Department of Commerce July 26, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with Executive Order 11625 and 15 U.S.C. Section 1512, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is soliciting competitive applications from organizations to operate a Minority Business Enterprise Center (MBEC) (formerly Minority Business Development Center). This is not a grant program to help start a business. Applications submitted must be to operate a Minority Business Enterprise Center and to provide business consultation to eligible minority clients. Applications that do not meet these requirements will be rejected. The MBEC will provide services in the outlined geographic areas (refer to SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this Notice). The MBEC Program requires MBEC staff to provide standardized business assistance services (as outlined in the Federal Funding Opportunity Announcement) to minority firms with $500,000 or more in annual revenues and/or ``rapid growth-potential'' minority businesses (``Strategic Growth Initiative'' or ``SGI'' firms) directly; to develop a network of strategic partnerships; and to provide strategic business consulting. This is a fee for service program, therefore, the MBEC is required to charge client fees. These requirements will be used to generate increased results with respect to financing and contracts awarded to minority-owned firms and thus, are a key component of this program. The MBEC Program will concentrate on serving SGI firms capable of generating significant employment and long-term economic growth. The MBEC Program shall leverage telecommunications technology, including the Internet, and a variety of online computer-based resources to dramatically increase the level of service that the MBEC can provide to minority-owned firms.

NMFS adjusts the 2006 Winter II commercial scup quota and possession limit. This action complies with Framework Adjustment 3 (Framework 3) to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan, which established a process to allow the rollover of unused commercial scup quota from the Winter I period to the Winter II period.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

NMFS proposes regulations to implement measures in FW 42 to the NE Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and FW 3 to the Monkfish FMP (Joint Framework). FW 42, which was developed by the New England Fishery Management Council (Council), is a biennial adjustment to the NE Multispecies FMP that would implement a rebuilding program for Georges Bank (GB) yellowtail flounder and modify NE multispecies fishery management measures to reduce fishing mortality rates (F) on six other groundfish stocks in order to maintain compliance with the rebuilding program of the FMP. FW 42 also proposes to modify and continue specific measures to mitigate the economic and social impacts of Amendment 13 to the NE Multispecies FMP and allow harvest levels to approach optimum yield (OY).