Notices. Notice

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BILLING CODE 6715-01-M FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY No FEAR Act Notice AGENCY: Federal Labor Relations Authority. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Federal Labor Relations Authority

(FLRA)is publishing this notice in accordance with Title II of the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-174) (No FEAR Act). Section 202 of the No FEAR Act requires the FLRA and other Federal agencies to notify all employees, former employees, and applicants for employment of the rights and remedies available to them under the Federal Antidiscrimination and Whistleblower Protection Laws. DATES: December 1, 2006. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bridget Sisson, Director, EEO Complaints; Federal Labor Relations Authority; 1400 K Street, NW.; Washington DC 20424-0001;

(202)218-7919. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By final rule effective September 18, 2006, the Office of Personnel Management

(OPM)issued regulations implementing the notice obligations contained in section 202 of the No FEAR Act. OPM's regulations, at 5 CFR 724.202, provide that agencies must publish the initial notice required by the No FEAR Act in the **Federal Register.** No FEAR Act Notice On May 15, 2002, Congress enacted the “Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002,” which is now known as the No FEAR Act. One purpose of the Act is to “require that Federal agencies be accountable for violations of antidiscrimination and whistleblower protection laws.” Public Law 107-174, Summary. In support of this purpose, Congress found that “agencies cannot be run effectively if those agencies practice or tolerate discrimination.” Public Law 107-174, Title I, General Provisions, section 101(1). The Act also requires this agency to provide this notice to Federal employees, former Federal employees and applicants for Federal employment to inform you of the rights and protections available to you under Federal antidiscrimination and whistleblower protection laws. Antidiscrimination Laws A Federal agency cannot discriminate against an employee or applicant with respect to the terms, conditions or privileges of employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status or political affiliation. Discrimination on these bases is prohibited by one or more of the following statutes: 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(1), 29 U.S.C. 206(d), 29 U.S.C. 631, 29 U.S.C. 633a, 29 U.S.C. 791 and 42 U.S.C. 2000e-16. If you believe that you have been the victim of unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or disability, you must contact an Equal Employment Opportunity

(EEO)counselor within 45 calendar days of the alleged discriminatory action, or, in the case of a personnel action, within 45 calendar days of the effective date of the action, before you can file a formal complaint of discrimination with your agency. *See* , *e.g.* , 29 CFR 1614. If you believe that you have been the victim of unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, you must either contact an EEO counselor as noted above or give notice of intent to sue to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

(EEOC)within 180 calendar days of the alleged discriminatory action. If you are alleging discrimination based on marital status or political affiliation, you may file a written complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel

(OSC)( *see* contact information below). In the alternative (or in some cases, in addition), you may pursue a discrimination complaint by filing a grievance through your agency's administrative or negotiated grievance procedures, if such procedures apply and are available. Whistleblower Protection Laws A Federal employee with authority to take, direct others to take, recommend or approve any personnel action must not use that authority to take or fail to take, or threaten to take or fail to take, a personnel action against an employee or applicant because of disclosure of information by that individual that is reasonably believed to evidence violations of law, rule or regulation; gross mismanagement; gross waste of funds; an abuse of authority; or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, unless disclosure of such information is specifically prohibited by law and such information is specifically required by Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs. Retaliation against an employee or applicant for making a protected disclosure is prohibited by 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(8). If you believe that you have been the victim of whistleblower retaliation, you may file a written complaint (Form OSC-11) with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel at 1730 M Street NW., Suite 218, Washington, DC 20036-4505 or online through the OSC Web site— *http://www.osc.gov. * Retaliation for Engaging in Protected Activity A Federal agency cannot retaliate against an employee or applicant because that individual exercises his or her rights under any of the Federal antidiscrimination or whistleblower protection laws listed above. If you believe that you are the victim of retaliation for engaging in protected activity, you must follow, as appropriate, the procedures described in the Antidiscrimination Laws and Whistleblower Protection Laws sections or, if applicable, the administrative or negotiated grievance procedures in order to pursue any legal remedy. Disciplinary Actions Under the existing laws, each agency retains the right, where appropriate, to discipline a Federal employee for conduct that is inconsistent with Federal Antidiscrimination and Whistleblower Protection Laws up to and including removal. If OSC has initiated an investigation under 5 U.S.C. 1214, however, according to 5 U.S.C. 1214(f), agencies must seek approval from the Special Counsel to discipline employees for, among other activities, engaging in prohibited retaliation. Nothing in the No FEAR Act alters existing laws or permits an agency to take unfounded disciplinary action against a Federal employee or to violate the procedural rights of a Federal employee who has been accused of discrimination. Additional Information For further information regarding the No FEAR Act regulations, refer to 5 CFR part 724, as well as the appropriate offices within your agency ( *e.g.* , EEO/civil rights office, human resources office or legal office). Additional information regarding Federal antidiscrimination, whistleblower protection and retaliation laws can be found at the EEOC Web site— *http://www.eeoc.gov* and the OSC Web site— *http://www.osc.gov.* Existing Rights Unchanged Pursuant to section 205 of the No FEAR Act, neither the Act nor this notice creates, expands or reduces any rights otherwise available to any employee, former employee or applicant under the laws of the United States, including the provisions of law specified in 5 U.S.C. 2302(d). Dated: November 24, 2006. Jill M. Crumpacker, Executive Director. [FR Doc. E6-20330 Filed 11-30-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6727-01-P FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Formations of, Acquisitions by, and Mergers of Bank Holding Companies The companies listed in this notice have applied to the Board for approval, pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841 *et seq.* ) (BHC Act), Regulation Y (12 CFR Part 225), and all other applicable statutes and regulations to become a bank holding company and/or to acquire the assets or the ownership of, control of, or the power to vote shares of a bank or bank holding company and all of the banks and nonbanking companies owned by the bank holding company, including the companies listed below. The applications listed below, as well as other related filings required by the Board, are available for immediate inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank indicated. The application also will be available for inspection at the offices of the Board of Governors. Interested persons may express their views in writing on the standards enumerated in the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1842(c)). If the proposal also involves the acquisition of a nonbanking company, the review also includes whether the acquisition of the nonbanking company complies with the standards in section 4 of the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1843). Unless otherwise noted, nonbanking activities will be conducted throughout the United States. Additional information on all bank holding companies may be obtained from the National Information Center website at *www.ffiec.gov/nic/* . Unless otherwise noted, comments regarding each of these applications must be received at the Reserve Bank indicated or the offices of the Board of Governors not later than December 28, 2006. **A. Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City** (Donna J. Ward, Assistant Vice President) 925 Grand Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64198-0001: *1. First Fidelity Bancorp* , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; to acquire 100 percent of the voting shares of Western Security Holding, Co., Ltd., and thereby indirectly acquire Western Security Bank, both of Scottsdale, Arizona. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, November 28, 2006. Robert deV. Frierson, Deputy Secretary of the Board. [FR Doc. E6-20322 Filed 11-30-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6210-01-S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Department of Health and Human Services. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This notice announces the intention of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

(AHRQ)to request that the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB)allow the proposed information collection project: “Evaluation of a Medication Therapy Management Program to Improve Patient Safety in Medicare Beneficiaries.” In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection. DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by January 30, 2007. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz, Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, 540 Gaither Road, Room #5036, Rockville, MD 20850. Copies of the proposed collection plans, data collection instruments, and specific details on the estimated burden can be obtained from AHRQ's Reports Clearance Officer. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ, Reports Clearance Officer,

(301)427-1477. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Proposed Project “Evaluation of a Medication Therapy Management Program

(MTMP)To Improve Patient Safety in Medicare Beneficiaries” The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003

(MMA)requires Medicare prescription drug plans to have a MTMP that is developed in cooperation with licensed and practicing pharmacists and physicians for targeted beneficiaries. MTMP is defined in the MMA as a program of drug therapy management that is designed to assure, with respect to targeted beneficiaries, that covered part D drugs are appropriately used to optimize therapeutic outcomes through improved medication use, and to reduce the risk of adverse events, including adverse drug interactions. The proposed MTMP research project will prospectively evaluate the effects of a specific drug therapy management program on health outcomes and patient safety in a group of research subjects aged 65 or older, living with multiple chronic health conditions and taking multiple part D medications. The evaluation will be designed as a randomized, controlled study with subjects recruited from multiple ambulatory care or family practice medical clinics in the States of Illinois, North Carolina, and Texas. The study will be coordinated by clinical scientists, physicians, and pharmacists affiliated with AHRQ, Baylor Health Care System, Duke University, RTI International, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. The study protocol and data collection procedures for the MTMP research evaluation will be reviewed by the official Institutional Review Boards at each participating study site. The study will be conducted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Health Insurance Protection and Portability Act and with the “Guidelines for the Conduct of Research Involving Human Subjects.” An informed consent will be obtained (see Table below) prior to subject enrollment in the study. For individuals who consent to participate, confidential identifiable information will be collected as described in the informed consent document. Subjects will be asked to provide information about medication use, adherence to prescription instructions, health services use, health status, adverse drug events, satisfaction with the MTMP, and demographics. Study pharmacists will assess subjects' medication use, the appropriateness of each prescribed medication using a validated scale, and will provide information about their own satisfaction with the MTMP. All study information will be entered and maintained in a secure, password-protected database and will be protected in accordance with AHRQ's confidentiality statute, Section 934(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c)). Methods of Collection The data will be collected using several methods at study entry and at the end of the study. Questionnaire data will be obtained via direct patient interview by clinical investigators who will record the information on a paper form. In addition, a self-administered paper patient survey will be collected during scheduled patient study visits in both the intervention and control arms to assess the effects of participation in the medication therapy management program. All survey forms will be entered and maintained in a secure, password-protected database. Patient health, medication history, and hospitalization information will be obtained through a review of the subjects' electronic or paper medical records. Information on prescriptions filled ( *e.g.* , number of tablets, directions, date filled) and refill frequency will be obtained through electronic pharmacy records, when these records are available and when access is authorized by the subject. Estimated Annual Respondent Burden The Table below indicates the total time burden required to obtain all of the data required to meet the study's objectives. The Table does not include time required to analyze the data and prepare it for statistical reporting, analysis and publication. Respondents and response type Number of respondents Number of responses per respondent Average burden per response (hours) Total burden (hours) Study Participants/Informed Consent 400 1 0.25 100 Study Participants/Patient Survey 400 2 0.75 600 Study Investigators and Personnel/Informed Consent 400 1 0.25 100 Study Investigators and Personnel/Patient Survey 400 2 0.75 600 Study Investigators and Personnel/Medical Chart Review and Abstraction 400 2 1 800 Study Investigators and Personnel/Preparing Electronic Pharmacy Records 4 (from 4 different sites) 2 4 32 Total 2232 Estimated Costs to the Federal Government The cost estimate to the federal government is $1,400,000. Request for Comments In accordance with the above-cited legislation, comments on AHRQ's information collection are requested with regard to any of the following:

(a)Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of health care research and information dissemination functions of AHRQ, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(b)the accuracy of AHRQ's estimate of burden (including hours and costs) of the proposed collection(s) of information;

(c)ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(d)ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information upon the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval of the proposed information collection. All comments will become a matter of public record. Dated: November 20, 2006. Carolyn M. Clancy, Director. [FR Doc. 06-9485 Filed 11-30-06; 8:45 am]

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