This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

2928

Vol. 65, No. 12

Wednesday, January 19, 2000

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation

Service

Notice of Proposed Changes to

Section 4 of the Iowa State Technical

Guide

AGENCY: Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S.

Department of Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of availability of

proposed changes in the Iowa NRCS

State Technical Guide for review and

comment

SUMMARY: It has been determined by the

NRCS State Conservationist for Iowa

that changes must be made in the NRCS

State Technical Guide specifically in

Section 4, Practice Standards and

Specifications #327, Conservation

Cover; #329a, No Till; #329b, Mulch

Till; #329c, Ridge Till; and #386, Field

Border, to account for improved

technology. These practices can be used

in systems that treat highly erodible

land.

DATE: Comments will be received for a

30-day period on January 19, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Leroy Brown, State Conservationist,

Natural Resources Conservation Service,

Federal Building, 210 Walnut Street,

Suite 693, Des Moines, Iowa 50309; at

515/284–4260; fax 515/284–4394.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

343 of the Federal Agriculture

Improvement and Reform Act of 1996

states that revisions made after

enactment of the law of NRCS State

technical guides used to carry out

highly erodible land and wetland

provisions of the law shall be made

available for public review and

comment. For the next 30 days the

NRCS will receive comments relative to

the proposed changes. Following that

period a determination will be made by

the NRCS regarding disposition of those

comments and a final determination of

change will be made.

January 4, 2000.

Leroy Brown,

State Conservationist.

[FR Doc. 00–1196 Filed 1–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–16–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Telephone Bank

Amendments to Bylaws

AGENCY: Rural Telephone Bank, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of revised bylaws.

SUMMARY: The Board of Directors of the

Rural Telephone Bank (Bank) adopted

amendments on November 9, 1999, to

the bylaws of the Bank. The bylaw

amendments will allow Bank borrowers

to convert their Class B stock earned as

patronage refunds into Class C stock

before full repayment of Bank debt.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This action was

effective November 9, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Roberta D. Purcell, Assistant Governor,

Rural Telephone Bank, (202) 720–9554.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

amendments to the bylaws adopted by

the Board allow for the conversion of a

portion of the Class B stock received by

a stockholder as patronage refund or

purchased by the borrower, into Class C

stock before the principal of the

stockholder’s loans from the Bank has

been fully repaid. For example, if a

borrower has repaid 50 percent of one

of its notes, it would be eligible to

convert 50 percent of the Class B stock

issued to date, through patronage capital

earned on that note, into Class C stock.

In the past, all indebtedness to the Bank

had to be fully repaid before borrowers

could convert any of their Class B stock

to Class C stock.

With regard, however, to Class B stock

purchased by a borrower as a

requirement for a loan, borrowers may

convert such Class B stock related to a

loan only upon payment in full of the

note made in connection with the loan.

The Board-approved policy that

implements the bylaw amendments is

set forth in Resolution No. 99–8B.

Article II, Capital Stock and Special

Fund Equivalents, subsection 2.2(b) and

Article VIII, Patronage Capital,

subsection 8.2(b) of the bylaws were

amended as follows:

1. The third sentence of subsection

2.2(b) is amended by inserting ‘‘(1)’’

between the words ‘‘for’’ and ‘‘the’’, by

inserting ‘‘all’’ between the words ‘‘of’’

and ‘‘amounts’’ and adding the

following to the end of the sentence:

‘‘; and (2) for the conversion of a

portion of the Class B stock, received by

a stockholder as patronage refund or

purchased by the borrower, into Class C

stock before the principal of the

stockholder’s loans from the Bank has

been fully repaid.’’

2. Subsection 8.2(b) is amended by

striking all of the section following the

word ‘‘addition’’ and replacing it with

the following:

‘‘to the partial or full conversions

authorized in section 2.2(b) hereof.’’

The bylaws subsection 2.2(b) and

subsection 8.2(b) as revised read as

follows:

Article II—Capital Stock and Special

Fund Equivalents

Subsection 2.2(b). ‘‘Class B stock shall

have a par value of one dollar ($1.00)

per share, shall be issued only at par,

shall be held only by the recipients of

loans made under section 408 of the

Act, and shall be voting stock. No

dividends shall be payable on Class B

stock, but the holders thereof shall be

entitled to patronage refunds in Class B

stock as hereinafter provided. Prior to

dissolution or liquidation of the Bank,

Class B stock may be redeemed and

retired only after all shares of Class A

stock shall have been redeemed and

retired: Provided, however, That the

Board may, under rules of general

application adopted by it and upon

agreement with the stockholder, provide

for (1) the conversion of Class B stock

into Class C stock upon payment of all

amounts owned by a holder of Class B

stock to the Bank and upon surrender of

sufficient shares of Class B stock,

supplemented by cash if necessary, to

equal the par value of each share of

Class C stock to be issued inasmuch as

fractional shares of Class C stock shall

not be issued; and (2) for the conversion

of a portion of the Class B stock,

received by a stockholder as a patronage

refund or purchased by the borrower,

into Class C stock before the principal

of the stockholder’s loans from the Bank

has been fully repaid. Upon dissolution

or liquidation of the Bank, holders of

Class B stock shall be entitled to share