Notice2023-18886
Adjustment of Fees for Seafood Inspection Services
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 1, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The NMFS Seafood Inspection Program is notifying program participants that its fee schedule for fiscal year 2024 will remain as established on November 1, 2022.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 169 (Friday, September 1, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 169 (Friday, September 1, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60441-60442]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18886]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD272]
Adjustment of Fees for Seafood Inspection Services
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of fee schedule for seafood inspection services.
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SUMMARY: The NMFS Seafood Inspection Program is notifying program
participants that its fee schedule for fiscal year 2024 will remain as
established on November 1, 2022.
DATES: The fee schedule applies to services rendered as of October 1,
2023, until notified otherwise.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Wilson, Office of International
Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, 301-427-8350 or at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a1d2d5c4d7c4cf8fd6c8cdd2cecfe1cfcec0c08fc6ced7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2b585f4e5d4e45055c42475844456b45444a4a054c445d">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
operates a fee-for-service Seafood Inspection Program (Program) under
the authorities of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended,
the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, and the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of
1970. The regulations implementing the Program are contained in 50 CFR
parts 260 and 261. The Program offers inspection, grading, and
certification services, including the use of official quality grade
marks which indicate that specific products have been federally
inspected. Those wishing to participate in the program must request the
services and submit specific compliance information. Since 1992, NMFS
implemented inspection services based on guidelines recommended by the
National Academy of Sciences, known as Hazard Analysis Critical Control
Point (HACCP).
Under the implementing regulations for the Program, fees are
reviewed at least annually to ascertain that the hourly fees charged
are adequate to recover the costs of the services rendered. Any
necessary adjustments to fees are made in accordance with the
requirements of 50 CFR 260.81 and are notified to program participants
as stipulated at 50 CFR 260.70. This Federal Register notice serves to
inform program participants of the fee schedule, which remains
unchanged.
Seafood Inspection Program (SIP) costs used for the calculation of
user fees include all relevant direct and indirect costs to the
program, and applicable administrative overhead and surcharges. SIP
fees must be set to promote full cost recovery of the program absent
other appropriations.
Program costs include all field operations, program administrative
overhead, and management, and include expenses for labor for
inspectors, facilities, information technology infrastructure, and
other operational costs. SIP fees are set to recover those costs based
on revenue projections from expected billable service hours and the
number of certificates requests. Forecasts of demand for services use
historical data on actual billed services that are adjusted annually
for inflation, known events that might affect the predicted output of
billable services, and seasonality of when forecasted services will
take place throughout the year.
NMFS will assess its fees as outlined in this notice, which will
apply until notified otherwise. Fees will be charged to contract and
non-contract customers requesting services as listed below. The cost of
other applicable services rendered will be recovered through fee
collection using the base rate of $238 per hour.
Fees and Charges for the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDC) Seafood
Inspection Program
The per hour fees and charges for fishery products inspection
services are not being revised and will remain as established on
November 1, 2022 for Fiscal Year 2024 and will be assessed as follows.
Any travel associated with a billable service will be an additional
charge.
[[Page 60442]]
Contract Rates
Regular Time: Services provided during any 8-hour shift.
Overtime: Services provided outside the inspector's normal work
schedule.
In addition to any hourly service charge, a night differential fee
equal to 10 percent of the employee's hourly salary will be charged for
each hour of service provided after 6:00 p.m. and before 6:00 a.m. A
guarantee of payment is required for all contracts equal to three
months of service or $10,000, whichever is greater.
Non-Contract Rates
Regular time: Services provided within the inspector's normal work
schedule, Monday through Friday.
Overtime: Services provided outside the inspector's normal work
schedule.
Any services under contract in excess of the contracted hours will
be charged at the non-contract rate.
Contract Rates
Non-HACCP Contracts
REGULAR TIME $238
OVERTIME $357
SUNDAY & HOLIDAYS $476
HACCP/QMP Contracts
HACCP REGULAR $238
HACCP OVERTIME $357
HACCP SUNDAY & HOLIDAYS $476
All Non-Contract Work Rates
REGULAR TIME $357
OVERTIME $536
SUNDAY & HOLIDAYS $714
Certificates
All certificate requests, whether or not a product inspection was
conducted, will be billed at a set flat rate of $97 per request.
Additional information about, and applications for, Program
services and fees may be obtained from NMFS (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT).
Dated: August 28, 2023.
Alexa Cole,
Director, Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-18886 Filed 8-31-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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