No FEAR Act Notice, 33226-33227 [E7-11600]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
33226
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 115 / Friday, June 15, 2007 / Notices
holding company and/or to acquire the
assets or the ownership of, control of, or
the power to vote shares of a bank or
bank holding company and all of the
banks and nonbanking companies
owned by the bank holding company,
including the companies listed below.
The applications listed below, as well
as other related filings required by the
Board, are available for immediate
inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank
indicated. The application also will be
available for inspection at the offices of
the Board of Governors. Interested
persons may express their views in
writing on the standards enumerated in
the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1842(c)). If the
proposal also involves the acquisition of
a nonbanking company, the review also
includes whether the acquisition of the
nonbanking company complies with the
standards in section 4 of the BHC Act
(12 U.S.C. 1843). Unless otherwise
noted, nonbanking activities will be
conducted throughout the United States.
Additional information on all bank
holding companies may be obtained
from the National Information Center
website at www.ffiec.gov/nic/.
Unless otherwise noted, comments
regarding each of these applications
must be received at the Reserve Bank
indicated or the offices of the Board of
Governors not later than July 9, 2007.
A. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
(David Tatum, Vice President) 1000
Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia
30309:
1. NorthStar Banking Corporation, to
become a bank holding company by
acquiring 100 percent of the voting
shares of NorthStar Bank (in
organization), both of Tampa, Florida.
B. Federal Reserve Bank of
Minneapolis (Jacqueline G. King,
Community Affairs Officer) 90
Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis,
Minnesota 55480-0291:
1. Merchants Financial Group, Inc.,
Winona, Minnesota; to acquire 100
percent of the voting shares of Jerema,
Inc., and thereby indirectly acquire
voting shares of The First National Bank
in Cannon Falls, both of Cannon Falls,
Minnesota.
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System, June 11, 2007.
Robert deV. Frierson,
Deputy Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. E7–11554 Filed 6–14–07; 8:45 am]
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
BILLING CODE 6210–01–S
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
No FEAR Act Notice
AGENCY:
Federal Trade Commission
(FTC).
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:26 Jun 14, 2007
Jkt 211001
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY: The Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) is providing notice
to its employees, former employees, and
applicants for federal employment about
the rights and remedies available to
them under the Federal
antidiscrimination, whistleblower
protection, and retaliation laws. This
notice fulfills the FTC’s initial
notification obligation under the
Notification and Federal Employees
Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act
(No FEAR Act), as implemented by
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
regulations at 5 CFR part 724.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Barbara Wiggs, Director, Office of Equal
Employment Opportunity (EEO), by
mail at Federal Trade Commission, Mail
Drop H-413, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20580, or by
telephone at (202) 326-2197. Additional
information can be found on the FTC’s
website at https://www.ftc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May
15, 2002, Congress enacted the
‘‘Notification and Federal Employee
Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act
of 2002,’’ which is now known as the
No FEAR Act. See Pub. L. 107-174,
codified at 5 U.S.C. 2301 note. As stated
in the full title of the Act, the Act is
intended to ‘‘require that Federal
agencies be accountable for violations of
antidiscrimination and whistleblower
protection laws.’’ In support of this
purpose, Congress found that ‘‘agencies
cannot be run effectively if those
agencies practice or tolerate
discrimination.’’ Pub. L. 107-174, §
101(1).
The Act also requires this agency to
provide this notice to its Federal
employees, former Federal employees
and applicants for Federal employment
to inform you of the rights and
protections available to you under
Federal antidiscrimination,
whistleblower protection, and
retaliation laws.
Antidiscrimination Laws
A Federal agency cannot discriminate
against an employee or applicant with
respect to the terms, conditions or
privileges of employment on the basis of
race, color, national origin, religion, sex,
age, disability, sexual orientation,
parental status or any other non-merit
factor. Discrimination on these bases is
prohibited by one or more of the
following statutes: 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(1),
29 U.S.C. 206(d), 29 U.S.C. 631, 29
U.S.C. 633a, 29 U.S.C. 791 and 42 U.S.C.
2000e-16.
If you believe that you have been the
victim of unlawful discrimination on
PO 00000
Frm 00036
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
the basis of race, color, religion, sex,
national origin or disability, you must
contact an Equal Employment
Opportunity (EEO) counselor within 45
calendar days of the alleged
discriminatory action, or, in the case of
a personnel action, within 45 calendar
days of the effective date of the action,
before you can file a formal complaint
of discrimination with your agency. See,
e.g., 29 CFR part 1614. If you believe
that you have been the victim of
unlawful discrimination on the basis of
age, you must either contact an EEO
counselor as noted above or give notice
of intent to sue to the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC) within 180 calendar days of the
alleged discriminatory action. If you are
alleging discrimination based on marital
status or political affiliation, you may
file a written complaint with the U.S.
Office of Special Counsel (OSC) (see
contact information below). In the
alternative (or in some cases, in
addition), you may pursue a
discrimination complaint by filing a
grievance through your agency’s
administrative or negotiated grievance
procedures, if such procedures apply
and are available.
Whistleblower Protection Laws
A Federal employee with authority to
take, direct others to take, recommend
or approve any personnel action must
not use that authority to take or fail to
take, or threaten to take or fail to take,
a personnel action against an employee
or applicant because of disclosure of
information by that individual that is
reasonably believed to evidence
violations of law, rule or regulation;
gross mismanagement; gross waste of
funds; an abuse of authority; or a
substantial and specific danger to public
health or safety, unless disclosure of
such information is specifically
prohibited by law and such information
is specifically required by Executive
order to be kept secret in the interest of
national defense or the conduct of
foreign affairs.
Retaliation against an employee or
applicant for making a protected
disclosure is prohibited by 5 U.S.C.
2302(b)(8). If you believe that you have
been the victim of whistleblower
retaliation, you may file a written
complaint (Form OSC-11) with the U.S.
Office of Special Counsel at 1730 M
Street, NW., Suite 218, Washington, DC
20036-4505 or online through the OSC
Web site at https://www.osc.gov.
Retaliation for Engaging in Protected
Activity
A Federal agency cannot retaliate
against an employee or applicant
E:\FR\FM\15JNN1.SGM
15JNN1
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 115 / Friday, June 15, 2007 / Notices
because that individual exercises his or
her rights under any of the Federal
antidiscrimination or whistleblower
protection laws listed above. If you
believe that you are the victim of
retaliation for engaging in protected
activity, you must follow, as
appropriate, the procedures described in
the Antidiscrimination Laws and
Whistleblower Protection Laws sections
or, if applicable, the administrative or
negotiated grievance procedures in
order to pursue any legal remedy.
Disciplinary Actions
Under the existing laws, each agency
retains the right, where appropriate, to
discipline a Federal employee for
conduct that is inconsistent with
Federal antidiscrimination and
whistleblower protection laws up to and
including removal. If OSC has initiated
an investigation under 5 U.S.C. 1214,
however, according to 5 U.S.C. 1214(f),
agencies must seek approval from the
Special Counsel to discipline employees
for, among other activities, engaging in
prohibited retaliation. Nothing in the No
FEAR Act alters existing laws or permits
an agency to take unfounded
disciplinary action against a Federal
employee or to violate the procedural
rights of a Federal employee who has
been accused of discrimination.
Additional Information
For further information regarding the
No FEAR Act regulations, refer to 5 CFR
part 724, as well as the appropriate
offices within the FTC (e.g., Office of
EEO, Human Resources Management
Office, or Office of the General Counsel).
Additional information regarding
Federal antidiscrimination,
whistleblower protection and retaliation
laws can be found on the EEOC Website
at https://www.eeoc.gov and on the OSC
Web site at https://www.osc.gov.
Existing Rights Unchanged
Pursuant to section 205 of the No
FEAR Act, neither the Act nor this
notice creates, expands or reduces any
rights otherwise available to any
employee, former employee or applicant
under the laws of the United States,
including the provisions of law
specified in 5 U.S.C. 2302(d).
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7–11600 Filed 6–14–07; 8:45 am]
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
BILLING CODE 6750–01–S
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
United States Postal Service Study
AGENCY:
Federal Trade Commission.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:26 Jun 14, 2007
Jkt 211001
Extension of deadline for
submission of public comments.
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Federal Trade
Commission is extending the deadline
for filing public comments on several
issues in connection with the
preparation of a report required by the
Postal Accountability and Enhancement
Act.
DATES: Public comments must be
received on or before August 6, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to
‘‘USPS Study, Project No. P071200’’ to
facilitate the organization of comments.
A comment filed in paper form should
include this reference both in the text
and on the envelope, and the original
and two copies should be delivered to
the following address: Federal Trade
Commission/Office of the Secretary,
Room 135-H (Annex F ), 600
Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20580.
Because paper mail in the Washington
area and at the FTC is subject to delay,
please consider submitting your
comment in electronic form, as
prescribed below. Comments containing
any material for which confidential
treatment is requested, however, must
be filed in paper (rather than electronic)
form, and the first page of the document
must be clearly labeled ‘‘Confidential,’’
and must comply with FTC Rule 4.9(c).1
Comments filed in electronic form
(except comments containing any
confidential material) should be
submitted to the FTC by clicking on the
following Web link: https://
secure.commentworks.com/FTC/
USPSStudy and following the
instructions on the Web-based form.
You also may visit https://
www.regulations.gov to read this request
for public comment and may file an
electronic comment through that Web
site. The FTC will consider all
comments that regulations.gov forwards
to it.
The FTC Act and other laws the
Commission administers permit the
collection of public comments to
consider and use in this proceeding as
appropriate. All timely and responsive
public comments, whether filed in
paper or electronic form, will be
considered by the Commission and will
be available to the public on the FTC
Web site, to the extent practicable, at
1 The comment must be accompanied by an
explicit request for confidential treatment,
including the factual and legal basis for the request,
and must identify the specific portions of the
comment to be withheld from the public record.
The request will be granted or denied by the
Commission’s General Counsel, consistent with
applicable law and the public interest. See
Commission Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).
PO 00000
Frm 00037
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
33227
https://www.ftc.gov/os/
publiccomments.shtm. As a matter of
discretion, the FTC makes every effort to
remove home contact information for
individuals from the public comments it
receives before placing those comments
on the FTC Web site. More information,
including routine uses permitted by the
Privacy Act, may be found in the FTC’s
privacy policy, at https://www.ftc.gov/
ftc/privacy.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information
should be addressed to James Cooper,
Federal Trade Commission, Office of
Policy Planning, 600 Pennsylvania
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.
Email: jcooper1@ftc.gov; Telephone:
202-326-3367.
On
December 20, 2006, President Bush
signed the Postal Accountability and
Enhancement Act into law. The Act
requires the Federal Trade Commission
to prepare and submit to the President,
Congress, and the Postal Regulatory
Commission (‘‘PRC’’) a comprehensive
report, by December 20, 2007,
identifying Federal and State laws that
apply differently to the United States
Postal Service — with respect to the
competitive category of mail — and to
private companies providing similar
products.
On May 1, 2007, the Commission
announced that it was seeking public
comment on several issues to assist in
the preparation of the report, and
published a Notice to that effect in the
Federal Register. See 72 Fed. Reg.
23,820 (May 1, 2007). The Notice also
designated July 2, 2007, as the deadline
for filing public comments. A number of
prospective commenters have now
requested a thirty-day extension of the
public comment period, in order to
ensure that they will be able to provide
the Commission with the best
information available. In light of the
number and importance of the issues on
which it has requested comment, the
Commission has determined to extend
the filing deadline until August 6, 2007.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
By direction of the Commission.
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7–11607 Filed 6–14–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750–01–S
E:\FR\FM\15JNN1.SGM
15JNN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 115 (Friday, June 15, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33226-33227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-11600]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
No FEAR Act Notice
AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is providing notice to its
employees, former employees, and applicants for federal employment
about the rights and remedies available to them under the Federal
antidiscrimination, whistleblower protection, and retaliation laws.
This notice fulfills the FTC's initial notification obligation under
the Notification and Federal Employees Antidiscrimination and
Retaliation Act (No FEAR Act), as implemented by Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) regulations at 5 CFR part 724.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Wiggs, Director, Office of
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), by mail at Federal Trade
Commission, Mail Drop H-413, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20580, or by telephone at (202) 326-2197. Additional information can
be found on the FTC's website at https://www.ftc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 15, 2002, Congress enacted the
``Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation
Act of 2002,'' which is now known as the No FEAR Act. See Pub. L. 107-
174, codified at 5 U.S.C. 2301 note. As stated in the full title of the
Act, the Act is intended to ``require that Federal agencies be
accountable for violations of antidiscrimination and whistleblower
protection laws.'' In support of this purpose, Congress found that
``agencies cannot be run effectively if those agencies practice or
tolerate discrimination.'' Pub. L. 107-174, Sec. 101(1).
The Act also requires this agency to provide this notice to its
Federal employees, former Federal employees and applicants for Federal
employment to inform you of the rights and protections available to you
under Federal antidiscrimination, whistleblower protection, and
retaliation laws.
Antidiscrimination Laws
A Federal agency cannot discriminate against an employee or
applicant with respect to the terms, conditions or privileges of
employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex,
age, disability, sexual orientation, parental status or any other non-
merit factor. Discrimination on these bases is prohibited by one or
more of the following statutes: 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(1), 29 U.S.C. 206(d),
29 U.S.C. 631, 29 U.S.C. 633a, 29 U.S.C. 791 and 42 U.S.C. 2000e-16.
If you believe that you have been the victim of unlawful
discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national
origin or disability, you must contact an Equal Employment Opportunity
(EEO) counselor within 45 calendar days of the alleged discriminatory
action, or, in the case of a personnel action, within 45 calendar days
of the effective date of the action, before you can file a formal
complaint of discrimination with your agency. See, e.g., 29 CFR part
1614. If you believe that you have been the victim of unlawful
discrimination on the basis of age, you must either contact an EEO
counselor as noted above or give notice of intent to sue to the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) within 180 calendar days of
the alleged discriminatory action. If you are alleging discrimination
based on marital status or political affiliation, you may file a
written complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) (see
contact information below). In the alternative (or in some cases, in
addition), you may pursue a discrimination complaint by filing a
grievance through your agency's administrative or negotiated grievance
procedures, if such procedures apply and are available.
Whistleblower Protection Laws
A Federal employee with authority to take, direct others to take,
recommend or approve any personnel action must not use that authority
to take or fail to take, or threaten to take or fail to take, a
personnel action against an employee or applicant because of disclosure
of information by that individual that is reasonably believed to
evidence violations of law, rule or regulation; gross mismanagement;
gross waste of funds; an abuse of authority; or a substantial and
specific danger to public health or safety, unless disclosure of such
information is specifically prohibited by law and such information is
specifically required by Executive order to be kept secret in the
interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs.
Retaliation against an employee or applicant for making a protected
disclosure is prohibited by 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(8). If you believe that
you have been the victim of whistleblower retaliation, you may file a
written complaint (Form OSC-11) with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel
at 1730 M Street, NW., Suite 218, Washington, DC 20036-4505 or online
through the OSC Web site at https://www.osc.gov.
Retaliation for Engaging in Protected Activity
A Federal agency cannot retaliate against an employee or applicant
[[Page 33227]]
because that individual exercises his or her rights under any of the
Federal antidiscrimination or whistleblower protection laws listed
above. If you believe that you are the victim of retaliation for
engaging in protected activity, you must follow, as appropriate, the
procedures described in the Antidiscrimination Laws and Whistleblower
Protection Laws sections or, if applicable, the administrative or
negotiated grievance procedures in order to pursue any legal remedy.
Disciplinary Actions
Under the existing laws, each agency retains the right, where
appropriate, to discipline a Federal employee for conduct that is
inconsistent with Federal antidiscrimination and whistleblower
protection laws up to and including removal. If OSC has initiated an
investigation under 5 U.S.C. 1214, however, according to 5 U.S.C.
1214(f), agencies must seek approval from the Special Counsel to
discipline employees for, among other activities, engaging in
prohibited retaliation. Nothing in the No FEAR Act alters existing laws
or permits an agency to take unfounded disciplinary action against a
Federal employee or to violate the procedural rights of a Federal
employee who has been accused of discrimination.
Additional Information
For further information regarding the No FEAR Act regulations,
refer to 5 CFR part 724, as well as the appropriate offices within the
FTC (e.g., Office of EEO, Human Resources Management Office, or Office
of the General Counsel). Additional information regarding Federal
antidiscrimination, whistleblower protection and retaliation laws can
be found on the EEOC Website at https://www.eeoc.gov and on the OSC Web
site at https://www.osc.gov.
Existing Rights Unchanged
Pursuant to section 205 of the No FEAR Act, neither the Act nor
this notice creates, expands or reduces any rights otherwise available
to any employee, former employee or applicant under the laws of the
United States, including the provisions of law specified in 5 U.S.C.
2302(d).
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-11600 Filed 6-14-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750-01-S
