Determination Pursuant to Section 686 of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008, 40007-40008 [E8-15862]

Download as PDF 40007 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 134 / Friday, July 11, 2008 / Notices Collectively: Number of Respondents: 3,853,928. Frequency of Response (Average per case): 4. Average Burden per Response: 13 minutes to complete all 4 forms. Average Burden to Read Internet Instructions: 3 minutes. Estimated Annual Burden for Reading Internet Explanation: 29,312. Estimated Annual Burden to read instructions and complete the form: 864,329 hours. 5. Review of the Disability Hearing Officer’s Reconsidered Determinations Before It Is Issued—20 CFR 404.913– 404.918, 404.1512–404.1515, 404.1589, 416.912–416.915, 416.989, 416.1413– 416.1418, 404.918(d) and 416.1418(d)— 0960–0709. When SSA approves a claimant for Social Security Disability Benefits, it periodically conducts a Continuing Disability Review (CDR), during which the Agency reviews the claimant’s status to see if his/her condition has improved to the point where the claimant is capable of working. If SSA notifies a claimant that the Agency will cease paying his/her benefits, he/she may appeal that determination. The first appeal gives the claimant the opportunity for a full evidentiary hearing before a Disability Hearing Officer (DHO). A federal component reviews a small sample of the DHOs’ determinations. It is rare for the reviewing component to reverse a DHO determination favorable to the claimant. Before SSA can effect the unfavorable determination, the claimant has 10 days to provide a written statement explaining why SSA should not stop his/her payments. That written statement is the information collected in this process. In the last three years, we experienced an average of eight instances where the reviewing unit reversed the DHO determination. Respondents are CDR claimants whose benefits are going to cease. Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information collection. Number of Respondents: 8. Frequency of Response: 1. Average Burden per Response: 60 minutes. Estimated Annual Burden: 8 hours. II. SSA has submitted the information collections listed below. Your comments on the information collections will be most useful if OMB and SSA receive them within 30 days from the date of this publication. You can request a copy of the information collections by e-mail, OPLM.RCO@ssa.gov, fax 410–965–6400, or by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer at 410–965–0454. 1. Youth Transition Process Demonstration Evaluation Data Collection—0960–0687 Background The purpose of the Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) project is to help young people with disabilities make the transition from school to work. While participating in the project, youth can continue to work and/or continue their education because SSA waives certain disability program rules and offers services to youth who are receiving disability benefits or have a high probability of receiving them. SSA will fully implement YTD projects in 10 sites across the country. The evaluation will produce empirical evidence on the effects of the waivers and project services including educational attainment, employment, earnings, and receipt of benefits by youth with disabilities but also on the Social Security Trust Fund and federal income tax revenues. This type of project is authorized by Sections 1110 and 234 of the Social Security Act. Project Description Given the importance of estimating YTD effects as accurately as possible, we will evaluate the project using rigorous analytic methods based on randomly assigning youth to a treatment or control group. We will conduct several data collections. These include (1) Baseline interviews with youth and their parents or guardians prior to random assignment; (2) follow-up interviews at 12 and 36 months after random assignment; (3) interviews and/or roundtable discussions with local program administrators, program supervisors, and service delivery staff; and (4) focus groups of youths, their parents, and service providers. The respondents are youths with disabilities enrolled in the project; their parents or guardians; program staff; and service providers. Type of Request: Revision of an existing OMB clearance. Average burden per response (hours) Responses per respondent Number of respondents Total response burden (hours) Data collection year Collection 2008 .............................. Baseline .............................................................. Informed consent ................................................ 12 month follow-up ............................................. In-depth interviews ............................................. Focus group ........................................................ Program staff/service provider ........................... 2,531 2,531 1,502 120 60 32 1 1 1 1 1 1 0.55 0.083 0.83 0.42 1.5 1 1,392 210 1,247 50 90 32 Total 2008 ............. ............................................................................. ........................ ........................ .......................... 3,021 Dated: July 7, 2008. Elizabeth A. Davidson, Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration. [FR Doc. E8–15752 Filed 7–10–08; 8:45 am] pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES BILLING CODE 4191–02–P DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 6286] Determination Pursuant to Section 686 of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the laws of the United States, including Section 686(b) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs VerDate Aug<31>2005 18:02 Jul 10, 2008 Jkt 214001 PO 00000 Frm 00070 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Appropriations Act, 2008 (Div. J, Pub. L. 110–161) (the ‘‘Act’’), I hereby determine that waiving the requirements of subsection (a) of Section 686 of the Act is important to the national interests of the United States, and I hereby so waive. This Determination shall be published in the Federal Register and copies shall be provided to the appropriate committees of the Congress. E:\FR\FM\11JYN1.SGM 11JYN1 40008 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 134 / Friday, July 11, 2008 / Notices Dated: June 25, 2008. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State, Department of State. [FR Doc. E8–15862 Filed 7–10–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4710–23–P DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice: 6284] Exchange Visitor Program— Termination of Flight Training Programs ACTION: Statement of Policy. pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stanley S. Colvin, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Private Sector Exchange, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, SA–44, 301 4th St., SW., Room 734, Washington, DC 20547. E-mail: jexchanges@state.gov; FAX: 202–203– 5087. SUMMARY: Since 1949 the Department of State (Department) has designated private sector and governmental entities to conduct training programs for eligible foreign nationals. For the past twenty years, such programs have included flight training activities. Currently, eight organizations facilitate the entry into the United States of approximately 350 foreign nationals annually for the purpose of flight training under the aegis of the Exchange Visitor Program and its J-visa. Regulations dealing specifically with flight training programs appear at 22 CFR 62.22(o). These eight Department of State designated flight schools are also certified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue the Form I–20, which is needed to obtain an M visa. Regulations governing the M visa appear at 8 CFR 214.2(m). DHS is also responsible for the security-related screening of all alien flight training candidates. Regulations governing flight training candidate screening appear at 49 CFR 1552. In January 2006, the Department issued a Statement of Policy on J–1 Flight Training Programs (71 FR 3913, January 24, 2006) providing notice that it would henceforth not designate any new J visa flight training program sponsors; nor would it allow currentlydesignated flight training programs to expand their programs, pending a determination as to which Federal agency ultimately would assume sole responsibility for administering and monitoring these programs. In April 2006, the Department published proposed modifications to its regulations governing the Exchange Visitor Program’s trainee category, VerDate Aug<31>2005 17:19 Jul 10, 2008 Jkt 214001 including flight training. In response to this proposed rule and by letter dated May 30, 2006, the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration opined, that if adopted, the Department’s proposed modifications to 22 CFR 62.22(o), could have significant impact on a substantial number of small entities, in particular, flight training schools that sponsor alien flight candidates entering the United States on the J visa. Given this comment, the Department did not modify then existing flight training regulations when it adopted its Interim Final rule (72 FR 33669, June 19, 2007). In December 2007, the Department published a Final Rule (72 FR 72245, December 20, 2007) that permits the termination of designated programs that the Department determines no longer further its public diplomacy mission or compromises the national security of the United States (22 CFR 62.62). In adopting this provision, the Department explained that the Exchange Visitor Program is the cornerstone of the Department’s public diplomacy efforts and integral to the furtherance of the President’s Constitutional prerogatives in conducting foreign affairs (72 FR 62112). Pursuant to this regulatory authority, the Department hereby determines that all flight training programs no longer further the public diplomacy mission of the Department, and accordingly, effective June 1, 2010, the Department will terminate the Exchange Visitor Program sponsor designations of all eight sponsors of flight training programs. The Department’s decision to eliminate flight training from the Exchange Visitor Program is based on thorough consideration and deliberation. As explained in its January 2006 Statement of Policy, the Department does not have the expertise and resources to monitor fully flight training programs and ensure their compliance with the national security concerns that underlie the Patriot Act (Pub. L. 107–56). Further, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 (49 U.S.C. 44939), assigns to the Attorney General discretion to request a wide variety of information from alien flight candidates in order to determine whether such flight candidates present a threat to aviation or national security. In light of this statutory directive, DHS issued an Interim Final Rule on September 20, 2004, assigning full responsibility for the screening of alien flight training candidates to DHS. Finally, all Department designated flight training sponsors are certified by the Department of Homeland Security to issue the Form I–20 and thereby permit PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 foreign nationals to participate in flight training programs under the M visa. As all eight existing Department of State designated sponsors may continue, without interruption, the administration of flight training programs for foreign nationals, the Department believes that concerns raised by the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration are outweighed by the security interests of the Government. The Department’s position is sound given the expertise of DHS to administer and monitor such programs, efficiencies of government operation, and the security issues inherent in flight training. The flight training sponsors will continue to have obligations to their exchange visitors pursuant to 22 CFR 62.63: they must fulfill their responsibilities to all exchange visitors who are in the United States at the time of their program termination until the individual’s exchange program is completed. Also, sponsors must notify prospective exchange visitors who have not yet entered the United States that the program has been terminated. Such sponsors will have access to SEVIS to manage their existing program participants, but will not be able to initiate new programs after December 31, 2009. Dated: June 30, 2008. Stanley S. Colvin, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Private Sector Exchange, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. [FR Doc. E8–15454 Filed 7–10–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4710–05–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Office of the Secretary [Docket Number: OST–95–179 and OST–95– 623] Notice of Request for Extension of a Previously Approved Collection Office of the Secretary. Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: ACTION: SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104–13, this notice announces the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) intention to request extension of a previously approved information collection. DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before September 9, 2008. ADDRESSES: You may submit a comment (identified by DOT Docket Numbers E:\FR\FM\11JYN1.SGM 11JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 134 (Friday, July 11, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40007-40008]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15862]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 6286]


Determination Pursuant to Section 686 of the Department of State, 
Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008

    Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the laws of the United 
States, including Section 686(b) of the Department of State, Foreign 
Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (Div. J, Pub. 
L. 110-161) (the ``Act''), I hereby determine that waiving the 
requirements of subsection (a) of Section 686 of the Act is important 
to the national interests of the United States, and I hereby so waive.
    This Determination shall be published in the Federal Register and 
copies shall be provided to the appropriate committees of the Congress.


[[Page 40008]]


    Dated: June 25, 2008.
Condoleezza Rice,
Secretary of State, Department of State.
 [FR Doc. E8-15862 Filed 7-10-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-23-P
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