Notices. Notice; request for comments

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BILLING CODE 3510-JE-M DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [I.D. 031006A] Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice; request for comments. SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator), has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit

(EFP)application submitted by the Mount Desert Oceanarium (MDO), Southwest Harbor, ME, contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The EFP would allow one fishing vessel to fish for, retain, and land small numbers of regulated fish species, and several unmanaged fish and invertebrate species, for the purpose of public display. The Assistant Regional Administrator has made a preliminary determination that the activities authorized under this EFP would be consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plans

(FMPs)for these species. However, further review and consultation may be necessary before a final determination is made to issue an EFP. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed EFPs. DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 30, 2006. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NMFS, NE Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope “Comments on MDO Specimen Collection, DA6-043.” Comments may also be sent via fax to

(978)281-9135. Comments may also be submitted via e-mail to the following address: *DA6-043@noaa.gov* . Include in the subject line of the e-mail “Comments on MDO Specimen Collection.” FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Potts, Fishery Management Specialist, 978-281-9341. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MDO submitted an application for an EFP on February 9, 2006, to collect several species of fish and invertebrates for public display. The target species would include American plaice (dab), winter flounder (blackback), yellowtail flounder, witch flounder (grey sole), Atlantic halibut, monkfish, eel pouts, sculpins, sea raven, Atlantic cod, lumpfish, Atlantic wolffish, spiny dogfish, little skate, barndoor skate, and various species of the Phyla Arthropoda (excluding lobsters) and Echinodermata. One chartered fishing vessel would use a shrimp otter trawl with 2-inch (5.08-cm) mesh to collect marine fish and invertebrates for a maximum of 4 days—2 days during the period May 16-28, 2006, and 2 days during the period June 23-30, 2006. The specimens would be cared for in chilled and aerated seawater while on board the fishing vessel and would be transferred live to tanks the day they are caught. The fish would be brought to shore, maintained in tanks for public display for a period of time not to exceed 5 months, and would be returned to the sea in October 2006. Collection would be made within the Small Mesh Northern Shrimp Fishery Exemption Area, specifically within an area off the coast of Maine. Because the shrimp fishery will be closed at the time of the proposed collection, and this area lies within the Gulf of Maine Regulated Mesh Area, an exemption from the Northeast

(NE)multispecies minimum mesh requirements of 6-inch (15.24-cm) diamond/6.5-inch (16.51-cm) square mesh at 50 CFR 648.80(a)(3) would be required. The applicant would retain a maximum of six individuals per species, juveniles and adults combined, with the exception of Atlantic halibut. In addition to an exemption from the NE multispecies minium mesh requirements, the applicant would only be permitted to retain a total of one Atlantic halibut with a minimum length of 36 inches (91.44 cm). The applicant has requested the following exemptions from the NE Multispecies and Monkfish Fishery Management Plans: Effort control program requirements at §§ 648.82(a) and 648.92(a); minimum fish sizes at §§ 648.83(a)(1) and 648.93(a)(1); and monkfish possession restrictions at § 648.94(b)(6). The EFP would also exempt the vessels from the possession and landing restrictions for the NE skate complex fishery at § 648.322(c). Any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of the exempted fishing activity would be prohibited. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 *et seq.* Dated: March 10, 2006. Alan D. Risenhoover, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. E6-3703 Filed 3-14-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-22-S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Patent and Trademark Office [Docket No. PTO-C-2006-0016] Public Advisory Committees AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office. ACTION: Notice and request for nominations. SUMMARY: On November 29, 1999, the President signed into law the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act (the “Act”), Pub. L. 106-113, Appendix I, Title IV, Subtitle G, 113 Stat. 1501A-572, which, among other things, established two Public Advisory Committees to review the policies, goals, performance, budget and user fees of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with respect to patents, in the case of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, and with respect to trademarks, in the case of the Trademark Public Advisory Committee, and to advise the Director on these matters. The USPTO is requesting nominations for three

(3)members to each Public Advisory Committee for terms of three years that begin from date of appointment. DATES: Nominations must be postmarked or electronically transmitted on or before May 8, 2006. ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to submit nominations should send the nominee's resumé to Chief of Staff, Office of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, Post Office Box 1450, Alexandria, Virginia, 22313-1450; by electronic mail to: *PPACnominations@uspto.gov* for the Patent Public Advisory Committee or *TPACnominations@uspto.gov* for the Trademark Public Advisory Committee; or by facsimile transmission marked to the Chief of Staff's attention at

(571)273-0464. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chief of Staff by facsimile transmission marked to her attention at

(571)273-0464, or by mail marked to her attention and addressed to the Office of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, Post Office Box 1450, Alexandria, Virginia, 22313-1450. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Committees' duties include: • Advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO on matters relating to policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees of the USPTO relating to patents and trademarks, respectively; and • Within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year:

(1)Prepare an annual report on matters listed above;

(2)transmit a report to the Secretary of Commerce, the President, and the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives; and

(3)publish the report in the Official Gazette of the USPTO. Members of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Secretary of Commerce for three (3)-year terms. Advisory Committees The Public Advisory Committees are each composed of nine

(9)voting members who are appointed by the Secretary of Commerce (the “Secretary”). The Public Advisory Committee members must be United States citizens and represent the interests of diverse users of the USPTO, both large and small entity applicants in proportion to the number of such applications filed. The Committees must include members who have “substantial backgrounds and achievement in finance, management, labor relations, science, technology, and office automation.” 35 U.S.C. 5(b)(3). In the case of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, at least twenty-five

(25)percent of the members must represent “small business concerns, independent inventors, and nonprofit organizations,” and at least one member must represent the independent inventor community. 35 U.S.C. 5(b)(2). Each of the Public Advisory Committees also includes three

(3)non-voting members representing each labor organization recognized by the USPTO. Procedures and Guidelines of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees Each newly appointed member of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees will serve for a term of three years from date of appointment. As required by the Act, members of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees will receive compensation for each day while the member is attending meetings or engaged in the business of that Advisory Committee. The rate of compensation is the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay in effect for level III of the Executive Schedule under section 5314 of title 5, United States Code. While away from home or regular place of business, each member will be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by Section 5703 of Title 5, United States Code. The USPTO will provide the necessary administrative support, including technical assistance for the Committees. Applicability of Certain Ethics Laws Members of each Public Advisory Committee shall be special Government employees within the meaning of Section 202 of Title 18, United States Code. The following additional information includes several, but not all, of the ethics rules that apply to members, and assumes that members are not engaged in Public Advisory Committee business more than sixty days during each calendar year: • Each member will be required to file a confidential financial disclosure form within thirty

(30)days of appointment. 5 CFR 2634.202(c), 2634.204, 2634.903, and 2634.904(b). • Each member will be subject to many of the public integrity laws, including criminal bars against representing a party, 18 U.S.C. 205(c), in a particular matter that came before the member's committee and that involved at least one specific party. *See also* 18 U.S.C. 207 for post-membership bars. A member also must not act on a matter in which the member (or any of certain closely related entities) has a financial interest. 18 U.S.C. 208. • Representation of foreign interests may also raise issues. 35 U.S.C. 5(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. 219. Meetings of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees Meetings of each Advisory Committee will take place at the call of the Chair to consider an agenda set by the Chair. Meetings may be conducted in person, electronically through the Internet, or by other appropriate means. The meetings of each Advisory Committee will be open to the public except each Advisory Committee may, by majority vote, meet in executive session when considering personnel, privileged, or other confidential matters. Nominees must also have the ability to participate in Committee business through the Internet. Procedures for Submitting Nominations Submit resumés for nomination for the Patent Public Advisory Committee and the Trademark Public Advisory Committee to: Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, utilizing the addresses provided above. Dated: March 6, 2006. Jon W. Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. [FR Doc. E6-3707 Filed 3-14-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-16-P COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS Request for Public Comments on Commercial Availability Request under the African Growth and Opportunity Act

(AGOA)March 9, 2006. AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA). ACTION: Request for public comments concerning a request for a determination that a certain combed and ring spun yarn cannot be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner under the AGOA. SUMMARY: On March 6, 2006 the Chairman of CITA received a petition from Shibani Inwear alleging that a certain combed and ring spun yarn, of a 92 percent cotton/ 8 percent cashmere blend, comprised of 2/32 Nm resulting in a 16 Nm yarn size, classified in subheading 5205.42.00.20 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), cannot be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner. The petition requests that men's knit sweaters made of such yarn be eligible for preferential treatment under the AGOA. CITA hereby solicits public comments on this request, in particular with regard to whether such yarn can be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner. Comments must be submitted by March 30, 2006 to the Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, Room 3001, United States Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Flaaten, International Trade Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce,

(202)482-3400. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Authority: Section 112(b)(5)(B) of the AGOA; Presidential Proclamation 7350 of October 2, 2000; Section 1 of Executive Order No. 13191 of January 17, 2001. BACKGROUND: The AGOA provides for quota- and duty-free treatment for qualifying textile and apparel products. Such treatment is generally limited to products manufactured from yarns and fabrics formed in the United States or a beneficiary country. The AGOA also provides for quota- and duty-free treatment for apparel articles that are both cut (or knit-to-shape) and sewn or otherwise assembled in one or more beneficiary countries from fabric or yarn that is not formed in the United States, if it has been determined that such fabric or yarn cannot be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner. In Executive Order No. 13191, the President delegated to CITA the authority to determine whether yarns or fabrics cannot be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner under the AGOA and directed CITA to establish procedures to ensure appropriate public participation in any such determination. On March 6, 2001, CITA published procedures that it will follow in considering requests. (66 FR 13502). On March 6, 2006 the Chairman of CITA received a petition from Shibani Inwear alleging that a certain combed and ring spun yarn, of a 92 percent cotton/ 8 percent cashmere blend, comprised of 2/32 Nm resulting in a 16 Nm yarn count, classified in subheading 5205.42.00.20 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), for use in men's knit sweaters, cannot be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner. This petition is requesting quota- and duty-free treatment under the AGOA for apparel articles that are both cut, or knit-to-shape, and sewn or otherwise assembled in one or more AGOA beneficiary countries from such yarns. CITA is soliciting public comments regarding this request, particularly with respect to whether this yarn can be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner. Also relevant is whether other yarns that are supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner are substitutable for this yarn for purposes of the intended use. Comments must be received no later than March 30, 2006. Interested persons are invited to submit six copies of such comments or information to the Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, room 3100, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20230. If a comment alleges that this yarn can be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner, CITA will closely review any supporting documentation, such as a signed statement by a manufacturer of the yarn stating that it produces the yarn that is the “subject of the request, including the quantities that can be supplied and the time necessary to fill an order, as well as any relevant information regarding past production. CITA will protect any business confidential information that is marked “business confidential” from disclosure to the full extent permitted by law. CITA generally considers specific details, such as quantities and lead times for providing the subject product as business confidential. However, information such as the names of domestic manufacturers who were contacted, questions concerning the capability to manufacture the subject product, and the responses thereto should be available for public review to ensure proper public participation in the process. If this is not possible, an explanation of the necessity for treating such information as business confidential must be provided. CITA will make available to the public non-confidential versions of the request and non-confidential versions of any public comments received with respect to a request in room 3100 in the Herbert Hoover Building, 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20230. Persons submitting comments on a request are encouraged to include a non-confidential version and a non-confidential summary. Philip J. Martello, Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. [FR Doc.06-2507 Filed 3-10-06; 3:24 pm]

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