15740 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 63 / Wednesday, April 2, 1997 / Notices

portions of the meeting as determined

by the ACNW Chairman. Information

regarding the time to be set aside for this

purpose may be obtained by contacting

the Chief, Nuclear Waste Branch, prior

to the meeting. In view of the possibility

that the schedule for ACNW meetings

may be adjusted by the Chairman as

necessary to facilitate the conduct of the

meeting, persons planning to attend

should notify Mr. Major as to their

particular needs.

Further information regarding topics

to be discussed, whether the meeting

has been cancelled or rescheduled, the

Chairman’s ruling on requests for the

opportunity to present oral statements

and the time allotted therefor can be

obtained by contacting Mr. Richard K.

Major, Chief, Nuclear Waste Branch

(telephone 301/415–7366), between 8:00

A.M. and 5:00 P.M. EST.

ACNW meeting notices, meeting

transcripts, and letter reports are now

available on FedWorld from the ‘‘NRC

MAIN MENU.’’ Direct Dial Access

number to FedWorld is (800) 303–9672;

the local direct dial number is 703–321–

3339.

Dated: March 27, 1997.

Andrew L. Bates,

Advisory Committee Management Office.

[FR Doc. 97–8404 Filed 4–1–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

Memorandum of Understanding

Between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission and the U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services, Food

and Drug Administration

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory

Commission.

ACTION: Notice of renewal of

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission and the U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services, Food and

Drug Administration (DHHS, FDA).

SUMMARY: The NRC and the DHHS,

FDA, signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) on August 26,

1993, which describes the respective

roles of the FDA and NRC for regulating

medical devices and

radiopharmaceuticals containing

radioactive materials, and the

coordination between the two agencies.

The MOU was noticed in the Federal

Register on September 8, 1993 (58 FR

47300). This notice announces the 3-

year renewal of the MOU. The only

changes to the MOU were the liaison

officers for each agency.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Larry W. Camper, Office of Nuclear

Material Safety and Safeguards, MS T–

8 F 5, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission, Washington, DC 20555,

Telephone 301–415–7231.

Dated: March 27, 1997

Larry W. Camper,

Chief, Medical, Academic, and Commercial

Use Safety Branch, Division of Industrial and

Medical Nuclear Safety, NMSS.

[FR Doc. 97–8403 Filed 4–1–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

POSTAL SERVICE

Request for Comments on

Development of Strategic Plan for U.S.

Postal Service, Pursuant to the

Government Performance and Results

Act of 1993

AGENCY: Postal Service.

ACTION: Request for comments.

SUMMARY: The Government Performance

and Results Act of 1993 requires that the

Postal Service and Federal agencies set

strategic goals, measure performance,

and report on results. It requires

development, no later than by the end

of fiscal year 1997, of a five-year

strategic plan, to include the

organization’s mission statement,

identify its long-term strategic goals,

and describe how it intends to achieve

its goals. The Act also requires that in

developing its Strategic Plan, the Postal

Service shall solicit and consider the

ideas of those potentially affected by or

interested in the Strategic Plan. This

notice therefore asks for public

comment concerning development of

the Postal Service’s Strategic Plan for

the years 1998–2002.

DATES: Comments must be received by

June 1, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be directed to Robert A.F. Reisner, Vice

President, Strategic Planning, U.S.

Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W.,

Washington, DC 20260–1520.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jon

L. Cook, (202) 268–4099.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Statutory Background

The Government Performance and

Results Act of 1993, Public Law 103–62,

(GPRA) was enacted to make Federal

programs more effective and publicly

accountable by targeting results, service

quality, and customer satisfaction. Other

statutory goals were to improve

Congressional decisionmaking and to

improve internal management of the

Federal Government. Public Law 103–

62, section 2(b), 107 Stat 285. Because

of the Postal Service’s role as an

independent establishment of the

Executive Branch of the Government of

the United States, section 7 of the law

establishes separate provisions which

apply to the Postal Service (sections

2801–2805 of title 39, United States

Code).

Section 2802 of title 39, United States

Code, requires that the Postal Service

submit to the President and the

Congress a strategic plan for its program

activities, no later than September 30,

1997. The plan is to contain:

(1) a comprehensive mission statement

covering the major functions and operations

of the Postal Service;

(2) general goals and objectives, including

outcome-related goals and objectives, for the

major functions and operations of the Postal

Service;

(3) a description of how the goals and

objectives are to be achieved, including a

description of the operational processes,

skills and technology, and the human,

capital, information, and other resources

required to meet those goals and objectives;

(4) a description of how the performance

goals included in the plan required under

section 2803 shall be related to the general

goals and objectives in the strategic plan;

(5) an identification of those key factors

external to the Postal Service and beyond its

control that could significantly affect the

achievement of the general goals and

objectives; and

(6) a description of the program

evaluations used in establishing or revising

general goals and objectives, with a schedule

for future program evaluations.

39 U.S.C. 2802(a).

The GPRA also requires the

preparation of annual performance

plans covering each program activity set

forth in the Postal Service budget. 39

U.S.C. 2803. These plans are to link the

strategic goals in the Strategic Plan with

ongoing operations. In addition, the law

requires preparation of program

performance reports, to review and

compare performance with performance

goals in the annual performance plan.

39 U.S.C. 2804.

In order to involve the public in the

process, GPRA requires that, as it

develops its strategic plan, the Postal

Service ‘‘shall solicit and consider the

views and suggestions of those entities

potentially affected by or interested in

such a plan, and shall advise the

Congress of the contents of the plan.’’ 39

U.S.C. 2802(d).

Discussion of the Postal Service Mission

and its Strategic Planning Process

In 1970, the Congress enacted the

Postal Reorganization Act, recasting the

former Post Office Department as the

United States Postal Service. Its intent

was that the former department evolve

into a Federal entity that operates more
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 63 / Wednesday, April 2, 1997 / Notices 15741

like a business. While fulfilling its basic

mission of providing universal service

at a uniform price, the Postal Service

would focus more clearly on the needs

of all of its customers.

* * *The Postal Service shall have as its

basic function the obligation to provide

postal services to bind the Nation together

through the personal, educational, literary

and business correspondence of the people.

It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient

services to patrons in all areas and shall

render postal services to all communities.

39 U.S.C. 101(a).

To carry out this mission of the

United States Postal Service as

described in section 101 of title 39,

United States Code, the organic statute,

a statement of mission was adopted in

recent years:

To provide every household and business

across the United States with the ability to

communicate and conduct business with

each other and the world through prompt,

reliable, secure and economic services for the

collection, transportation and delivery of

messages and merchandise.

A statement of vision was also

developed at the same time and reads as

follows:

Our postal products will be recognized as

the best value in America. We will evolve

into a provider of 21st century postal

communications. We will be the most

effective and productive service in the

Federal Government and markets that we

serve.

The Postal Service seeks comment on

this interpretation of mission and

vision. In addition, the Postal Service

seeks comment on the management

goals discussed below.

With its mandate to operate in a

business-like manner, the Postal Service

developed a 5-year Strategic Planning

Process in the 1980’s. The Postal Service

also has been systematically reviewing

performance and reforming processes.

Since 1994, when the Postal Service

applied the Malcolm Baldrige National

Quality Award criteria to create a

management system that is called

CustomerPerfect!, the Postal Service has

invested in a systematic revision of its

management system, that is currently

using process management tools to

reform processes throughout the

Service.

The CustomerPerfect! process is

designed to provide structure and

discipline to achieve better results for

postal customers. The CustomerPerfect!

management cycle has four distinct

phases which can be described as:

Establish, Deploy, Implement and

Review. The ‘‘Establish’’ phase involves

setting organizational direction,

determining long and near-term goals,

and making decisions about how to

measure progress. The output is a set of

broad goals and subgoals for a five-year

period, as well as a process prioritizing

specific subgoals, targets, and indicators

for the coming year.

The ‘‘Deploy’’ phase involves

communicating goals to the

organization, to seek individual unit

contributions to the achievement of

targets. The ‘‘Implementation’’ phase

requires specific, measurable targets for

improvement. The ‘‘Review’’ phase

involves a periodic check on the system

and its performance, whose primary

value is learning what will help

improve future results.

Therefore, to comply with the

requirements of GPRA to solicit and

consider the views and suggestions of

those entities potentially affected by or

interested in such a plan, and to benefit

from such guidance in the preparation

of its strategic direction, the Postal

Service is hereby requesting public

comment on development of its

Strategic Plan for the years 1998–2002.

Comments are requested in particular

concerning the Postal Service’s

priorities in sustaining and enhancing a

viable twenty-first century Postal

Service, as reflected in the following

goals developed as part of the

CustomerPerfect! process:

(1) Improve customer satisfaction by

offering superior customer value in each

market and customer segment;

(2) Improve employee and organizational

effectiveness by having the right people in

the right place with the right tools at the right

time to consistently provide superior

customer value and ensure commercial

viability in a dynamic environment;

(3) Improve financial performance to

assure our commercial viability as a service

provider for the worldwide movement of

messages, merchandise, and money.

Any comments pertaining to how the

Postal Service can best achieve these

goals, or on other aspects of strategic

planning, goals or performance

measurement will be appreciated.

Stanley F. Mires,

Chief Counsel, Legislative.

[FR Doc. 97–8270 Filed 3–1–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7710–12–P

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

[Declaration of Disaster #2937; Amdt. 2]

State of Tennessee

In accordance with a notice from the

Federal Emergency Management

Agency, dated March 19, 1997, the

above-numbered Declaration is hereby

amended to include the Counties of

Lake and Tipton in the State of

Tennessee as a disaster area due to

damages caused by heavy rain,

tornadoes, flooding, hail and high winds

beginning on February 28, 1997 and

continuing.

In addition, applications for economic

injury loans from small businesses

located in the contiguous county of New

Madrid, Missouri, may be filed until the

specified date at the previously

designated location. Any counties

contiguous to the above-named primary

counties and not listed herein have been

covered under a separate declaration for

the same occurrence.

The number assigned to this disaster

for economic injury is 943200 for

Missouri.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Nos. 59002 and 59008)

Dated: March 21, 1997.

Bernard Kulik,

Associate Administrator for Disaster

Assistance.

[FR Doc. 97–8366 Filed 4–1–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8025–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 2524]

Study Group on Intercountry Adoption

of the Secretary of State’s Advisory

Committee on Private International

Law: Meeting on Basic Concepts for

Federal Implementing Legislation for

1993 Hague Convention on

Intercountry Adoption

The fifth meeting of the Study Group

on Intercountry Adoption will take

place on Tuesday, April 15, 1997, from

9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the main

building of the Department of State in

Washington, DC.

The purpose of the meeting is to

discuss basic concepts for

implementation throughout the United

States of the 1993 Hague Convention on

Protection of Children and Co-operation

in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.

The meeting will focus on a concept

paper that will be available from the

Office of the Legal Adviser of the State

Department in advance of the meeting.

The Hague Convention provides

norms and procedures to safeguard

children on the move from one party

country to another in connection with

their adoption and to protect the

interests of their birth and adoptive

parents. It provides, among other things,

for the recognition of adoptions made

pursuant to the Convention, requires the

establishment in party countries of a

national Central Authority with

primarily facilitation and oversight

functions, and requires adoption