This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

446

Vol. 63, No. 3

Tuesday, January 6, 1998

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL

MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 890

RIN 3206–AI05

Federal Employees Health Benefits

Program: Removal of Minimum Salary

Requirement

AGENCY: Office of Personnel

Management.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel

Management (OPM) is issuing a

proposed rule. This rule removes an

obsolete provision that prohibits an

employee whose annual salary is $350

or less from enrolling in the Federal

Employees Health Benefits (FEHB)

Program.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before February 5, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Abby L.

Block, Chief, Insurance Policy and

Information Division, Office of

Insurance Programs, Retirement and

Insurance Service, Office of Personnel

Management, P.O. Box 707,

Washington, DC 20044; or deliver to

OPM, Room 3425, 1900 E Street, NW,

Washington, DC 20415; or FAX to 202–

606–0633.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kenneth A. Lease, 202–606–0004.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since the

FEHB Program began in 1960, FEHB

regulations have prohibited an

employee earning $350 or less per year

from enrolling in the Program. This

provision was based on the fact that

employee contributions to premiums

could only be made by salary

withholding while an employee was in

a pay status. ($350 is the amount which

in 1960 was sufficient to cover the

appropriate employee contributions for

the least costly FEHB plan.) As

amended in August 1982, however, the

regulations now require enrollee

contributions, by direct payment if

necessary, for all periods during which

coverage continues, even periods during

which an employee does not receive pay

(such as a leave without pay situation).

Since the previous rationale for the

minimum earnings level for FEHB

enrollment no longer exists, OPM is

proposing to remove this obsolete

requirement.

We also propose to amend the

reference in the definition of letter of

credit under § 890.101 to conform to a

recent reference change in Chapter 16 of

title 48, Code of Federal Regulations

(FEHBAR).

Regulatory Flexibility Act

I certify that this regulation will not

have a significant economic impact on

a substantial number of small entities

because it primarily affects Federal

employees.

List of Subjects in 5 CFR Part 890

Administrative practice and

procedure, Government employees,

Health facilities, Health insurance,

Health professions, Hostages, Iraq,

Kuwait, Lebanon, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements,

Retirement.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Janice R. Lachance,

Director.

Accordingly, OPM proposes to amend

5 CFR part 890 as follows:

PART 890—FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

HEALTH BENEFITS PROGRAM

1. The authority citation for part 890

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 8913; § 890.803 also

issued under 50 U.S.C. 403p, 22 U.S.C. 4069c

and 4069c-1; subpart L also issued under sec.

599C of Pub. L. 101–513, 104 Stat. 2064, as

amended, § 890.102 also issued under

sections 11202(f), 11232(e), and 11246(b) and

(c) of Pub. L. 105–33, 111 Stat. 251.

2. In § 890.101, paragraph (a), the

definition of Letter of Credit is revised

to read as follows:

§ 890.101 Definitions; time computations.

(a) * * *

Letter of credit is defined in 48 CFR

subpart 1602.1.

* * * * *

§ 890.102 [Amended]

3. In § 890.102, paragraph (c)(4) is

removed and paragraphs (c)(5), (c)(6),

(c)(7), and (c)(8) are redesignated as

paragraphs (c)(4), (c)(5), (c)(6), and (c)(7)

respectively.

4. In § 890.303, paragraph (b) is

revised to read as follows:

§ 890.303 Continuation of enrollment.

* * * * *

(b) Change of enrolled employees to

certain excluded positions. Employees

and annuitants enrolled under this part

who move, without a break in service or

after a separation of 3 days or less, to an

employment in which they are excluded

by § 890.102(c), continue to be enrolled

unless excluded by paragraphs (c) (4),

(5), (6), or (7) of § 890.102.

* * * * *

[FR Doc. 98–102 Filed 1–5–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6325–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation

Service

7 CFR Part 610

RIN 0578–AA22

Technical Assistance

AGENCY: Natural Resources

Conservation Service.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of

comment period.

SUMMARY: This document extends the

comment period of a proposed rule

published in the Federal Register on

December 4, 1997. This rule sets forth

policies and procedures for the use of

State Technical Committees by the

USDA, and also the responsibilities

assigned to the Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS) beyond

that of soil conservation. This proposed

rule is located at 62 FR 64174–64177.

DATES: Comments must be received by

January 23, 1997.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning

this proposed rule should be addressed

to: Gary Nordstrom, Director,

Conservation Operations Division,

Natural Resources Conservation Service,

P.O. Box 2890, Washington, D.C. 20013–

2890; Attention: State Technical

Committee. Fax (202) 720–1838. This

rule may also be accessed, and

comments submitted, via Internet. Users

can access the NRCS Federal Register

homepage and submit comments at:

http://astro.itc.nrcs.usda.gov:6500.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Denise Coleman, Conservation

Operations Division, Natural Resources

Conservation Service; phone: (202) 720–

9476; Fax: (202) 720–4265; E-mail: