Agencies and Commissions December 24, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document provides notice that the Commission has issued a report on universal postal service and the postal monopoly. It describes how copies of the report and related material can be accessed. It also establishes a new docket for submission of comments addressing the report.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the General Services Administration will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve a renewal of a currently approved information collection requirement regarding Market Research for the Office of Citizen Services and Communications. The OMB clearance currently expires on April 30, 2009. This information collection will be used to determine the utility and ease of use of GSA's Web site, https://www.gsa.gov. The respondents include individuals and representatives from businesses currently holding GSA contracts. Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will convene a teleconference meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes (ACMUI) on January 22, 2009, to discuss a subcommittee recommendation for individuals to achieve Authorized User status via a board certification pathway when a gap exists between the completion of training and experience and issuance of the board certificate. A copy of the agenda for the meeting will be available at https://www.nrc.gov/ reading-rm/doc-collections/acmui/agenda or by contacting Ms. Ashley Tull using the information below.

The General Services Administration (GSA) is announcing a public meeting of the GSA Small Business Advisory Committee, Subcommittee on Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (the Subcommittee).

The Board has decided not to pursue at this time its proposal to change the posting time to 8:30 a.m. for commercial and government automated clearinghouse (ACH) debit transfers that are processed by the Federal Reserve Banks' (Reserve Banks) FedACH service. (All times are eastern time.) The proposal would have aligned the posting time for ACH debit transfers with the posting time for ACH credit transfers, which are currently posted at 8:30 a.m. on the settlement date. Commercial and government ACH debit transfers processed by the Reserve Banks' FedACH service will continue to be posted at 11 a.m., while commercial and government ACH credit transfers will continue to be posted at 8:30 a.m. The credit and debit accounting entries associated with ACH credit transfers and ACH debit transfers are posted simultaneously at the appointed posting time. In line with this decision, the Board will not move the posting time for Treasury Tax and Loan (TT&L) investments associated with Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) ACH debit transfers. These transactions will continue to be posted at 11 a.m. The Board will reconsider the proposal in the future.

The Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (Committee) has announced the following appointments to the Committee Performance Review Board. The following individuals are appointed as members of the Committee Performance Review Board responsible for making recommendations to the appointing and awarding authorities on performance appraisal ratings and performance awards for Senior Executive Service employees: Perry E. Anthony, Ph.D., Deputy Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, Department of Education. James E. House, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Department of Agriculture. Paul M. Laird, Assistant Director, Industries, Education and Vocational Training and Chief Operating Officer/FPI, Department of Justice. All appointments are made pursuant to Section 4314 of Chapter 43 of Title 5 of the United States Code.

The Commission is adopting final rules on accounting practices, an assumed Federal income tax, and periodic reporting for the Postal Service's theoretical competitive products enterprise. The rules incorporate several changes based on consideration of comments filed in response to an earlier proposal. Adoption of the rules will promote several statutory goals, including transparency and accountability.

Postal Service notice of filing a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to add Priority Mail Contract 2 to the list of Negotiated Service Agreements in the Mail Classification Schedule's Competitive Products List pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3642 and 3632(b)(3).

Postal Service notice of filing a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to add Express Mail Contract 2 to the list of Negotiated Service Agreements in the Mail Classification Schedule's Competitive Products List pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3642 and 3632(b)(3).

Postal Service notice of filing a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to add Priority Mail Contract 3 to the list of Negotiated Service Agreements in the Mail Classification Schedule's Competitive Products List pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3642 and 3632(b)(3).

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule Advisory Panel (MAS Panel), a Federal Advisory Committee, will hold public meetings on the following dates: Friday, January 30, 2009 and Monday February 2, 2009. GSA utilizes the MAS program to establish long-term Governmentwide contracts with responsible firms to provide Federal, State, and local government customers with access to a wide variety of commercial supplies (products) and services. The MAS Panel was established to develop advice and recommendations on MAS program pricing policies, provisions, and procedures in the context of current commercial pricing practices. The Panel will be developing recommendations for MAS program pricing provisions for the acquisition of (1) professional services; (2) products; (3) total solutions which consist of professional services and products; and (4) non professional services. In developing the recommendations, the Panel will, at a minimum, address these 5 questions for each of the 4 types of acquisitions envisioned above: (1) Where does competition take place?; (2) If competition takes place primarily at the task/delivery order level, does a fair and reasonable price determination at the MAS contract level really matter?; (3) If the Panel consensus is that competition is at the task order level, are the methods that GSA uses to determine fair and reasonable prices and maintain the price/discount relationship with the basis of award customer(s) adequate?; (4) If the current policy is not adequate, what are the recommendations to improve the policy/guidance; and (5) If fair and reasonable price determination at the MAS contract level is not beneficial and the fair and reasonable price determination is to be determined only at the task/delivery order level, then what is the GSA role? To that end, the Panel would like to hear from the many stakeholders of the MAS program. The MAS program stakeholders include, but are not limited to, ordering agency contracting officers, GSA contracting officers, schedule contract holders, Congress, program managers, the General Accountability Office, and Federal agency Inspector General Offices. The panel is particularly interested in stakeholder views as to how the issues discussed above may relate differently to the purchase of goods, services, or goods and services that are configured to propose an integrated solution to an agency's needs. Written comments may be submitted at any time in accordance with the guidance below. The meeting will be held at U.S. General Services Administration, Federal Acquisition Service, 2200 Crystal Drive, Room L1301, Arlington, VA 22202. The location is within walking distance of the Crystal City metro stop. The meeting start time is 9:00 a.m., and will adjourn no later than 5:00 p.m. For presentations before the Panel, the following guidance is provided: Oral comments: The Panel will no longer entertain oral presentations. Written Comments: Written comments must be received ten (10) business days prior to the meeting date so that the comments may be provided to the Panel for their consideration prior to the meeting. Comments should be supplied to Ms. Brooks at the address/contact information noted below in the following format: one hard copy with original signature and one electronic copy via email in Microsoft Word. Subsequent meeting dates, locations, and times will be published at least 15 days prior to the meeting date.

The Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service has adopted a considerable number of amendments to its Bylaws, set forth in subchapter A, parts 1 through 11, of title 39 of the Code of Federal Regulations. These amendments implement changes in the authority, responsibilities, and procedures of the Board made necessary by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA), Public Law 109-435. The Postal Service hereby publishes this final rule revising subchapter A to reflect the changes in the Board's Bylaws.