Department of Agriculture June 7, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This final rule amends the plant health regulations by adding to 7 CFR part 305 treatment schedules and related requirements that now appear in the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual and by removing the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual from the list of material that is incorporated by reference into the regulations. We are taking this action to simplify the process for amending treatment schedules and related requirements and to more clearly distinguish between treatment-related requirements and nonbinding administrative information, which the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual also contains.

The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) is requesting public comment on the proposed revised Guidelines for State Plans of Work for the Agricultural Research and Extension Formula Funds [64 FR 19242-19248]. These guidelines prescribe the procedures to be followed by the eligible institutions receiving Federal agricultural research and extension formula funds under the Hatch Act of 1887, as amended (7 U.S.C. 361a et seq.); sections 3(b)(1) and (c) of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, as amended (7 U.S.C. 343 (b)(1) and (c)); and sections 1444 and 1445 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended (7 U.S.C. 3221 and 3222). The recipients of these funds are commonly referred to as the 1862 land-grant institutions and 1890 land-grant institutions, including Tuskegee University and West Virginia State University. CSREES also is requesting public comment on the revision of a previously approved information collection (OMB No. 0524-0036) associated with these guidelines.

This proposed rule, if adopted, would provide that the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) will deduct from marketing assistance loan proceeds an amount equal to any assessment required under State or Federal law to be paid by a producer who markets the commodity, or by the first purchaser of the commodity. This discretionary action is authorized by Public Law 108-470.