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 to determine public participation in the Special Milk Program for Children.
Request for Comments
Written comments must be received on or before Sept. 5, 2025.
Comments may be sent to: Navneet Sandhu, Branch Chief, Project Demonstration Branch, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place, Room 739, Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may also be submitted via email to Navneet.Sandhu@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.
Abstract
Section 3 of the Child Nutrition Act (CNA) of 1966, (42 USC 1772) authorizes the Special Milk Program (SMP). It provides for the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to encourage the consumption of fluid milk by children in the United States in: (1) nonprofit schools of high school grade and under; and (2) nonprofit nursery schools, child care centers, settlement houses, summer camps, and similar nonprofit institutions devoted to the care and training of children. The SMP may operate in nonprofit schools and nonprofit childcare institutions that do not already participate in a food service program authorized under the CNA or the National School Lunch Act.
Section 10 of the CNA (42 USC 1779) requires the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe such regulations as deemed necessary to carry out this Act and the National School Lunch Act. Pursuant to that provision, the Secretary has issued 7 CFR part 215, which sets forth policies and procedures for the administration and operation of the SMP. State and local operators of the SMP are required to meet federal reporting and accountability requirements. This information collection is required to administer and operate this program. The program is administered at the state, school food authority (SFA), and childcare institution levels; and operations include the submission of applications and agreements, submission and payment of claims, and maintenance of records. The reporting and recordkeeping burden associated with this revision decreased by approximately 8,103 hours relative to the previous submission, from 13,326 estimated burden hours to 5,223 estimated burden hours due to fewer state agencies participating in the SMP. The total estimated annual responses decreased by approximately 32,623 responses from 88,407 to 55,784 responses primarily due to fewer state agencies participating in the SMP. All reporting and recordkeeping requirements associated with the SMP are currently approved by the Office of Management and Budget and are in force. This is a revision of a currently approved collection.
Forms FNS-10 and FNS-777 collect information that are associated with this information collection; however, these forms, and the reporting burden associated with them, are approved under OMB Control Number 0584-0594 Food Programs Reporting System (FPRS) (expiration date Sept. 30, 2026). The recordkeeping burden associated with these forms is covered in this collection.