Comment on FR Doc # 2012-00391

I support the changes in the proposed rulemaking. If the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) is to achieve its goal of providing food aid to those who cannot access the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), then it makes sense to align the eligibility requirements of the two programs, and to provide the same income deductions for medical expenses. I like that the other goals of these changes are to streamline the application and certification process for applicants, as well as making the work of the agencies easier. I think such goals are important if the agency is to ensure that such food assistance programs actually achieve the aims they were set up to achieve. I think that the provisions of the new rules are well explained in this rulemaking and easy to understand. The requirements in the proposed regulations are clearly stated, and the language of the rule is plain and unambiguous. The format of the rule as it stands makes it clear, and I think the current number of sections is enough to make it understandable. The description of the rule in the “Background and Discussion” section is also helpful – as someone unfamiliar with the program and only somewhat acquainted with regulatory law, I found it helpful in introducing me to the issue the rulemaking hopes to address, and the agency’s goals in introducing this new rule. - Angela Omiyi, Student (1L), Georgetown University Law Center, Washington DC