Rules and Regulations. Notice and request for comments
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BILLING CODE 3510-22-S 70 198 Friday, October 14, 2005 Notices DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service [Docket No. 05-061-1] Agricultural Inspector Uniform Allowance AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA, is changing the colors of its employees' basic uniform to ensure our inspectors are easy to distinguish from personnel of other Federal agencies who are stationed at ports of entry.
To offset the one-time cost to uniformed employees who must replace their existing uniforms, we are increasing, for one year only, our maximum uniform allowance rate for fiscal year 2006. We are publishing this notice in accordance with the civil service regulations regarding uniform allowances, which provide, among other things, that annual uniform allowances greater than $400 require public notice and comment. DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before December 13, 2005.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to *http://www.regulations.gov* and, in the “Search for Open Regulations” box, select “Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service” from the agency drop-down menu, then click on “Submit.” In the Docket ID column, select APHIS-2005-0082 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically. After the close of the comment period, the docket can be viewed using the “Advanced Search” function in Regulations.gov. • Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery:
Please send four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. 05-061-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3C71, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. 05-061-1. *Reading Room:* You may read any comments that we receive on this docket in our reading room. The reading room is located in room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC.
Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call
(202)690-2817 before coming. *Other Information:* Additional information about APHIS and its programs is available on the Internet at *http://www.aphis.usda.gov* . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Martin Torrez, Resource Management Staff, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 130, Riverdale, MD 20737-1232;
(301)734-7764. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture protects the health and value of American agriculture and natural resources by, among other things, conducting programs to prevent the introduction of exotic pests and diseases into the United States and conducting surveillance, monitoring, control, and eradication programs for pests and diseases in this country. These activities enhance agricultural productivity and competitiveness and contribute to the national economy and the public health. To carry out the APHIS mission, our inspectors are stationed at ports of entry into the United States as well as at other locations where interstate trade in agricultural products and other Federal regulatory programs and initiatives are conducted. In 2003, many of our employees who historically had conducted inspections of imported articles at ports of entry were transferred to the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS)under the Homeland Security Act of 2002. Despite the transfer of the majority of APHIS inspectors to DHS, there are still approximately 1,700 uniformed APHIS personnel stationed at ports of entry and other locations throughout the United States. Uniformed APHIS personnel currently wear black pants, a white shirt, and a black tie. Most APHIS inspectors work in close proximity to inspectors from DHS's Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which has adopted a uniform with the same color scheme as APHIS'; the only distinguishing facet of the uniforms are the agency badges. Given the importance and uniqueness of the APHIS mission, we believe it is important to have a uniform that is clearly distinguishable from those of DHS-TSA. As such, we intend to change the basic inspector's uniform to one that has green pants and a tan shirt. In accordance with 5 CFR 591.103, APHIS may pay its uniformed employees an allowance for a uniform not to exceed $400 a year, or furnish a uniform at a cost not to exceed $400 a year; APHIS does the former. The cost for the purchase of the new APHIS basic uniform, in addition to other annual uniform needs, exceeds the $400 allowance. In order to offset the one-time cost of changing the APHIS inspector uniform, we need to increase that allowance for fiscal year 2006 (which runs from October 1, 2005, through September 30, 2006) to $800. We believe $800 is a suitable amount to allow employees to purchase uniform components in sufficient minimum quantities to maintain a professional appearance. This action would result in additional costs to APHIS of approximately $680,000, which APHIS has accounted for in its budget for fiscal year 2006. The specific items required for a basic uniform vary according to employee job function, and cost of certain items may vary according to gender. APHIS allows for variety in uniform components according to duty station (e.g., an inspector in North Dakota will have a different uniform wardrobe than an inspector in Florida). Following is a partial list of basic uniform components: Type Activities for which required Minimum components Cost each Class A Formal functions, including passenger inspections Green dress pants $52.57 Long sleeve khaki service shirt 41.02 Short sleeve khaki service shirt 38.18 Green Tie 3.75 Class B Cargo inspections, domestic field activities Green cargo pants 57.46 Polo shirt 34.82 Utility May be used in combination with other parts of Class A and B uniforms for functions that do not involve direct contact with the public Green coveralls 56.16 Cargo shorts 51.83 Walking shoes 94.00 to 140.00 Boots 199.00 to 209.00 Accessories May be used in combination with other parts of Class A and B uniforms Wide-brimmed straw hat 61.04 Rain jacket 36.89 All weather overcoat 204.85 Commando sweater 40.11 Work belt 17.88 Pair socks 6.10 The usual $400 annual uniform allowance is intended to assist employees in maintaining a neat professional appearance, and may be used to purchase whatever uniform components listed above that the employee may require. We are providing an additional $400 for fiscal year 2006 to cover the cost of building a new basic uniform, which could include a combination of items such as: Class A shirts
(2)$ 82.04 Class A dress pants
(2)104.14 Class B cargo pants
(1)57.46 Class B cargo shorts
(1)51.83 Class B polo shirts
(2)69.64 Pair socks
(5)30.50 Total: 395.61 This change in uniform allowance would be effective for fiscal year 2006 only. Beginning fiscal year 2007, the uniform allowance would revert to $400. This notice is intended to satisfy the requirements of 5 CFR 591.104(d), which requires that prior to adopting a uniform allowance that is greater than $400, a Federal agency must provide a justification for the allowance and make it available for public notice and comment. Done in Washington, DC, this 7th day of October 2005. Jennifer Cervantes-Eggers, Acting Assistant Secretary for Administration, USDA. [FR Doc. E5-5651 Filed 10-13-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-34-P COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR SEVERELY DISABLED Procurement List Addition AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From People Who are Blind or Severely Disabled. ACTION: Additions to Procurement List. SUMMARY: This action adds to the Procurement List products to be furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities. EFFECTIVE DATE: November 13, 2005. ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800, 1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia, 22202-3259. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sheryl D. Kennerly, Telephone:
(703)603-7740, Fax:
(703)603-0655, or e-mail *SKennerly@jwod.gov.* SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 6, 2006, the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled published notice (70 F.R. 23979) of proposed additions to the Procurement List. After consideration of the material presented to it concerning capability of qualified nonprofit agencies to provide the products and impact of the additions on the current or most recent contractors, the Committee has determined that the products listed below are suitable for procurement by the Federal Government under 41 U.S.C. 46-48c and 41 CFR 51-2.4. The following comments pertain to Accustamp. Comments were received from three of the current contractors for these stamps. Two of the contractors claimed that the stamps the nonprofit agency will be providing under the Committee's program are made in China, as opposed to the stamps the contractors provide, which one contractor makes in the United States (U.S.) and the other contractor assembles in the U.S. from components made in Japan and China, and that the Committee should not permit its program to displace U.S. products with Chinese products. One contractor claimed that it has been a Government supplier of the stamps for over 35 years, and has become reliant on these sales, which constitute a significant minority of its total Government sales. The same contractor claimed the nonprofit agency's stamps do not meet Government specifications in four specific areas. That contractor claimed that U.S. workers should not be laid off to provide jobs for people with severe disabilities. Another contractor cited the continuing impact of Procurement List additions on its sales. Two contractors claimed, without providing supporting data, that this addition will impact either the small businesses that supply the products or the distributors who sell them. Contrary to the contractors' claims, the nonprofit agency will be using its employees with severe disabilities to assemble and package the stamps in the U.S. from components made in Austria, which is a designated country under the Trade Agreements Act, 19 U.S.C. 2501 *et seq.* Like the contractor workers they may displace, the persons with severe disabilities who will produce the stamps are U.S. workers, but with an unemployment rate which is well above other groups, so the Committee believes that creating jobs for them, which is the mission of the Committee's program, is justified in this situation. The contractor which claimed a long-term reliance on Government sales of these stamps failed to provide the Committee with total sales data which would enable the Committee to assess the severity of impact of this Procurement List addition, despite being cautioned that the Committee would interpret a failure to provide data as an indication that the contractor did not consider the impact severe. As for this contractor's claim that the nonprofit agency's stamps do not meet Government specifications, the nonprofit agency has shown the Committee that its stamps do meet those specifications. The cumulative impact of Procurement List additions over the past three years on the contractor which objected to these impacts does not reach the level which the Committee normally considers to be severe adverse impact. As the two contractors which alleged impact on their suppliers or distributors, respectively, failed to provide data to support their claims, the Committee is unable to assess the claims and is accordingly persuaded that these impacts cannot be severe. The following material pertains to all of the items being added to the Procurement List. Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification I certify that the following action will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities. The major factors considered for this certification were: 1. The action will not result in any additional reporting, recordkeeping or other compliance requirements for small entities other than the small organizations that will furnish the products to the Government. 2. The action will result in authorizing small entities to furnish the products to the Government. 3. There are no known regulatory alternatives which would accomplish the objectives of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46-48c) in connection with the products proposed for addition to the Procurement List. End of Certification Accordingly, the following products are added to the Procurement List: Products: Product/name(s)/NSN(S): Accustamp 7510-01-207-3959—Refill Ink
(Blue)7510-01-207-3960—Refill Ink
(Blue)7510-01-207-3961—Refill Ink (Black) 7520-01-207-4118—Top Secret
(Red)7520-01-207-4150—C.O.D.
(Red)7520-01-207-4151—2000 plus 6 band number Stamp S-226 7520-01-207-4188—2000 plus R40 time stamp 12 hours—(Blue & Red) 7520-01-207-4190—Stamper 2000 6 Stamp Tray 7520-01-207-4194—Copy
(Blue)7520-01-207-4196—Approved
(Blue)7520-01-207-4202—Entered
(Blue)7520-01-207-4204—Priority
(Red)7520-01-207-4205—Expedite
(Red)7520-01-207-4206—Special
(Red)7520-01-207-4207—Posted
(Red)7520-01-207-4209—File
(Red)7520-01-207-4211—Draft (Black) 7520-01-207-4212—Copy for your Information
(Red)7520-01-207-4213—Official
(Red)7520-01-207-4216—Urgent
(Red)7520-01-207-4222—Original
(Blue)7520-01-207-4228—Cancelled
(Blue)7520-01-207-4231—Received
(Red)7520-01-207-4242—Unclassified
(Red)*NPA:* The Arbor School, Houston, Texas. *Contracting Activity:* Office Supplies & Paper Products Acquisition Center, New York, NY. This action does not affect current contracts awarded prior to the effective date of this addition or options that may be exercised under those contracts. G. John Heyer, General Counsel. [FR Doc. E5-5647 Filed 10-13-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6353-01-P COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR SEVERELY DISABLED Procurement List; Proposed Additions and Deletions AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From People Who are Blind or Severely Disabled. ACTION: Proposed additions to and deletions from Procurement List. SUMMARY: The Committee is proposing to add to the Procurement List services to be furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities, and to delete services previously furnished by such agencies. Comments Must Be Received on or Before: November 13, 2005. ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800, 1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia 22202-3259. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO SUBMIT COMMENTS CONTACT: Sheryl D. Kennerly, Telephone:
(703)603-7740, Fax:
(703)603-0655, or e-mail *SKennerly@jwod.gov.* SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published pursuant to 41 U.S.C 47(a)
(2)and 41 CFR 51-2.3. Its purpose is to provide interested persons an opportunity to submit comments on the proposed actions. Addition If the Committee approves the proposed additions, the entities of the Federal Government identified in this notice for each service will be required to procure the services listed below from nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities. Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification I certify that the following action will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities. The major factors considered for this certification were: 1. If approved, the action will not result in any additional reporting, recordkeeping or other compliance requirements for small entities other than the small organizations that will furnish the services to the Government. 2. If approved, the action will result in authorizing small entities to furnish the services to the Government. 3. There are no known regulatory alternatives which would accomplish the objectives of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46-48c) in connection with the services proposed for addition to the Procurement List. Comments on this certification are invited. Commenters should identify the statement(s) underlying the certification on which they are providing additional information. End of Certification The following services are proposed for addition to Procurement List for production by the nonprofit agencies listed: Services: *Service Type/Location:* Basewide Custodial Services U.S. Naval Academy Complex, Annapolis, Maryland. *NPA:* Melwood Horticultural Training Center, Upper Marlboro, Maryland. *Contracting Activity:* Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Chesapeake, Washington, DC. *Service Type/Location:* Custodial Services, U.S. Geological Survey—Warehouse, 800 Ship Creek Avenue, USGS Storage Area, Anchorage, Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey—Warehouse, Huffman Business Park, Building P 12100 Industry Way, Anchorage, Alaska. *NPA:* Assets, Inc., Anchorage, Alaska. *Contracting Activity:* U.S. Geological Survey—Oregon, Corvallis, Oregon. Deletions Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification I certify that the following action will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities. The major factors considered for this certification were: 1. If approved, the action may result in additional reporting, recordkeeping or other compliance requirements for small entities. 2. If approved, the action may result in authorizing small entities to furnish the services to the Government. 3. There are no known regulatory alternatives which would accomplish the objectives of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46-48c) in connection with the services proposed for deletion from the Procurement List. End of Certification The following services are proposed for deletion from the Procurement List: Services: *Service Type/Location:* Janitorial/Custodial, Naval Reserve Readiness Command, Regional North Central, 715 Apollo Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota. *NPA:* AccessAbility, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota. *Contracting Activity:* Naval Facilities Engineering Command Contracts. *Service Type/Location:* Janitorial/Custodial, U.S. Army Reserve Center, Kenton, Jacob Parrott, 707 N. Ida Street, Kenton, Ohio. *NPA:* None currently authorized. *Contracting Activity:* Department of the Army. *Service Type/Location:* Janitorial/Custodial, U.S. Coast Guard, 2420 South Lincoln Memorial Parkway, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. *NPA:* GWS, Inc., Waukegan, Wisconsin. *Contracting Activity:* U.S. Coast Guard, Dept. of Transportation. G. John Heyer, General Counsel. [FR Doc. E5-5648 Filed 10-13-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6353-01-P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request DOC has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB)for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). *Agency:* U.S. Census Bureau. *Title:* 2004 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation, Wave 7 Topical Modules. *Form Number(s):* SIPP/CAPI Automated Instrument; SIPP 24705(L) Director's Letter; SIPP 24003 Reminder Card. *Agency Approval Number:* 0607-0905. *Type of Request:* Revision of a currently approved collection. *Burden:* 148,028 hours. *Number of Respondents:* 97,650. *Avg Hours per Response:* 30 Minutes. *Needs and Uses:* The U.S. Census Bureau requests authorization from the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB)to conduct the Wave 7 topical module interview for the 2004 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). We are also requesting approval for a few replacement questions in the reinterview instrument. The core SIPP and reinterview instruments were cleared under Authorization No. 0607-0905. The SIPP is designed as a continuing series of national panels of interviewed households that are introduced every few years, with each panel having durations of 3 to 4 years. The 2004 Panel is scheduled for four years and will include twelve waves of interviewing. All household members 15 years old or over are interviewed a total of twelve times (twelve waves), at 4-month intervals, making the SIPP a longitudinal survey. The survey is molded around a central “core” of labor force and income questions that remain fixed throughout the life of a panel. The core is supplemented with questions designed to answer specific needs. These supplemental questions are included with the core and are referred to as “topical modules.” The topical modules for the 2004 Panel Wave 7 are Informal Caregiving, Retirement and Pension Plan Coverage, Annual Income and Retirement Accounts, and Taxes. The Informal Caregiving and Retirement and Pension Plan Coverage topical modules were previously conducted in the SIPP 2001 Panel Wave 7 instrument. The Annual Income and Retirement Accounts and Taxes topical modules were previously conducted in the SIPP 2004 Panel Wave 4 instrument. Wave 7 interviews will be conducted from February 2006 through May 2006. Data provided by the SIPP are being used by economic policymakers, the Congress, state and local governments, and Federal agencies that administer social welfare or transfer payment programs, such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture. The SIPP represents a source of information for a wide variety of topics and allows information for separate topics to be integrated to form a single and unified database so that the interaction between tax, transfer, and other government and private policies can be examined. Government domestic policy formulators depend heavily upon the SIPP information concerning the distribution of income received directly as money or indirectly as in-kind benefits and the effect of tax and transfer programs on this distribution. They also need improved and expanded data on the income and general economic and financial situation of the U.S. population. The SIPP has provided these kinds of data on a continuing basis since 1983, permitting levels of economic well-being and changes in these levels to be measured over time. Monetary incentives to encourage non-respondents to participate is planned for all waves of the 2004 SIPP Panel. *Affected Public:* Individuals or households. *Frequency:* Every 4 months. *Respondent's Obligation:* Voluntary. Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Section 182. *OMB Desk Officer:* Susan Schechter,
(202)395-5103. Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer,
(202)482-0266, Department of Commerce, room 6625, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at *dhynek@doc.gov* ). Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to Susan Schechter, OMB Desk Officer either by fax
(202)395-7245) or e-mail ( *susan_schechter@omb.eop.gov* ). Dated: October 11, 2005. Madeleine Clayton, Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 05-20594 Filed 10-13-05; 8:45 am]
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U.S. Code
5 references not yet in our index
- 5 CFR 591.103
- 5 CFR 591.104(d)
- 41 USC 46-48c
- 41 CFR 51
- 41 USC 47(a)
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Cite5 CFR 591.104(d)
Cite41 USC 46-48c
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