[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 236 (Friday, December 9, 1994)] [Unknown Section] [Page 0] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 94-30324] [[Page Unknown]] [Federal Register: December 9, 1994] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food and Consumer Service RIN 0584-AB80 Food Stamp Program: Asset Accumulation Demonstration Projects AGENCY: Food and Consumer Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Food and Consumer Service is announcing its support for demonstration projects to test the effects of allowing Food Stamp Program participants to accumulate assets for specific purposes related to self-sufficiency. These demonstration projects will operate in accordance with Section 17(k) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977, as amended. The intent of this Notice is to solicit proposals from State and/or local agencies wishing to conduct demonstration projects during the demonstration project period. DATES: Requests for application packages must be received by January 9, 1995. Public comments concerning the terms and conditions of the demonstration projects are welcome but must be received by December 27, 1994. Any changes made as a result of comments received shall be incorporated in the application package, which will be mailed to applicants no later than January 13, 1995. Completed applications must be received by C.O.B. February 7, 1995, to ensure consideration for award under this solicitation. ADDRESSES: Interested agencies should submit a written request for an application package (and include four self- addressed labels) to the address listed below: USDA, Food and Consumer Service, Program Development Division, FSP, Attn: Carol Stobaugh, 3101 Park Center Drive, room 717, Alexandria, Virginia 22302-1594. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND COMMENTS CONTACT: Gary Batko, Supervisor, Legislation and Court Suits Section, Food and Consumer Service, at the address listed above or telephone (703) 305-2790. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Classification Executive Order 12866 This Notice has been determined to be significant and was reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Order 12866. Executive Order 12372 The Food Stamp Program is listed in the catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance under No. 10.551. For the reasons set forth in the final rule and related Notice to 7 CFR part 3015, subpart V (48 FR 29115, June 24, 1983), this program is excluded from the scope of Executive Order No. 12372 which requires intergovernmental consultation with State and local officials. Regulatory Flexibility Act This Notice has been reviewed with regard to the requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (5 U.S.C. 601-612). William Ludwig, Administrator of the Food and Consumer Service (FCS), has certified that the demonstration projects described in this Notice will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because the demonstration projects will be conducted in limited areas. State and local welfare agencies will be affected to the extent that they administer demonstration projects. Those food stamp recipients participating in the demonstration projects will be affected by this action in that the provisions of the Food Stamp Act affecting the recertification eligibility criteria for receipt of benefits may be waived to the extent necessary to permit the implementation of the special eligibility criteria established for these demonstration projects. Paperwork Reduction Act This Notice does not contain reporting or recordkeeping requirements subject to approval by the Office of Management and Budget under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980. Background Section 5(g)(1) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977, as amended (Act) (7 U.S.C. 2014(g)(1)), and current food stamp regulations at 7 CFR 273.8(b) require that eligible households have no more than $2,000 in countable assets, including both liquid and non-liquid assets, or $3,000 if at least one household member is age 60 or older. Current program provisions, therefore, do not encourage asset accumulation by individuals in food stamp households. There is growing interest in ways to promote asset accumulation by public assistance recipients as a way of promoting their long term self-sufficiency. It is presumed that current limits on assets may discourage recipients from investing in their education, job training, and/or improved housing conditions. Several welfare reform projects are currently underway which incorporate some form of increased asset accumulation into their program design. However, these efforts focus on the Department of Health and Human Services' Aid to Families with Dependent Children Program. Congress has mandated the demonstration projects described in this Notice to enable a careful examination of the impact of increasing the asset accumulation threshold in the Food Stamp Program (Program) independent of other reform measures. Section 13925 of the Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act, Chapter 3, Title XIII of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, Pub. L. 103-66, amends Section 17 of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2026) to authorize asset accumulation demonstration projects in which a maximum of 11,000 food stamp eligible households are offered the opportunity to accumulate assets up to $10,000 for later expenditure for specified purposes determined to increase potential for self-sufficiency. More specifically, these assets can be used for expenditures directly related to improving the education, training, or employability (including self-employment) of household members, for the purchase of a home for the household, for a change of the household's residence, or for making major repairs to the household's home. Money set aside for these purposes will be excluded from consideration as assets in calculating food stamp eligibility. Households participating in the demonstration projects would have to establish separate accounts for assets designated for these specific intentions. Assets not exempted in their entirety under the demonstration projects are subject to the limits as specified in food stamp regulations at 7 CFR 273.8(b). The elevated threshold would not be used when determining initial eligibility for the Program. (That is, new applicant households will still be subject to the existing limit of $2,000, or $3,000 if a household member is elderly). This Notice establishes the terms and conditions for the demonstration projects and institutes uniform criteria for evaluating proposals and selecting demonstration project areas. State/local agencies interested in participating in these demonstration projects are invited to request a Demonstration Project Application Package, which contains detailed information and instructions on preparing and submitting demonstration proposals. Local agency proposals must be submitted through and approved by the State agency, which will be responsible for overall control of the demonstration(s) conducted within its boundaries and for coordination with the Department (``Department'' includes the Secretary and the Food and Consumer Service, as may be appropriate). Each proposal must contain signed agreements from the appropriate State officials authorizing the demonstration project in that State. The Department will not negotiate or enter into any agreements with agencies below the State level. The demonstration described in this Notice offers the opportunity to test the effects of raising the maximum asset threshold for food stamp households already participating in the Program. Research questions that are of principal interest to the Department include: 1. How do recipients respond to the assets accumulation provision? 2. What is the impact of asset accumulation on Food Stamp Program costs? 3. What is the relationship between asset accumulation and self- sufficiency? The Department will select an independent contractor to conduct an evaluation that addresses these and other research questions. Demonstration sites are expected to cooperate with the evaluation contractor. The Food Stamp Program Asset Accumulation Demonstration Projects Using the authority to operate demonstration projects provided by section 17 of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2026), the Department will authorize asset accumulation demonstration projects totaling no more than 11,000 households, for a period not to exceed four years. A county, city, welfare district, or any other political jurisdiction with clearly defined boundaries, or combinations of such entities, may be designated as a demonstration project site. In order to obtain demonstration results that represent the different Food Stamp Program populations, the Department will, in the proposal selection process, place special emphasis on choosing sites that are broadly representative of the Program. At a minimum, the Department intends to include one urban and one nonurban or rural site in these demonstration projects. The Department will assess how the applicant's proposed site fits in with this goal in conjunction with the size constraints placed on the demonstration. The Department is also interested in proposals which represent a variety of outreach activity levels. Intervention strategies could vary significantly in terms of intensity, ranging from letters announcing the opportunity to establish self-sufficiency accounts to a more active approach in which households are actively solicited to participate in the demonstration project. Finally, the estimated costs associated with administrative and evaluation responsibilities of the demonstration will also influence site selection. To conduct these demonstration projects, the Department is authorized to waive the maximum allowable assets requirements found in subsection 5(g) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2014(g)). This waiver will permit a participating demonstration project site, with the approval of the State agency, to operate the Program as it normally would except for application of the demonstration project criteria in place of standard Program regulations regarding maximum asset accumulation criteria for recertification purposes. In support of these demonstration projects, the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families has committed to similar asset threshold waivers involving Food Stamp Program households who also receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children benefits. Corresponding requirements under the current food stamp regulations at 7 CFR 273.8(b) shall also be waived to the extent necessary to permit participating sites to apply asset accumulation criteria when determining a household's recertification. Current Program regulations for assets which are not modified or otherwise addressed by this Notice, will continue to apply to participating demonstration project sites. A. Basic Operational Requirements For purposes of these demonstration projects, participating sites shall observe the following steps in determining the treatment of assets for Food Stamp Program eligibility purposes. Step 1. Continue to determine Program initial eligibility in accordance with current eligibility criteria. Step 2. Once eligibility is determined, households will be randomly assigned to demonstration project and control groups. Those assigned to the demonstration project group have the opportunity to accumulate assets for self-sufficiency purposes, as defined in the demonstration project rules. Step 3. Upon redetermination of eligibility, assets which have accumulated in specially designated accounts for self-sufficiency purposes will be excluded in their entirety as assets up to $10,000 for the length of the demonstration project, not to exceed four years. Step 4. Assets not excluded in their entirety under Step 3 will be held to the limits as set forth in 7 CFR 273.8(b). Step 5. Accounts must be monitored to ensure that assets are used for specially designated purposes. Some households that are part of the test will leave the Program and then reapply for food stamps within the demonstration project period. We believe that these applicants should not be penalized because of their participation in these demonstration projects. Accordingly, any savings previously excluded from the asset test under the demonstration projects would continue to be excluded in determining eligibility. There are various reasons why participants leave and subsequently return to the Food Stamp Program. Some may lose eligibility for failing to meet reporting or recertification requirements; others may obtain temporary employment. About one-third of all persons leave the Program and resume participation within one year. The Department is seeking to learn as much as possible about the costs and impacts of this asset exclusion. Therefore, we are proposing to exclude assets in the special accounts for the life of the demonstration projects to enhance our evaluation of various possible time limits on the exclusion. B. Demonstration Project Sponsors To participate in these demonstration projects, potential demonstration project sponsors must meet the following requirements: 1. Be a political subdivision or grouping thereof (i.e., a State or a unit of local government or a combination of local governments). A county, city, welfare district, any other political jurisdiction, subdivision thereof, or combination of such entities with clearly defined boundaries, may be designated as a demonstration project site. 2. Have the capability for effectively operating and administering a demonstration project under the terms and conditions established in this Notice, the Food Stamp Act, and Program regulations. 3. Designate a demonstration project site that is representative of the Program nationally in terms of public assistance/non-public assistance caseload. At a minimum, the Department will be selecting two demonstration project areas, one urban and one non-urban or rural site. The total number of recipients invited to participate in the treatment group, including recipients who do not receive food stamps throughout the project, cannot exceed 11,000 for the entire demonstration. Sponsors should specify the size of their site and the underlying assumptions used to determine this selection. Sites can consist of a portion of the jurisdiction (such as an office) or an area defined by grouping smaller project areas together. Proposals for these demonstration projects are specifically limited to an asset accumulation initiative. The Department is currently conducting several other demonstration projects which allow households to accumulate substantial assets for self-sufficiency purposes in conjunction with other welfare reform initiatives. Demonstration project areas currently involved in such studies are not eligible to participate in the asset accumulation demonstration project because we believe such participation will affect the results of those studies, and/or, that the studies will affect the outcome of this demonstration project. Asset accumulation demonstration project sites will also be ineligible for welfare reform waivers throughout the course of the demonstration project, unless it can be demonstrated that the waiver(s) would not impact the results of these demonstration projects. States or localities which have approval to operate cash-out or Electronic Benefit Transfer systems in place of traditional food coupon systems are eligible for these demonstration projects. The Department is also considering the selection of a site or sites with varying levels of outreach activity designed to encourage households to take advantage of the demonstration project provisions. This would allow the Department to assess the impact of outreach on the overall effects of these demonstration projects. C. Responsibilities The Department shall be responsible for: 1. Providing funding, as specified in Section D of this Notice. 2. Providing training and technical assistance, as necessary and as agreed to by the Department. 3. Monitoring demonstration project operations through normal Food Stamp Program review activities, and special reviews and audits. 4. Securing an independent evaluator to evaluate these demonstration projects using evaluation criteria identified under this Notice. 5. Approving requests from the evaluation contractor for data from the State. 6. Approving changes to the demonstration projects. The State and/ or local agency shall be responsible for: (1) Establishing a procedure within the Food Stamp Program and the eligibility redetermination process for applying demonstration project procedures outlined in this Notice. (2) Calculating participation using both current law and demonstration project rules regarding maximum asset accumulation (in order to determine whether participants would be disqualified without the demonstration project changes). (3) Training caseworkers and other staff concerning all aspects of the demonstration project and demonstration project procedures. (4) Reporting to the Department as required under Section E of this Notice, including preparing and submitting a Status Report. (5) Reporting to the evaluation contractor as required under Section E of this Notice. (6) Cooperating with all evaluation activities connected with the demonstration project under the sponsorship of the Department. This includes establishing and maintaining a procedure to randomly assign households to demonstration project and control groups. The proportion of households assigned to the demonstration project group may be larger than 50 percent. (7) Maintaining an accessible database of participant characteristics and demonstration project participation for evaluation purposes. For each household in the demonstration project group, this information shall be linked to data on savings. (8) Notifying recipients of the termination of the demonstration project, if appropriate, in accordance with 7 CFR 273.13. (9) Obtaining approval from the Department prior to the release of information related to the results of these demonstration projects. D. Funding The Department will make available funds to support these demonstration projects. As part of the application process, sponsors will submit a budget which estimates their administrative costs for participation and implementation of demonstration project rules. To the extent that funds are available, costs attributed to participation in these demonstration projects will be covered 100%. Funds are also available to help defray the costs of implementing these demonstration projects on a 50/50 match basis. Benefit/coupon costs will be paid under current program funding procedures. The Department is not obligated to award the entire amount of funds made available. The amount awarded under any one agreement shall be determined by the Department based on the scope and size of the demonstration project sites proposed. Specific procedures for reimbursement of eligible demonstration project-related costs will be detailed in the application packages. E. Recordkeeping and Reporting The data collection effort is designed to answer research questions in a manner that balances methodological rigor and operational feasibility. An overview of the kinds of information needed from States is described below. A more specific implementation plan will be developed under the evaluation contract in consultation with State agencies. Special Demonstration Project Reporting Requirements: The Department will require that reports be submitted for demonstration project activity as follows: 1. Describe the implementation of assets accumulation: a. Provide copies of all written materials that pertain to the plans, implementation, and operation of the demonstration project. Such materials will include, at a minimum: meeting minutes, written planning and implementation documents, any new reporting forms, notices to recipients, and other public communications. These documents shall be provided as an attachment to each monthly demonstration project progress report. b. Participate in periodic interviews conducted by the evaluation contractor. These are likely to be a combination of in-person and telephone contacts that occur 3-4 times over the length of the demonstration project. Contacts with key State and local agency staff will be included in each round of interviews. c. Allow the evaluation contractor and Department staff to observe key planning or implementation meetings conducted by State and/or local agency staff. 2. Assess recipient response to assets accumulation: Provide hard copy or automated data that identifies relevant characteristics and behavior of each household. Since the evaluation is looking at behavior over time either a longitudinal file will need to be set up for each household or a common household identifier used to link different data sources. a. Relevant characteristics data for households in both the demonstration project and control groups include: --Demographic characteristics --Household composition --Income amount and sources --Benefit allotment size by program by month --Value of assets at the time the asset accumulation option is made available --Start date for current Food Stamp Program certification period --Program participation status by month and reason for termination during the course of the demonstration project --Value of assets at the time of the most recent certification/ recertification b. Relevant household behavior/knowledge data for households in the demonstration project group include: --Initial response to the demonstration project --Knowledge of the demonstration project at the time of the most recent Food Stamp Program application --Influence of the demonstration project on the most recent decision to apply for Food Stamp Program benefits --Date the earmarked savings account was established --Value of savings by month --Stated purpose of the savings account 3. Estimate impacts on Program costs: a. Track administrative costs associated with assets accumulation. At a minimum, these will include labor and other direct costs of informing households about the demonstration project and monitoring household savings. b. Note that the site information needed to estimate benefit costs, Program participation, and Program applications is already described as part of Objective 2 reporting requirements. 4. Examine the impact on household self-sufficiency: a. Provide a hard copy or automated file with identification (including addresses and phone numbers) of current Program participants and indicators of whether or not they are part of the demonstration project population, as well as whether or not they have established earmarked savings accounts. This information will be used to generate sampling frames for the evaluation contractor's recipient interviews. F. Site Selection Criteria Criteria for Evaluating Demonstration Proposals: The Department will evaluate each proposal using a two-step process. First, the technical aspects will be evaluated by a technical review panel (panel). The panel will evaluate the technical merit of each proposal according to the evaluation criteria listed below (with relative weights shown in parentheses). Panel members will evaluate each proposal independently and assign it a numerical score for each evaluation criterion. The panel will average the scores assigned to each proposal and rank the proposals on their technical merit according to their mean scores. Based on this technical review, the panel will recommend a competitive range for proposals. That is the range in which proposals have a reasonable chance of being selected for negotiation of an agreement under the terms of this Notice. The Department may conduct negotiations with applicants in the competitive range, and after negotiations, may ask for ``best and final offers.'' The Department does, however, reserve the right to enter into an agreement with the applicant based on the original proposal and its evaluation. Second, the Department will consider the proposed administrative costs associated with each proposal in the competitive range. The cost will be reviewed independently from the technical evaluation. The Department will give the technical merit of proposals primary consideration. However, cost (both administrative and benefit), geographic characteristics, and outreach activity levels may serve as tiebreakers when decisions must be made among proposals that are similar or equal in technical merit. Awards will be made in such situations to those applicants whose offers are most financially advantageous to the Department and whose proposals provide the most diversity to the overall demonstration project, such as urban, rural or suburban demographic characteristics and the level of proposed outreach activity (or lack thereof). Therefore, proposals submitted in response to this Notice should be on the most favorable terms from both technical and cost standpoints. Technical Evaluation Criteria The following criteria will be used in the evaluation of technical proposals submitted in response to this Notice. The numbers assigned indicate the maximum score available for each factor and its relative importance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Criteria Assigned Weight ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Understanding of the purpose and objectives of the demonstration project....................................... 50 2. The demonstration project's scope, proposed procedures for implementing asset accumulation policies and complying with demonstration project requirements, and its evaluation...... 350 3. Adequacy of the demonstration project work plan, including dates, tasks/activities, reporting interface, etc........... 250 4. Plans for demonstration project management including staff responsibilities, monitoring, problem resolution, ongoing involvement of key management personnel, and an organizational chart for the demonstration project.......... 175 5. Organizational and staff capabilities and resources committed to the demonstration project, including time commitment of individual staff members...................... 175 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ G. Applications Applications shall be submitted in an original and four copies to the Deputy Administrator, Food Stamp Program, Food and Consumer Service, USDA, Room 710, Park Office Center Building, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22302. Applications must be signed by the representative of the State agency having the authority to commit the proposed political subdivision to the demonstration project. Prospective demonstration project sponsors shall submit a demonstration project proposal containing specific information regarding their planned demonstration project. Applicants should include in their proposals any additional information which they feel would enhance their prospects for approval. Complete instructions for preparing and submitting demonstration project proposals will be made available through the application packages described above. Applications will be submitted via completion of a Form AD-424, available in each application package. It is anticipated that, at a minimum, each demonstration project proposal will be required to include the following: 1. A complete description of the site in which the demonstration project shall be carried out. This description shall include an estimate of the total number of households currently participating in the Food Stamp Program (by Public Assistance (PA) and Nonpublic Assistance (NPA) category) and any other information useful for understanding the nature of the jurisdiction in which the demonstration project would be conducted, including complete geographic information relevant to the demographic situation of the area proposed (unemployment rate, distance to shopping, welfare offices, industrial areas, urban/rural/suburban category, etc.). Participation/caseload data submitted with proposals should be for the most recent available month. States combining rural and urban areas into one proposed demonstration project site should provide estimates of the proportion of the demonstration project site PA and NPA caseloads living in rural areas. 2. A complete description of how the State agency will meet the basic requirements for demonstration project operations (as outlined in this Notice). This description should include a discussion of the mechanics of establishing self-sufficiency accounts and how account use will be monitored. Any access restrictions on the accounts or penalties for misuse should be detailed as well. 3. Demonstration project proposals must incorporate a detailed work plan for the demonstration project, including a timetable for implementation, the length of operation, and demonstration project termination activities. The workplan must incorporate task statements, milestones, and methodology to be used in completing the tasks within prescribed timeframes. 4. A proposed budget for both demonstration project administrative costs and evaluation costs. 5. A description of the number and qualifications of key staff, including a demonstration project director, key demonstration project staff, support staff and management staff, which will be used in carrying out the demonstration project, plus the percentage of time to be allotted by the staff. 6. The State agency's methodology for cooperating with the Department's evaluator and meeting the random assignment procedures and the data collection requirements described earlier in this Notice. This description should identify person(s) responsible for evaluation activities and the amount of time set aside. 7. A plan for terminating the demonstration project procedures and returning to the use of existing food stamp eligibility criteria. Any changes made as a result of comments received in response to this Notice will be reflected in the application packages. In the event of inconsistencies, information and instructions in the application packages shall take precedence over this Notice. H. Monitoring and Evaluation The Department shall monitor the operation of demonstration projects implemented under this Notice. This monitoring activity does not, in any way, decrease the State agency's responsibility for oversight of the demonstration project's operation. At a minimum, monitoring shall include assessment of the demonstration project sponsor's compliance with the provisions of this Notice, the governing agreement between the State and the Department, and any other applicable rules and procedural requirements. A comprehensive evaluation of the effects of these demonstration projects will be carried out for the Department by an independent contractor. State and local welfare agency staff involved in these demonstration projects are required to work closely with and supply information to the evaluation contractor and cooperate fully in the evaluation. The evaluation shall be structured to assess the extent to which the establishment of an asset accumulation account affects household self-sufficiency. To achieve this objective, it will be necessary for demonstration project sponsors to calculate measures of self-sufficiency both under the demonstration project rules and under current Program rules. Specific evaluation specifications will be finalized and a contract awarded prior to implementation of these demonstration projects. At a minimum, the evaluation is expected to address the following questions: 1. How is the demonstration project implemented? What are the characteristics and size of the Program population that is targeted? How is the opportunity to participate in the demonstration project communicated? What requirements or constraints are imposed on recipients? 2. How do recipients respond to the demonstration project? Among those who are eligible to accumulate assets, what percentage initially respond, actually set up accounts, and establish savings? What are the distinguishing characteristics of those who respond compared to the targeted population and general Program population, with respect to: --Demographic characteristics --Household composition --Income amount and sources (including EITC) --Food stamp allotment size --Assets at time of last certification How much is saved over what period of time? How much variation in savings patterns is observed? What are the budget strategies used by those who are successful and unsuccessful at saving? What are the sources of savings? Do new sources of income affect savings success? What are recipients' goals with respect to amount and purpose of savings? How much is actually used and for what purpose? Is the actual purpose the same or different from original intentions? 3. What is the impact of asset accumulation on Food Stamp Program costs? How do administrative costs change with the introduction of assets accumulation with respect to recipient instructions and reporting requirements? How much does asset accumulation increase benefits? That is, what is the incremental allotment value for every month households have more than $2000 accumulated? How does the pattern of Program participation for households who accumulate assets compare to the pattern for similar households who do not save? Does the introduction of an asset accumulation provision for Program participants affect the number or characteristics of general applicants/applicants who get certified? What are the likely administrative and benefit costs if asset accumulation is implemented nationwide? How sensitive are these estimates to variations in asset accumulation requirements? 4. What is the relationship between asset accumulation and self- sufficiency? (Questions here overlap with those identified for Objectives 2 and 3). To what extent are households able to save the amount intended and to what degree are savings used for the purpose planned? Does the opportunity to accumulate assets affect households' sense of well-being or empowerment? Do households who accumulate assets participate in public assistance programs for shorter periods of time than households with comparable characteristics who do not have the opportunity to save/who have the opportunity but do not save? Are there unintended consequences associated with accumulating assets? Scope of Demonstration Projects This Notice will result in the negotiation of agreements between the Department and participating State agencies for the design, development, implementation, and operation of these demonstration projects. Such agreements shall be incorporated into each participating State's Food Stamp Plan of Operation. The Department envisions working closely with the participating State agencies in the development and oversight of these demonstration projects. Participating State agencies must contribute funds (as detailed in the Funding section of this Notice), manpower, facilities, and/or other resources to these demonstration projects. After selecting the demonstration project participants, the Department will provide technical assistance to each demonstration project area through existing Program staff and/or through an independent contractor. Demonstration project operators will have access to the technical assistance on an as needed basis to obtain assistance in developing and implementing their demonstration projects. The purpose of this technical assistance is to ensure the continuity, consistency, and reliability of evaluation information collected from all demonstration project participants. Public Notification Those sites selected to participate in these demonstration projects must make their proposals available to the general public in order to provide adequate notice of potential changes in Food Stamp Program procedures. Dated: November 29, 1994. Ellen Haas, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. [FR Doc. 94-30324 Filed 12-8-94; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-30-U