Executive Office of the President – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to section 303 of the Trade and Tariff Act of 1984, as amended, USTR is required to publish annually the National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE). With this notice, the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is requesting interested parties to assist it in identifying significant barriers to U.S. exports of goods, services and overseas direct investment for inclusion in the NTE. Particularly important are impediments materially affecting the actual and potential financial performance of an industry sector. The TPSC invites written comments that provide views relevant to the issues to be examined in preparing the NTE.

The following persons have been appointed to the ONDCP Senior Executive Service Performance Review Board: Mr. Thomas Riley, Ms. Michele Marx, Mr. Robert Denniston, and Mr. Patrick Ward.

In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program is publishing the following summary of proposed information collections for public comment. This notice also includes a summary of proposed information collection for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP Act) Program, which will fund current and past DFC grantees. The STOP program will be evaluated based on the same data already being collected for the ONDCP DFC program. No additional data will be required of respondents. Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including any of the following subjects: (1) The necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the programs' functions; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden. Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy is requesting OMB review and approval of this information collection. Written comments and/or recommendations will be accepted from the public if received by the individuals designated below within 60 days from the date of publication. Type of Information Collection Request: New collection. Title: Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program National Evaluation; Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP Act) Program National Evaluation. Use: 1. The DFC Support Program is an integral component of the National Drug Control Strategy and a requirement of Healthy People 2010. The DFC has two primary goals: (1) Reduce substance abuse among youth by addressing local risk and protective factors to minimize the likelihood of subsequent substance abuse in the community; and (2) support community anti-drug coalitions in becoming self-sufficient by establishing, strengthening, and fostering collaboration among public and private nonprofit agencies, as well as federal, state, local, and tribal governments to prevent and reduce substance abuse. A National Evaluation of the DFC Support Program commenced in September 2004 to assess the program's implementation and effectiveness. The major purpose of the DFC Support Program National Evaluation is to design and implement a rigorous evaluation and to support an effective grant monitoring and tracking system. The National Evaluation will make use of two separate collection instruments to gather information. The Monitoring and Tracking Questionnaire (online tool) will serve as a semi-annual report for DFC grantees and will provide information for ONDCP, SAMHSA and the National Evaluation. The Typology Classification Questionnaire will be used on an annual basis to classify respondents into a coalition typology developed by the evaluation contractor and will provide information for ONDCP and the National Evaluation. Frequency: Semi-annually and annually. Affected Public: Anti-Drug Coalitions. Type of Respondents: Directors of Anti-Drug Coalitions or their designees. 2. The purpose of the STOP Act program is to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth in communities throughout the United States. It was created to strengthen collaboration among communities, the Federal Government, and State, local and tribal governments; to enhance intergovernmental cooperation and coordination on the issue of alcohol use among youth; to serve as a catalyst for increased citizen participation and greater collaboration among all sectors and organizations of a community that first demonstrates a long-term commitment to reducing alcohol use among youth; and to disseminate to communities timely information regarding state-of-the-art practices and initiatives that have proven to be effective in preventing and reducing alcohol use among youth. The statutory authority for this program limits eligibility to domestic public and private nonprofit entities that are currently grantee organizations receiving or having received grant funds under the Drug-Free Communities Program (DFC). STOP Act grants are authorized under the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb-25b), Section 519B. The National Evaluation will make use of one collection instrument to gather information. The Monitoring and Tracking Questionnaire (online tool) will serve as a semi-annual report for STOP Act grantees and will provide information for SAMHSA. Frequency: Semi-annually. Affected Public: Current or prior Drug Free Communities Anti-Drug Coalitions. Type of Respondents: Directors or their designees. Estimated annual burden is as follows:

This notice announces: (1) The disposition of the product petitions accepted for review in the 2007 GSP Annual Product Review; (2) the results of the 2007 de minimis Waiver and Redesignation Reviews; (3) the results of the 2007 Competitive Need Limitation (CNL) Waiver Revocation Review; and (4) the results of the 2007 Country Practices Review.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is issuing a final rule to update its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations. USTR last made changes to its FOIA regulations in 1975. Since that time the information relating to USTR has changed and there have been several changes to the FOIA, which needed to be reflected in the regulations.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is providing notice that on May 28, 2008, in accordance with the World Trade Organization (``WTO'') Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (``DSU''), the United States requested consultations with the European Communities (``EC'') and its member States regarding the tariff treatment accorded to set- top boxes with a communication function, flat panel displays, ``input or output units,'' and facsimile machines. That request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS375/1. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, as amended (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that an information collection request was submitted to the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for processing under 5 CFR 1320.10. The first notice of this information collection request, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act, was published in the Federal Register on December 5, 2007 [72 FR 68608]. The information collection request involves two proposed information collections from two types of entities: (1) Reports from auditors to auditees concerning audit results, audit findings, and questioned costs; and (2) reports from auditees to the Federal Government providing information about the auditees, the awards they administer, and the audit results. These collection efforts are required by the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 (31 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.) and OMB Circular A-133, ``Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations.'' Circular A-133's information collection requirements apply to approximately 36,000 States, local governments, and non-profit organizations on an annual basis.

OMB proposes to issue guidance to agencies to establish requirements for federal financial assistance applicants, recipients, and subrecipients that are necessary for the implementation of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-282, hereafter referred to as ``the Transparency Act'' or ``the Act''). An agency under the proposed guidance would require applicants other than individuals, with some specific exceptions, to have Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) numbers and maintain current registrations in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. The guidance also provides standard wording for an award term that each agency would include in its financial assistance awards. The award term would require recipients and subrecipients that are subject to the policy to have DUNS numbers, maintain current CCR registrations, and report subaward data that the implementation of the Transparency Act requires. This proposed implementation of the requirement for reporting of subawards under federal financial assistance awards parallels the Federal Acquisition Regulation implementation of that Transparency Act reporting requirement for subcontracts under federal procurement contracts (72 FR 51306, September 6, 2007).

The Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Small and Minority Business (ITAC-11) will hold a meeting on Monday, June 9, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The meeting will be closed to the public from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and opened to the public from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.