Food Stamp Program: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Energy Assistance

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Stamp Program: Agency Information Collection Activities:

Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Energy Assistance

AGENCY: Food and Consumer Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: 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. Section 1306 of the 1981 Farm Bill

(Pub. L. 97-98) is the basis for the information required at 7 CFR

273.9(c)(11) of a State agency seeking to disregard as income for food

stamp purposes State or local energy assistance payments. Failure to

obtain the required level of documentation could result in large dollar

losses due to disregard of income for food stamp purposes that is not

in fact excludable energy assistance.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 1, 1996.

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; (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 Margaret

Werts Batko, Acting Chief, Certification Policy Branch, Program

Development Division, Food and Consumer Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302.

All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the

request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of

public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Requests for additional information should be

directed to Margaret Werts Batko (703) 305-2516.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Energy Assistance.

OMB Number: 0584-0301.

Form Number: not a form.

Expiration Date: 6/30/96.

[[Page 19252]]

Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information

collection.

Abstract: Section 273.9(c)(11) of the Food Stamp Program

regulations requires that Federal, State or local energy assistance be

disregarded as income for Food Stamp Program purposes. When a State

agency wants to disregard income as energy assistance, it must justify

its request by satisfying certain indicators of purpose in order to

ensure that the funds in question are in fact energy assistance and not

just a shifting of State agency costs to the National taxpayer.

Indications that the payments in question are energy assistance

include: the payments are not limited to public assistance (PA) or

general assistance (GA) households; payments should go only to

households that incur home energy costs; payments combined with other

assistance payments such as GA or PA must result in an increase in

total assistance not counting food stamps; the payments are based on

studies, surveys or reports evaluating home energy costs; the payments

are designated as energy assistance by the legislative body enacting

them and the levels of payments are calculated based on the seasonal

home energy needs of typical households over an aggregate period not

exceeding six months per year. If the payments are provided over a

period longer than this aggregate, the State agency must document the

reasons. The number of State agencies with approved energy assistance

disregards has decreased from 11 to 9. Energy costs are down. There is

also pending legislation that would eliminate this disregard entirely.

It is unlikely that there will be any requests for an energy assistance

disregard from State agencies not currently participating. In addition,

the Food and Consumer Service (FCS) dropped its insistence on an annual

information collection for currently participating State agencies to

rejustify previously approved energy assistance disregards. Submission

of the information collection to FCS for approval is only required when

a currently participating State agency is seeking approval to increase

the energy assistance disregard. Based on past experience in recent

years, it is anticipated that only 1 already participating State agency

may seek to justify an increase in its currently approved energy

assistance disregard in any given year.

Affected Public: State and local governments.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1.

Estimated Time per Response: 4 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 4 hours.

Dated: April 23, 1996.

William E. Ludwig,

Administrator, Food and Consumer Service.

[FR Doc. 96-10784 Filed 4-30-96; 8:45 am]

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