Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice of Closure of Case 012-CP-05, Protection of Worker Rights in Swaziland and Closure of Case 015-CP-05, Protection of Intellectual Property in Kazakhstan, in the 2005 Annual Country Practice Review, 25614-25615 [E6-6536]
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25614
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 83 / Monday, May 1, 2006 / Notices
one week in advance for all meetings
due to security and/or seating
limitations (see below for information
on pre-registration).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Members of the public wishing further
information concerning these meetings
or the Panel itself, or to pre-register for
the meetings, should contact Ms. Laura
Auletta, Designated Federal Officer
(DFO), at: laura.auletta@gsa.gov, phone/
voice mail (202) 208–7279, or mail at:
General Services Administration, 1800
F. Street, NW., Room 4006, Washington,
DC 20405. Members of the public
wishing to reserve speaking time must
contact Mr. Emile Monette, AAP Staff
Analyst, in writing at:
emile.monette@gsa.gov or by Fax at
202–501–3341, or mail at the address
given above for the DFO. Requests must
be received no later than one week prior
to the meeting for which speaking time
is desired.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
(a) Background: The purpose of the
Panel is to provide independent advice
and recommendations to the Office of
Federal Procurement Policy and
Congress pursuant to Section 1423 of
the Services Acquisition Reform Act of
2003. The Panel’s statutory charter is to
review Federal contracting laws,
regulations, and governmentwide
policies, including the use of
commercial practices, performancebased contracting, performance of
acquisition functions across agency
lines of responsibility, and
governmentwide contracts. Interested
parties are invited to attend the
meetings. Opportunity for public
comments will be provided at the
meetings. Any change will be
announced in the Federal Register.
All Meetings—While the Panel may
hear from additional invited speakers,
the focus of these meetings will be
discussions of and voting on working
group findings and recommendations
from selected working groups,
established at the February 28, 2005 and
May 17, 2005 public meetings of the
AAP (see https://acquisition.gov/comp/
aap/ for a list of working
groups). The Panel welcomes oral
public comments at these meetings and
has reserved one-half hour for this
purpose at each meeting. Members of
the public wishing to address the Panel
during the meeting must contact Mr.
Monette, in writing, as soon as possible
to reserve time (see contact information
above).
(b) Posting of Draft Reports: Members
of the public are encouraged to regularly
visit the Panel’s web site for draft
reports. Currently, the working groups
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are staggering the posting of various
sections of their draft reports at https://
acquisition.gov/comp/aap/
under the link for ‘‘Working Group
Reports.’’ The most recent posting is
from the Commercial Practices Working
Group. The public is encouraged to
submit written comments on any and all
draft reports.
(c) Adopted Recommendations: The
Panel has adopted recommendations
presented by the Small Business,
Interagency Contracting, and
Performance-Based Acquisition
Working Groups as of the date of this
notice. While additional
recommendations from some of these
working groups are likely and adopted
recommendations from other working
groups will be posted as
recommendations are adopted, the
public is encouraged to review and
comment on the recommendations
adopted by the Panel to date by going
to https://acquisition.gov/comp/aap/
index.html and selecting the link for
‘‘Panel Recommendations To Date.’’
(d) Availability of Meeting Materials:
Please see the Panel’s Web site for any
available materials, including draft
agendas and minutes. Questions/issues
of particular interest to the Panel are
also available to the public on this Web
site on its front page, including
‘‘Questions for Government Buying
Agencies,’’ ‘‘Questions for Contractors
that Sell Commercial Goods or Services
to the Government,’’ ‘‘Questions for
Commercial Organizations,’’ and an
issue raised by one Panel member
regarding the rules of interpretation and
performance of contracts and liabilities
of the parties entitled ‘‘Revised
Commercial Practices Proposal for
Public Comment.’’ The Panel
encourages the public to address any of
these questions/issues when presenting
either oral public comments or written
statements to the Panel.
(e) Procedures for Providing Public
Comments: It is the policy of the Panel
to accept written public comments of
any length, and to accommodate oral
public comments whenever possible.
The Panel Staff expects that public
statements presented at Panel meetings
will be focused on the Panel’s statutory
charter and working group topics, and
not be repetitive of previously
submitted oral or written statements,
and that comments will be relevant to
the issues under discussion.
Oral Comments: Speaking times will
be confirmed by Panel staff on a ‘‘firstcome/first-served’’ basis. To
accommodate as many speakers as
possible, oral public comments must be
no longer than 10 minutes. Because
Panel members may ask questions,
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reserved times will be approximate.
Interested parties must contact Mr.
Emile Monette, in writing (via mail, email, or fax identified above for Mr.
Monette) at least one week prior to the
meeting in order to be placed on the
public speaker list for the meeting. Oral
requests for speaking time will not be
taken. Speakers are requested to bring
extra copies of their comments and/or
presentation slides for distribution to
the Panel at the meeting. Speakers
wishing to use a Power Point
presentation must e-mail the
presentation to Mr. Monette one week in
advance of the meeting.
Written Comments: Although written
comments are accepted until the date of
the meeting (unless otherwise stated),
written comments should be received by
the Panel Staff at least one week prior
to the meeting date so that the
comments may be made available to the
Panel for their consideration prior to the
meeting. Written comments should be
supplied to the DFO at the address/
contact information given in this FR
Notice in one of the following formats
(Adobe Acrobat, WordPerfect, Word, or
Rich Text files, in IBM–PC/Windows
98/2000/XP format).
Please note: Because the Panel operates
under the provisions of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act, as amended, all public
presentations will be treated as public
documents and will be made available for
public inspection, up to and including being
posted on the Panel’s Web site.
(f) Meeting Accommodations:
Individuals requiring special
accommodation to access the public
meetings listed above should contact
Ms. Auletta at least five business days
prior to the meeting so that appropriate
arrangements can be made.
Laura Auletta,
Designated Federal Officer (Executive
Director), Acquisition Advisory Panel.
[FR Doc. 06–4070 Filed 4–28–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3110–01–P
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP): Notice of Closure of Case 012–
CP–05, Protection of Worker Rights in
Swaziland and Closure of Case 015–
CP–05, Protection of Intellectual
Property in Kazakhstan, in the 2005
Annual Country Practice Review
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\01MYN1.SGM
01MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 83 / Monday, May 1, 2006 / Notices
SUMMARY: This notice announces
closure of the review for cases 012–CP–
05, Protection of Worker Rights in
Swaziland and 015–CP–05, Protection
of Intellectual Property in Kazakhstan.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Marideth Sandler, Executive Director of
the GSP Program, Office of the United
States Trade Representative (USTR),
Room F–220, 1724 F Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20508. The telephone
number is (202) 395–6971 and the
facsimile number is (202) 395–9481.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSP
program provides for the duty-free
importation of designated articles when
imported from beneficiary developing
countries. The GSP program is
authorized by Title V of the Trade Act
of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461, et seq.), as
amended (the ‘‘Trade Act’’), and is
implemented in accordance with
Executive Order 11888 of November 24,
1975, as modified by subsequent
Executive Orders and Presidential
Proclamations.
In the 2005 Annual Review, the GSP
Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff
Committee (TPSC) is reviewing
petitions concerning the country
practices of certain beneficiary
developing countries of the GSP
program. As a result of that review, the
TPSC has decided to close the review
for case 012–CP–05 regarding protection
of worker rights in Swaziland and case
015–CP–05, protection of intellectual
property rights in Kazakhstan. The
Petitioners were the AFL–CIO and the
International Intellectual Property
Alliance (IIPA), respectively. The results
of other ongoing country practice
reviews in the 2005 Annual Review will
be announced in the Federal Register at
a later date.
Marideth J. Sandler,
Executive Director, GSP Program.
[FR Doc. E6–6536 Filed 4–28–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190–W6–P
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL
MANAGEMENT
Personnel Demonstration Project;
Alternative Personnel Management
System for the U.S. Department of
Commerce
Office of Personnel
Management.
ACTION: Notice of modification to the
Department of Commerce Personnel
Management Demonstration Project.
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AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) has authority to
conduct demonstration projects that
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17:38 Apr 28, 2006
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experiment with new and different
human resources management concepts
to determine whether changes in
policies and procedures result in
improved Federal human resources
management. OPM approved a
demonstration project covering several
operating units of the U.S. Department
of Commerce (DoC). OPM must approve
modifications to demonstration project
plans. This notice rescinds the
demonstration project’s independent
authority pertaining to recruitment and
retention payments. By so doing, it
allows the demonstration project to take
advantage of the expanded recruitment
and retention flexibilities applicable to
General Schedule and other employees.
DATES: This notice modifying the DoC
Demonstration Project may be
implemented upon publication.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Department of Commerce:
Joan Jorgenson, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 14th and Constitution
Avenue, NW., Room 5004, Washington,
DC 20230, (202) 482–4233. Office of
Personnel Management: Jill Rajaee, U.S.
Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20415,
(202) 606–0836.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background
The Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) approved the Department of
Commerce (DOC) Demonstration Project
and published the final plan in the
Federal Register Volume 62, Number
247, Part II, on Wednesday, December
24, 1997. The project was implemented
on March 29, 1998, and modified in the
Federal Register on Thursday,
September 30, 1999, Volume 64,
Number 189 [Notices] [Pages 52810–
52812], and on Tuesday, August 12,
2003, Volume 68, Number 155 [Notices]
[Pages 47948–47949]. OPM approved a
request to extend the DOC
Demonstration Project for five years as
stated in an administrative letter from
OPM, dated February 14, 2003. The
project was approved for expansion in
the Federal Register Volume 68,
Number 180 [Notices] [Pages 54505–
54507], on Wednesday, September 17,
2003, to include an additional 1,505
employees. The demonstration project
was again modified on Tuesday, July 5,
2005, Volume 70, Number 127 [Notices]
[Pages 38732–38733]. This notice
rescinds the demonstration project’s
independent authority pertaining to
recruitment and retention payments. By
so doing, it allows the demonstration
project to take advantage of the
expanded recruitment and retention
flexibilities under 5 U.S.C. 5753 and
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25615
5754, and subparts A and C of 5 CFR
part 575.
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 4703; 5 CFR 470.315
Office of Personnel Management.
Linda M. Springer,
Director.
Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary
II. Basis for Project Plan Modification
III. Changes to the Project Plan
I. Executive Summary
The Department of Commerce (DOC)
Demonstration Project utilizes many
features similar to those implemented
by the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) Demonstration
Project in 1988. The DOC
Demonstration Project supports several
key objectives: To simplify the
classification system for greater
flexibility in classifying work and
paying employees; to establish a
performance management and rewards
system for improving individual and
organizational performance; and to
improve recruitment and retention to
attract highly qualified candidates. The
project is designed to test whether the
interventions of the NIST project, which
is now a permanent alternative
personnel system, could be successful
in other DOC environments. The current
participating organizations include the
Office of the Chief Financial Officer and
Assistant Secretary for Administration
(CFO/ASA), the Technology
Administration, the Bureau of Economic
Analysis, the Institute for
Telecommunication Sciences, and units
of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration: Office of
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research,
National Marine Fisheries Service, and
the National Environmental Satellite,
Data, and Information Service.
II. Basis for Project Plan Modification
As part of the Commerce
Demonstration Project plan, as
published in the Federal Register notice
(62 FR 67434), the recruitment bonus
and retention allowance authorities
under 5 U.S.C. 5753 and 5754, and
subparts A and C of 5 CFR part 575,
were waived for the DOC Demonstration
Project and replaced with an
independent authority to pay
recruitment and retention payments.
Based on independent evaluations, the
recruitment and retention payment
flexibilities have been underutilized in
the demonstration project. The changes
in statute made by section 101 of the
Federal Workforce Flexibility Act of
2004 (Pub. L. 108–411, October 30,
2004) provide robust recruitment and
retention incentives in an effort to
E:\FR\FM\01MYN1.SGM
01MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 83 (Monday, May 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25614-25615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-6536]
=======================================================================
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice of Closure of
Case 012-CP-05, Protection of Worker Rights in Swaziland and Closure of
Case 015-CP-05, Protection of Intellectual Property in Kazakhstan, in
the 2005 Annual Country Practice Review
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 25615]]
SUMMARY: This notice announces closure of the review for cases 012-CP-
05, Protection of Worker Rights in Swaziland and 015-CP-05, Protection
of Intellectual Property in Kazakhstan.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Marideth Sandler, Executive Director
of the GSP Program, Office of the United States Trade Representative
(USTR), Room F-220, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508. The
telephone number is (202) 395-6971 and the facsimile number is (202)
395-9481.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSP program provides for the duty-free
importation of designated articles when imported from beneficiary
developing countries. The GSP program is authorized by Title V of the
Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461, et seq.), as amended (the ``Trade
Act''), and is implemented in accordance with Executive Order 11888 of
November 24, 1975, as modified by subsequent Executive Orders and
Presidential Proclamations.
In the 2005 Annual Review, the GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy
Staff Committee (TPSC) is reviewing petitions concerning the country
practices of certain beneficiary developing countries of the GSP
program. As a result of that review, the TPSC has decided to close the
review for case 012-CP-05 regarding protection of worker rights in
Swaziland and case 015-CP-05, protection of intellectual property
rights in Kazakhstan. The Petitioners were the AFL-CIO and the
International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), respectively. The
results of other ongoing country practice reviews in the 2005 Annual
Review will be announced in the Federal Register at a later date.
Marideth J. Sandler,
Executive Director, GSP Program.
[FR Doc. E6-6536 Filed 4-28-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W6-P
