Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 94 / Tuesday, May 16, 1995 / Notices 26033

later than May 25, 1995. The request

should identify the name of the

individual who will make the

presentation and an outline of the issues

to be addressed.

Providing Oral or Written Comments at

SAB Meetings

The Science Advisory Board expects

that public statements presented at its

meetings will not be repetitive of

previously submitted oral or written

statements. In general, for

teleconference call meetings,

opportunities for oral comment will be

limited to no more than three minutes

per speaker and no more than fifteen

minutes total. For meetings other than

teleconference calls, opportunities for

oral comment will usually be limited to

five minutes per speaker and no more

than thirty minutes total. Written

comments (at least 35 copies) received

in the SAB Staff Office sufficiently prior

to a meeting date (usually one week

prior to a meeting or teleconference),

may be mailed to the relevant SAB

committee or subcommittee prior to its

meeting; comments received too close to

the meeting date will normally be

provided to the committee at its

meeting. Written comments may be

provided to the relevant committee or

subcommittee up until the time of the

meeting.

Dated: May 1, 1995.

A. Robert Flaak,

Acting Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.

[FR Doc. 95–11993 Filed 5–15–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION

[BM–13–APR–95–05]

Policy Statement Concerning

Nondiscrimination in Agency

Programs and Activities

AGENCY: Farm Credit Administration.

ACTION: Policy statement.

SUMMARY: The Farm Credit

Administration (FCA) by the Farm

Credit Administration Board (Board)

adopts a policy statement prohibiting

discrimination on the basis of disability

in the operation of Agency programs

and activities. The FCA has issued

regulations at 12 CFR part 606 to carry

out the nondiscrimination mandate for

section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of

1973, as amended. Each FCA program or

activity, when viewed in its entirety,

shall be readily accessible to and usable

by individuals with disabilities.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 13, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Floyd Fithian, Secretary to the Farm

Credit Administration Board, Farm

Credit Administration, McLean, Virginia

22102–5090, (703) 883–4000, TDD (703)

883–4444.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of

the Board’s policy statement concerning

nondiscrimination in Agency programs

and activities is set forth below in its

entirety:

FCA Board Action on Policy Statement

Concerning Nondiscrimination in

Agency Programs and Activities, BM–

13–APR–95–05, FCA–PS–67

Effective Date: April 13, 1995.

Effect on Previous Action:

Supplements 12 CFR Part 606.

Sources of Authority: Section 504 of the

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29

U.S.C. 794); Memorandum from the U.S.

Department of Justice, dated June 30, 1993;

Resolution of the U.S. Architectural and

Transportation Barriers Compliance Board,

dated January 15, 1993.

The FCA Board hereby approves the

following policy statement concerning

nondiscrimination in agency programs

and activities:

WHEREAS, the Farm Credit

Administration (FCA) Board finds:

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

of 1973, as amended (section 504)

prohibits Executive agencies from

discriminating on the basis of disability

in the operation of agency programs and

activities. Under the provisions of

Executive Order 12250, the Attorney

General is responsible for coordinating

the Federal Government’s

implementation of section 504 and this

responsibility has been assigned to the

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The

FCA has issued regulations at 12 CFR

part 606 to carry out the

nondiscrimination mandate of section

504.

Because the Federal Government and

private entities follow different

accessibility standards in connection

with the construction and alteration of

facilities, the accessibility standards that

apply to the Federal Government

(known as the ‘‘Uniform Federal

Accessibility Standards’’ or UFAS) are

being revised to conform more closely to

the accessibility standards that apply to

private entities (known as the

‘‘Americans with Disabilities Act

Accessibility Guidelines’’ or ADAAG).

After the revisions to UFAS are

completed, the DOJ plans to direct

Executive agencies to amend their

nondiscrimination regulations to

incorporate the new accessibility

standard. In the interim before this

rulemaking occurs, the DOJ is urging

Executive agencies to circulate the

resolution of the U.S. Architectural and

Transportation Barriers Compliance

Board dated January 15, 1993, and to

follow ADAAG in connection with the

construction and alteration of facilities

whenever ADAAG provides equal or

greater access to individuals with

disabilities than UFAS.

THEREFORE, the FCA Board adopts

the following policy statement:

The FCA prohibits discrimination on

the basis of disability in the operation

of Agency programs and activities. Each

FCA program or activity, when viewed

in its entirety, shall be readily accessible

to and usable by individuals with

disabilities. Accessibility may be

achieved through a variety of methods,

including the redesign of equipment,

the assignment of aides to beneficiaries,

the reassignment of services to alternate

accessible sites, the alteration of existing

facilities, and the construction of new

facilities. The FCA is not required to

alter an existing facility when there is

another feasible way of providing access

to programs and activities. If a building

is constructed or altered by, on behalf

of, or for the use of the FCA, the design,

construction, or alteration is subject to

applicable provisions of the ‘‘Uniform

Federal Accessibility Standards’’

(UFAS).

A different set of accessibility

standards, known as the ‘‘Americans

with Disabilities Act Accessibility

Guidelines’’ (ADAAG), applies to the

design, construction, and alteration of

places of public accommodation and

commercial facilities owned, operated,

or leased by private entities. State and

local governments currently have the

choice of following UFAS or ADAAG,

but the regulations governing these

public entities are being amended to

require compliance with ADAAG. In an

effort to apply one set of standards to all

entities, UFAS is being revised to

conform more closely to ADAAG.

Until FCA regulations are amended to

incorporate the new accessibility

standard, the FCA Board has decided

that the construction or alteration of a

facility by, on behalf of, or for the use

of the FCA shall comply with applicable

provisions of ADAAG, to the extent that

ADAAG provides equal or greater access

to individuals with disabilities than

UFAS. This policy is in conformance

with guidance received from the U.S.

Department of Justice.

Adopted this 13th day of April, 1995 by

order of the Board.
26034 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 94 / Tuesday, May 16, 1995 / Notices

Dated: May 10, 1995.

Floyd Fithian,

Secretary, Farm Credit Administration Board.

[FR Doc. 95–12015 Filed 5–15–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6705–01–P

[BM–09–MAY–95–03]

Policy Statement on Regulatory

Philosophy

AGENCY: Farm Credit Administration.

ACTION: Policy statement.

SUMMARY: The Farm Credit

Administration (FCA) Board reaffirmed

the Policy Statement on Regulatory

Philosophy (59 FR 32189, June 22, 1994)

in order to assist in the creation of an

environment which promotes the

confidence of customer/shareholders,

investors and the public in the Farm

Credit System’s (System) financial

strength and future viability. The FCA

recommited to promulgate regulations

only as required by law, as necessary to

interpret the law, or as necessary to

promote the safe and sound operation of

System institutions.

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 9, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Floyd Fithian, Secretary to the Farm

Credit Administration Board, Farm

Credit Administration, McLean, Virginia

22102–5090, (703) 883–4000, TDD (703)

883–4444.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of

the Board’s policy statement on

regulatory philosophy is set forth below

in its entirety:

FCA Board Action on Policy Statement

on Regulatory Philosophy, BM–09–

MAY–95–03, FCA–PS–59

Effective Date: May 9, 1995.

Effect on Previous Action: Replaces

BM–17–FEB–94–02 [FCA–PS–59]

Sources of Authority: Farm Credit Act of

1971, as amended; 12 U.S.C. 2001 et seq.

The FCA Board adopts the edited

version and reaffirms the policy

statement on regulatory philosophy as

follows:

The FCA shall develop regulations

consistent with its authorities under the

Farm Credit Act of 1971 (Act), as

amended, and other relevant statutes. It

is the FCA Board’s philosophy to

promulgate regulations that are

necessary to implement the law and to

promote the safety and soundness of the

Farm Credit System (System). In

general, the Board’s regulatory objective

will be to:

Create an environment that promotes the

confidence of customer/shareholders and

investors and the public in the Farm Credit

System’s financial strength and future

viability and grants System institutions the

maximum flexibility consistent with this

purpose to offer high quality, reasonably

priced credit and other services to customer/

shareholders.

The FCA Board believes that safe and

sound operations of System institutions

will promote the following: (a) Investor

confidence in System debt securities,

which works to ensure adequate funds

at reasonable rates for lending to

customer/shareholders; and, (b)

customer/shareholder confidence in

each cooperatively owned System

institution, which works to ensure

adequate market share and sufficient

capital.

To effectively achieve its objective,

the FCA will:

1. Promulgate regulations only as

required by law, as necessary to

interpret the law, or as necessary to

promote the safe and sound operation of

System institutions.

2. Work to eliminate outdated

regulations and ensure that its

regulations implement the purposes of

the law without unnecessary burden or

cost. The FCA will adopt its regulatory

approach based on a reasoned

determination that the benefits of the

intended regulations justify their cost.

3. Strive to ensure that each

regulation has a well-defined objective

and addresses specifically identified

risks or problems. Preambles to

regulation will explain the FCA Board’s

rationale for the regulatory solution

adopted.

4. Promulgate regulations that, to the

extent feasible, specify performance

criteria and objectives rather than

operational methods for achieving their

purposes. Operational constraints

imposed by regulation should be based

on specific statutory requirements or the

achievement of regulatory objectives.

5. Give high priority to issues that

pose the greatest risk within the Farm

Credit System.

6. Consider policy positions of the

other financial regulators to determine

whether consistency would facilitate the

objectives of the Act or whether a

different approach is warranted.

7. Draft its regulations and policy

statements to be clear and easy to

understand, with the goal of minimizing

the potential for ambiguity, uncertainty,

and resultant litigation.

8. Utilize innovative approaches to

seeking the public’s perspective

regarding regulatory proposals in

appropriate circumstances.

The FCA Board will consider these

principles as it develops new regulatory

initiatives and as it reviews existing

regulations to determine whether they

continue to be necessary and effective.

The FCA Board is committed to

thoughtfully evaluating competing

considerations to arrive at its regulatory

judgments.

Adopted this 9th day of May, 1995 by

order of the Board.

Dated May 10, 1995.

Floyd Fithian,

Secretary, Farm Credit Administration Board.

[FR Doc. 95–12016 Filed 5–15–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6705–01–P

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM

Cooperatieve Centrale RaiffeisenBoerenleenbank B.A.; Notice of

Application to Engage de novo in

Permissible Nonbanking Activities

The company listed in this notice has

filed an application under § 225.23(a)(1)

of the Board’s Regulation Y (12 CFR

225.23(a)(1)) for the Board’s approval

under section 4(c)(8) of the Bank

Holding Company Act (12 U.S.C.

1843(c)(8)) and § 225.21(a) of Regulation

Y (12 CFR 225.21(a)) to commence or to

engage de novo, either directly or

through a subsidiary, in a nonbanking

activity that the Board has determined

is closely related to banking and

permissible for bank holding

companies. Unless otherwise noted,

such activities will be conducted

throughout the United States.

The application is available for

immediate inspection at the Federal

Reserve Bank indicated. Once the

application has been accepted for

processing, it will also be available for

inspection at the offices of the Board of

Governors. Interested persons may

express their views in writing on the

question whether consummation of the

proposal can ‘‘reasonably be expected to

produce benefits to the public, such as

greater convenience, increased

competition, or gains in efficiency, that

outweigh possible adverse effects, such

as undue concentration of resources,

decreased or unfair competition,

conflicts of interests, or unsound

banking practices.’’ Any request for a

hearing on this question must be

accompanied by a statement of the

reasons a written presentation would

not suffice in lieu of a hearing,

identifying specifically any questions of

fact that are in dispute, summarizing the

evidence that would be presented at a

hearing, and indicating how the party

commenting would be aggrieved by

approval of the proposal.

Comments regarding the application

must be received at the Reserve Bank