Negotiated Rulemaking Committee; Negotiator Nominations and Schedule of Committee Meetings-Borrower Defenses, 63478-63480 [2015-26626]
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63478
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 202 / Tuesday, October 20, 2015 / Proposed Rules
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name and contact information to be
made publicly available, you can
provide this information on the cover
sheet and not in the body of your
comments and you must identify this
information as ‘‘confidential.’’ Any
information marked as ‘‘confidential’’
will not be disclosed except in
accordance with 21 CFR 10.20 and other
applicable disclosure law. For more
information about FDA’s posting of
comments to public dockets, see 80 FR
56469, September 18, 2015, or access
the information at: https://www.fda.gov/
regulatoryinformation/dockets/
default.htm.
Docket: For access to the docket to
read background documents or the
electronic and written/paper comments
received, go to https://
www.regulations.gov and insert the
docket number, found in brackets in the
heading of this document, into the
‘‘Search’’ box and follow the prompts
and/or go to the Division of Dockets
Management, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm.
1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Philip L. Chao, Center for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition (HFS–24), Food
and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint
Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740,
240–402–2112, email: Philip.Chao@
fda.hhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
In the Federal Register of March 3,
2014 (79 FR 11879), we published a
proposed rule that would amend our
labeling regulations for conventional
foods and dietary supplements to
provide updated nutrition information.
In the Federal Register of July 27, 2015
(80 FR 44302), we reopened the
comment period through September 25,
2015, for the proposed rule for the sole
purpose of inviting public comments on
two consumer studies being added to
the administrative record. The
consumer studies pertained to proposed
changes to the Nutrition Facts label
formats. We also issued a supplemental
proposed rule (80 FR 44303) with a
comment period through October 13,
2015. The supplemental proposal
included two additional consumer
studies pertaining to the declaration of
added sugars and alternative footnote
statements. We proposed text for the
footnotes to be used on the Nutrition
Facts label, after completing our
consumer research in which we tested
various footnote text options for the
label. We also proposed to establish a
Daily Reference Value of 10 percent of
total energy intake from added sugars
and to require the declaration of the
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percent Daily Value for added sugars on
the label. The supplemental proposed
rule also provided additional rationale
for the declaration of the amount of
added sugars on the label. We explained
that we were taking these actions based,
in part, on the science underlying a new
report released by the 2015 Dietary
Guidelines Advisory Committee.
More recently, in the Federal Register
of September 10, 2015 (80 FR 54446),
we issued a notice clarifying: (1) The
consumer studies on the added sugars
declaration and the alternative footnote
statements in the supplemental proposal
relate to topics on which we sought
comment and (2) the consumer studies
on the format published in a separate
notice in July 2015 were included for
comment, and were placed in the docket
at that time. We also stated that, in
response to requests for the raw data for
each of these consumer studies that are
relevant to the summary memoranda for
the studies, we were making the raw
data available for comment. We
extended the comment period for the
two consumer studies pertaining to the
proposed changes to the Nutrition Facts
label formats (originally scheduled to
close on September 25, 2015) to October
13, 2015, to coincide with the end of the
comment period for the supplemental
proposed rule.
However, on October 13 and 14, 2015,
the Federal eRulemaking Portal, https://
www.regulations.gov, experienced
technical difficulties which sometimes
prevented the electronic submission of
comments. Therefore, we are reopening
the comment period for the consumer
studies and the supplemental proposal;
the reopened comment period will close
on October 23, 2015.
Dated: October 15, 2015.
Leslie Kux,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2015–26636 Filed 10–19–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4164–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
34 CFR Chapter VI
[Docket ID ED–2015–OPE–0103]
Negotiated Rulemaking Committee;
Negotiator Nominations and Schedule
of Committee Meetings—Borrower
Defenses
Office of Postsecondary
Education, Department of Education.
ACTION: Intent to establish negotiated
rulemaking committee.
AGENCY:
We announce our intention to
establish a negotiated rulemaking
SUMMARY:
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committee to prepare proposed
regulations for the Federal Student Aid
programs authorized under title IV of
the Higher Education Act of 1965, as
amended (HEA). The committee will
include representatives of organizations
or groups with interests that are
significantly affected by the topics
proposed for negotiations. We request
nominations for individual negotiators
who represent key stakeholder
constituencies for the issues to be
negotiated to serve on the committee,
and we set a schedule for committee
meetings.
We must receive your
nominations for negotiators to serve on
the committee on or before November
19, 2015. The dates, times, and locations
of the committee meetings are set out in
the Schedule for Negotiations section in
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
ADDRESSES: Please send your
nominations for negotiators to Wendy
Macias, U.S. Department of Education,
1990 K Street NW., Room 8013,
Washington, DC 20006. Telephone:
(202) 502–7526 or by email:
Wendy.Macias@ed.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information about the content of this
notice, including information about the
negotiated rulemaking process or the
nomination submission process,
contact: Wendy Macias, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street
NW., Room 8013, Washington, DC
20006. Telephone: (202) 502–7526 or by
email: Wendy.Macias@ed.gov.
For information about negotiated
rulemaking in general, see The
Negotiated Rulemaking Process for Title
IV Regulations, Frequently Asked
Questions at www2.ed.gov/policy/
highered/reg/hearulemaking/hea08/negreg-faq.html.
If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) or text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) toll free at 1–800–877–
8339.
DATES:
On August
20, 2015, we published a notice in the
Federal Register (80 FR 50588)
announcing our intent to establish a
negotiated rulemaking committee under
section 492 of the HEA to develop
proposed regulations for determining
which acts or omissions of an
institution of higher education
(‘‘institution’’) a borrower may assert as
a defense to repayment of a loan made
under the William D. Ford Federal
Direct Loan (Federal Direct Loan)
Program (‘‘borrower defenses’’) and the
consequences of such borrower defenses
for borrowers, institutions, and the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 202 / Tuesday, October 20, 2015 / Proposed Rules
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Secretary. We also announced two
public hearings at which interested
parties could comment on the topic
suggested by the U.S. Department of
Education (Department) and suggest
additional topics for consideration for
action by the negotiated rulemaking
committee. Those hearings were held on
September 10, 2015, in Washington, DC,
and on September 16, 2015, in San
Francisco, California. We invited parties
to comment and submit topics for
consideration in writing as well.
Transcripts from the public hearings are
available at www2.ed.gov/policy/
highered/reg/hearulemaking/2016/
index.html. Written comments
submitted in response to the August 20,
2015 notice may be viewed through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at
www.regulations.gov. Instructions for
finding comments are available on the
site under ‘‘How to Use
Regulations.gov’’ in the Help section.
Individuals can enter docket ID ED–
2015–OPE–0103 in the search box to
locate the appropriate docket.
Regulatory Issues
After considering the information
received at the regional hearings and the
written comments, we have decided to
establish a negotiating committee to
address for loans made under the
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan
(Federal Direct Loan) Program: (1) The
procedures to be used for a borrower to
establish a defense to repayment; (2) the
criteria that the Department will use to
identify acts or omissions of an
institution that constitute defenses to
repayment of Federal Direct Loans,
including the creation of a Federal
standard; (3) the standards and
procedures that the Department will use
to determine the liability of the
institution for amounts based on
borrower defenses; (4) the effect of
borrower defenses on institutional
capability assessments, and (5) other
loan discharges. In addition, the
committee may also consider if and how
these issues will affect the Federal
Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program.
These topics are tentative. Topics may
be added or removed as the process
continues.
We intend to select negotiators for the
committee who represent the interests
significantly affected by the topics
proposed for negotiations. In so doing,
we will follow the requirement in
section 492(b)(1) of the HEA that the
individuals selected must have
demonstrated expertise or experience in
the relevant topics proposed for
negotiations. We will also select
individual negotiators who reflect the
diversity among program participants,
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in accordance with section 492(b)(1) of
the HEA. Our goal is to establish a
committee that will allow significantly
affected parties to be represented while
keeping the committee size manageable.
We generally select a primary and
alternate negotiator for each
constituency represented on the
committee. The primary negotiator
participates for the purpose of
determining consensus. The alternate
participates for the purpose of
determining consensus in the absence of
the primary. Either the primary or the
alternate may speak during the
negotiations.
The committee may create subgroups
on particular topics that may involve
individuals who are not members of the
committee. Individuals who are not
selected as members of the committee
will be able to observe the committee
meetings, will have access to the
individuals representing their
constituencies, and may be able to
participate in informal working groups
on various issues between the meetings.
Constituencies: We have identified
the following constituencies as having
interests that are significantly affected
by the topics proposed for negotiations.
The Department plans to seat as
negotiators individuals from
organizations or groups representing
these constituencies:
• Students/borrowers.
• Legal assistance organizations that
represent students/borrowers.
• Consumer advocacy organizations.
• Groups representing U.S. military
servicemember or veteran Federal loan
borrowers.
• Financial aid administrators at
postsecondary institutions.
• State attorneys general and other
appropriate State officials.
• State higher education executive
officers.
• Institutions of higher education
eligible to receive Federal assistance
under title III, parts A, B, and F, and
title V of the HEA, which include
Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, Hispanic-Serving
Institutions, American Indian Tribally
Controlled Colleges and Universities,
Alaska Native and Native HawaiianServing Institutions, Predominantly
Black Institutions, and other institutions
with a substantial enrollment of needy
students as defined in title III of the
HEA.
• Two-year public institutions of
higher education.
• Four-year public institutions of
higher education.
• Private, nonprofit institutions of
higher education.
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63479
• Private, for-profit institutions of
higher education.
• FFEL Program lenders and loan
servicers.
• FFEL Program guaranty agencies
and guaranty agency servicers
(including collection agencies).
The goal of the committee is to
develop proposed regulations that
reflect a final consensus of the
committee. Consensus means that there
is no dissent by any member of the
negotiating committee, including the
committee member representing the
Department. An individual selected as a
negotiator will be expected to represent
the interests of his or her organization
or group and participate in the
negotiations in a manner consistent
with the goal of developing proposed
regulations on which the committee will
reach consensus. If consensus is
reached, all members of the organization
or group represented by a negotiator are
bound by the consensus and are
prohibited from commenting negatively
on the resulting proposed regulations.
The Department will not consider any
such negative comments on the
proposed regulations that are submitted
by members of such an organization or
group.
Nominations: Nominations should
include:
• The name of the nominee, the
organization or group the nominee
represents, and a description of the
interests that the nominee represents.
• Evidence of the nominee’s expertise
or experience in the topics proposed for
negotiations.
• Evidence of support from
individuals or groups within the
constituency that the nominee will
represent.
• The nominee’s commitment that he
or she will actively participate in good
faith in the development of the
proposed regulations.
• The nominee’s contact information,
including address, phone number, and
email address.
For a better understanding of the
negotiated rulemaking process,
nominees should review The Negotiated
Rulemaking Process for Title IV
Regulations, Frequently Asked
Questions at www2.ed.gov/policy/
highered/reg/hearulemaking/hea08/negreg-faq.html prior to committing to
serve as a negotiator.
Nominees will be notified whether or
not they have been selected as
negotiators as soon as the Department’s
review process is completed.
Schedule for Negotiations
The committee will meet for three
sessions on the following dates:
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 202 / Tuesday, October 20, 2015 / Proposed Rules
Session 1: January 12–14, 2016
Session 2: February 17–19, 2016
Session 3: March 16–18, 2016
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS
Sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m.
The January and February committee
meetings will be held at the U.S.
Department of Education at: 1990 K
Street NW., Eighth Floor Conference
Center, Washington, DC 20006.
The March committee meetings will
be held at: Union Center Plaza (UCP)
Learning Center, 830 First Street NE.,
Lobby Level, Washington, DC 20002.
The meetings are open to the public.
Accessible Format: Individuals with
disabilities can obtain this document in
an accessible format (e.g., braille, large
print, audiotape, or compact disc) by
contacting Wendy Macias, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street
NW., Room 8013, Washington, DC
20006. Telephone: (202) 502–7526 or by
email: Wendy.Macias@ed.gov.
Electronic Access to This Document:
The official version of this document is
the document published in the Federal
Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register
and the Code of Federal Regulations is
available via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you
can view this document, as well as all
other documents of this Department
published in the Federal Register, in
text or Adobe Portable Document
Format (PDF). To use PDF you must
have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is
available free at the site. You may also
access documents of the Department
published in the Federal Register by
using the article search feature at:
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically,
through the advanced search feature at
this site, you can limit your search to
documents published by the
Department.
Delegation of Authority: The Secretary
of Education has delegated authority to
Jamienne S. Studley, Deputy Under
Secretary, to perform the functions and
duties of the Assistant Secretary for
Postsecondary Education.
RIN 2900–AP37
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Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1098a.
Dated: October 15, 2015.
Jamienne S. Studley,
Deputy Under Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–26626 Filed 10–19–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
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38 CFR Part 17
Removing Net Worth Requirement
From Health Care Enrollment
Department of Veterans Affairs.
Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
This rulemaking proposes to
remove the regulatory provision
regarding consideration by the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of
the net worth of a veteran’s assets as a
factor in determining the veteran’s
eligibility for lower-cost VA health care.
Prior to January 1, 2015, VA considered
both the net worth of a veteran’s assets
and the veteran’s annual income when
determining a veteran’s eligibility.
Because of that, certain veterans who
would have been eligible for VA health
care based on their annual income alone
were ineligible for care because the net
value of their assets was too high, or
they were placed in a less favorable
eligibility category. Reporting asset
information imposed a significant
paperwork burden on veterans, and VA
dedicated significant administrative
resources to verifying reported
information. VA changed its policy to
improve access to health care to lowerincome veterans and remove the
reporting burden from veterans by
discontinuing collection of asset
information. This rulemaking would
amend the regulation to remove the
reference to VA’s discretionary statutory
authority to consider net worth.
DATES: Comment Date: Comments must
be received on or before December 21,
2015.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be
submitted through
www.Regulations.gov; by mail or handdelivery to Director, Regulation Policy
and Management (02REG), Department
of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont
Avenue NW., Room 1068, Washington,
DC 20420; or by fax to (202) 273–9026.
Comments should indicate that they are
submitted in response to ‘‘RIN 2900–
AP37—Removing Net Worth
Requirement from Health Care
Enrollment.’’ Copies of comments
received will be available for public
inspection in the Office of Regulation
Policy and Management, Room 1068,
between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday (except
holidays). Please call (202) 461–4902 for
an appointment. (This is not a toll-free
number.) In addition, during the
comment period, comments may be
SUMMARY:
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viewed online through the Federal
Docket Management System (FDMS) at
www.Regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kristin J. Cunningham, Director,
Business Policy, Chief Business Office,
(10NB6), Department of Veterans
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20420; (202) 382–2508.
(This is not a toll-free number.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
rulemaking proposes to amend VA’s
regulations governing enrollment in the
VA health care system by removing the
regulatory provision restating VA’s
discretionary authority to consider the
net worth of a veteran’s assets when
determining eligibility for lower-cost
health care.
Pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 1705, VA has
established a health care enrollment
system with implementing regulations
at 38 CFR 17.36. When veterans apply
for health care benefits, VA assigns a
priority category that reflects the basis
for that veteran’s eligibility, such as
whether the veteran has been rated as
having a service-connected disability or
would be unable to defray the costs of
necessary expenses because of low
income. The veteran is placed in the
highest priority category possible. These
categories are described in § 17.36(b).
Priority categories are used by VA to
determine which veterans are eligible to
enroll in the VA health care system,
which VA does on an annual basis, in
accordance with § 17.36(c). The priority
category is also used to determine the
amount of copayments veterans must
pay to receive VA medical benefits.
Veterans who are not eligible for
enrollment in priority categories 1
through 4 but who are unable to defray
the expenses of necessary care under 38
U.S.C. 1722(a) are placed in priority
category 5. 38 CFR 17.36(b)(5). This
rulemaking would affect a regulatory
provision related to that category.
Veterans are considered to be unable to
defray the costs of necessary care if they
have a low annual income, qualify for
VA pension benefits, or meet other
criteria under 38 U.S.C. 1722(a) and 38
CFR 17.47(d). VA has the authority to
use net worth asset values to determine
whether a veteran is unable to defray
the cost of care at 38 U.S.C. 1722(d)(1),
but this authority is not mandatory; i.e.,
VA is not required to consider the value
of the estate of a veteran for this
purpose. 38 U.S.C. 1722(d)(1)
(‘‘Notwithstanding the attributable
income of a veteran,’’ VA may
determine that such veteran is not
eligible ‘‘if the corpus of the estate of the
veteran is such that under all the
circumstances it is reasonable that some
E:\FR\FM\20OCP1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 202 (Tuesday, October 20, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 63478-63480]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26626]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
34 CFR Chapter VI
[Docket ID ED-2015-OPE-0103]
Negotiated Rulemaking Committee; Negotiator Nominations and
Schedule of Committee Meetings--Borrower Defenses
AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.
ACTION: Intent to establish negotiated rulemaking committee.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We announce our intention to establish a negotiated rulemaking
committee to prepare proposed regulations for the Federal Student Aid
programs authorized under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965,
as amended (HEA). The committee will include representatives of
organizations or groups with interests that are significantly affected
by the topics proposed for negotiations. We request nominations for
individual negotiators who represent key stakeholder constituencies for
the issues to be negotiated to serve on the committee, and we set a
schedule for committee meetings.
DATES: We must receive your nominations for negotiators to serve on the
committee on or before November 19, 2015. The dates, times, and
locations of the committee meetings are set out in the Schedule for
Negotiations section in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
ADDRESSES: Please send your nominations for negotiators to Wendy
Macias, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 8013,
Washington, DC 20006. Telephone: (202) 502-7526 or by email:
Wendy.Macias@ed.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the content of
this notice, including information about the negotiated rulemaking
process or the nomination submission process, contact: Wendy Macias,
U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 8013, Washington,
DC 20006. Telephone: (202) 502-7526 or by email: Wendy.Macias@ed.gov.
For information about negotiated rulemaking in general, see The
Negotiated Rulemaking Process for Title IV Regulations, Frequently
Asked Questions at www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/hea08/neg-reg-faq.html.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) toll free at 1-
800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 20, 2015, we published a notice in
the Federal Register (80 FR 50588) announcing our intent to establish a
negotiated rulemaking committee under section 492 of the HEA to develop
proposed regulations for determining which acts or omissions of an
institution of higher education (``institution'') a borrower may assert
as a defense to repayment of a loan made under the William D. Ford
Federal Direct Loan (Federal Direct Loan) Program (``borrower
defenses'') and the consequences of such borrower defenses for
borrowers, institutions, and the
[[Page 63479]]
Secretary. We also announced two public hearings at which interested
parties could comment on the topic suggested by the U.S. Department of
Education (Department) and suggest additional topics for consideration
for action by the negotiated rulemaking committee. Those hearings were
held on September 10, 2015, in Washington, DC, and on September 16,
2015, in San Francisco, California. We invited parties to comment and
submit topics for consideration in writing as well. Transcripts from
the public hearings are available at www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2016/. Written comments submitted in response
to the August 20, 2015 notice may be viewed through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. Instructions for finding
comments are available on the site under ``How to Use Regulations.gov''
in the Help section. Individuals can enter docket ID ED-2015-OPE-0103
in the search box to locate the appropriate docket.
Regulatory Issues
After considering the information received at the regional hearings
and the written comments, we have decided to establish a negotiating
committee to address for loans made under the William D. Ford Federal
Direct Loan (Federal Direct Loan) Program: (1) The procedures to be
used for a borrower to establish a defense to repayment; (2) the
criteria that the Department will use to identify acts or omissions of
an institution that constitute defenses to repayment of Federal Direct
Loans, including the creation of a Federal standard; (3) the standards
and procedures that the Department will use to determine the liability
of the institution for amounts based on borrower defenses; (4) the
effect of borrower defenses on institutional capability assessments,
and (5) other loan discharges. In addition, the committee may also
consider if and how these issues will affect the Federal Family
Education Loan (FFEL) Program.
These topics are tentative. Topics may be added or removed as the
process continues.
We intend to select negotiators for the committee who represent the
interests significantly affected by the topics proposed for
negotiations. In so doing, we will follow the requirement in section
492(b)(1) of the HEA that the individuals selected must have
demonstrated expertise or experience in the relevant topics proposed
for negotiations. We will also select individual negotiators who
reflect the diversity among program participants, in accordance with
section 492(b)(1) of the HEA. Our goal is to establish a committee that
will allow significantly affected parties to be represented while
keeping the committee size manageable.
We generally select a primary and alternate negotiator for each
constituency represented on the committee. The primary negotiator
participates for the purpose of determining consensus. The alternate
participates for the purpose of determining consensus in the absence of
the primary. Either the primary or the alternate may speak during the
negotiations.
The committee may create subgroups on particular topics that may
involve individuals who are not members of the committee. Individuals
who are not selected as members of the committee will be able to
observe the committee meetings, will have access to the individuals
representing their constituencies, and may be able to participate in
informal working groups on various issues between the meetings.
Constituencies: We have identified the following constituencies as
having interests that are significantly affected by the topics proposed
for negotiations. The Department plans to seat as negotiators
individuals from organizations or groups representing these
constituencies:
Students/borrowers.
Legal assistance organizations that represent students/
borrowers.
Consumer advocacy organizations.
Groups representing U.S. military servicemember or veteran
Federal loan borrowers.
Financial aid administrators at postsecondary
institutions.
State attorneys general and other appropriate State
officials.
State higher education executive officers.
Institutions of higher education eligible to receive
Federal assistance under title III, parts A, B, and F, and title V of
the HEA, which include Historically Black Colleges and Universities,
Hispanic-Serving Institutions, American Indian Tribally Controlled
Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving
Institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, and other institutions
with a substantial enrollment of needy students as defined in title III
of the HEA.
Two-year public institutions of higher education.
Four-year public institutions of higher education.
Private, nonprofit institutions of higher education.
Private, for-profit institutions of higher education.
FFEL Program lenders and loan servicers.
FFEL Program guaranty agencies and guaranty agency
servicers (including collection agencies).
The goal of the committee is to develop proposed regulations that
reflect a final consensus of the committee. Consensus means that there
is no dissent by any member of the negotiating committee, including the
committee member representing the Department. An individual selected as
a negotiator will be expected to represent the interests of his or her
organization or group and participate in the negotiations in a manner
consistent with the goal of developing proposed regulations on which
the committee will reach consensus. If consensus is reached, all
members of the organization or group represented by a negotiator are
bound by the consensus and are prohibited from commenting negatively on
the resulting proposed regulations. The Department will not consider
any such negative comments on the proposed regulations that are
submitted by members of such an organization or group.
Nominations: Nominations should include:
The name of the nominee, the organization or group the
nominee represents, and a description of the interests that the nominee
represents.
Evidence of the nominee's expertise or experience in the
topics proposed for negotiations.
Evidence of support from individuals or groups within the
constituency that the nominee will represent.
The nominee's commitment that he or she will actively
participate in good faith in the development of the proposed
regulations.
The nominee's contact information, including address,
phone number, and email address.
For a better understanding of the negotiated rulemaking process,
nominees should review The Negotiated Rulemaking Process for Title IV
Regulations, Frequently Asked Questions at www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/hea08/neg-reg-faq.html prior to committing to serve
as a negotiator.
Nominees will be notified whether or not they have been selected as
negotiators as soon as the Department's review process is completed.
Schedule for Negotiations
The committee will meet for three sessions on the following dates:
[[Page 63480]]
Session 1: January 12-14, 2016
Session 2: February 17-19, 2016
Session 3: March 16-18, 2016
Sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The January and February committee meetings will be held at the
U.S. Department of Education at: 1990 K Street NW., Eighth Floor
Conference Center, Washington, DC 20006.
The March committee meetings will be held at: Union Center Plaza
(UCP) Learning Center, 830 First Street NE., Lobby Level, Washington,
DC 20002.
The meetings are open to the public.
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print,
audiotape, or compact disc) by contacting Wendy Macias, U.S. Department
of Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 8013, Washington, DC 20006.
Telephone: (202) 502-7526 or by email: Wendy.Macias@ed.gov.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free
Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the
site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at:
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education has delegated
authority to Jamienne S. Studley, Deputy Under Secretary, to perform
the functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary
Education.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1098a.
Dated: October 15, 2015.
Jamienne S. Studley,
Deputy Under Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-26626 Filed 10-19-15; 8:45 am]
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