58766 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 210 / Thursday, October 30, 1997 / Notices

formula, the ‘‘old-law’’ contribution and

benefit base shall be the larger of (1) the

1994 ‘‘old-law’’ base ($45,000)

multiplied by the ratio of the national

average wage index for 1996 to that for

1992, or (2) the current ‘‘old-law’’ base

($48,600). If the amount so determined

is not a multiple of $300, it shall be

rounded to the nearest multiple of $300.

Amount. The ratio of the national

average wage index for 1996,

$25,913.90, compared to that for 1992,

$22,935.42, is 1.1298638. Multiplying

the 1994 ‘‘old-law’’ contribution and

benefit base amount of $45,000 by the

ratio of 1.1298638 produces the amount

of $50,843.87 which must then be

rounded to $50,700. Because $50,700

exceeds the current amount of $48,600,

the ‘‘old-law’’ contribution and benefit

base is determined to be $50,700 for

1998.

Substantial Gainful Activity Amount

for Blind Individuals

General. A finding of disability under

titles II and XVI of the Act requires that

a person be unable to engage in

substantial gainful activity (SGA).

Under current regulations, a person who

is not statutorily blind and who is

earning more than $500 a month (net of

impairment-related work expenses) is

ordinarily considered to be engaging in

SGA. The Social Security Amendments

of 1977 established a higher SGA

amount for statutorily blind individuals

by setting their monthly SGA amount to

the monthly exempt amount for persons

aged 65 through 69 under the retirement

earnings test provisions of the Act.

Section 102 of Pub. L. 104–121

increased the earnings test exempt

amount for persons aged 65 through 69

to specific levels for 1996–2002. Section

102 further provided that the SGA

amount for blind individuals be the

same as it would have been if section

102 had not been enacted.

Computation. Under the formula in

section 203(f)(8)(B) in effect prior to the

enactment of Pub. L. 104–121, the

monthly SGA amount for statutorily

blind individuals for 1998 shall be the

larger of (1) such amount for 1994

multiplied by the ratio of the national

average wage index for 1996 to that for

1992, or (2) such amount for 1997.

Section 203(f)(8)(B) further provides

that if the amount so determined is not

a multiple of $10, it shall be rounded to

the nearest multiple of $10.

SGA Amount for Statutorily Blind

Individuals. The ratio of the national

average wage index for 1996,

$25,913.90, compared to that for 1992,

$22,935.42, is 1.1298638. Multiplying

the 1994 monthly SGA amount for

statutorily blind individuals of $930 by

the ratio of 1.1298638 produces the

amount of $1,050.77. This must then be

rounded to $1,050. Because $1,050 is

larger than the current amount of

$1,000, the monthly SGA amount for

statutorily blind individuals is

determined to be $1,050 for 1998.

Domestic Employee Coverage

Threshold

General. Section 2 of the ‘‘Social

Security Domestic Employment Reform

Act of 1994’’ (Pub. L. 103–387)

increased the threshold for coverage of

a domestic employee’s wages paid per

employer from $50 per calendar quarter

to $1,000 in calendar year 1994. The

statute holds the coverage threshold at

the $1,000 level for 1995 and then

increases the threshold in $100

increments for years after 1995. The

formula for increasing the threshold is

provided in section 3121(x) of the

Internal Revenue Code.

Computation. Under the formula, the

domestic employee coverage threshold

amount for 1998 shall be equal to the

1995 amount of $1,000 multiplied by

the ratio of the national average wage

index for 1996 to that for 1993. If the

amount so determined is not a multiple

of $100, it shall be rounded to the next

lower multiple of $100.

Domestic Employee Coverage

Threshold Amount. The ratio of the

national average wage index for 1996,

$25,913.90, compared to that for 1993,

$23,132.67, is 1.1202295. Multiplying

the 1995 domestic employee coverage

threshold amount of $1,000 by the ratio

of 1.1202295 produces the amount of

$1,120.23, which must then be rounded

to $1,100. Accordingly, the domestic

employee coverage threshold amount is

determined to be $1,100 for 1998.

OASDI Fund Ratio

General. Section 215(i) of the Act

provides for automatic cost-of-living

increases in OASDI benefit amounts.

This section also includes a ‘‘stabilizer’’

provision that can limit the automatic

OASDI benefit increase under certain

circumstances. If the combined assets of

the OASI and DI Trust Funds, as a

percentage of annual expenditures, are

below a specified threshold, the

automatic benefit increase is equal to

the lesser of (1) the increase in the

national average wage index or (2) the

increase in prices. The threshold

specified for the OASDI fund ratio is

20.0 percent for benefit increases for

December of 1989 and later. The law

also provides for subsequent ‘‘catch-up’’

benefit increases for beneficiaries whose

previous benefit increases were affected

by this provision. ‘‘Catch-up’’ benefit

increases can occur only when trust

fund assets exceed 32.0 percent of

annual expenditures.

Computation. Section 215(i) specifies

the computation and application of the

OASDI fund ratio. The OASDI fund

ratio for 1997 is the ratio of (1) the

combined assets of the OASI and DI

Trust Funds at the beginning of 1997 to

(2) the estimated expenditures of the

OASI and DI Trust Funds during 1997,

excluding transfer payments between

the OASI and DI Trust Funds, and

reducing any transfers to the Railroad

Retirement Account by any transfers

from that account into either trust fund.

Ratio. The combined assets of the

OASI and DI Trust Funds at the

beginning of 1997 equaled $566,950

million, and the expenditures are

estimated to be $370,842 million. Thus,

the OASDI fund ratio for 1997 is 152.9

percent, which exceeds the applicable

threshold of 20.0 percent. Therefore, the

stabilizer provision does not affect the

benefit increase for December 1997.

Although the OASDI fund ratio exceeds

the 32.0-percent threshold for potential

‘‘catch-up’’ benefit increases, no past

benefit increase has been reduced under

the stabilizer provision. Thus, no

‘‘catch-up’’ benefit increase is required.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance:

Program Nos. 96.001 Social SecurityDisability Insurance; 96.002 Social SecurityRetirement Insurance; 96.003 Social SecuritySpecial Benefits for Persons Aged 72 and

Over; 96.004 Social Security-Survivors

Insurance; 96.006 Supplemental Security

Income)

Dated: October 22, 1997.

Kenneth S. Apfel,

Commissioner, Social Security

Administration.

[FR Doc. 97–28496 Filed 10–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4190–29–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Summary Notice No. PE–97–54]

Petitions for Exemption; Summary of

Petitions Received; Dispositions of

Petitions Issued

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of petitions for

exemption received and of dispositions

of prior petitions.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to FAA’s rulemaking

provisions governing the application,

processing, and disposition of petitions

for exemption (14 CFR part 11), this

notice contains a summary of certain

petitions seeking relief from specified

requirements of the Federal Aviation
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 210 / Thursday, October 30, 1997 / Notices 58767

Regulations (14 CFR Chapter I),

dispositions of certain petitions

previously received, and corrections.

The purpose of this notice is to improve

the public’s awareness of, and

participation in, this aspect of FAA’s

regulatory activities. Neither publication

of this notice nor the inclusion or

omission of information in the summary

is intended to affect the legal status of

any petition or its final disposition.

DATES: Comments on petitions received

must identify the petition docket

number involved and must be received

on or before November 21, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on any

petition in triplicate to: Federal

Aviation Administration, Office of the

Chief Counsel, Attn: Rule Docket (AGC–

200), Petition Docket No. 24041, 800

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, D.C. 20591.

Comments may also be sent

electronically to the following internet

address: 9–NPRM–CMSTS@faa.dot.gov.

The petition, any comments received,

and a copy of any final disposition are

filed in the assigned regulatory docket

and are available for examination in the

Rules Docket (AGC–200), Room 915G,

FAA Headquarters Building (FOB 10A),

800 Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, D.C. 20591; telephone

(202) 267–3132.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Heather Thorson, (202) 267–7470, or

Angela Anderson, (202) 267–9681,

Office of Rulemaking (ARM–1), Federal

Aviation Administration, 800

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20591.

This notice is published pursuant to

paragraphs (c), (e), and (g) of § 11.27 of

part 11 of the Federal Aviation

Regulations (14 CFR part 11).

Issued in Washington, D.C., on October 23,

1997.

Donald P. Byrne,

Assistant Chief Counsel for Regulations.

Dispositions of Petitions

Docket No: 24041.

Petitioner: Bulter Aircraft Co.

Sections of the FAR Affected: 14 CFR

91.529(a)(1).

Description of Relief Sought/

Disposition: To permit the petitioner to

operate McDonnell Douglas DC–6 and

DC–7 aircraft without a flight engineer

during flightcrew training, ferry

operations, and test flights that are

conducted to prepare for firefighting

operations conducted under 14 CFR part

137.

Grant, October 9, 1997, Exemption

No. 2989I.

[FR Doc. 97–28752 Filed 10–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[FHWA Docket No. 2983]

Notice of Request for Reinstatement of

Expired Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), USDOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

this notice announces the intention of

the FHWA to request the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) to

reinstate the information collection

entitled Highway Safety and

Improvement Program and Priorities.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before December 29, 1997.

ADDRESSES: All signed, written

comments should refer to the docket

number that appears in the heading of

this document and must be submitted to

the Docket Clerk, U.S. DOT Dockets,

Room PL–401, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20590–0001. All

comments received will be available for

examination at the above address from

10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., e.t., Monday

through Friday, except Federal holidays.

Those desiring notification of receipt of

comments must include a selfaddressed, stamped postcard/envelope.

Interested parties are invited to send

comments regarding any aspect of this

information collection, including, but

not limited to: (1) The necessity and

utility of the information collection for

the proper performance of the functions

of the FHWA; (2) the accuracy of the

estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance

the quality, utility, and clarity of the

collected information; and (4) ways to

minimize the collection burden without

reducing the quality of the collected

information. Comments submitted in

response to this notice will be

summarized and/or included in the

request for OMB clearance of this

information collection.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Kenneth Epstein, Office of Highway

Safety, (202) 366–2157, 400 7th Street,

SW, Washington, DC 20590. Office

hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,

e.t., Monday through Friday, except

Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Highway Safety and

Improvement Program and Priorities.

OMB No: 2125–0025.

Background: Each year all States and

Territories are required to report to the

Secretary of Transportation on the

progress being made in implementing

the Highway Safety Improvement

Programs (Rail-Highway Crossings and

Hazard Elimination) and the

effectiveness of these programs. The

Secretary is required to report annually

to the Congress on the progress of the

safety programs based upon the

information reported by the States. The

FHWA receives the program

information from the States. Numerical

data are processed and stored in the

computerized Highway Safety

Evaluation System. A report is then

prepared for Congress providing the

required information on the

effectiveness of highway safety

improvement projects. Congress uses

the contents of this report when

determining the level of funding for the

Highway Safety Improvement Programs

and when modifying these programs.

The information collected by the

States in the survey of all public roads

includes motor vehicle accident data,

traffic volume data, and highway

inventory data. This information is used

by the States to identify hazards and to

determine what safety improvements

would be cost-effective when mitigating

those hazards. Without this process

fewer lives would be saved and fewer

injuries averted by the Highway Safety

Improvement Programs administered by

the FHWA.

Respondents: The overall annual

reporting burden is shared by the 50

States and the District of Columbia.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: The

annual reporting burden is estimated to

be 11,220 hours.

Frequency: The respondents are

required to report on an annual basis.

Authority: Title 23, U.S. Code, Section 130;

23 U.S.C. 152, 23 CFR 924.

Issued on: October 17, 1997.

Diana Zeidel,

Deputy Associate Administrator for

Administration.

[FR Doc. 97–28764 Filed 10–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[FHWA Docket No. 97–2934]

Notice of Request for Renewal of an

Existing Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of