C ......................
5,658
1
5,658
0.25
1,414.50
..................................
252–R ......................
43,126
26,377
1
1
43,126
26,377
0.0167
0.25
720.20
6,594.25
Frm 00003
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41045
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 160 / Friday, August 17, 2018 / Notices
TABLE A—REPORTING ESTIMATE OF HOUR BURDEN—Continued
[Summary of burden—#0584–0008]
(a)
Affected public
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
Description of
collection activity
Respondent type
(b)
Form No.
Number of
respondents
Number of
responses
per
respondent
Total
annual
responses
(cxd)
Hours per
response
Total
burden
(exf)
Sub-Total For Farm & Business ........................................................................................
143,351
1
143,351
0.1534873
22,002.56
252–E ......................
3
1
3
0.3167
0.95
252–R ......................
0
1
0
0.25
0
Sub-Total For Federal Respondents .................................................................................
3
1
3
0.3167
0.95
Grand Total Reporting Burden ...................................................................................
143,354
1
143,354
0.1534907
22,003.51
SUMMARY OF BURDEN FOR THIS COLLECTION ...............................................................
143,354
1
143,354
0.1534941
22,004
Federal ....................
Military Commissaries.
Applications Received.
Reauthorization .......
* Note: The respondents for the 252–E and the 252–FE are the same respondents for e-Authentication and therefore not double counted in the total number of
respondents.
Plan amendment. The public is advised
that during the 45 day comment period
for the Lee Canyon Project Draft EIS,
comments may also be submitted
regarding the substantive requirements
that are likely to be directly related to
the amendment and the scope and scale
to which the substantive requirements
would apply. Comments will be
considered in the preparation of the
Final EIS and Draft Record of Decision
for the Lee Canyon Project.
Attachment A: Draft FNS–252.
Dated: August 8, 2018.
Brandon Lipps,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–17722 Filed 8–16–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–30–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest;
Clark Counties, Nevada; Lee Canyon
Notice of Availability
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of Availability of the
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
for the Lee Canyon Ski Area Master
Development Plan Phase I and Public
Comment Period for the Associated
Forest Plan Amendment.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Humboldt-Toiyabe
National Forest is issuing this notice to
advise the public of the 45-day public
comment period for the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the Lee Canyon Ski Area Master
Development Plan Phase I (Lee Canyon
Project) and the addition of a proposed
project-specific amendment to the
Toiyabe National Forest Land and
Resource Management Plan (Forest
Plan) for the Proposed Action and
alternatives other than the No Action
alternative. The Notice of Intent for the
Lee Canyon Project was published in
the Federal Register on March 23, 2017
(82 FR 14865). Today’s notice has been
published to ensure all persons and
entities interested in the Lee Canyon
Project are aware of the addition of the
proposed amendment and to identify
the Forest Service planning rule
provisions likely to be directly related
and, therefore, applicable to the Forest
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The comment period ends 45
days after today’s Notice of Availability
or 45 days after the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Notice of
Availability is published in the Federal
Register, whichever is later. All relevant
comments received during the public
comment period related to the
substantive requirements that would
likely be directly related to the proposed
Forest Plan amendment and the scope
and scale of the proposed Forest Plan
amendment will be considered in the
preparation of the Final EIS and Draft
Record of Decision (ROD).
DATES:
Comments may be
submitted by any one of the following
methods:
• Electronic Submissions: Comments
can be filed electronically at:
leecanyoneis@fs.fed.us. Electronic
comments must be submitted as part of
the email message or as an attachment
in plain text (.txt), Microsoft Word
(.doc), rich text format (.rtf), or portable
document format (.pdf). Emails
submitted to addresses other than the
one listed above, or in formats other
than those listed or containing viruses,
will be rejected.
• Mail: Written, specific comments
must be submitted to Donn
Christiansen, Area Manager, Spring
Mountains National Recreation Area,
ADDRESSES:
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701 Torrey Pines Dr., Las Vegas, NV
89130.
Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period may not be
considered by the Forest. All comments
received are part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public
viewing without change. All personal
identifying information (e.g., name,
address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive
information submitted voluntarily by
the sender will be publicly accessible.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chris Linehan, Interdisciplinary Team
Leader, at (702) 515–5401, or via email
at clinehan@fs.fed.us. Individuals who
use telecommunication devices for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–
800–877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8
p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through
Friday. Information about the Lee
Canyon Project may be found on the
Forest Service website at https://
www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project
=50649.
The
purpose and need for the proposed Lee
Canyon Project, as described in the
Notice of Intent, is to address the length
of time since the resort’s facilities have
been upgraded and emerging trends in
winter recreation. Specific details of
these needs are described in Draft EIS.
The purpose and need for the proposed
plan amendment is to ensure
consistency between the Forest Plan and
the proposed Lee Canyon Project. As
described in the Draft EIS, the need was
identified for exempting the Lee Canyon
Project from the following Standards of
the 1996 Spring Mountains National
Recreation Area (SMNRA) General
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 160 (Friday, August 17, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41043-41045]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-17722]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request--Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),
Store Applications, Forms FNS-252, FNS-252-E, FNS-252-FE, FNS-252-R,
FNS-252-2 and FNS-252-C
AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment
on the proposed collection. This is a revision of a currently approved
collection in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and
concerns Retail Store Applications (Forms FNS-252; FNS-252-E; FNS-252-
FE; FNS-252-R; FNS-252-2; and FNS-252-C).
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 16, 2018.
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 shall 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.
Comments may be sent to: Nicole Budzius, Chief, Retailer
Administration Branch, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,
Retailer Policy and Management Division, Food and Nutrition Service,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 422,
Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may be faxed to the attention of Ms.
Budzius at (703) 305-1863 or via email to: [email protected].
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 FNS office located at 3101 Park
Center Drive, Room 422, Alexandria, Virginia 22302, during regular
business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday).
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will
be a matter of public record.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of this information collection should be directed to Nicole
Budzius at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)--Store
Applications.
Form Number: FNS-252; 252-E; 252-FE; 252-R; 252-2; and 252-C.
OMB Number: 0584-0008.
Expiration Date: January 31, 2021.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection of
information.
Abstract: Section 9(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as
amended, (the Act) (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) requires that FNS determine
the eligibility of retail food stores and certain food service
organizations to accept SNAP benefits and to monitor them for
compliance and continued eligibility and to ensure Program integrity.
FNS is also responsible for requiring updates to application
information and reviewing retail food store applications at least once
every five years to ensure that each firm is under the same ownership
and continues to meet eligibility requirements. The Act specifies that
only those applicants whose participation will ``effectuate the
purposes of the program'' should be authorized.
There are six forms associated with this approved Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) information collection number 0584-0008--
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Application for Stores,
Forms FNS-252 (English and Spanish) and FNS-252-E (paper and online
version respectively); Farmer's Market Application, Form FNS-252-FE;
Meal Service Application, Form FNS-252-2; Reauthorization Application,
Form FNS-252-R; and the Corporation Supplemental Application, Form FNS-
252-C used for individual (chain) stores under a corporation. For new
authorizations, the majority of applicants use form FNS-252 or FNS-252-
E (paper or online, respectively). FNS is responsible for reviewing
retail food store applications at least once every five years to ensure
that each firm is under the same ownership and continues to meet
eligibility guidelines. In order to accomplish this regulatory
requirement, form FNS-252-R is used for reauthorization. In addition to
these forms, during authorization or reauthorization, FNS may conduct
an on-site store visit of the firm. The store visit of the firm helps
FNS confirm that the information provided on the application is
correct. An FNS representative or store visit contractor obtains
permission to fill in the store visit checklist, photograph the store
and asks the store owner or manager about the continued ownership of
the store.
Applicants using form FNS-252-E or FNS-252-FE must also first self-
register for a Level 1 access account through the USDA eAuthentication
system in order to start an online application. USDA eAuthentication
facilitates the electronic authentication of an individual.
The Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill) amended the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008 (the Act) and the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) revised all retailer application forms (paper
and electronic) in January, 2018, as a result of regulatory changes
required by the Act and amended by the 2014 Farm Bill. Such changes to
the Act amended the definition of ``retail food store'' to clarify when
a retailer is a restaurant rather than a retail food store. Among the
changes made to the SNAP retailer application form(s), the Food and
Nutrition Service (FNS) added a new question, Question 18, concerning
restaurant licensing, and revised Question 22, regarding total retail
sales on Form FNS-252. Currently, respondents select a Yes or No
response if they have or are applying for a restaurant license for
their store in Question 18. Question 22 currently asks retailers to
enter their total retail sales by category in dollars for a one year
period. Sales categories include gasoline, lottery, tobacco, alcohol,
other nonfood, and hot foods, cold prepared foods, accessory foods, and
staple foods. Due to concern with the manner in which FNS is currently
asking for retailer sales data, FNS is updating the retailer
application question regarding sales. FNS is also removing the question
concerning restaurant licensing and the requirement for businesses
located in community property states to provide spousal information for
each owner. Question 22 will revert back to asking
[[Page 41044]]
for percentages for each category as opposed to exact dollar amounts.
FNS will also change from asking for individual sales amounts for each
non-food category to asking for the percentage of total sales in
gasoline and an aggregate percentage of all other total non-foods sold
by the firm.
FNS intends to (1) rename Question 3, ``Doing Business As (if
different from Store Name)'' to ``Legal Business Name (if different
from Store Name)'', (2) update Question 14 to remove the sentence
requiring spousal information for businesses located in community
property states, and in the Business Title section remove the word
``spouse'' in questions 14a-14d, (3) delete Question 18 regarding
restaurant licensing, (4) revise Question 22 concerning total retail
sales in the following manner: (a) Respondents will provide a response
for either estimated or actual sales for a one year period. If actual
sales are provided, the respondent will indicate the applicable tax
year for this information. FNS also added back in the option to provide
estimated retail sales per day, week, month, or year for total retail
sales in Question 22b, and (b) provide a percentage of total retail
sales for each category of product sold: Staple foods; accessory foods;
hot foods, cold foods prepared on site; gasoline, and other non-food
items, (5) add a new sentence to the Certification and Signature
Statement to more clearly outline the risk for owners that are
disqualified or fined for violation of Program rules; and (6) where
appropriate, re-number the questions and update assistance material
such as the General and Specific Instructions sections and on-line help
screens. With the exception of the question identified in 4(b) above,
no new questions or data information is being asked.
A draft of the proposed revision to Question 22 is provided in
Attachment A. FNS also shared a draft of the proposed changes with our
stakeholders. The proposed revision incorporates the feedback FNS
received with the exception of any changes that would render FNS unable
to make an eligibility decision or complete retailer monitoring
activities. FNS would like to take this opportunity to clarify that
while cold foods prepared on-site, such as at an in-store deli or salad
bar, are eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits, collection of the
percentage sales information is still necessary for FNS to make a
restaurant determination. Additionally, all information provided on the
application is information ``provided by the retailer'' and is
protected under Section 9(c) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as
amended, (the Act) (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) and as such, not subject to
release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The feedback FNS
incorporated includes asking for sales percentages as opposed to an
exact sales amount for each category, removing the requirement to
provide individual sales figures for lottery, tobacco, and alcohol,
rewording ``cold prepared foods'' to ``cold food prepared on site,''
continuing to separate hots foods from cold foods, and clarifying the
instructions for Question 22. The aggregated percentages of non-food
sales, of accessory sales, and of gas sales, in particular, will
provide FNS with an indicator as to whether a criteria B eligibility or
restaurant assessment are necessary.
FNS estimates that the hourly burden time per response associated
with this information collection for respondents remains unchanged from
our previous submission. The revisions to the application(s) are due to
program adjustments and the update to Question 3, the removal of a
sentence in Question 14, the deletion of Question 18, the reformatting
of information collected in Question 22; and the revision to the
Certification and Signature Statement.
FNS used FY 2017 data in our calculation of burden estimates
associated with this information collection as this was the most
complete data available to us at this time. Table A below clarifies the
burden of this information collection.
As currently approved by OMB, the hourly burden rate per response
varies by the type of application used and the response time per
respondent varies from 1 minute to 19 minutes. We estimate the new
burden, on average, to be 9.13 minutes per respondent. There is no
recordkeeping burden associated with these forms.
Affected Public: Business for Profit; Retail food stores; Farmers'
Markets, Military Commissaries and Meal Services.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of
respondents is 143,354 annually.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Respondents complete
either 1 application form at initial authorization or 1 reauthorization
application, as appropriate, for a total of 1 response each.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 143,354.
Estimated Time per Response: 9.13 minutes (0.1534941). The
estimated time response varies from 1 minute to 19 minutes depending on
respondent group, as shown in the table below:
Table A--Reporting Estimate of Hour Burden
[Summary of burden--#0584-0008]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g)
Affected public Respondent type.. Description of... Form No.......... Number of Number of Total Hours per Total
collection respondents responses annual response burden
activity. per responses (exf)
respondent (cxd)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporting
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Farms, Business for not for SNAP Retailer, Applications 252.............. 1,381 1 1,381 0.3167 437.36
profit. Farmers' Market, Received. 252-E............ 31,480 1 31,480 0.25 7,870
and Meal Service. Applications
Received.
E-Authentication. 252-E and FNS-252- 33,213 1 33,2139 0.1336 4,437.25
FE.
Applications 252-FE........... 1,730 1 1,730 0.25 432.50
Received.
Applications 252-2............ 386 1 386 0.25 96.50
Received.
Applications 252-C............ 5,658 1 5,658 0.25 1,414.50
Received.
Store Visits..... ................. 43,126 1 43,126 0.0167 720.20
Reauthorization.. 252-R............ 26,377 1 26,377 0.25 6,594.25
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[[Page 41045]]
Sub-Total For Farm & Business...................................................... 143,351 1 143,351 0.1534873 22,002.56
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal....................... Military Applications 252-E............ 3 1 3 0.3167 0.95
Commissaries. Received.
Reauthorization.. 252-R............ 0 1 0 0.25 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total For Federal Respondents.................................................. 3 1 3 0.3167 0.95
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Total Reporting Burden................................................... 143,354 1 143,354 0.1534907 22,003.51
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY OF BURDEN FOR THIS COLLECTION.................................................. 143,354 1 143,354 0.1534941 22,004
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Note: The respondents for the 252-E and the 252-FE are the same respondents for e-Authentication and therefore not double counted in the total number
of respondents.
Attachment A: Draft FNS-252.
Dated: August 8, 2018.
Brandon Lipps,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-17722 Filed 8-16-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
