Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 206 / Tuesday, October 24, 2000 / Notices 63605

post-meeting deadline for submission of

additional comments.

This notice clarifies that we may not

apply the 30-day notification, the 20-

day pre-meeting presentation deadline,

or the 20-day post-meeting deadline for

submission of additional comments

when it is in the public interest to reach

an expeditious decision with respect to

a coverage matter, and when we are

assured that parties interested in the

topic of the meeting are well aware of

HCFA’s consideration, and have ample

time to establish and document their

positions. Therefore, this notice

announces the following public meeting

of the MCAC, which is being convened

under the terms of the exception policy

detailed above. This exception policy is

being exercised in the interest of

reaching an expeditious decision on the

scientific evidence of FDG PET.

Current Panel Members: Harold C.

Sox, MD (Chairperson); Thomas V.

Holohan, MD (FACP); Leslie P. Francis,

JD, PhD; John H. Ferguson, MD; Robert

L. Murray, PhD; Alan M. Garber, MD,

PhD; Michael D. Maves, MD, MBA;

Frank J. Papatheofanis, MD, PhD;

Ronald M. Davis, MD; Daisy AlfordSmith, PhD; Joe W. Johnson, DC; Robert

H. Brook, MD, ScD; Linda A. Bergthold,

PhD; Randel E. Richner, MPH.

In addition, to augment the panel’s

consideration of PET coverage issues,

HCFA has asked Dr. Richard Klausner,

Director of the National Cancer Institute

(NCI) to designate a representative to

participate in the MCAC review. Dr.

Ellen Feigal, Deputy Director of the

Division of Cancer Treatment and

Diagnosis of the NCI, will serve as the

NCI representative. The Division of

Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis is a

national program of funding cancer

research in biomedical imaging,

diagnostics, radiation biology and

therapy, drug discovery and

development, and clinical trials.

Meeting Topic: The Committee will

hear and discuss presentations from

interested parties and deliberate the

scientific evidence of FDG PET.

Procedure and Agenda: This meeting

is open to the public. The Committee

will hear oral presentations from the

public and may limit the number and

duration of oral presentations to the

time available. If you wish to make

formal presentations, you must notify

the For Further Information Contact,

and submit the following by the

Deadline for Presentations and section

of this notice: a Comments date listed in

the DATES brief statement of the general

nature of the evidence or arguments you

wish to present, the names and

addresses of proposed participants, and

an estimate of the time required to make

the presentation. We will request that

you declare at the meeting whether or

not you have any financial involvement

with manufacturers of any items or

services being discussed (or with their

competitors).

After public presentation, we will

make a presentation to the Committee,

after which the Committee will

deliberate openly. Interested persons

may observe the deliberations, but the

Committee will not hear further

comments during this time, except at

the request of the chairperson. The

Committee will then allow an open

public session for any attendee to

address issues specific to the topic.

Following the open session, the

members will vote, and the Committee

will make its recommendation.

Authority: 5 U.S.C. App. 2, section 10(a)(1)

and (a)(2).

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program No. 93.774, Medicare—

Supplementary Medical Insurance

Program)

Dated: October 20, 2000.

Jeffrey L. Kang,

Director, Office of Clinical Standards and

Quality, Health Care Financing

Administration.

[FR Doc. 00–27410 Filed 10–20–00; 3:37 pm]

BILLING CODE 4120–01–U

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR–4497–N–09]

RIN 2577–AC08

Public Housing Assessment System

(PHAS); Notice of PHAS Transition

Assistance for Certain PHAs

Concerning PHA Inspection of

Occupied Units

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Public and Indian

Housing, and Office of the Director of

the Real Estate Assessment Center,

HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This document notifies public

housing agencies (PHAs) with fiscal

years ending September 30, 2000,

December 31, 2000, March 31, 2001, and

June 30, 2001, that they may conduct

annual physical inspections of their

units in accordance with HUD’s

Housing Quality Standards.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

further information contact the Real

Estate Assessment Center (REAC),

Attention: Wanda Funk, U. S.

Department of Housing and Urban

Development, 1280 Maryland Avenue,

SW, Suite 800, Washington DC, 20024;

telephone Technical Assistance Center

at (888)–245–4860 (this is a toll free

number). Persons with hearing or

speech impairments may access that

number via TTY by calling the Federal

Information Relay Service at (800) 877–

8339. Additional information is

available from the REAC Internet Site,

http://www.hud.gov/reac.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

On January 11, 2000 (65 FR 1712),

HUD issued a final rule, as amended

June 6, 2000 (65 FR 36042), that made

certain amendments to the Public

Housing Assessment System (PHAS)

regulations. The PHAS was

implemented by final regulations

published on September 1, 1998. The

amendments published to the PHAS

regulations on January 11, 2000,

followed a proposed rule published on

June 22, 1999, and were prompted by

both statutory and administrative

changes to the PHAS.

II. Additional Transition Assistance to

Certain PHAs

Following publication of the January

11, 2000, final rule, HUD was asked to

provide further transition assistance to

PHAs with fiscal years ending March

31, 2000, and June 30, 2000, by allowing

these PHAs to inspect occupied units in

accordance with HUD’s Housing Quality

Standards (HQS). Under sub-indicator

#3 of PHAS Indicator #3, Management

Operations, PHAs are assessed on the

percentage of units and systems that a

PHA inspects on an annual basis in

order to determine short-term

maintenance needs and long-term

Capital Fund needs. PHAs must inspect

these units in accordance with HUD’s

Uniform Physical Condition Standards

(UPSC). In a June 6, 2000 (65 FR 36047)

notice, HUD advised PHAs with fiscal

years ending March 31, 2000 and June

30, 2000, of the extended transition

assistance permitting these PHAs to

inspect their units in accordance with

HQS because HUD only recently

released its physical inspection and

training guidebook.

Through this notice, HUD advises that

it will further extend the transition

assistance provided in the June 6, 2000,

notice to PHAs with fiscal years ending

September 30, 2000, December 31, 2000,

March 31, 2001, and June 30, 2001. All

PHAs with fiscal years ending on or

after September 30, 2001, must inspect

units in accordance with HUD’s UPCS.

63606 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 206 / Tuesday, October 24, 2000 / Notices

Dated: October 16, 2000.

Harold Lucas,

Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian

Housing.

Donald J. LaVoy,

Director, Real Estate Assessment Center.

[FR Doc. 00–27188 Filed 10–23–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4210–33–P

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR–4280–N–06]

Uniform Physical Condition Standards

and Physical Inspection Requirements;

Notice of Availability of Physical

Inspection Software and Guidebook

and Notice of Compliance Date With

Physical Inspection Procedures

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Housing—Federal Housing

Commissioner, and Office of the

Director of the Real Estate Assessment

Center, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: On September 1, 1998, HUD

published its final rule on Uniform

Physical Conditions Standards and

Uniform Physical Inspection

Requirements for Certain HUD Housing.

In that rule, HUD stated that when HUD

issued the physical inspection software

and guidebook, the availability would

be announced by Federal Register

notice. The rule also provided that the

availability notice would provide the

covered entities with 30 days notice to

prepare to conduct physical inspections

in accordance with the requirements of

24 CFR part 5, subpart G. This notice

announces the availability of the

software and guidebook, and provides

the 30-day notice required by the rule.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

further information about housing

entities covered by this notice, contact

Kenneth Hannon, Office of Housing,

Department of Housing and Urban

Development, 451 Seventh St, SW.,

Room 6160, Washington, DC 20410,

(202) 708–0547, ext. 2599. For further

information about other matters covered

by this notice, contact Wanda Funk,

Real Estate Assessment Center,

Department of Housing and Urban

Development, 1280 Maryland Avenue,

SW., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20024;

telephone Customer Service Center at 1–

888–245–4860 (this is a toll-free

number). Persons with hearing or

speech impairments may access that

number via TTY by calling the Federal

Information Relay Service at (800) 877–

8339. Additional information is

available from the REAC Internet Site,

http://www.hud.gov/reac.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Uniform Physical Conditions Standards

(UPCS)

On September 1, 1998 (63 FR 46566),

HUD published its final rule on Uniform

Physical Conditions Standards (UPCS)

and Uniform Physical Inspection

Requirements for Certain HUD Housing.

The standards provided in the

September 1, 1998 final rule, and

codified at 24 CFR part 5, subpart G, are

intended to ensure that housing insured

and/or assisted under certain HUD

programs is decent, safe, sanitary and in

good repair. The September 1, 1998,

final rule also generally established new

physical inspection procedures that

allow HUD to determine that the

housing is in conformity with the

standards.

In the preamble to the September 1,

1998, final UPCS rule (64 FR 46566) and

in § 5.705(b) of the regulation itself,

HUD advised that entities responsible

for conducting inspections to determine

compliance with the UPCS would not

be required to conduct inspections in

accordance with the UPSC until HUD

issued the inspection software and

accompanying guidebook. HUD advised

that when these two items have been

issued, HUD would publish a notice in

the Federal Register to inform the

public of the availability of the software

and guidebook. HUD also advised that

the notice, when issued, would provide

30 days within which those entities

must prepare to conduct the physical

inspections in accordance with the

requirements of 24 CFR part 5, subpart

G.

UPCS—Administrative Process for

Assessment of Insured and Assisted

Properties

On November 26, 1999 (64 FR 66530),

HUD published a proposed rule titled

Uniform Physical Condition Standards

and Physical Inspection Requirements

for Certain HUD Housing;

Administrative Process for Assessment

of Insured and Assisted Properties. This

proposed rule establishes for

multifamily housing (non-public

housing as more fully described) certain

administrative processes by which HUD

will notify owners of HUD’s assessment

of the physical condition of their

multifamily housing; the owners, under

certain circumstances, will be provided

an opportunity to seek technical or

other review of HUD’s physical

condition assessment of multifamily

housing properties; and HUD may take

action in certain cases when a property

is found not to be in compliance with

the UPCS.

HUD anticipates the final rule

implementing the proposed rule will be

published in the Federal Register

within the next several weeks. The final

rule will be effective 30 days after the

date of publication in the Federal

Register.

Thirty Day Notice

This notice constitutes the notice

referred in the September 1, 1998, final

UPSC rule, now codified in 24 CFR

5.705(b). Physical inspection software

for public use and the accompanying

guidebook may be obtained, at no cost,

by contacting: Technical Assistance

Center, Real Estate Assessment Center,

Department of Housing and Urban

Development, 1280 Maryland Avenue,

SW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20024;

telephone 1–888–245–4860 (this is a

toll-free number). Both items also may

be downloaded, at no cost, from the

REAC Internet Site, at http://

www.hud.gov/reac/products/pass/passdemo.html. In addition, training in the

uniform physical condition standards

and inspection protocol is available

from the trainers on the approved

training list on the REAC Internet Site,

at http://www.hud.gov/reac/products/

pass/pass_srclist.html.

All covered entities that are required

to conduct physical inspections of

properties to determine compliance

with the UPCS regulations, must begin

using HUD’s physical inspection

procedures by November 24, 2000.

Dated: October 16, 2000.

William C. Apgar,

Assistant Secretary for Housing—Federal

Housing Commissioner.

Donald J. LaVoy,

Director, Real Estate Assessment Center.

[FR Doc. 00–27189 Filed 10–23–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4210–27–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Information Collection To Be

Submitted to the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under

the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service (Service) plans to submit the

collection of information requirement

described below to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) for