Food and Nutrition Service – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, this notice announces a meeting of the National Advisory Council on Maternal, Infant and Fetal Nutrition.

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on the proposed information collection for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program's Regulations, Part 275Quality Control. Specifically, the burden associated with the collection of information for the sampling plan, arbitration process, and the good cause process. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection, OMB No. 0584-0303.

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 collection is an extension without change for the State Agency Options, Standard Utility Allowance and Self Employment Costs, burden calculations for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This is a new collection for the contract Evaluation of Reaching the Underserved Elderly and Working Poor in SNAP.

This direct final rule updates and reorganizes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly the ``Food Stamp Program'') regulations pertaining to the issuance of SNAP benefits.

This rule makes administrative corrections to a final rule published in the Federal Register on October 8, 2009, entitled ``Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC): Vendor Cost Containment.''

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This collection is a revision of a collection currently approved for State Agency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, administrative matters.

This final rule implements 11 provisions of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (FSRIA) that establish new eligibility and certification requirements for the receipt of food stamps. The provisions of the final rule will simplify program administration, allow States greater flexibility, and provide enhanced access to eligible populations. This rule will allow States, at their option, to treat legally obligated child support payments to a non-household member as an income exclusion rather than a deduction; allow a State option to exclude certain types of income and resources that are not counted under the State's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance or Medicaid programs; replace the current, fixed standard deduction with a deduction that varies according to household size and is adjusted annually for cost-of-living increases; allow States to simplify the Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) if the State elects to use the SUA rather than actual utility costs for all households; allow States to use a standard deduction from income of $143 per month for homeless households with some shelter expenses; allow States to disregard reported changes in deductions during certification periods (except for changes associated with new residence or earned income) until the next recertification; increase the resource limit for households with a disabled member from $2,000 to $3,000 consistent with the limit for households with an elderly member; allow States to extend simplified reporting of changes to all households; require State agencies that have a Web site to post applications on these sites in the same languages that the State uses for its written applications; allow States to extend from the current 3 months up to 5 months the period of time households may receive transitional food stamp benefits when they cease to receive TANF cash assistance; and restore food stamp eligibility to qualified aliens who are otherwise eligible and who are receiving disability benefits regardless of date of entry, are under 18 years of age regardless of date of entry, or have lived in the United States for 5 years as qualified aliens beginning on the date of entry.

This notice informs the public of the annual adjustments to the reimbursement rates for meals served in the Summer Food Service

This rule increases the amount of cash value vouchers from $8.00 to $10.00 issued to pregnant, postpartum and partially breastfeeding women participants for the purchase of fruits and vegetables as part of the WIC food packages. In the ``WIC Food Package'' interim rule published December 6, 2007, the Department was not able to provide all women participants fruit and vegetable cash value vouchers at the level recommended by the National Academies' Institute of Medicine (IOM). To be cost neutral, only fully breastfeeding women were provided the IOM recommended amount of $10.00 per month fruit and vegetable cash value vouchers; all other women participants were provided $8.00 per month fruit and vegetable cash value vouchers. This rule amends the interim rule to provide all Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) women participants with $10.00 per month fruit and vegetable cash value vouchers, consistent with IOM's recommendations. The Fiscal Year 2010 Agriculture Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 111-80), enacted on October 21, 2009, provides the funding for this increase.

The final rule entitled Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC): Vendor Cost Containment was published on October 8, 2009. The Office of Management and Budget cleared the associated information collection requirements (ICR) on November 2, 2009. This document announces approval of the ICR.

This notice announces the surplus and purchased foods that the Department expects to make available for donation to States for use in providing nutrition assistance to the needy under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. The foods made available under this notice must, at the discretion of the State, be distributed to eligible recipient agencies for use in preparing meals and/or for distribution to households for home consumption.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is publishing for public comment a summary of a proposed information collection. The proposed collection is a revision of a collection currently approved under OMB No. 0584- 0081 for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly the Food Stamp Program) for the form FNS-388, State Issuance and Participation Estimates.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection which concerns the Performance Reporting System for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection under OMB No. 0584-0010 which is due to expire March 31, 2010.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on a proposed information collection. The proposed collection is an extension, without change, of a currently approved collection.

This document corrects a typographical error published in an interim final rule concerning maximum monthly allowances of supplemental foods for infants in food (packages I, II, and III) published in the Federal Register on December 6, 2007. A table contained a typographical error; this document corrects that error. All other information remains unchanged.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on the proposed information collections. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) uses the Claims for Reimbursement, FNS-806-A and FNS-806-B, to collect data to determine the amount of reimbursement school food authorities participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), OMB Number 0584-0006 Expiration May 31, 2012, School Breakfast Program (SBP), OMB Number 0584-0012 Expiration May 31, 2012, and Special Milk Program for Children (SMP), OMB Number 0584-0005 Expiration May 31, 2012 are eligible to receive.

This is an affirmation by the Department of an interim rule as a final rule, without change amending the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) regulations to codify three FMNP nondiscretionary provisions mandated in the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. The three nondiscretionary provisions include the option to authorize roadside stands, a reduction in the required amount of State matching funds, and an increase in the maximum Federal benefit level. These changes are intended to increase State agency flexibility in managing the Program. The first two provisions became effective on October 1, 2004, while the increased maximum Federal FMNP benefit level was effective as of June 30, 2004.

This final rule adopts without change the food safety inspections requirements for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) set forth in a previous interim rule issued by the Food and Nutrition Service as a result of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. Schools participating in the lunch and breakfast programs must obtain two inspections per year, post the most recent inspection report in a visible location, and release a copy of the report to members of the public upon request. This rule enhances the safety of over 38 million meals served to school children daily.

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 collection is a revision of a currently approved collection associated with initiating and conducting Federal collection actions against households with delinquent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) recipient debts.

The Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service published a document in the Federal Register on August 7, 2009, concerning requests for comments on the Summer Food Service Program Claim for Reimbursement, Form FNS-143. The document contained an incorrect date.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on a proposed information collection for determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk in schools. 7 CFR part 245 contains information on Federal requirements regarding the determination and verification of eligibility for free and reduced price meals. The provisions also apply to the determination of eligibility for free milk under the Special Milk Program, OMB Number 0584-0005 and are generally applicable to the Child and Adult Care Food Program, OMB Number 0584-0055 and the Summer Food Service Program, OMB Number 0584-0280 when individual children's eligibility must be established. The current approval for the information collection burden associated with 7 CFR part 245 expires on January 31, 2010. This proposed collection is a revision of the currently approved collection for determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk in schools and concerns the collection of eligibility information and verification proceedings.

This rule finalizes the interim rule that implemented the statutory provision to prohibit direct or indirect restrictions on the sale or marketing of fluid milk on school premises or at school- sponsored events, at any time or in any place, in schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. This rule ensures that there are no policies or procedures in place that have the effect of restricting the sale or marketing of fluid milk.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on a proposed information collection for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Pursuant to Section 13 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA), the SFSP provides assistance to States to initiate and maintain nonprofit food service programs for needy children during the summer months and at other approved times. Subsection (m) of the statute directs States and service institutions participating in the SFSP to keep accounts and records necessary to enable the Secretary to determine whether there has been compliance with this section and the SFSP regulations. This information collection concerns the efforts required of States and service institutions to comply with the Secretary's requests for information. This proposed collection is a revision of the currently approved collection for the SFSP.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on the Agency's proposed information collection of taxpayer identifying numbers from all persons and organizations with which the Agency has a direct payment relationship. This collection is an extension of a currently approved information collection.