[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 134 (Monday, July 14, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40706-40707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-16398]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Draft Guidance for Applicants for Competitive and Capacity Grants
Administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture;
Availability
AGENCY: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is
announcing the availability of a draft guidance entitled ``National
Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Federal Assistance Policy
Guide.'' The draft guidance discusses the statutory and regulatory
responsibilities of recipients of Federal funds administered by NIFA.
This draft guidance compiles and updates the statutory, regulatory,
policy guidance previously distributed to Capacity Grant recipients as
Administrative Manuals. The draft NIFA Federal Assistance Policy Guide
also addresses procedures and policies followed by NIFA in the
administration of Federal assistance. NIFA intends to publish a final
version of the Policy Guide to reflect any public comments, as well as
the requirements of the Agricultural Act of 2014 and USDA's
implementation of the Office of Management and Budget ``OMB Uniform
Guidance: Cost Principles, Audit, and Administrative Requirements for
Federal Awards''.
DATES: All written comments must be received on or before August 13,
2014.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by NIFA-2014-0001, by
any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
[[Page 40707]]
Email: [email protected]. Include NIFA-2014-0001 in the
subject line of the message.
Mail: Policy and Oversight Division; National Institute of Food and
Agriculture; U.S. Department of Agriculture; STOP 2299; 1400
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-2299.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Policy and Oversight Division; National
Institute of Food and Agriculture; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Room
2312, Waterfront Centre, 800 9th Street SW., Washington, DC 20024.
Instructions: All comments submitted must include the agency name
and the RIN for this rulemaking. All comments received will be posted
without change to http://www.regulations.gov, Docket NIFA-2014-0001,
including any personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melanie Krizmanich, Policy Specialist,
Phone: (202) 401-1762; Email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background Information
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is announcing
the availability of a draft guidance entitled ``National Institute of
Food and Agriculture Federal Assistance Policy Statement.'' The draft
guidance discusses the statutory and regulatory responsibilities of
recipients of Federal funds distributed by the NIFA. Specifically, the
Policy Statement includes NIFA application processes, application
review procedures, award notification and administration, applicable
cost principles and other cost considerations, prior approval
requirements, administrative requirements, Capacity Grant
administration and associated requirements, specific Capacity Grant
program requirements, terms and conditions of all NIFA awards
(Competitive and Capacity), public policy requirements, special award
conditions and enforcement actions, and closeout procedures. The NIFA
Federal Assistance Policy Guide updates and compiles into a single
document all previously published Administrative Manuals for the
grantee community. The statutory, regulatory, and policy requirements
contained in the Policy Guide provide general guidance to all NIFA
grant recipients. If there is a conflict with this Policy Guide and the
terms and conditions of a specific award, the terms and conditions
associated with the award should be followed.
This draft guidance includes information collection provisions that
are subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). The
information collections referenced in this draft guidance related to
reporting requirements and other information collections have been
approved by OMB. The Policy Guide imposes no new information
collections not previously approved. In accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act, prior to the publication of any final guidance document,
NIFA intends to solicit public comments and obtain OMB approval for any
information collections recommended in this draft guidance that are new
or that would represent material modifications to these previously
approved information collections found in the NIFA regulations. The
draft guidance is being distributed for comment purposes only and is
not intended for implementation at this time.
II. Obtaining a Copy of the Draft Guidance
A copy of the draft guidance may be obtained by contacting Melanie
Krizmanich, as directed under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
caption. Persons with access to the Internet may obtain the draft
guidance at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/business/policy_guide_notice.html.
Done in Washington, DC, this 7 day of July, 2014.
Robert E Holland,
Acting Associate Director, Programs, National Institute of Food and
Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2014-16398 Filed 7-11-14; 8:45 am]
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