2021-04-23 FINAL Emergency ICR Justification Cover Memo_Non-compete TIG

ace

United States
Departm ent of
Agriculture
Food and
Nutrition
Service
1320 Braddock
Alexandria, VA
22314

April 23, 2021
MEMORANDUM
TO:

Jordan Cohen
Desk Officer
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB

THRU:

Maureen Lydon
Chief of the Planning and Regulatory Affairs Office (PRAO)
Food and Nutrition Service
Ruth Brown
Office of the Chief Information Officer
United States Department of Agriculture

FROM:

Cindy Long
Acting Administrator
Food and Nutrition Service

SUBJECT: Emergency Approval of New Information Collection for
Implementation of the Child Nutrition Non-competitive Technology Innovation
Grant
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is requesting emergency approval under the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) to collect information associated with implementation of the
Child Nutrition (CN) Non-competitive Technology Innovation Grant (nTIG) which
was authorized by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law
116-94) and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260). These
authorizations provided $25 million each year for State funding with the purpose of
developing, improving, and maintaining automated information technology systems
used to operate and manage all CN Programs (i.e., critical programs such as School
Meal Programs, Summer Food Service Program and Child and Adult Care Food
Program).
The availability of nTIG funding will be distributed on a formula basis among all
eligible State agencies administering the CN Programs. This non-competitive grant
opportunity replaces the competitive CN TIG previously administered by FNS in
fiscal years (FYs) 2017 and 2019.
In FY 2021, 54 States and territories (69 State agencies) are administering the CN
Programs and therefore eligible to receive this funding. Funding will be offered by
FNS to all eligible States and territories in an equal distribution based on total
available funds for FYs 2020 and 2021 (i.e., $50 million). Each State will be offered
approximately $925,926 for the purposes described above. In States where more than
one (1) eligible agency administers the CN Programs, the funding will be divided
among those agencies based on the same distribution percentages used in the State

Administrative Expense funding formula, as described in Section 7 of the Child
Nutrition Act and per Title 7, Part 235 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Eligible State agencies accepting the nTIG funding will be required to submit to FNS,
via www.grants.gov, a brief application, including a budget narrative, describing the
State agency’s intended use of the funding. State agencies will have three (3) years to
expend the awarded funds and be required to submit bi-annual progress reports and
quarterly financial reports to FNS. Final progress and financial status reports will be
due 120 days after the termination date of the project.
OMB has established regulations for the emergency processing of information
collection requests (ICRs) at 5 CFR 1320.13. OMB can authorize Emergency
Clearance for an information collection, for up to 6 months.
FNS is requesting emergency clearance for an information collection related to the CN
nTIG. The collection is required to comply with the statute and needed to distribute
funds to States. The FY 2020 funding of $25 million, authorized by the Further
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, expires September 30, 2021. The State
application process and obligation of funds must be complete by late summer to use
these funds in full by their expiration date. The availability of this funding to State
agencies will provide much needed financial resources during a time when States have
had to take unprecedented steps to meet the needs created by the COVID-19
pandemic. FNS can attest that the collection of information is:




Needed sooner than OMB clearance can be granted under normal procedures;
Essential to the mission of the agency; and
The use of normal clearance procedures is reasonably likely to cause a statutory
deadline to be missed.

More specifically, the use of normal clearance procedures is reasonably likely to cause
the authorized FY 2020 nTIG funding of $25 million to expire before the funds can be
obligated to States.
FNS appreciates your consideration of this information.
Digitally signed by Maureen
Lydon
Date: 2021.04.23 16:49:23
-04'00'

___________________________
Maureen Lydon, Chief of PRAO
signed by
CYNTHIA Digitally
CYNTHIA LONG
Date: 2021.04.27
LONG
17:41:29 -04'00'
__________________________

Cindy Long, Acting Administrator
Food and Nutrition Service