81 FR 59179 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-Request for Public Comments for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Loving Support Award of Excellence

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 167 (August 29, 2016)

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 currently approved collection for awarding local agencies for excellence in WIC breastfeeding services and support. Section 231 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, Public Law 111-296, requires that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) establish a program to recognize WIC local agencies and clinics that demonstrate exemplary breastfeeding promotion and support activities.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 167 (Monday, August 29, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59179-59180]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20555]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Request for Public Comments for the Special 
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) 
Loving Support Award of Excellence

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: 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 currently approved collection for awarding local agencies for 
excellence in WIC breastfeeding services and support. Section 231 of 
the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, Public Law 111-296, requires 
that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) establish a program to 
recognize WIC local agencies and clinics that demonstrate exemplary 
breastfeeding promotion and support activities.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 28, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted using the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal: http://www.regulations.gov or by mail: Sarah Widor, Director, 
Supplemental Food Programs Division, FNS, USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, 
Room 520, Alexandria, VA 22302. All comments submitted in response to 
this notice will be included in the record and will be made available 
to the public. Please be advised that the substance of the comments and 
the identity of the individuals or entities submitting the comments 
will be subject to public disclosure. All comments will be made 
available publicly on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget approval.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Bartholomew, Chief, Nutrition 
Services Branch, Supplemental Food Programs Division, FNS, USDA, 3101 
Park Center Drive, Room 520, Alexandria, VA 22302. Telephone: (703) 
305-2746.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants 
and Children (WIC) Loving Support Award of Excellence.
    Form Number: Not applicable.
    OMB Number: 0584-0591.
    Expiration Date: 03/31/2017.
    Type of Request: Revision of a Currently Approved Collection.
    Abstract: This information collection is mandated by section 231 of 
the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) (Pub. L. 111-296). 
Section 231 of the HHFKA requires USDA to implement a program to 
recognize exemplary breastfeeding support practices at WIC local 
agencies and clinics. The WIC Program provides breastfeeding promotion 
and support for pregnant and postpartum mothers as a part of its 
mission to improve the health of the approximately 8 million Americans 
it serves each month. Breastfeeding is a priority in WIC and WIC 
mothers are strongly encouraged to breastfeed their infants unless the 
mother or baby have a medical condition where breastfeeding is not 
advised.
    In recognizing exemplary local agencies and clinics, the HHFKA 
requires that the Secretary consider the following criteria: (1) 
Performance measurements of breastfeeding; (2) the

[[Page 59180]]

effectiveness of a peer counselor program; (3) the extent to which the 
agency or clinic has partnered with other entities to build a 
supportive breastfeeding environment for women participating in WIC; 
and (4) other criteria the Secretary considers appropriate after 
consultation with State and local program agencies. The information 
will be submitted voluntarily by WIC local agencies who will be 
applying for an award. FNS will use the information collected to 
evaluate the components of existing breastfeeding programs and support 
in WIC local agencies and make decisions about awards. This program is 
expected to provide models and motivate other local agencies and 
clinics to strengthen their breastfeeding promotion and support 
activities. Applications will be submitted online.
    Affected Public: State, Local, Territories and Tribal Government. 
Respondent groups identified include the WIC local agencies who are 
applying for the award and the WIC State agencies who evaluate the 
applications.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of 
participants is 453: 363 local WIC agencies and 90 State WIC agencies.
    A recent FNS study on WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling found that 
approximately two thirds of the local WIC agencies operate a ``Loving 
Support Program.'' The Loving Support Program is an FNS initiative that 
equips WIC programs with an implementation and management model--the 
``Loving Support Model''--that serves as a framework for designing, 
building, and sustaining peer counseling programs; a requirement for 
award eligibility. Based on the findings of the study, it is estimated 
that approximately 1,210 of the 1,834 WIC local agencies will be 
eligible to apply for an award. Although the number of local agencies 
operating a Loving Support Program has increased, an average of only 
16.4% of eligible respondents have applied over the past two years. In 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2014, 77 out of 607 eligible local agencies applied 
for an award (12.7%) and in FY 2015, 123 out of 607 eligible local 
agencies applied for an award (20.3%). Therefore, unlike the previous 
information collection request, the estimated number of respondents for 
local agency applications will not assume all eligible local WIC 
agencies will apply for an award. To better reflect the estimated 
number of respondents for subsequent years, FNS estimates that 30% 
(363) of eligible local agencies will respond annually. This reduces 
the total number of burden hours for the local WIC agencies from 1,214 
to 907.5 hours. The estimated number of respondents for the State 
agency application evaluation is derived from the total number of State 
WIC agencies.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: The estimated number 
of responses per respondent for the WIC local agency is one, as each 
eligible WIC local agency will submit one application. The estimated 
number of responses per respondent for the WIC State agency is 4.03, as 
each WIC State agency will evaluate approximately four applications 
annually. The estimated number of responses per respondent for the WIC 
State agency application evaluation was derived by dividing the total 
number of respondents for the WIC local agency applications, 363, by 
the total number of WIC State agencies, 90. FNS estimates that the 
overall responses per respondent for the entire collection is 1.60, 
which was derived by dividing the number of total annual responses 
725.7, by the estimated number of respondents, 453.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 725.7.
    Estimated Time per Response: FNS estimates the WIC local agency 
application response is 2.5 hours, and the WIC State agency response is 
1.5 hours. The overall response for the entire collection is 2.0 hours, 
which was derived by dividing the number of estimated total hours, 
1,451.6, by the number of total annual responses by all respondents, 
725.7.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1,451.6 hours. The 
time for the WIC local agency is an estimated time for the agency to 
voluntarily review the instructions, fill out the ``Loving Support 
Award of Excellence'' application, and attach supportive documentation. 
The time for the State WIC agency is an estimated time for the agency 
to review the instructions, evaluate the components of the local WIC 
agencies applications, and make a recommendation for an award.
    See the table below for estimated total annual burden for each type 
of respondent.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Estimated
                                     Estimated       Responses     Total annual       average        Estimated
           Respondent                number of     annually per      responses       number of      total hours
                                    respondent      respondent     (Col. B x C)      hours per     (Col. D x E)
                                                                                    response *
                                                                  ..............                  ..............
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporting Burden:
    WIC Local Agency Application           363.0            1.00           363.0             2.5           907.5
    WIC State Agency Evaluation.            90.0            4.03           362.7             1.5           544.1
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Total Reporting Burden..           453.0            1.60           725.7             2.0         1,451.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Estimated average # of hours per response includes .5 hours for reviewing instructions


    Dated: August 9, 2016.
Audrey Rowe,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-20555 Filed 8-26-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-30-P