Department of Commerce May 27, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS is closing the fisheries for commercial blacknose sharks and non-blacknose small coastal sharks (SCS) in the Atlantic region south of 34[deg]00' N. lat. This action is necessary because the commercial landings of Atlantic blacknose sharks for the 2016 fishing season are projected to exceed 80 percent of the available commercial quota as of May 27, 2016, and the blacknose shark and non-blacknose SCS fisheries south of 34[deg]00' N. lat. are quota-linked under current regulations.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of the: Habitat Protection and Ecosystem-Based Management Committee; Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Selection Committee (Closed Session); Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) Committee (Partially Closed Session); Advisory Panel Selection Committee; Joint Dolphin Wahoo and Snapper Grouper Committees; Snapper Grouper Committee; Law Enforcement Committee (Partially Closed Session); Spiny Lobster Committee; Protected Resources Committee; Data Collection Committee; Executive Finance Committee; King and Spanish Mackerel Committee; and a meeting of the Full Council. The Council will also hold a formal public comment session. The Council will take action as necessary.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Department) is seeking public input on U.S. seaport efficiency and competitiveness issues for its 21st Century U.S. Port Competitiveness Initiative. In this effort, the Department is working with seaports, stakeholders, and port users to identify and share best practices in port-stakeholder-user coordination, collaboration, and information-sharing that are being used to resolve operational and infrastructure issues that affect freight flows and increase port and supply chain congestion. The Department's goal is to ensure that U.S. seaports and their supply chains have the tools they need to strengthen U.S. port and supply chain competitiveness, facilitate international trade, and catalyze local, regional, national economic growth and job creation. We welcome input from all interested parties.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (``Office'' or ``USPTO'') is issuing a final rule to comply with a Public Law enacted on December 16, 2014. This law requires the USPTO Director to establish regulations and procedures for application to, and participation in, the USPTO Law School Clinic Certification Program. The program allows students enrolled in a participating law school's clinic to practice patent and trademark law before the USPTO under the direct supervision of an approved faculty clinic supervisor by drafting, filing, and prosecuting patent or trademark applications, or both, on a pro bono basis for clients who qualify for assistance from the law school's clinic.

The Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (Judges Panel) will meet in on Wednesday, June 8, 2016, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and review the role and responsibilities of the Judges Panel and information received from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in order to ensure the integrity of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (Award) selection process. The agenda will include: Judges Panel roles and processes; Baldrige Program updates; new business/public comment; lessons learned from the 2015 judging process; and the 2016 Award process. A portion of this meeting is closed to the public in order to protect both proprietary data to be examined and discussed and information that could significantly frustrate implementation of a proposed agency action.