Organization; Standards of Conduct and Referral of Known or Suspected Criminal Violations; Eligibility and Scope of Financing; Loan Policies and Operations; Regulatory Burden, 34549-34550 [E6-9355]

Download as PDF cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with PROPOSALS Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 115 / Thursday, June 15, 2006 / Proposed Rules average income of $7,520, while large ones had an average income of $1.042 million. Meat packing establishments (NAICS 311611), and meat and meat product wholesale traders (NAICS 422470) might be affected (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1997 Economic Census, Wholesale Trade-Subject Series, August 2000). Under SBA standards, meat packing establishments with no more than 500 employees and meat and meat product wholesale traders with no more than 100 employees are considered small. In 1997, there were 1,393 companies in the United States that processed and sold meat. More than 95 percent of these establishments are considered to be small entities and had average sales of $9.7 million, while large meat packers had average sales of $603 million. In 1997, there were total of 3,150 meat and meat product wholesale traders in the United States (Source: SBA and 1997 Economic Census). Of these establishments, 3,084 (97.9 percent) employed not more than 100 employees and are, thus, considered small by SBA standards. Small wholesalers had average sales of $8.85 million, while large entities had average sales of $348 million. Thus, predominant numbers of producers, packers and wholesale traders are considered to be small by SBA standards. Average sales of even the smallest packers and wholesalers are large compared to the quantities expected to be imported from Namibia. Furthermore, any impact on these entities would likely be positive since imports would increase the supply. We have only limited information with regard to the production, demand, price, trade of game meat, or the number of small entities involved in these businesses. We welcome any information that the public may offer in this area. The only alternative to the proposed rule would involve not changing the current regulations regarding the importation of beef, sheep, and goat meat and game meat from Namibia. This alternative would not meet the needs of importers who are attempting to establish a new source of supply for red meat and would deny both businesses and consumers the benefits of widened choices. The proposed rule provides the safeguarding measures appropriate to the risk associated with importation of this type of animal product. The proposed rule also enhances a positive trade environment between Namibia and the United States. We note again that Namibia is not currently eligible to export ruminant meat products to the United States under the FSIS VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:35 Jun 14, 2006 Jkt 208001 regulations cited earlier in this document; there would, therefore, be no economic effects on U.S. entities until establishments in Namibia were approved to export ruminant meat and other products to the United States. Under these circumstances, the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that this action would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. § 94.11 Executive Order 12988 34549 BILLING CODE 3410–34–P This proposed rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988, Civil Justice Reform. If this proposed rule is adopted: (1) All State and local laws and regulations that are inconsistent with this rule will be preempted; (2) no retroactive effect will be given to this rule; and (3) administrative proceedings will not be required before parties may file suit in court challenging this rule. Paperwork Reduction Act This proposed rule contains no information collection or recordkeeping requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). List of Subjects in 9 CFR Part 94 Animal diseases, Imports, Livestock, Meat and meat products, Milk, Poultry and poultry products, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements. Accordingly, we propose to amend 9 CFR part 94 as follows: PART 94—RINDERPEST, FOOT-ANDMOUTH DISEASE, FOWL PEST (FOWL PLAGUE), EXOTIC NEWCASTLE DISEASE, AFRICAN SWINE FEVER, CLASSICAL SWINE FEVER, AND BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY: PROHIBITED AND RESTRICTED IMPORTATIONS 1. The authority citation for part 94 would continue to read as follows: Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 7701–7772, 7781– 7786, and 8301–8317; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.4. § 94.1 [Amended] 2. Section 94.1 would be amended as follows: a. In paragraph (a)(2), by adding the words ‘‘Namibia (excluding the region north of the Veterinary Cordon Fence),’’ after the word ‘‘Mexico,’’. b. In paragraph (a)(3), by removing the words ‘‘The Republic’’ and adding the words ‘‘Namibia and the Republic’’ in their place. PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 [Amended] 3. In § 94.11, paragraph (a) would be amended by adding the words ‘‘Namibia (excluding the region north of the Veterinary Cordon Fence),’’ before the words ‘‘The Netherlands’’. Done in Washington, DC, this 8th day of June 2006. Kevin Shea, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [FR Doc. 06–5440 Filed 6–13–06; 8:45 am] FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION 12 CFR Parts 611, 612, 613, and 614 RIN 3052–AC15 Organization; Standards of Conduct and Referral of Known or Suspected Criminal Violations; Eligibility and Scope of Financing; Loan Policies and Operations; Regulatory Burden Farm Credit Administration. Proposed rule; reopening of comment period. AGENCY: ACTION: SUMMARY: The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) Board reopens the comment period on the proposed rule intended to reduce regulatory burden on the Farm Credit System (FCS or System), so that interested parties will have additional time to provide comments. Please send your comments to us by July 17, 2006. ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent by electronic mail to reg-comm@fca.gov, through the Pending Regulations section of our Web site at https://www.fca.gov or through the Government-wide https:// www.regulations.gov portal. You may also send written comments to Gary K. Van Meter, Deputy Director, Office of Regulatory Policy, Farm Credit Administration, 1501 Farm Credit Drive, McLean, Virginia 22102–5090 or by fax to (703) 734–5784. You may review copies of comments we received at our office in McLean, Virginia, or from our Web site at https://www.fca.gov. Once you are in the Web site, select ‘‘Legal Info,’’ and then select ‘‘Public Comments.’’ We will show your comments as submitted, but for technical reasons we may omit items such as logos and special characters. Identifying information you may provide, such as phone numbers and addresses, will be publicly available. However, we will attempt to remove electronic-mail addresses to help reduce Internet spam. DATES: E:\FR\FM\15JNP1.SGM 15JNP1 34550 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 115 / Thursday, June 15, 2006 / Proposed Rules FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jacqueline R. Melvin, Associate Policy Analyst, Office of Regulatory Policy, Farm Credit Administration, McLean, Virginia 22102–5090, (703) 883–4144, TTY (703) 883–4434; or Howard Rubin, Senior Counsel, Office of General Counsel, Farm Credit Administration, McLean, Virginia 22102–5090, (703) 883–4020, TTY (703) 883–4020. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 28, 2006, FCA published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to amend regulations in parts 611, 612, 613, and 614 to reduce regulatory burden on System banks and associations. The comment period expired on May 30, 2006. See 71 FR 15343, March 28, 2006. A member of the public has requested us to extend the comment period for at least an additional 30 days. In response to this request, we are reopening the comment period until July 17, 2006. The FCA supports public involvement and participation in its regulatory process and invites all interested parties to review and provide comments on the proposed rule. We believe that a reopening of the comment period to allow all interested parties more time to provide comments is appropriate, but that the reopening should be no longer than 30 days. Dated: June 8, 2006. Roland E. Smith, Secretary, Farm Credit Administration Board. [FR Doc. E6–9355 Filed 6–14–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6705–01–P SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 13 CFR Parts 121, 125 and 127 RIN: 3245–AE65 The Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Assistance Program Small Business Administration. Proposed rule. AGENCY: cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with PROPOSALS ACTION: SUMMARY: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) proposes to amend its regulations governing SBA’s government contracting programs. This proposed rule would add a new part to implement the Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Assistance Program authorized under the Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000. It would also make the relevant conforming amendments to SBA’s regulations. DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 17, 2006. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Agency name and RIN VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:35 Jun 14, 2006 Jkt 208001 3245–AE65, by any of the following methods: (1) The Federal eRulemaking portal at https://www.regulations.gov; (2) E-mail (include RIN number in the subject line) to: Linda.Waters@sba.gov; Fax: (202) 205–6390; (3) Mail or Hand Delivery/Courier to Linda Waters, Procurement Analyst, Office of Federal Contract Assistance for Women Business Owners, U.S. Small Business Administration, 409 3rd Street, SW., Washington, DC 20416. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Waters, Procurement Analyst, Office of Federal Contract Assistance for Women Business Owners, (202) 205– 7315 or Linda.Waters@sba.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background Women-owned businesses have been regarded as the fastest growing segment of the business community in the United States. Although between 1997 and 2002 the growth rate in the number of women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) was almost twice that of all firms, WOSBs have not received a commensurate increase in their share of Federal contracting dollars. Several congressional and executive efforts over the years to increase Federal contracting with WOSBs have not enhanced the WOSB share of Federal contracting dollars as much as anticipated. For example, in 1979, when Executive Order 12138 charged Federal agencies with responsibility for providing procurement assistance to women-owned businesses, WOSBs received only 0.2 percent of all Federal procurements. More than 9 years later, the percentage of WOSB Federal procurements had grown to only one percent. Similarly, in 1988, the Women’s Business Ownership Act, Public Law 100–588 (Oct. 25, 1988), was enacted to assist women in starting, managing and growing small businesses. This program has been successful in assisting thousands of women in obtaining business financing and in business formation, but has enjoyed less success in the Federal procurement arena. Section 7106 of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA), Public Law 103–355 (Oct. 13, 1994), amended the Small Business Act (the Act) by establishing a target that would result in greater opportunities for women to compete for Federal contracts. FASA, among other things, amended the Small Business Act (the Act) by establishing a government-wide goal for participation by WOSBs in procurement contracts of not less than 5 percent of the total value of all prime PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 contract and subcontract awards for each fiscal year. FASA also directed that WOSBs, like other small businesses and small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs), have the maximum practicable opportunity to become subcontractors for Federal contracts exceeding $100,000, and it mandated that WOSBs be included in subcontracting plans required under Section 8(d) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. 637(d). Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) data indicates that since fiscal year (FY) 1996, Federal agencies have not met the separate 5 percent government-wide WOSB goal for prime contracts and subcontracts. However, the share of Federal prime contracting dollars to WOSBs has increased over the years. For example, in FY 2000, WOSBs received 2.3 percent of the approximately $200 billion in Federal prime contract awards. The share of WOSB prime contract awards increased to 2.49 percent in FY 2001, and again to 2.90, 2.98, and 3.03 percent in FYs 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively. Nonetheless, the total percent of WOSB prime contract awards stills falls short of the statutory goal of 5 percent. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report in February 2001 discussing the trends and obstacles in Federal contracting with WOSBs since FY 1996. See Trends and Challenges in Contracting With WomenOwned Small Businesses, GAO–01–346. In that report, GAO noted that contracting officials complain that one of the primary obstacles in achieving the statutory five percent WOSB goal was the absence of a ‘‘targeted government program for contracting with WOSBs.’’ Section 811 of the Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000, Public Law 106–554, provided such a mechanism. Section 811, enacted on December 21, 2000, amended the Act by adding a new section 8(m), 15 U.S.C. 637(m), authorizing contracting officers to restrict competition to eligible WOSBs for certain Federal contracts in industries in which SBA has determined that WOSBs are underrepresented or substantially underrepresented in Federal procurement. The new section 8(m) of the Act explicitly limits the contracting officer’s authority to restrict competition to contracts not exceeding $3 million ($5 million for manufacturing). It further requires SBA to conduct a study to identify the industries in which WOSBs are underrepresented and substantially underrepresented in Federal procurement and requires the head of any department or agency to provide SBA with any information that SBA deems necessary to conduct the study. E:\FR\FM\15JNP1.SGM 15JNP1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 115 (Thursday, June 15, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 34549-34550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9355]


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FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION

12 CFR Parts 611, 612, 613, and 614

RIN 3052-AC15


Organization; Standards of Conduct and Referral of Known or 
Suspected Criminal Violations; Eligibility and Scope of Financing; Loan 
Policies and Operations; Regulatory Burden

AGENCY: Farm Credit Administration.

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of comment period.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) Board reopens the comment 
period on the proposed rule intended to reduce regulatory burden on the 
Farm Credit System (FCS or System), so that interested parties will 
have additional time to provide comments.

DATES: Please send your comments to us by July 17, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent by electronic mail to reg-comm@fca.gov, 
through the Pending Regulations section of our Web site at https://
www.fca.gov or through the Government-wide https://www.regulations.gov 
portal. You may also send written comments to Gary K. Van Meter, Deputy 
Director, Office of Regulatory Policy, Farm Credit Administration, 1501 
Farm Credit Drive, McLean, Virginia 22102-5090 or by fax to (703) 734-
5784.
    You may review copies of comments we received at our office in 
McLean, Virginia, or from our Web site at https://www.fca.gov. Once you 
are in the Web site, select ``Legal Info,'' and then select ``Public 
Comments.'' We will show your comments as submitted, but for technical 
reasons we may omit items such as logos and special characters. 
Identifying information you may provide, such as phone numbers and 
addresses, will be publicly available. However, we will attempt to 
remove electronic-mail addresses to help reduce Internet spam.

[[Page 34550]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jacqueline R. Melvin, Associate Policy 
Analyst, Office of Regulatory Policy, Farm Credit Administration, 
McLean, Virginia 22102-5090, (703) 883-4144, TTY (703) 883-4434; or
    Howard Rubin, Senior Counsel, Office of General Counsel, Farm 
Credit Administration, McLean, Virginia 22102-5090, (703) 883-4020, TTY 
(703) 883-4020.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 28, 2006, FCA published a proposed 
rule in the Federal Register to amend regulations in parts 611, 612, 
613, and 614 to reduce regulatory burden on System banks and 
associations. The comment period expired on May 30, 2006. See 71 FR 
15343, March 28, 2006. A member of the public has requested us to 
extend the comment period for at least an additional 30 days. In 
response to this request, we are reopening the comment period until 
July 17, 2006. The FCA supports public involvement and participation in 
its regulatory process and invites all interested parties to review and 
provide comments on the proposed rule. We believe that a reopening of 
the comment period to allow all interested parties more time to provide 
comments is appropriate, but that the reopening should be no longer 
than 30 days.

    Dated: June 8, 2006.
Roland E. Smith,
Secretary, Farm Credit Administration Board.
 [FR Doc. E6-9355 Filed 6-14-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6705-01-P
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