Department of State 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of State and the Office of the United States Trade Representative are providing notice that the parties to the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) intend to hold the ninth meeting of the Environmental Affairs Council (Council) established under Chapter 17 (Environment) of that agreement in Guatemala City, Guatemala on July 9-10. The Council will meet on July 9 to review implementation of Chapter 17 of CAFTA-DR and the CAFTA-DR Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA). All interested persons are invited to attend the Council's public session beginning at 9:30 a.m. on July 10 at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. During the Council meeting, Council Members will present the progress made and challenges in implementing Chapter 17 obligations and the impacts of environmental cooperation in their respective countries. The Council will also receive a presentation from the CAFTA-DR Secretariat for Environmental Matters (SEM). More information on the Council is included below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. All interested persons are invited to attend a public session where they will have an opportunity to ask questions and discuss implementation of Chapter 17 and the Environmental Cooperation Agreement with Council Members. At the public session, the Council hopes to receive input from the public on current environmental challenges and ideas for future cooperation. The Department of State and Office of the United States Trade Representative also invite written comments or suggestions regarding topics to be discussed at the meeting. In preparing comments, we encourage submitters to refer to Chapter 17 of the CAFTA-DR, the Final Environmental Review of the CAFTA-DR, and the Agreement among the CAFTA-DR countries on Environmental Cooperation (ECA) (all documents available at https://www.state.gov/e/oes/eqt/trade/caftadr/index.htm).

The Department of State issued a Presidential Permit to the General Services Administration (GSA) on June 9, 2015, authorizing the GSA to reconfigure, expand, operate, and maintain a vehicle and pedestrian border crossing called ``Calexico West'' in Calexico, California, at the international boundary between the United States and Mexico. In making this determination, the Department provided public notice of the proposed permit (76 FR 19825, April 8, 2011), offered the opportunity for comment, and consulted with other federal agencies, as required by Executive Order 11423, as amended.

The Department of State has submitted the information collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this Notice is to allow 30 days for public comment.

This proposed rule would amend the Department of State (Department) regulation on the accreditation and approval of adoption service providers in intercountry adoptions. Most agencies and persons currently accredited received that accreditation at approximately the same time, which has resulted in a surge of concurrent renewal applications for consideration by the Council on Accreditation (COA), the designated accrediting entity. Permitting some agencies or persons to qualify for an extension by one year of the accreditation or approval period will result in a more even distribution of applications for renewal in a given year. By distributing renewals, and the resources needed to process them, COA will be further enabled to effectively and consistently carry out its other functions.

As part of the President's Export Control Reform (ECR) initiative, the Department of State proposes to amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to update the definitions of ``defense article,'' ``defense services,'' ``technical data,'' ``public domain,'' ``export,'' and ``reexport or retransfer'' in order to clarify the scope of activities and information that are covered within these definitions and harmonize the definitions with the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), to the extent appropriate. Additionally, the Department proposes to create definitions of ``required,'' ``technical data that arises during, or results from, fundamental research,'' ``release,'' ``retransfer,'' and ``activities that are not exports, reexports, or retransfers'' in order to clarify and support the interpretation of the revised definitions that are proposed in this rulemaking. The Department proposes to create new sections detailing the scope of licenses, unauthorized releases of information, and the ``release'' of secured information, and revises the sections on ``exports'' of ``technical data'' to U.S. persons abroad. Finally, the Department proposes to address the electronic transmission and storage of unclassified ``technical data'' via foreign communications infrastructure. This rulemaking proposes that the electronic transmission of unclassified ``technical data'' abroad is not an ``export,'' provided that the data is sufficiently secured to prevent access by foreign persons. Additionally, this proposed rule would allow for the electronic storage of unclassified ``technical data'' abroad, provided that the data is secured to prevent access by parties unauthorized to access such data. The revisions contained in this proposed rule are part of the Department of State's retrospective plan under Executive Order 13563 first submitted on August 17, 2011.

The Department of State is seeking Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the information collections described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are requesting comments on these collections from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for public comment preceding submission of the collections to OMB.

The Department of State is revising the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to rescind the previous policy of denying the export of defense articles and defense services to Fiji.

On March 27, 2015, notice was published on pages 16492 and 16493 of the Federal Register (volume 80, number 59) of determinations made by the Department of State pertaining to the exhibition ``Pleasure and Piety: The Art of Joachim Wtewael.'' The referenced notice is corrected here to include an additional object as part of the exhibition. 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. 236-3 of August 28, 2000 (and, as appropriate, Delegation of Authority No. 257 of April 15, 2003), I hereby determine that the additional object to be included in the exhibition ``Pleasure and Piety: The Art of Joachim Wtewael,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, is of cultural significance. The additional object is imported pursuant to a loan agreement with the foreign owner or custodian. I also determine that the exhibition or display of the additional object at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, from on or about June 28, 2015, until on or about October 4, 2015, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, Texas, from on or about November 1, 2015, until on or about January 31, 2016, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these Determinations be published in the Federal Register.

On April 27, 2015, the Department of State certified, pursuant to Section 609 of Public Law 101-162, that 14 nations have adopted programs to reduce the incidental capture of sea turtles in their shrimp fisheries comparable to the program in effect in the United States. The Department also certified that the fishing environments in 26 other countries and one economy do not pose a threat of the incidental taking of sea turtles protected under Section 609.

This document contains a correction to the address for service of process on the Department of State (Public Notice 9045).

The Department of State has submitted the information collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this Notice is to allow 30 days for public comment.

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. 236-3 of August 28, 2000 (and, as appropriate, Delegation of Authority No. 257 of April 15, 2003), I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``Gates of the Lord: The Tradition of Krishna Paintings,'' 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 Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, from on or about September 13, 2015, until on or about January 3, 2016, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these Determinations be published in the Federal Register.

As part of the President's Export Control Reform (ECR) effort, the Department of State is proposing to amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to: clarify regulations pertaining to the export of items subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR); revise the licensing exemption for exports made to or on behalf of an agency of the U.S. government; revise the destination control statement in ITAR Sec. 123.9 to harmonize the language with the EAR; and make several minor edits for clarity. The proposed revisions contained in this rule are part of the Department of State's retrospective plan under E.O. 13563.

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, and Delegation of Authority No. 236-3 of August 28, 2000 (and, as appropriate, Delegation of Authority No. 257 of April 15, 2003), I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter's Eye,'' 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 June 28, 2015, until on or about October 4, 2015, the Kimbell Art Museum, Ft. Worth, Texas, from on or about November 8, 2015, until on or about February 14, 2016, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these Determinations be published in the Federal Register.

The Department of State administers the Exchange Visitor Program pursuant to the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (Pub. L. 87-256) as amended, 22 U.S.C. 2451, et seq., also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act (the Act). The purpose of the Act is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, including through educational and cultural exchanges. As set forth in 22 CFR part 62, such exchanges are facilitated, in part, through the designation of public and private entities as sponsors of the Exchange Visitor Program. The Intern category is one of 15 categories under the Exchange Visitor Program. The purpose of the internship program is to provide foreign nationals who are currently enrolled full-time and pursuing studies at a degree- or certificate-granting post-secondary academic institution or graduated from such an institution no more than 12 months prior to their exchange visitor program begin date a period of work-based learning to allow them to develop practical skills that will enhance their future careers. Bridging the gap between formal education and practical work experience and gaining substantive cross-cultural experience are major goals in educational institutions around the world. By providing training opportunities for current foreign students and recent foreign graduates at formative stages of their development, the U.S. Government will build partnerships, promote mutual understanding, and develop networks for relationships that will last through generations as these foreign nationals move into leadership roles in a broad range of occupational fields in their own societies. On March 16, 2015, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan and Under Secretary for North American Affairs for the Government of Mexico Sergio Alcocer signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the U.S.-Mexico Intern Program for four years. This new effort is intended to increase professional and educational opportunities for youth in both countries. The U.S.-Mexico Intern Program advances President Obama's 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative. It also supports the goals of the Bilateral Forum on Higher Education, Innovation and Research (FOBESSI), announced by President Obama and Mexico's President Enrique Pe[ntilde]a. To support this Program, which will be implemented through the Exchange Visitor Program, the Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), Office of Private Sector Exchange (EC) wishes to collaborate with currently designated intern sponsors as well as other interested entities to provide Mexican citizens with internships and practical training in the occupational categories of Management, Business, Commerce and Finance; Public Administration and Law; Information Media and Communications; and The Sciences, Engineering, Architecture, Mathematics, and Industrial occupations. This type of immersion creates endless benefits for the individual and for understanding between the people of Mexico and the people of the United States. ECA/EC is prepared to authorize separate designations to current intern sponsors as needed to support the U.S.-Mexico Intern Program. Beginning June 1, the Department intends to provide to currently designated intern sponsors the opportunity to submit designation applications (Form DS-3036) in the occupational fields of Management, Business, Commerce and Finance; Public Administration and Law; Information Media and Communications; and The Sciences, Engineering, Architecture, Mathematics, and Industrial occupations. The designation will be for a period of two years, after which time the sponsor will be required to submit an application for redesignation per 22 CFR 62.7. Interested entities that do not hold an intern designation under the Exchange Visitor Program should follow the designation process set forth at 22 CFR 62.5, taking care to identify the specified occupational fields outlined in this Notice. Applicants are encouraged to consult the User Manual for Temporary Users of SEVIS (How to Complete and Submit the Form DS-3036, Exchange Visitor Program Application), Version: 6.19, dated March 10, 2015. Public Comment: Interested persons are invited to submit written views concerning this program, until June 22, 2015. The addresses are: Mail: U.S. Department of State, Attn: Ms. Robin Lerner, Office of Private Sector Exchange, SA-5, 2200 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20522-0505. Email: [no email address was provided in the original draft].

The Department of State has submitted the information collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this Notice is to allow 30 days for public comment.

This rule amends the passport rules for the Department of State to authorize issuing an official passport to an official or employee of a state, local, tribal, or territorial government traveling abroad to carry out official duties in support of the U.S. government.

Delegates from the United States and Mexican Governments, the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas, the Mexican states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, and Tamaulipas, will participate in the Plenary Meeting of the U.S.-Mexico Binational Bridges and Border Crossings Group on May 21, 2015, in Washington, DC. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss operational matters involving existing and proposed international bridges and border crossings and their related infrastructure, and to exchange views on policy as well as technical information. This meeting includes a public session on Thursday, May 21, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. This session allows proponents of proposed bridges and border crossings and related projects to make presentations to the delegations and members of the public.

The Department of State is seeking Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB. DATE(S): The Department will accept comments from the public up to July 6, 2015.