Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices 63719

amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), notice

is given of a meeting of the Genetics

Subcommittee of the National Bioethics

Advisory Commission. The

subcommittee members will continue

addressing issues concerning genetics

and genetic testing. The meeting is open

to the public and opportunities for

statements by the public will be

provided.

DATES: Tuesday, December 9, 1997, 7:30

a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

LOCATION: The subcommittee will

meet at the Crystal City Marriott Hotel,

1999 Jefferson Davis Highway,

Arlington, Virginia 22202.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

President established the National

Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC)

by Executive Order 12975 on October 3,

1995. The mission of the NBAC is to

advise and make recommendations to

the National Science and Technology

Council and other entities on bioethical

issues arising from the research on

human biology and behavior, and in the

applications of that research including

clinical applications.

Tentative Agenda

The subcommittee will continue

discussion on issues surrounding tissue

samples including what they are, how

they are collected and stored; the moral

decisions involved in donation;

religious, ethnic, and cultural

differences in attitudes; and other

related issues.

Public Participation

The meeting is open to the public

with attendance limited by the

availability of space. Members of the

public who wish to present oral

statements should contact Ms. Patricia

Norris by telephone, fax machine, or

mail as shown below as soon as

possible, prior to the meeting. The Chair

of the subcommittee will reserve time

for presentations by persons requesting

an opportunity to speak. The order of

speakers will be assigned on a first come

first serve basis. Individuals unable to

make oral presentations are encouraged

to mail or fax their comments to the

NBAC at least two business days prior

to the meeting for distribution to the

subcommittee members and inclusion

in the record.

Persons needing assistance, such as

sign language interpretation or other

special accommodations, should contact

NBAC staff at the address or telephone

number listed below as soon as possible.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Patricia Norris, National Bioethics

Advisory Commission, MSC–7508, 6100

Executive Boulevard, Suite 5B01,

Rockville, Maryland 20892–7508,

telephone 301–402–4242, fax number

301–480–6900.

Dated: November 25, 1997.

Henrietta D. Hyatt-Knorr,

Deputy Executive Director, National Bioethics

Advisory Commission.

[FR Doc. 97–31463 Filed 12–1–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–17–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Health Care Policy and

Research

Notice of Meeting

In accordance with section 10(a) of

the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5

U.S.C., Appendix 2) announcement is

made of the following special emphasis

panel scheduled to meet during the

month of December 1997:

Name: Health Care Policy and Research

Special Emphasis Panel.

Date and Time: December 10–11, 1997,

8:00 a.m.

Place: Doubletree Hotel, 1750 Rockville

Pike, Conference Room TBA, Rockville,

Maryland 20852.

Open December 10, 1997, 8:00 a.m. to 8:30

a.m.

Closed for remainder of meeting.

Purpose: This Panel is charged with

conducting the initial review of grant

applications for research and demonstration

projects on the use of measurements in

improving the quality of health care.

Applications are sought in three areas: (1)

methods and measures to allow translation of

scientific information about medical care into

quality measures and strategies to improve

clinical practice; (2) studies of the

relationship between organizational change

and quality measurement and improvement

in health care; and (3) studies of the use of

information derived from measurement about

quality of care by consumers, patients,

employers, providers, and insurers to make

decisions.

Agenda: The open session of the meeting

on December 10 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

will be devoted to a business meeting

covering administrative matters and reports.

During the closed sessions, the Panel will be

reviewing and discussing grant applications

dealing with health services research issues.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory

Committee Act, section 10(d) of 5 U.S.C.,

Appendix 2 and 5 U.S.C., 552b(c)(6), the

Administrator, Agency for Health Care Policy

and Research, has made a formal

determination that these latter sessions will

be closed because the discussions are likely

to reveal personal information concerning

individuals associated with the applications.

This information is exempt from mandatory

disclosure.

Anyone wishing to obtain a roster of

members, minutes of the meeting, or other

relevant information should contact Sheila S.

Simmons, Committee Management Officer,

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research,

Suite 400, Executive Office Center, 2101 East

Jefferson Street, Rockville, Maryland 20852,

Telephone (301) 594–1452 ext. 1627.

Agenda items for all meetings are subject

to change as priorities dictate.

Dated: November 25, 1997.

John M. Eisenberg,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 97–31589 Filed 12–1–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention

[INFO–98–05]

Proposed Data Collections Submitted

for Public Comment and

Recommendations

In compliance with the requirement

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

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for

opportunity for public comment on

proposed data collection projects, the

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic

summaries of proposed projects. To

request more information on the

proposed projects or to obtain a copy of

the data collection plans and

instruments, call the CDC Reports

Clearance Officer on (404) 639–7090.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether

the proposed collection of information

is necessary for the proper performance

of the functions of the agency, including

whether the information shall have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection 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

on respondents, including through the

use of automated collection techniques

for other forms of information

technology. Send comments to Wilma

Johnson, CDC Reports Clearance Officer,

1600 Clifton Road, MS–D24, Atlanta,

GA 30333. Written comments should be

received within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Projects

1. National Exposure Registry (0923–

0006)—Extension—The information

collected is part of the Agency for Toxic

Substances’ on-going National Exposure

Registry (NER)—a database composed of

a listing of persons, along with health

and demographic information, with

documented exposure to selected toxic

substances subregistries). The NER was
63720 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices

created in response to a Congressional

Superfund mandate to create a registry

of persons with exposure to hazardous

substances and a registry of persons

with illness or health problems as a

result of exposure to hazardous

substances. The mandate was created

because there is little or no information

available about the potential health

effects of low-level, long-term exposure

to hazardous substances on a general

population—such as is found at waste

sites. Unlike most occupationally

exposed populations, this

environmentally-exposed population

has extremely vulnerable components

such as pregnant women, the elderly,

those with compromised health, and

children.

Since the adverse health effects are

not known, neither is the latency period

for the potential health effects.

Therefore, the NER is a longitudinal

project: a baseline and biennial followups that will continue until all parties

involved agree the established criteria

for ending that chemical specific

subregistry have been met. The

questionnaire is administered (usually

in a personal interview) at baseline; the

same questionnaire is administered

(using computer assisted interviews) to

each registrant longitudinally. The data

is compared to national norms at each

collection and intrafile comparisons are

made over multiple collections. Other

than their time to participate, there is no

cost to respondents. The period

requested is for 3 years.

Respondents No. of respondents

No. of responses/respondent

Avg. burden/response (in

hrs.)

Total burden (in hrs.)

Established Registrants .................................................................................................... 7,333 1 0.25 1,833

New Registrants ............................................................................................................... 4,300 1 .5 2,150

Total ........................................................................................................................... .................... .................... .................... 3,983

Dated: November 25, 1997.

Wilma G. Johnson,

Acting Associate Director for Policy Planning

And Evaluation, Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention (CDC).

[FR Doc. 97–31533 Filed 12–1–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4163–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention

[30DAY–05–98]

Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork

Reduction Act Review

The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) publishes a list of

information collection requests under

review by the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) in compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35). To request a copy of these

requests, call the CDC Reports Clearance

Office on (404) 639–7090. Send written

comments to CDC, Desk Officer; Human

Resources and Housing Branch, New

Executive Office Building, Room 10235;

Washington, DC 20503. Written

comments should be received on or

before January 2, 1998.

Proposed Projects

1. Health Hazard Evaluations/

Technical Assistance and Emerging

Problems (0920–0260)—

Reinstatement—In accordance with its

mandates under the Occupational Safety

and Health Act of 1970 and the Federal

Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, the

National Institute for Occupational

Safety and Health (NIOSH) responds

each year to approximately 400 requests

for health hazard evaluations to identify

potential chemical, biological, or

physical hazards at the workplace.

Approximately half of these requests

require that NIOSH conduct a ‘‘shortterm’’ field study to adequately address

the issues raised by the requestor. Since

1970, more than 10,000 of these studies

have been completed. The main purpose

of these studies is to help employers

and employees identify and eliminate

occupational health hazards. Ninety-five

percent of these investigations respond

to specific requests for assistance from

employers, employees, employee

representatives, or other government

agencies. The remaining investigations

are short-term field investigations

initiated by NIOSH because it received

information that a chemical, biological,

or a physical agent may be hazardous to

workers. In these studies, NIOSH

determines whether they warrant more

detailed studies. Approximately 50% of

the field investigations involve

interviews or the administration of a

questionnaire to the workers. Each

questionnaire is specific to that worksite

and its suspected diseases and/or

hazards; however, questionnaires are

derived from standard medical

evaluation techniques. NIOSH

distributes interim and final reports of

the investigations, excluding personal

identifiers, to requesters, employers,

employee representatives, the

Department of Labor (OSHA and

MSHA), and, as appropriate, other state

and federal agencies. Following the

completion of field investigations,

NIOSH plans to administer telephone

follow-back questionnaires to employer

and employee representatives at each

site to assess program effectiveness and

identify areas for improvement. Because

of the large volume of investigations

conducted each year, the need to

quickly respond to requests for

assistance, and the diverse nature of

these investigations, NIOSH requests

clearance for data collection in these

investigations. The total annual burden

hours are 4,095.

Respondents Number of

respondents

Number of

responses/

respondent

Avg. burden/response (in

hrs.)

Employees (initial interviews) ................................................................................................................... 4,200 1 .25

Employees (questionnaires, interviews) ................................................................................................... 5,250 1 .50

Employees (follow-back questionnaires) .................................................................................................. 420 1 .50

Employers (follow-back questionnaires) .................................................................................................. 420 1 .50