14822 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 60 / Friday, March 28, 1997 / Rules and Regulations

determined that the sunset provision

should be extended an additional four

months, until July 31, 1997.

Accordingly, the Commission is revising

§ 2200.201(b) to extend the pilot

program through July 31, 1997.

List of Subjects in 29 CFR Part 2200

Administrative practice and

procedure, Hearing and appeal

procedures.

For the reasons set forth in the

preamble, title 29, chapter XX, part

2200, subpart M of the Code of Federal

Regulations is amended as follows:

PART 2200—RULES OF PROCEDURE

1. The authority citation continues to

read as follows:

Authority: 29 U.S.C. 661(g), unless

otherwise noted.

2. Section 2200.201 is amended by

revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:

§ 2200.201 [Amended]

* * * * *

(b) Sunset Provision. Section

2200.203(a), which permits the Chief

Administrative Law Judge to assign a

case for E–Z Trial, will no longer be

effective after July 31, 1997 unless the

rule is extended by the Commission by

publication of a final rule in the Federal

Register. After July 31, 1997, a case will

only be assigned to E–Z Trial if the

assignment is requested by a party.

Dated: March 21, 1997.

Stuart E. Weisberg,

Chairman.

Dated: March 24, 1997.

Velma Montoya,

Commissioner.

Dated: March 21, 1997.

Daniel Guttman,

Commissioner.

[FR Doc. 97–7845 Filed 3–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7600–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

AFFAIRS

38 CFR Part 1

RIN 2900–AI75

Delegation of Authority to Deputy

General Counsel and Assistant

General Counsel for Professional Staff

Group IV in Matters Concerning

Employee Inventions and Patents

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: This document amends the

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

regulations in 38 CFR Part 1 by

amending the delegation of authority for

making determinations regarding right,

title and interest in employee

inventions. The General Counsel has

determined that these Departmental

determinations could be made more

efficiently by including the Assistant

General Counsel as an official

authorized to make such decisions. In

accordance with 38 U.S.C. 512, this

document delegates to the Assistant

General Counsel for Professional Staff

Group IV the same authority and

responsibility to act for VA as was

previously granted to the General

Counsel and Deputy General Counsel.

EFFECTIVE DATE: March 28, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Neal

C. Lawson, Assistant General Counsel

(024), Department of Veterans Affairs,

810 Vermont Avenue, NW.,

Washington, DC 20420, (202) 273–6356.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This final

rule consists of a delegation of authority

and, therefore, is not subject to the

notice and comment and effective date

provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553.

The Secretary hereby certifies that

this final rule will not have a significant

economic impact on a substantial

number of small entities as they are

defined in the Regulatory Flexibility

Act, 5 U.S.C. 601–612. This rule merely

consists of a delegation of authority.

There is no Catalog of Federal

Domestic Assistance Number.

List of Subjects in 38 CFR Part 1

Administrative practice and

procedure, Archives and records,

Cemeteries, Claims, Courts, Flags,

Freedom of information, Government

employees, Government property,

Infants and children, Inventions and

patents, Investigations, Parking,

Penalties, Postal Service, Privacy,

Reporting and recordkeeping

requirements, Seals and insignia,

Security measures, Wages.

Approved: March 4, 1997.

Jesse Brown,

Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

For the reasons set out in the

preamble, 38 CFR part 1 is amended as

set forth below:

PART 1—GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. The authority citation for part 1

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 38 U.S.C. § 501(a), unless

otherwise noted.

2. Section 1.653 is revised to read as

follows:

§ 1.653 Delegation of authority.

The General Counsel, Deputy General

Counsel or Assistant General Counsel

for Professional Staff Group IV is

authorized to act for the Secretary of

Veterans Affairs in matters concerning

patents and inventions, unless

otherwise required by law. The

determination of rights to an invention

as between the Government and the

employee where there is no cooperative

research and development agreement

shall be made by the General Counsel,

Deputy General Counsel or the Assistant

General Counsel for Professional Staff

Group IV, in accordance with 37 CFR

part 500.

§ 1.164 [Amended]

3. In § 1.654, the first sentence is

revised by adding ‘‘Deputy General

Counsel or Assistant General Counsel

for Professional Staff Group IV,’’

following ‘‘General Counsel,’’.

§ 1.657 [Amended]

4. Section 1.657 is revised by adding

‘‘, Deputy General Counsel or Assistant

General Counsel for Professional Staff

Group IV’’ following ‘‘The General

Counsel’’.

[FR Doc. 97–7834 Filed 3–27– 97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P

38 CFR Part 3

RIN 2900–AI40

Upgraded Discharges

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: This document makes

nonsubstantive changes to the

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

adjudication regulations regarding

upgraded discharges. The intended

effect of these changes is to make the

regulations simpler and easier to

understand.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This amendment is

effective March 28, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Laurence Freiheit, Consultant,

Regulations Staff, Compensation and

Pension Service, Veterans Benefits

Administration, 810 Vermont Avenue,

NW., Washington, DC 20420, telephone

(202) 273–7252.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 38 U.S.C.

1110 authorizes the Secretary of

Veterans Affairs to compensate veterans

for disability resulting from injury or

disease incurred or aggravated during

active military service provided that the

veteran was discharged or released

under conditions other than