The Emergency Information Collection
requests burden hours for FNS to collect and review waivers and
evaluation data required by the Families First Coronavirus Recovery
Act to ensure expedient access to nutrition assistance during the
Public Health Emergency.
The Food and Nutrition
Service is requesting Emergency Clearance for an information
collection related to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and
information needed to help distribute nutrition assistance and meet
reporting requirements set forth in the Families First Coronavirus
Response Act and related activities. This submission seeks
emergency OMB approval of activities associated with State SNAP,
WIC, Food Distribution (FD), and Child Nutrition Programs (CN)
waiver requests during COVID-19. As the Food and Nutrition Service
(FNS) is responding to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, it is
implementing a number of waivers and program adjustments to ensure
Americans in need can access nutrition assistance during the crisis
while maintaining recommended social distancing practices. Related
to these waivers, the Secretary of the USDA must submit a report to
Congress following the end of the public health emergency detailing
the measures taken to address food security needs of the affected
populations, how many people were reached, and whether or not the
measures improved program efficiency during the Public Health
crisis. The State agencies must report to FNS on how they used the
waivers, how it improved services, and on the use of USDA
commodities. FNS can attest that the collection of information is:
1) Needed sooner than OMB clearance can be granted under normal
procedures; and (2) Essential to the mission of the agency. The
agency cannot reasonably comply with normal clearance procedures
because: 1) Public harm is reasonably likely to result if normal
clearance procedures are followed; 2) An unanticipated event has
occurred; and 3) The use of normal clearance procedures is
reasonably likely to prevent or disrupt the collection of
information or is reasonably likely to cause a statutory or court
ordered deadline to be missed. The nutrition assistance is needed
immediately due to the Public Health Emergency. Waiting for the
normal clearance process to take place would put emergency
nutrition assistance at risk for millions of Americans needing the
assistance.
PL: Pub.L. 116 - 127 1101, 1102, 2102, 2202,
et al Name of Law: The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of
2020
PL: Pub.L. 116 - 136 3222 Name of Law: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security (CARES) Act
FNS is requesting Emergency
Clearance for this new information collection request in order to
meet the information collection and reporting requirements detailed
in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, in addition
to meeting the program administration needs for the implementation
of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
FNS estimates that this new collection will add 6,996 burden hours
and 5,994 responses to OMB's inventory due to a program
change.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.