Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 216 / Tuesday, November 7, 2000 / Notices 66689

agricultural statistician positions.

Accordingly, in addition to resumes,

curriculum vitae, and the standard

Optional Application for Federal

Employment, NASS has created a

Supplemental Qualifications Statement

(SQS) for agricultural statistician and

mathematical statistician positions. The

SQS allows applicants the opportunity

to describe their achievements or

accomplishments as they relate to the

required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Need and Use of the Information: The

SQS provides applicants with

information related to how they will be

measured for a position and what kinds

of information will be used to evaluate

those abilities. NASS personnel

specialist will use the information on

the SQS to evaluate and rate the

applicant’s accomplishments or

achievements. Ultimately, the

information is used by the selecting

official as one of the criteria in the

selection process.

Description of Respondents:

Individuals or households.

Number of Respondents: 50.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 150.

Farm Service Agency

Title: Facsimile Signature

Authorization and Verification.

OMB Control Number: 0560–0203.

Summary of Collection: U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA),

Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking

alternative service delivery processed

that will reduce the necessity for USDA

Service Center customers to travel to a

Service Center to provide information

and sign documents. One of the

alternatives being implemented is to

accept information provided via

telefacsimile. Each of the USDA Service

Center agencies (Farm Service Agency,

Natural Resources Conservation Service,

and Rural Development Agencies) will

share the signature on the FSA–237

(Facsimile Signature Authorization and

Verification) forms to eliminate

redundant collection of the same data.

FSA will collect information using form

FSA–237.

Need and Use of the Information: FSA

will collect the name and signature and

identification number from Service

Center customers. The information

collected will be used to verify the

authenticity of signatures on documents

provided to USDA service centers via

telefacsimile. Failure to collect and

maintain the original signature will

limit USDA’s ability to offer the

telefacsimile alternative to its Service

Center customers.

Description of Respondents: Farms;

Individuals or households.

Number of Respondents: 866,089.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

Other (once).

Total Burden Hours: 17,322.

Rural Development Services

Title: 7 CFR 1956–B, Debt

Settlement—Farm Programs and

Multiple Family Housing.

OMB Control Number: 0575–0118.

Summary of Collection: The Farm

Service Agency’s Farm Loan Program

provides supervised credit in the form

of loans to family farmers and ranchers

to purchase land and finance

agricultural production. The Rural

Housing Service (RHS) provides

supervised credit in the form of MultiFamily Housing (Housing Act of 1949)

loans to provide eligible persons with

economically designed and constructed

rental or cooperative housing and

related facilities suited to the living

requirements. This regulation defines

the requirements for debt settlement and

the factors the agency considers in

approving or rejecting the offer

submitted by the borrowers.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information submitted by the borrowers

is used to determine if acceptance of the

settlement offers on debts owed is in the

best interest of the Government. If the

information were not collected,

outdated and inaccurate information

would cause increased losses to the

government.

Description of Respondents: Farms;

Individuals or households; Business or

other for-profit; State, Local, or Tribal

Government.

Number of Respondents: 2,900.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 24,650.

Rural Utilities Service

Title: 7 CFR 1792, Subpart C—Seismic

Safety of New Building Construction.

OMB Control Number: 0572–0099.

Summary of Collection: Seismic

hazards present a serious threat to

people and their surroundings. These

hazards exist in most of the United

States, not just on the West Coast.

Unlike hurricanes, times and location of

earthquake cannot be predicted. Most

earthquake strike without warning and,

if of substantial strength, strike with

great destructive forces. To reduce risks

to life and property from earthquake,

Congress enacted the Earthquake

Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (Public

Law 95–124, 42 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) and

directed the establishment and

maintenance of an effective earthquake

reduction program. As a result, the

National Earthquake Hazards Reduction

Program (NEHRP) was established. The

objectives of the NEHRP include the

development of technologically and

economically feasible design and

construction methods to make both new

and existing structures earthquake

resistant, and the development and

promotion of model building codes. 7

CFR part 1792, subpart C, identifies

acceptable seismic standards which

must be employed in new building

construction funded by loans, grants, or

guarantees made by the Rural Utilities

Service (RUS) or the Rural Telephone

Bank (RTB) or through lien

accommodations or subordinations

approved by RUS or RTB.

Need and Use of the Information:

RUS will collect information on the

project designation and owners’ name;

name of architectural/engineering firm;

name and registration number (for the

State in which the building project is

located) of the certifying architect or

engineer; purpose and location of the

facility; seismic factor for the building

location; the code identity and date of

the model code used for the design and

construction of the building project(s);

total square footage of the building

project; total cost of the building project;

and estimated cost of the structural

systems affected by the requirements of

7 CFR part 1792, Subpart C.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 1,000.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 525.

Nancy B. Sternberg,

Departmental Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–28542 Filed 11–6–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Telephone Bank

Sunshine Act Meeting

AGENCY: Rural Telephone Bank, USDA.

ACTION: Staff Briefing for the Board of

Directors.

TIME AND DATE: 2:00 p.m., Thursday,

November 16, 2000.

PLACE: Room 0204, South Building,

Department of Agriculture, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC.

STATUS: Open.

MATTERS TO BE DISCUSSED:

1. Current telecommunications

industry issues.

2. Status of PBO planning.

66690 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 216 / Tuesday, November 7, 2000 / Notices

3. Contracts for financial and legal

advisors to the Privatization Committee.

4. Allowance for loan losses reserve.

5. Schedule for stockholders’ meeting

in year 2001.

6. Administrative issues.

ACTION: Board of Directors Meeting.

TIME AND DATE: 9:00 a.m., Friday,

November 17, 2000.

PLACE: Room 104–A, The Williamsburg

Room, Department of Agriculture, 12th

Jefferson Drive, SW, Washington, DC.

STATUS: Open.

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: The

following matters have been placed on

the agenda for the Board of Directors

meeting:

1. Call to order.

2. Report on board election results.

3. Oath of office.

4. Election of board officers:

Chairperson, Vice Chair, Secretary, and

Treasurer.

5. Action on Minutes of the August 4,

2000, board meeting.

6. Report on loans approved in FY

2000.

7. Report on financial activity for FY

2000.

8. Report on the allowance for loan

losses reserve.

9. Privatization Committee report.

10. Consideration of resolution to

reestablish the Privatization Committee.

11. Consideration of resolution to

approve Anthony Haynes to serve as the

Deputy Governor of the Bank.

12. Establish date and location of next

board meeting.

13. Adjournment.

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Roberta D. Purcell, Assistant Governor,

Rural Telephone Bank, (202) 720–9554.

Dated: November 2, 2000.

Anthony C. Haynes,

Acting Governor, Rural Telephone Bank.

[FR Doc. 00–28662 Filed 11–3–00; 2:43 pm]

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

Information for Certification Under

FAQ 6 of the Safe Harbor Privacy

Principles

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment

request.

SUMMARY: The Department of

Commerce, as part of its continuing

effort to reduce paperwork and

respondent burdens, invites the general

public and other Federal agencies to

take this opportunity to comment on the

continuing information collections, as

required by the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995, Public Law 104–13 (44

U.S.C. 35068 (2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted on or before January 8, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to Madeleine Clayton, Departmental

Forms Clearance Officer, Department of

Commerce, Room 6086, 14th &

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,

DC 20230 (or via the Internet at

MClayton@doc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Request for additional information or

copies of the information collection

instrument and instructions should be

directed to: Jeff Rohlmeier, Trade

Development, Room 2011, 14th &

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,

DC 20230; Phone number: (202) 482–

1614 and fax number: (202) 501–2548.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

In response to the European

Commission Directive on Data

Protection that restricts transfers of

personal information from Europe to

countries whose privacy practices are

not deemed ‘‘adequate,’’ the U.S.

Department of Commerce has developed

a ‘‘safe harbor’’ framework that will

allow U.S. organizations to satisfy the

European Directive’s requirements and

ensure that personal data flows to the

United States are not interrupted. In this

process, the Department of Commerce

repeatedly consulted with U.S.

organizations affected by the European

directive and interested nongovernment organizations.

On July 27, 2000, the European

Commission issued its decision, in

accordance with Article 25.6 of the

Directive, that the Safe Harbor Privacy

Principles provide adequate privacy

protection. The safe harbor framework

bridges the differences between the

European Union (EU) and U.S.

approaches to privacy protection. Under

the safe harbor privacy framework,

information is being collected in order

to create a list of the organizations that

have self-certified to the Principles.

Organizations that have signed up to

this list are deemed ‘‘adequate’’ under

the Directive and do not have to provide

further documentation to European

officials. This list will be used by

European Union organizations to

determine whether further information

and contracts will be needed for a U.S.

organization to receive personally

identifiable information. The decision to

enter the safe harbor is entirely

voluntary. Organizations that decide to

participate in the safe harbor must

comply with the safe harbor’s

requirements and publicly declare that

they do so.

To be assured of safe harbor benefits,

an organization needs to self certify

annually to the Department of

Commerce, in writing, that it agrees to

adhere to the safe harbor’s requirements,

which includes elements such as notice,

choice, access, and enforcement. It must

also state in its published privacy policy

statement that it adheres to the safe

harbor.

This list will be used by European

Union organizations to determine

whether further information and

contracts will be needed by a U.S.

organization to receive personally

identifiable information. It will be used

by the European Data Protection

Authorities to determine whether a

company is providing ‘‘adequate’’

protection, and whether a company has

requested to cooperate with the Data

Protection Authority.

The list will also be accessed when

there is a complaint logged in the EU

against a U.S. organization, and used by

the Federal Trade Commission and the

Department of Transportation to

determine whether a company is part of

the safe harbor. It will be accessed if a

company is practicing ‘‘unfair and

deceptive’’ practices and has

misrepresented itself to the public. In

addition, the list will be used by the

Department of Commerce and the

European Commission to determine if

organizations are signing up to the list

on a regular basis.

II. Method of Collection

The information collection form will

be provided via the Internet at http://

www.export.gov/SafeHarbor and by mail

to requesting U.S. firms.

III. Data

OMB Number: 0625–0239.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: Regular submission.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

1,500.

Estimated Time Per Response: 20

minutes—website; and 40 minutes—

letter.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 550 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Costs to

Public: $19,0250.

IV. Request for Comments

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