Department of State September 8, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Act of October 19, 1965 (79 Stat. 985; 22 U.S.C. 2459), Executive Order 12047 of March 27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et seq.), Delegation of Authority No. 234 of October 1, 1999, Delegation of Authority No. 236 of October 19, 1999, as amended, and Delegation of Authority No. 257 of April 15, 2003 [68 FR 19875], I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``Prayers & Portraits: Unfolding the Netherlands Diptych,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural significance. The objects are imported pursuant to loan agreements with the foreign owners or custodians. I also determine that the exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, from on or about November 12, 2006, until on or about February 4, 2007, and at possible additional venues yet to be determined, is in the national interest. Public Notice of these Determinations is ordered to be published in the Federal Register.

The Department of State is updating the regulations implementing 1 U.S.C. 112a and 112b in order to reflect amendments to the statutes governing publication of U.S. international agreements and their transmittal to the Congress. It will not be publishing certain categories of international agreements in the compilation entitled ``United States Treaties and Other International Agreements'' or in the ``Treaties and Other International Acts Series.'' Further, the regulations are being amended to reflect adjustments to certain internal procedures within the State Department on the reporting of international agreements to Congress. Finally, the Department is adding a new requirement concerning procedures for consultation with the Secretary of State in the negotiation and conclusion of international agreements. Where an international agreement could reasonably require for its implementation the issuance of a significant domestic regulatory action, agencies proposing the agreement are to consult in a timely manner with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Department of State should confirm that timely consultations were undertaken.