Summary
- IFAI is hiring! Check out the open positions on the IFAI job board at bit.ly/IFAIJOBS.
- While the 2018 Farm Bill’s extension expired Sept. 30, 2024, funding for most Farm Bill programs will continue until the end of the calendar year. Look for updates in future IFAI Policy Briefs and keep track of Indian Country’s priorities through IFAI’s Farm Bill Tracker.
- Congress is in recess this week.
- There are multiple upcoming nominations for agriculture and nutrition-related advisory committees, including the Regional Tribal Conservation Advisory Councils.
- There are two notices of federal agencies seeking public comments: (1) The Department of Interior regarding the establishment of the National Advisory Committee and (2) USDA’s longitudinal study of SNAP households.
Calendar
Tribal Consultation/Listening Sessions/Advisory Committee Meetings
Title of Event: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Tribal Consultation to Discuss Sodium Reduction in the Food Supply.
About: FDA has scheduled an all Tribes call to learn about the Agency’s work to help reduce sodium in the food supply. Americans, including American Indians/Alaska Natives overconsume sodium relative to recommended limits. This consultation will cover FDA’s efforts to reduce sodium in the food supply.
Consultation Date(s):
- November 7, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. central
Congressional updates
Looking Back:
There were no Congressional hearings to report last week.
Looking ahead:
Congress is not in session, and there are no hearings scheduled at the time of publication.
Nomination opportunities:
- Regional Tribal Conservation Advisory Council (RTCAC) – Due Nov. 1
- Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council – Due Nov. 12
- Resource Advisory Councils – Due Nov. 15
- American Lamb Board– Due Nov. 30
- Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel – open nominations
- Lake Tahoe Basin Federal Advisory Committee– open nominations
- NIFA Grantmaking Peer Review
If you’re interested in seeking more information on nominations, reach out to agpolicy@uark.edu.
Regulatory/Rulemaking Actions
Title: Longitudinal Study of SNAP Households AKA the Study of Households Insights and Nutritional Experiences (SHINE)
- USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is seeking a new information collection request to do a long-term study of SNAP households.
- Data collected will allow FNS to carry out a detailed analyses of SNAP participants’ characteristics over time, giving FNS the ability to examine how SNAP households do before and after potential economic upheavals.
- Some of the study’s objectives include (1) statistics on sociodemographic and economic characteristics of households; (2) statistics on key household characteristics, and (3) statistics on dietary quality of randomly selected adult households.
- Comments must be received on or before Dec. 17, 2024.
Posted: Week of Oct. 21, 2024
Title: Establishment and Call for Nominations for the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the Bureau of Land Management Public Lands Rule
- The Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management is seeking comments about the establishment of the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the BLM Public Lands Rule.
- The Council will include a maximum of 15 primary members and up to 15 alternate members.
- Two representatives are from Tribal governments.
- Comments about the establishment of this committee must be received no later than Nov. 18, 2024.
Posted: Week of Oct. 21, 2024
Title: Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council; Request for Nominations
- The Department of Interior and Department of Agriculture seek to fill one vacancy to the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council.
- The Council makes recommendations about programs and policies with objectives that include (1) conservation and restoration of wetlands, grasslands, and forests; (2) encouraging coordination among public entities that include Federal, State, and Tribal, and territorial governments.
- Nominations must be submitted by Nov. 12, 2024
Posted: Week of Oct. 14, 2024