Public Advisory Committees, 26518-26519 [2012-10737]

Download as PDF 26518 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 87 / Friday, May 4, 2012 / Notices Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930; phone (978) 281–9328; fax (978) 281– 9394; and Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, FL 33701; phone (727) 824–5312; fax (727) 824–5309. Dated: May 1, 2012. Tammy C. Adams, Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2012–10846 Filed 5–3–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE United States Patent and Trademark Office [Docket No. PTO–C–2012–0023] Public Advisory Committees United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce. ACTION: Notice and request for nominations. AGENCY: On November 29, 1999, the President signed into law the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act (the ‘‘Act’’), Public Law 106–113, which, among other things, established two Public Advisory Committees to review the policies, goals, performance, budget and user fees of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with respect to patents, in the case of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, and with respect to trademarks, in the case of the Trademark Public Advisory Committee, and to advise the Director on these matters (now codified at 35 U.S.C. 5). The USPTO is requesting nominations for three (3) members to the Patent Public Advisory Committee, and two (2) members to the Trademark Public Advisory Committee, for terms of three years that begin on expiration of the predecessors’ terms. DATES: Nominations must be postmarked or electronically transmitted on or before June 11, 2012. ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to submit nominations should send the nominee’s ´ resume to John W. Cabeca, Senior Advisor, Office of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, Post Office Box 1450, Alexandria, Virginia, 22313– 1450; by electronic mail to: PPACnominations@uspto.gov for the Patent Public Advisory Committee or TPACnominations@uspto.gov for the Trademark Patent Public Advisory Committee; by facsimile transmission erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:20 May 03, 2012 Jkt 226001 marked to the Senior Advisor’s attention at (571) 273–0464; or by mail marked to the Senior Advisor’s attention and addressed to the Office of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, Post Office Box 1450, Alexandria, Virginia, 22313–1450. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John W. Cabeca, Senior Advisor, Office of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, by facsimile transmission marked to his attention at (571) 273– 0464, or by mail marked to his attention and addressed to the Office of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, Post Office Box 1450, Alexandria, Virginia, 22313–1450. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Committees’ duties include: • Review and advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO on matters relating to policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees of the USPTO relating to patents and trademarks, respectively; and • Within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year: (1) Prepare an annual report on matters listed above; (2) transmit a report to the Secretary of Commerce, the President, and the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives; and (3) publish the report in the Official Gazette of the USPTO. Advisory Committees The Public Advisory Committees are each composed of nine (9) voting members who are appointed by the Secretary of Commerce (the ‘‘Secretary’’) and serve at the pleasure of the Secretary for three (3)-year terms. The Public Advisory Committee members must be United States citizens and represent the interests of diverse users of the USPTO, both large and small entity applicants in proportion to the number of such applications filed. The Committees must include members who have ‘‘substantial backgrounds and achievement in finance, management, labor relations, science, technology, and office automation’’ (35 U.S.C. 5(b)(3)). In the case of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, at least twenty-five (25) percent of the members must represent ‘‘small business concerns, independent inventors, and nonprofit organizations,’’ and at least one member must represent the independent inventor community (35 U.S.C. 5(b)(2)). Each of the Public Advisory Committees also includes three (3) non-voting members representing each labor organization PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 recognized by the USPTO. Administration policy discourages the appointment of federally registered lobbyists to agency advisory boards and commissions (Lobbyists on Agency Boards and Commissions, https:// www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/09/23/ lobbyist-agency-boards-andcommissions (Sept. 23, 2009, 2:33PM EST)); cf. Exec. Order No. 13490, 74 FR 4673 (January 21, 2009) (while Executive Order 13490 does not specifically apply to federally registered lobbyists appointed by agency or department heads, it sets forth the Administration’s general policy of decreasing the influence of special interests in the Federal Government). Procedures and Guidelines of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees Each newly appointed member of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees will serve for a term of three years beginning at the expiration of his or her predecessor’s term. As required by the Act, members of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees will receive compensation for each day while the member is attending meetings or engaged in the business of that Advisory Committee. The enabling statute states that members are to be compensated at the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay in effect for level III of the Executive Schedule under section 5314 of Title 5, United States Code. Committee members are compensated on an hourly basis, calculated at the daily rate. While away from home or regular place of business, each member will be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by Section 5703 of Title 5, United States Code. The USPTO will provide clerical and other support services for the Committees as the Director may determine to be necessary and proper. Applicability of Certain Ethics Laws Members of each Public Advisory Committee shall be Special Government Employees within the meaning of Section 202 of Title 18, United States Code. The following additional information includes several, but not all, of the ethics rules that apply to members, and assumes that members are not engaged in Public Advisory Committee business more than sixty days during any period of 365 consecutive days. • Each member will be required to file a confidential financial disclosure form within thirty (30) days of appointment (5 CFR 2634.202(c), 2634.204, 2634.903, and 2634.904(b)). E:\FR\FM\04MYN1.SGM 04MYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 87 / Friday, May 4, 2012 / Notices • Each member will be subject to many of the public integrity laws, including criminal bars against representing a party, 18 U.S.C. 205(c), in a particular matter that came before the member’s committee and that involved at least one specific party. See also 18 U.S.C. 207 for post-membership bars. A member also must not act on a matter in which the member (or any of certain closely related entities) has a financial interest (18 U.S.C. 208). • Representation of foreign interests may also raise issues (35 U.S.C. 5(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. 219). Meetings of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees Meetings of each Advisory Committee will take place at the call of the respective Committee Chair to consider an agenda set by that Chair. Meetings may be conducted in person, electronically through the Internet, or by other appropriate means. The meetings of each Advisory Committee will be open to the public except each Advisory Committee may, by majority vote, meet in confidential executive sessions when considering personnel, privileged, or other confidential matters. Nominees must have the ability to participate in Committee business through the Internet. Procedures for Submitting Nominations ´ Submit resumes for nomination for the Patent Public Advisory Committee and the Trademark Public Advisory Committee to: Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, utilizing the addresses provided above. Dated: April 30, 2012. David J. Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. [FR Doc. 2012–10737 Filed 5–3–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–16–P erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR SEVERELY DISABLED Information Collection To Be Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction Act; Individual Eligibility Evaluation Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled. ACTION: Notice; request for comments. AGENCY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:20 May 03, 2012 Jkt 226001 The Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (Committee) will submit the collection of information listed below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act. This notice solicits comments on this collection of information. SUMMARY: Submit your written comments on the information collection on or before July 3, 2012. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments on the requirement to Lou Bartalot, Director Compliance, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, 1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800, Arlington, VA, 22202–3259; fax (703) 603–0655; or email rulecomments@abilityone.gov. DATES: To request a copy of the applicable form or explanatory material, contact Lou Bartalot or Amy Jensen at information in above paragraph. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR part 1320, which implement provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), require that interested members of the public and affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). The Committee plans to submit a request to OMB that the initial and annual evaluations of competitive employability required by the Committee’s regulations (41 CFR 51– 4.3) be done on a standardized form. The Committee is requesting a 3-year term of approval for this recordkeeping activity. Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The JWOD Act of 1971 (41 U.S.C. Chapter 85) is the authorizing legislation for the AbilityOne Program. The AbilityOne Program creates jobs and training opportunities for people who are blind or who have other severe disabilities. Its primary means of doing so is by requiring Government agencies to purchase selected products and services from nonprofit agencies employing such individuals. The AbilityOne Program is administered by the Committee. Two national, independent organizations, National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and NISH, help State and private nonprofit FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 26519 agencies participate in the AbilityOne Program. The implementing regulations for the JWOD Act, which are located at 41 CFR Chapter 51, provide the requirements, procedures, and standards for the AbilityOne Program. Section 51–4.3 of the regulations sets forth the standards that a nonprofit agency must meet to maintain qualification for participation in the AbilityOne Program. Under this section of the regulations, a nonprofit agency that wants to continue to participate in the AbilityOne Program must conduct evaluations on each individual performing direct labor to determine their capability to perform competitive employment at least annually. Overview of This Information Collection This recordkeeping request seeks approval for the Committee to require the use of a standardized, Committee developed, form to record the evaluation beginning in January 2013. The development of the evaluation form is the result of consultation with multiple nonprofit agencies already participating in the AbilityOne Program and it is at the request of a number of these agencies that the Committee is seeking its mandatory use. Type of Information Collection: New collection. Title: AbilityOne Program Individual Eligibility Evaluation. OMB Control Number: 3037–0011. Form Number: Committee Form IEE. Description of Respondents: Nonprofit agencies serving people who are blind or severely disabled that participate in the AbilityOne Program. Annual Number of Respondents: About 610 nonprofit agencies serving people who are blind or severely disabled that participates in the AbilityOne Program. Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Burden for conducting the evaluations is included in the Committee’s recordkeeping requirement under OMB Control number 3037–005. It is estimated that requiring the use of a standardized form will not add to the recordkeeping burden once training is completed and the form adopted. The estimated burden to accomplish the training is estimated at 2 hours per agency. Total burden is 1220 hours. We invite comments concerning this renewal on: (1) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of our agency’s functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the collection of information; E:\FR\FM\04MYN1.SGM 04MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 87 (Friday, May 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26518-26519]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10737]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

United States Patent and Trademark Office

[Docket No. PTO-C-2012-0023]

Public Advisory Committees

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice and request for nominations.

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

SUMMARY: On November 29, 1999, the President signed into law the Patent
and Trademark Office Efficiency Act (the ``Act''), Public Law 106-113,
which, among other things, established two Public Advisory Committees
to review the policies, goals, performance, budget and user fees of the
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with respect to
patents, in the case of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, and with
respect to trademarks, in the case of the Trademark Public Advisory
Committee, and to advise the Director on these matters (now codified at
35 U.S.C. 5). The USPTO is requesting nominations for three (3) members
to the Patent Public Advisory Committee, and two (2) members to the
Trademark Public Advisory Committee, for terms of three years that
begin on expiration of the predecessors' terms.

DATES: Nominations must be postmarked or electronically transmitted on
or before June 11, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to submit nominations should send the
nominee's resum[eacute] to John W. Cabeca, Senior Advisor, Office of
the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director
of the USPTO, Post Office Box 1450, Alexandria, Virginia, 22313-1450;
by electronic mail to: PPACnominations@uspto.gov for the Patent Public
Advisory Committee or TPACnominations@uspto.gov for the Trademark
Patent Public Advisory Committee; by facsimile transmission marked to
the Senior Advisor's attention at (571) 273-0464; or by mail marked to
the Senior Advisor's attention and addressed to the Office of the Under
Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the
USPTO, Post Office Box 1450, Alexandria, Virginia, 22313-1450.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John W. Cabeca, Senior Advisor, Office
of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and
Director of the USPTO, by facsimile transmission marked to his
attention at (571) 273-0464, or by mail marked to his attention and
addressed to the Office of the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, Post Office Box 1450,
Alexandria, Virginia, 22313-1450.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Committees' duties include:
Review and advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO on matters relating to
policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees of the USPTO
relating to patents and trademarks, respectively; and
Within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year: (1)
Prepare an annual report on matters listed above; (2) transmit a report
to the Secretary of Commerce, the President, and the Committees on the
Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives; and (3)
publish the report in the Official Gazette of the USPTO.

Advisory Committees

The Public Advisory Committees are each composed of nine (9) voting
members who are appointed by the Secretary of Commerce (the
``Secretary'') and serve at the pleasure of the Secretary for three
(3)-year terms. The Public Advisory Committee members must be United
States citizens and represent the interests of diverse users of the
USPTO, both large and small entity applicants in proportion to the
number of such applications filed. The Committees must include members
who have ``substantial backgrounds and achievement in finance,
management, labor relations, science, technology, and office
automation'' (35 U.S.C. 5(b)(3)). In the case of the Patent Public
Advisory Committee, at least twenty-five (25) percent of the members
must represent ``small business concerns, independent inventors, and
nonprofit organizations,'' and at least one member must represent the
independent inventor community (35 U.S.C. 5(b)(2)). Each of the Public
Advisory Committees also includes three (3) non-voting members
representing each labor organization recognized by the USPTO.
Administration policy discourages the appointment of federally
registered lobbyists to agency advisory boards and commissions
(Lobbyists on Agency Boards and Commissions, https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/09/23/lobbyist-agency-boards-and- commissions (Sept. 23,
2009, 2:33PM EST)); cf. Exec. Order No. 13490, 74 FR 4673 (January 21,
2009) (while Executive Order 13490 does not specifically apply to
federally registered lobbyists appointed by agency or department heads,
it sets forth the Administration's general policy of decreasing the
influence of special interests in the Federal Government).

Procedures and Guidelines of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory
Committees

Each newly appointed member of the Patent and Trademark Public
Advisory Committees will serve for a term of three years beginning at
the expiration of his or her predecessor's term. As required by the
Act, members of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees
will receive compensation for each day while the member is attending
meetings or engaged in the business of that Advisory Committee. The
enabling statute states that members are to be compensated at the daily
equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay in effect for level III of
the Executive Schedule under section 5314 of Title 5, United States
Code. Committee members are compensated on an hourly basis, calculated
at the daily rate. While away from home or regular place of business,
each member will be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu
of subsistence, as authorized by Section 5703 of Title 5, United States
Code. The USPTO will provide clerical and other support services for
the Committees as the Director may determine to be necessary and
proper.

Applicability of Certain Ethics Laws

Members of each Public Advisory Committee shall be Special
Government Employees within the meaning of Section 202 of Title 18,
United States Code. The following additional information includes
several, but not all, of the ethics rules that apply to members, and
assumes that members are not engaged in Public Advisory Committee
business more than sixty days during any period of 365 consecutive
days.
Each member will be required to file a confidential
financial disclosure form within thirty (30) days of appointment (5 CFR
2634.202(c), 2634.204, 2634.903, and 2634.904(b)).

[[Page 26519]]

Each member will be subject to many of the public
integrity laws, including criminal bars against representing a party,
18 U.S.C. 205(c), in a particular matter that came before the member's
committee and that involved at least one specific party. See also 18
U.S.C. 207 for post-membership bars. A member also must not act on a
matter in which the member (or any of certain closely related entities)
has a financial interest (18 U.S.C. 208).
Representation of foreign interests may also raise issues
(35 U.S.C. 5(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. 219).

Meetings of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees

Meetings of each Advisory Committee will take place at the call of
the respective Committee Chair to consider an agenda set by that Chair.
Meetings may be conducted in person, electronically through the
Internet, or by other appropriate means. The meetings of each Advisory
Committee will be open to the public except each Advisory Committee
may, by majority vote, meet in confidential executive sessions when
considering personnel, privileged, or other confidential matters.
Nominees must have the ability to participate in Committee business
through the Internet.

Procedures for Submitting Nominations

Submit resum[eacute]s for nomination for the Patent Public Advisory
Committee and the Trademark Public Advisory Committee to: Senior
Advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property
and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office,
utilizing the addresses provided above.

Dated: April 30, 2012.
David J. Kappos,
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of
the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2012-10737 Filed 5-3-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P

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