Rural Utilities Service July 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) invites comments on this information collection for which RUS intends to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

This rule clarifies the regulations governing employee conflicts of interest for the successor agencies of the former Farmers Home Administration (FmHA), which was reorganized by the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-354) into the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Rural Housing Service and Rural Utilities Service. Since the reorganization, FSA revised its regulations to streamline them and separate them from the other successor agencies. FSA's regulations regarding employee conflicts of interest are now found in regulations published by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) in 5 CFR part 2635 and regulations published jointly by OGE and FSA in 5 CFR part 8301. To avoid confusion regarding applicability of the regulations, this rule amends 7 CFR part 1900, subpart D to provide specifically that they do not apply to FSA.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of USDA Farm Service Agency's (FSA) and Rural Development, henceforth collectively known as Rural Development, or individually as Housing and Community Programs, Business and Cooperative Programs, Utility Programs, to request an extension for a currently approved information collection in support of compliance with applicable acts for planning and performing construction and other development work.