36010 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 126 /Wednesday, July 1, 1998 / Notices

The agenda will include:

• Opening remarks.

• Report on Performance Standards

Working Group Activities.

• Briefing on draft notice of proposed

rulemaking regarding escape device

lighting.

• Discussion of assignment of new

ARAC task on emergency exit access.

Attendance is open to the public, but

will be limited to space available. The

public must make arrangements by July

17, 1998, to present oral statements at

the meeting. Written statements may be

presented to the committee any time by

providing 25 copies to the Assistant

Executive Director for Emergency

Evacuation Issues or by providing

copies at the meeting. In addition, sign

and oral interpretation, as well as a

listening device, can be made available

if requested 10 calendar days before the

meeting. Arrangements may be made by

contacting the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Issued in Washington, DC, on June 25,

1998.

Florence Hamn,

Acting Executive Director, Aviation

Rulemaking Advisory Committee.

[FR Doc. 98–17490 Filed 6–30–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[FTA Docket No. 98–3990]

Notice of Request for the Extension of

a Currently Approved Information

Collection

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration,

DOT.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the intention of the

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to

request the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) to reinstate the following

expired information collection: Charter

Service Operations.

DATES: Comments must be submitted

before August 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: All written comments must

refer to the docket number that appears

at the top of this document and be

submitted to the United States

Department of Transportation, Central

Dockets Office, PL–401, 400 Seventh

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. All

comments received will be available for

examination at the above address from

10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., e.t., Monday

through Friday, except Federal holidays.

Those desiring notification of receipt of

comments must include a selfaddressed, stamped postcard/envelope.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Rita Daguillard, Office of the Chief

Counsel, (202) 366–1936.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested

parties are invited to send comments

regarding any aspect of this information

collection, including: (1) the necessity

and utility of the information collection

for the proper performance of the

functions of the FTA; (2) the accuracy

of the estimated burden; (3) ways to

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity

of the collected information; and (4)

ways to minimize the collection burden

without reducing the quality of the

collected information. Comments

submitted in response to this notice will

be summarized and/or included in the

request for OMB approval of this

information collection.

Title: Charter Service Operations

(OMB Number: 2132–0543)

Background: Section 5323(d) of the

Federal Transit Laws (FT Laws) requires

all applicants for financial assistance

from FTA to enter into a charter bus

agreement with the Secretary of

Transportation (delegated to the

Administrator of FTA in 49 CFR

1.51(a)). Section 5323(d) of the FT Laws

provides protections for private intercity

charter bus operators from unfair

competition by FTA recipients. Section

5302(a)(7) of the FT Laws as interpreted

by the Comptroller General permits FTA

recipients, but does not state that

recipients have a right, to provide

charter bus service with FTA funded

facilities and equipment only if it is

incidental to the provision of mass

transportation service. These statutory

requirements have been implemented in

FTA’s charter regulation, 49 CFR Part

604.

49 CFR 604.7 requires all applicants

for financial assistance under Section

5309, 5336, or 5311 of the FT Laws to

include two copies of a charter bus

agreement with the first grant

application submitted after the effective

date of the rule. The applicant signs the

agreement, but FTA executes it only

upon approval of the application. This

is a one-time submission with

incorporation by reference in

subsequent grant applications. Section

604.11(b) requires recipients to provide

notice to all private charter operators

and allow them to demonstrate that they

are willing and able to provide the

charter service the recipient is

proposing to provide. The notice must

be published in a newspaper and sent

to any private operator requesting notice

and to the United Bus Owners of

America and the American Bus

Association, the two trade associations

to which most private charter operators

belong. To continue receiving federal

financial assistance, recipients must

publish this notice annually. Section

604.13(b) requires recipients to notify

each private operator that presented

evidence of the recipient’s

determination whether the private

operator meets the definition of ‘‘willing

and able.’’ This notice is also an annual

requirement. On December 30, 1988,

FTA issued an amendment to the

Charter Service Regulation which

allows additional exceptions for certain

non-profit social service groups that

meet eligibility requirements.

Respondents: State and local

government, business or other for-profit

institutions, and non-profit institutions.

Estimated Annual Burden on

Respondents: 1.2 hours for each of the

1,656 respondents.

Estimated Total Annual Burden:

1,984 hours.

Frequency: Annual.

Issued: June 26, 1998.

Gordon J. Linton,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 98–17476 Filed 6–30–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–57–U

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA–98–3979; Notice No. 1]

Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping

Requirements (Authority: Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995)

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.

ACTION: Request for public comment on

proposed collection of information.

SUMMARY: Before a Federal agency can

collect certain information from the

public, it must receive approval from

the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB). Under new procedures

established by the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995, before seeking OMB

approval, Federal agencies must solicit

public comment on proposed

collections of information, including

extensions and reinstatements of

previously approved collections. This

document describes a collection of

information for which NHTSA intends

to seek OMB approval.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before August 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to the DOT Docket Management