Food and Nutrition Service October 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule finalizes changes to eligibility determinations for free and reduced price school meals to implement nondiscretionary provisions of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. This rule also finalizes the following changes set forth in the interim rule published on November 13, 2007 (72 FR 63785)addition of a statutory definition of ``local educational agency,'' specification that a family only has to submit one application for all children in the household as long as they attend schools in the same local educational agency, and requirements to enhance descriptive materials distributed to families. This rule finalizes requirements for electronically-submitted applications, electronic signatures, and use and disclosure standards for such applications. This rule also finalizes year-long eligibility for free or reduced price school meals, unless the household chooses to decline a level of benefits. These changes are intended to provide children with increased access to the school nutrition programs by simplifying the certification process, streamlining program operations, and improving program management.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed information collections. This is a new information for the ``Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth Study,'' part of the USDA's People's Garden program. This study will use the network of Cooperative Extension Educators to collect information from children in schools that have agreed to participate in the study in four states: Arkansas, Iowa, New York, and Washington. The information collected will build on existing knowledge by examining how school gardens affect children's fruit and vegetable consumption and other outcomes.