Comment Request: SNAP Waivers Under Section 6(o) of the Food and Nutrition Act

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 revision of a currently approved collection.

The purpose of Section 6(o) of the Food and Nutrition Act is to establish a time limit of the receipt of benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for certain able-bodied adults who are not working. The provision authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, upon a state agency's request, to waive the provision for any group of individuals if the Secretary determines "that the area in which the individuals reside has an unemployment rate of over 10 percent, or does not have a sufficient number of jobs to provide employment for the individuals.'"

As required by the statute, in order to receive a waiver the state agency must submit sufficient supporting information so that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can make the required determination as to the area's unemployment rate or insufficiency of available jobs. This collection of information is, therefore, necessary in order to obtain waivers of the SNAP time limit.