Appendix P: 60-Day FRN Notice

24423

Notices

Federal Register
Vol. 89, No. 68
Monday, April 8, 2024

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program: Demonstration
Projects
Food and Nutrition Service
(FNS), USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

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 without an
assigned OMB control number for the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP). This information
collection is for activities associated
with SNAP demonstration projects and
the SNAP State Options Report,
respectively.

SUMMARY:

Written comments must be
received on or before June 7, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to:
Program Design Branch, Program
Development Division, Food and
Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th
Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments
may also be submitted via fax to the
attention of Jessica Luna at 703–305–
4391 or via email to SNAPPDBRules@
usda.gov. Comments will also be
accepted through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal. Go to http://
www.regulations.gov, and follow the
online instructions for submitting
comments electronically.
All responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
for Office of Management and Budget
approval. All comments will be a matter
of public record.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of this information collection

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DATES:

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should be directed to Jessica Luna at
703–305–4391.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Demonstration projects are pilot or
experimental projects that waive
requirements of the Food and Nutrition
Act of 2008 (the Act) (7 U.S.C. 2011, et
seq.) and SNAP regulations to test
program changes to increase efficiency
and improve the delivery of benefits to
eligible households. Section 17(b) of the
Act authorizes the Food and Nutrition
Service (FNS) to approve demonstration
projects. SNAP State agencies must
request approval to operate
demonstration projects and submit data
reports to evaluate its impact. FNS may
approve demonstration projects for a
maximum five-year term and the
projects must maintain cost neutrality
and include an evaluation component.
The SNAP State Options Report
summarizes each State agency’s policy
choices concerning approximately 20
SNAP policy options and waivers. FNS
produces the report on an annual basis
and posts it on its public website.
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 that were
used; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (d) ways to minimize
the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to
respond, including use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Title: Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program: Demonstration
Projects.
Form Number: N/A.
OMB Control Number: 0584–NEW.
Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
Type of Request: This is a new
information collection without an
assigned OMB control number in the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP).
Abstract: This information collection
concerns activities associated with both
SNAP demonstration projects and the
SNAP State Options Report.

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Demonstration projects allow State
agencies to conduct approved pilot or
experimental projects that waive
requirements of the Food and Nutrition
Act of 2008 (the Act) (7 U.S.C. 2011, et
seq.) and SNAP regulations to test
program changes to improve program
administration, increase the selfsufficiency of SNAP recipients, and
improve the delivery of benefits to
eligible households. The Act limits the
provisions that the Food and Nutrition
Service (FNS) may waive. FNS may
approve demonstration projects for a
maximum five-year term, and they must
maintain cost neutrality and include an
evaluation component. Previously, this
information has been collected without
an OMB control number. This
information collection seeks to come
into compliance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act for demonstration
projects.
The SNAP State Options Report
summarizes each State agency’s policy
choices concerning approximately 20
SNAP policy options and waivers. FNS
produces the report on an annual basis
and posts it on its public website. The
most recent report, released in October
2023, is available via the following link:
https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/waivers/
state-options-report. The report is
designed for a wide range of audiences.
Audiences include SNAP State
agencies, State and federal
policymakers, other social service
programs, advocacy groups, and
researchers. FNS currently develops the
report using extant data maintained by
FNS and information provided by State
agencies through their State SNAP Plans
of Operation. FNS seeks to improve the
report through expanding the
information included to better serve
interested audiences. To do so, a limited
amount of new information from State
agencies needs to be collected. FNS
seeks to account for the new burden
these activities would place on State
agencies through this information
collection. Previously, this information
has been collected without an OMB
control number. This information
collection seeks to come into
compliance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act for the State Options
Report.
Demonstration Projects
FNS consulted with four State
agencies to estimate the time State

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 68 / Monday, April 8, 2024 / Notices

agency staff spent initiating a
demonstration project, fulfilling
operational requirements, and
requesting project renewals.
Demonstration project waivers require
State agencies to prepare and submit to
FNS new project requests, project
modifications, and project renewal
requests. States must also prepare and
submit data reports as part of an
evaluation component to measure the
project’s intended outcomes and
benefits.
FNS and State agencies use an
electronic system—the SNAP Waiver
Information Management System
(WIMS)—to:
D Facilitate the request and response
process between State agencies and
FNS.
D Track pending waiver requests,
active and expired waivers, and waiverrelated data reports.
D Allow State agencies and FNS to
communicate critical information about
specific waivers in a central location.
Further, WIMS contains a virtual
library which holds all the
demonstration project request templates
(e.g., initial, modification and
extension), data report templates, and
guidance documents which State
agencies use to request projects and
submit data reports.

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Preparing and Submitting a New
Demonstration Project Request
Demonstration projects test novel
ideas and program innovations. State
agencies undergo a research phase to
determine the type of demonstration
project they would like to implement.
FNS works to guide and assist State
agencies in researching and providing
technical assistance prior to any
submission of a request.
Once the State agency determines the
demonstration project they would like
to implement, they must then submit a
request to operate the project in WIMS.
The State agency opens a demonstration
project case and fills out and submits a
request template available in WIMS’
virtual library. The templates guide the
State agencies to specify the following
information in their request, including:
D The type of demonstration request
(e.g., Standard Medical Deduction
(SMD), Elderly Simplified Application
Project (ESAP), Community Partner
Interview (CPI), Combined Application
Project (CAP), non-merit projects, or
novel projects, among others).
D The statutory and regulatory
citations the demonstration project
would waive.
D The justification for requesting the
demonstration project (e.g., lessen

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administrative burden and increase
program access).
D The description of alternative
procedures that differ from regular
SNAP, like eligibility, verification, and
evaluation components for the
demonstration project, among others.
D An evaluation plan.
During this process, FNS engages with
the State agency, providing technical
assistance to identify and gain a mutual
understanding of the terms and
conditions of the waiver and the State’s
capacity to operate the demonstration
project successfully. FNS may ask the
State agency clarifying questions, as
needed. If FNS approves the request,
FNS will issue an approval letter and
request an acknowledgement letter with
the signature of the appropriate State
official confirming the State agency can
meet the terms and conditions of the
approval.
To implement the demonstration
project, State agencies often need to
update their systems to appropriately
administer demonstration projects.
System updates may include, but are
not limited to, updating the code to
identify the intended project’s
population, applying alternative
procedures, and enabling the State
agency to pull cases and all relevant
information for required data reports.
Additionally, demonstration projects
may require alternative procedures that
vary from the operation of SNAP under
normal program rules. Therefore,
implementing a demonstration project
requires State agencies to update their
policy manuals, develop training
modules, and train their staff on the
project’s processes and requirements.
Preparing and Submitting Requests To
Modify or Extend Demonstration
Projects
If the State agency requires a
modification to their demonstration
project during the approval period, the
State agency must complete and submit
a modification request in WIMS. The
State may need to answer clarifying
questions from FNS to explain the
proposed change to the current project
approval and why it is needed. If
approved, FNS issues a modification
letter detailing the change and reasoning
behind the modification and affirming
that all other terms and conditions of
the latest approval still apply to the
demonstration project.
State agencies may also elect to
extend approved projects by requesting
to do so in WIMS. If the State agency
wishes to extend their demonstration
project under the previous approval’s
terms and conditions, the State agency
does not need to submit a new request

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but inform FNS through WIMS. FNS
will review the existing project’s
evaluation reports, ask clarification
questions as needed and, if suitable,
issue an approval. FNS will request the
State agency submit acknowledgement
of the extension via WIMS.
However, if the State agency wishes to
propose different terms and conditions,
or add a novel component to the project,
the State agency must fill out and
submit a new request in WIMS detailing
the proposed changes. FNS will ask
clarification questions as needed to gain
understanding of the proposed changes
or novel component. If FNS approves
the extension request, FNS will issue an
approval letter and request written
confirmation in the form of an
acknowledgement letter with the
signature of the appropriate State
official.
Preparing and Submitting Data Reports
for Demonstration Projects
State agencies must submit data
reports to FNS to assess the project’s
overall performance. The evaluation
section of the demonstration project’s
approval detail the data report
requirements. The evaluation section of
the approval may include, but is not
limited to, selecting a case sample,
conducting case reviews, and validating
the findings.
Data reports vary for each type of
demonstration project. The most
common types of reports are annual and
cost-neutrality reports. Annual reports
allow FNS to monitor demonstration
project trends such as average caseload
size, demographics data of the
population in the demonstration (e.g.,
older adults and people with
disabilities), timeliness, and payment
error rates. Cost neutrality reports
ensure that the implementation of a
demonstration project does not
significantly increase SNAP benefit
costs. FNS must analyze program costs
associated with demonstration projects
to determine if any offsets are needed to
protect Federal spending and maintain
cost neutrality.
SNAP State Options Report
FNS consulted with six State agencies
to estimate the time State agency staff
would spend providing information for
inclusion in the SNAP State Options
Report. FNS’s planned process of
providing information would entail FNS
posing a set of no more than 30 specific
questions to State agencies concerning
their State’s implementation of various
existing SNAP policy options. The
questions asked may change each year
as new policies and options are
introduced or discontinued. In turn,

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 68 / Monday, April 8, 2024 / Notices
State agencies would respond to FNS’s
set of questions with answers via an
online form. FNS would solicit a
response to the set of questions from
each State agency once every 12-month
period.

Respondent
category

Type of
respondent

Burden activity

Total Reporting
Affected Public: State, Local and
Tribal Government.
Respondent Type: SNAP State
Agencies.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
53.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 1.8868.
Estimated
number of
respondents

Responses
per
respondent

Total
annual
responses

Estimated
hours per
response

Estimated Total Annual Responses:
100.
Estimated Time per Response:
130.370205.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 13037.0205.
Reference burden table below:

Estimated
total burden
hours

Base hourly
wage rate
(see BLS)

Fullyloaded
wage rate

I

I

Total
Annualized
cost of
respondent
burden

Reporting
State Government

SNAP State
Agencies.

Preparing and
submitting a
new demonstration
project request.
Preparing and
submitting
modifications and
extensions.
Preparing and
submitting
data reports.
Responding to
FNS question set.

10

1

10

1105.2308

11052.3080

$24.05

$31.99

$353,524.65

State Government

SNAP State
Agencies.

18

1

18

24.3000

437.4000

24.05

31.99

13,990.90

State Government

SNAP State
Agencies.

19

1

19

81.4375

1547.3125

24.05

31.99

49,493.11

State Government

SNAP State
Agencies.

53

1

53

2.0000

106.0000

24.05

31.99

3,390.57

Reporting Total Burden Estimates ...................

53

1.886792453

100

130.3702

13037.0205

24.05

31.99

417,008.66

Tameka Owens,
Assistant Administrator, Food and Nutrition
Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–07377 Filed 4–5–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–30–P

INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING
ADVISORY BOARD
Sunshine Act Meetings
April 8, 2024; 10:45
a.m.–11:15 a.m. ET.
PLACE: On April 8, 2024, the Board will
meet virtually.
STATUS: This meeting will be closed to
the public.
MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: The
International Broadcasting Advisory
Board (Board) will conduct a meeting
closed to the public at the time listed
above. Board Members (membership
includes Chair Kenneth Jarin, Luis
Botello, Jamie Fly, Jeffrey Gedmin,
Michelle Giuda, Kathleen Matthews,
Under Secretary Elizabeth Allen
(Secretary of State’s Representative)),
Counsel and acting Board Secretary to
Board, the Secretariat to the Board, and
recording secretaries will attend the
closed meeting.
The acting Board Secretary (who also
serves as U.S. Agency for Global
Media’s General Counsel) has certified

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that, in his opinion, exemptions set
forth in the Government in the Sunshine
Act, in particular 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(2), (6)
and (9)(B), permit closure of this
meeting.
The Board approved the closing of
this meeting by recorded vote. The
Board also determined by recorded vote
that shorter than usual notice for a
meeting was required by official agency
business and delayed availability of
required information.
The purpose for closing the meeting is
so that the IBAB may decide on hiring
certain entity heads (personnel) [relates
to (2), (6), and (9)]. Publicizing the
deliberation would frustrate the
implementation of the very item they
will be proposing [relates to (9)].
In the event that the time, date, or
location of this meeting changes,
USAGM will post an announcement of
the change, along with the new time,
date, and/or place of the meeting on its
website at https://www.usagm.gov.
Although a separate federal entity,
USAGM prepared this notice and will
continue to support the Board in
accordance with 22 U.S.C. 6205(g).
CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Persons interested in obtaining more
information should contact Oanh Tran
at (202) 920–2583.
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552b, 22 U.S.C.
6205(e)(3)(C).

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Dated: April 4, 2024.
Meredith L. Meads,
Executive Assistant.
[FR Doc. 2024–07478 Filed 4–4–24; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 8610–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Census Household Panel
Topical 7, Topical 8, and Topical 9
Operations
On February 26, 2024, the Department
of Commerce received clearance from
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 to
conduct the fourth, fifth, and sixth
Census Household Panel topical
operations (OMB No. 0607–1025, Exp.
6/30/26). The Census Household Panel
is designed to ensure availability of
frequent data collection for nationwide
estimates on a variety of topics for a
variety of subgroups of the population.
This notice serves to inform of the
Department’s intent to request clearance

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