Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 1998 / Notices 30813

meetings of the full Committee or a

subcommittee thereof may be convened

if necessary.

The meetings will generally be held in

the Treasury Department, Washington,

D.C. However, typically one meeting

period year, but generally not more than

two, may be held outside of Washington

at a Customs port. In recent years,

meeting have been held in Baltimore,

New Orleans, Oakland, Nogales, Los

Angeles and Seattle, among other

locations.

The meetings are open to public

observers, including the press, unless

special procedures have been followed

to close a meeting. During the first five

terms of the Committee, only a portion

of the one meeting was closed.

The members shall be selected by the

Secretary of the Treasury from

representatives of the trade or

transportation community serviced by

Customs, the general public, or others

who are directed affected by Customs

commercial operations. In addition,

members shall represent major regions

of the country, and not more than ten

members may be affiliated with the

same political party. No person who is

required to register under the Foreign

Agents Registration Act as an agent or

representative of a foreign principal may

serve on an advisory committee.

Members shall not be paid

compensation nor shall they be

considered Federal Government

employees for any purpose. No per

diem, transportation, or other expenses

are reimbursed for the cost of attending

Committee meetings at any location.

Members who are serving on the

Committee during its expiring two-year

term are eligible to reapply for

membership. A new application letter

and updated resume are required. It is

expected that approximately half of the

current membership of the Committee

will be replaced with new appointees.

Membership on the Committee is

personal to the appointee. Under the

Committee By-Laws, a member may not

send an alternate to represent him at a

Committee meeting. However, since

Committee meetings are open to the

public, another person from a member’s

organization may attend and observe the

proceedings in a nonparticipating

capacity. Regular attendance is

essential; a member who is absent for

two consecutive meetings or two

meetings in a calendar year shall lose

his seat on the Committee.

Application for Advisory Committee

Appointment

Any interested person wishing to

serve on the Treasury Advisory

Committee on Commercial Operations

of the U.S. Customs Service must

provide the following:

• Statement of interest and reasons

for application;

• Complete professional biography or

resume;

• Political affiliation, In order to

ensure balanced representation.

(Mandatory. If no party registration or

allegiance, indicate ‘‘independent’’ or

‘‘unaffiliated’’).

In addition, applicants must state in

their applications that they agree to

submit to preappointment security and

tax checks. There is no prescribed

format for the application. Applicants

may send a cover letter describing their

interest and qualifications and enclosing

a resume.

The application period for interested

candidates will extend to July 15, 1998.

Applications should be submitted in

sufficient time to be received by the

close of business on the closing date by

Dennis M. O’Connell, Director, Office of

Tariff and Trade Affairs, Office of the

Under Secretary (Enforcement), Room

4004, Department of the Treasury, 1500

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington,

D.C. 20220, ATTN: COAC 1998.

Dated: June 2, 1998.

Dennis M. O’Connell,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary,

(Regulatory, Tariff and Trade Enforcement).

[FR Doc. 98–14959 Filed 6–4–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4810–25–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Treasury Advisory Committee on

International Child Labor Enforcement

AGENCY: Departmental Offices, Treasury.

ACTION: Proposed establishment of the

Treasury Advisory Committee on

International Child Labor Enforcement

(‘‘the Committee’’) and solicitation of

applications for committee membership.

SUMMARY: The Treasury Department has

determined that it is in the public

interest to establish an Advisory

Committee on International Child Labor

Enforcement. A Charter for the

Committee has been prepared and will

be filed 15 days following the date of

publication of this notice. This notices

establishes criteria and procedures for

the selection of members.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dennis M. O’Connell, Director, Office of

Tariff and Trade Affairs, Office of the

Under Secretary (Enforcement), (202)

622–0220. Pursuant to the Federal

Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App.

I (1962), the Under Secretary

(Enforcement) proposes to establish the

following advisory committee:

Title: The Treasury Advisory

Committee on International Child Labor

Enforcement.

Purpose: The purpose of the

Committee is to present advice and

recommendations to the Secretary of the

Treasury regarding the enforcement of

restrictions on the importation of

merchandise manufactured in foreign

countries using forced or indentured

child labor.

Statement of Public Interest: It is in

the public interest to establish, under

the provisions of the Federal Advisory

Committee Act, the Advisory Committee

on International Child Labor

Enforcement for an initial two-year

term. The Committee will provide a

critical forum for distinguished

representatives of nongovernmental

organizations, private businesses, trade

associations, academia, and the public

to present their views on enforcement of

the import restrictions on merchandise

manufactured overseas with forced or

indentured child labor. These views are

offered directly to senior Treasury and

Customs officials on a regular basis in

a candid atmosphere. There exists no

other single body that could serve a

comparable function.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930

(19 U.S.C. 1307) prohibits the

importation of ‘‘goods, wares, articles,

and merchandise mined, produced, or

manufactured wholly or in part in any

foreign country by convict labor or/and

forced labor or/and indentured labor

under penal sanctions * * *.’’ The

prohibition is enforced by the United

States Customs Service in accordance

with the Customs Regulations, 19 CFR

12.42–12.48. A general provision in the

Fiscal Year 1998 Treasury

Appropriations Act made explicit that

merchandise manufactured with ‘‘forced

or indentured child labor’’ falls within

the prohibition of Section 307, and also

mandated that Customs not use any of

the appropriation to permit the

importation into the United States of

such merchandise.

Following the enactment of the FY

1998 appropriations amendment

regarding child labor, both the Treasury

Department and the National Economic

Council chaired in-depth interagency

discussions aimed at strengthening the

capability of the Executive Branch to

enforce the prohibition on child labor

imports. In his State of Union address

on January 27, 1998, President Clinton

pledged to ‘‘fight the most intolerable

labor practice of all—abusive child

labor.’’ The establishment of the

Committee is intended to create a
30814 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 1998 / Notices

partnership between Executive agencies,

labor and human rights advocacy

groups, industry representatives, and

the public to promote effective

enforcement of the law and to further

the President’s commitment to combat

abusive child labor.

Objective, Scope and Description of the

Committee

The Committee will advise the U.S.

Treasury Department, the U.S. Customs

Service, and other Executive agencies,

on measures to enhance the

effectiveness of enforcement of the

import prohibition on merchandise

manufactured in foreign countries with

forced or indentured child labor. Among

other matters, the Committee will assist

in identifying specific information

resources regarding, and avenues of

productive inquiry into, prohibited

child labor operations overseas. A major

objective of the Committee is to share

the expertise of private sector specialists

regarding methods of operation

employed, and international trade

channels used, by manufacturers and

distributors of merchandise produced

with forced or indentured child labor.

The ultimate purpose of this combined

effort is to support a vigorous law

enforcement initiative to stop illegal

shipments of products of forced or

indentured child labor and to punish

violators.

Among other things, the Committee

may make recommendations in the

following areas. The Committee may

consider additional governmental and

nongovernmental measures to prevent

child labor imports. The Committee may

recommend measures and furnish

information that will assist the

Executive agencies in establishing a

vigorous outreach and educational

program calling upon industries and

individuals in the private sector to

promote voluntary compliance with the

child labor prohibition. The Committee

may explore avenues for encouraging

the cooperation of both foreign

governments and foreign

nongovernmental organizations in

nations where child labor is widely

perceived to be a serious problem in

order to enlarge the reach and

effectiveness of U.S. enforcement efforts

and resources.

Private sector members will be

selected by the Secretary of the Treasury

from persons with expertise in the

subject of the use of child labor in

foreign countries, particularly in the

production of merchandise for

international trade and/or who have

commercial interests that may be

affected by governmental enforcement

measures. Members will be drawn from

such organizations as labor rights,

human rights, and child welfare groups;

labor unions; affected private firms and

trade associations; academic experts and

others who possess relevant expertise

and/or who represent affected

constituencies. Appointments will be

made with the objective of creating a

diverse and balanced body with a

variety of interests, backgrounds, and

viewpoints represented. In general,

there will be at least twelve private

sector members and not more than

twenty. The Committee also will

include ex officio members from

relevant government agencies and

entities.

The Committee will be chaired by the

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for

Enforcement who may designate

another official to serve in his absence

as Acting Chairperson for purposes of

presiding over a meeting of the

Committee or performing any other duty

of the Chairperson. The Committee will

function for a two-year period before

renewal or termination. It will meet

periodically, but generally not more

than four times per year, at the Treasury

Department in Washington. The

Committee may elect to hold a

meeting(s) at another location if there is

a consensus that this would further the

objectives of the Committee.

The meetings are open to public

observers, including the press, unless

special procedures have been followed

to close a meeting.

No person who is required to register

under the Foreign Agents Registration

Act as an agent or representative of a

foreign principal may serve on an

advisory committee. Members shall not

be paid compensation nor shall they be

considered Federal Government

employees for any purpose. No per

diem, transportation, or other expenses

are reimbursed for the cost of attending

Committee meetings at any location.

Membership on the Committee is

personal to the appointee. Regular

attendance is essential to the effective

operation of the Committee. However,

in the event of an unavoidable absence,

a member may designate an alternate to

represent him or her at a meeting.

Application for Advisory Committee

Appointment

Any interested person wishing to

serve on the Treasury Advisory

Committee on International Child Labor

Enforcement must provide the

following:

—Statement of interest and reasons for

application;

—Complete professional biography or

resume;

In addition, applicants must state in

their applications that they agree to

submit to preappointment security and

tax checks. There is no prescribed

format for the application. Applicants

may send a cover letter describing their

interest and qualifications and enclosing

a resume.

The application period for interested

candidates will extend to July 10, 1998.

Applications should be submitted in

sufficient time to be received by the

close of business on the closing date and

be addressed to Dennis M. O’Connell,

Director, Office of Tariff and Trade

Affairs, Office of the Under Secretary

(Enforcement), Room 4004, Department

of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania

Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20220,

Attention: CHILD 1998.

Dated: June 2, 1998.

Dennis M. O’Connell,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary

(Regulatory, Tariff and Trade Enforcement).

[FR Doc. 98–14960 Filed 6–4–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4810–25–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Treasury Advisory Committee on

Commercial Operations of the U.S.

Customs Service; Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Departmental Offices, Treasury.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

date and location of the next meeting

and the agenda for consideration by the

Treasury Advisory Committee on

Commercial Operations of the U.S.

Customs Service.

DATES: The next meeting of the Treasury

Advisory Committee on Commercial

Operations of the U.S. Customs Service

will be held on June 26, 1998. The

session will be held at the Marriot

Financial Center, 85 West Street, New

York, New York. (Tel. 212–266–6246,

FAX: 212–385–9174) from

approximately 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dennis M. O’Connell, Director, Office of

Tariff and Trade Affairs, Office of the

Under Secretary for Enforcement, Room

4004, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,

Washington, DC 20220. Tel.: (202) 622–

0220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is the

seventh meeting of the current two-year

term of the Committee. The provisional

agenda to be considered at the meeting

is as follows:

1. Introduction of the Chief U.S.

Textile Negotiator, Mr. Donald Johnson,

and a discussion of the textile program.