Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 13 / Friday, January 19, 2001 / Notices 5521

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

Rate for Attorney Fee Assessment

Beginning in 2001

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Social Security

Administration is announcing that the

attorney-fee assessment rate under

section 206(d) of the Social Security

Act, 42 U.S.C. 406(d), for 2001 is 6.3

percent.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John

Watson, Social Security Administration,

Office of the General Counsel, Phone:

(410) 965–3137, email:

John.Watson@ssa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

406 of Public Law No. 106–170, the

Ticket to Work and Work Incentives

Improvement Act of 1999, established

an assessment for the services required

to determine and certify payments to

attorneys from the benefits due

claimants under Title II of the Social

Security Act. This provision is codified

in section 206 of the Social Security Act

(42 U.S.C. 406). The legislation set the

assessment for the calendar year 2000 at

6.3 percent of the amount that would be

required to be certified for direct

payment to the attorney under either

section 206(a)(4) or 206(b)(1) before the

application of the assessment. For

subsequent years, the legislation

requires the Commissioner of Social

Security to determine the percentage

rate necessary to achieve full recovery of

the costs of determining and certifying

fees to attorneys, but not in excess of 6.3

percent.

The Commissioner of Social Security

has determined, based on available data,

that the current rate of 6.3 percent will

continue. We based our decision to

continue the 6.3 percent assessment rate

on work sampling and management

information data for performing these

functions. We are continuing to review

our data to determine if a change is

appropriate subsequently.

Dated: January 16, 2001.

Yvette S. Jackson,

Deputy Commissioner for Finance,

Assessment and Management.

[FR Doc. 01–1608 Filed 1–18–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4191–02–U

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Generalized System of Preferences

(GSP); Deadline for Submitting Public

Comments on Modification of DutyFree Treatment for Certain Products

Imported From India.

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative (USTR).

ACTION: Notice of request for public

comment

SUMMARY: This notice informs the public

that the U.S. Government is considering

whether to modify duty-free treatment

accorded to certain imports from India

under the U.S. Generalized System of

Preferences (GSP). The review is being

undertaken to determine whether India

offers ‘‘equitable and reasonable market

access for U.S. goods and services.’’ If

the conclusion is negative, the U.S.

government is prepared to take steps

that would lead to withdrawal of

existing benefits on some products

imported from India. Some or all of the

products listed in the Annex may be

affected. This notice sets forth the

deadline for submitting public

comments. A decision on this matter is

expected on or about April 1, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: GSP

Subcommittee, Office of the United

States Trade Representative, 600 17th

Street, NW., Room 518, Washington, DC

20508 (Tel. 202/395–6971). Public

versions of all documents relating to

this review are available for public

inspection by appointment in the USTR

public reading room between 9:30–12

a.m. and 1–4 p.m. (Tel. 202/395–6186).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSP

program is authorized pursuant to Title

V of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended

(‘‘the Trade Act’’) (19 U.S.C. 2461 et

seq.). The GSP program grants duty-free

treatment to designated eligible articles

that are imported from designated

beneficiary developing countries. Once

granted, GSP benefits may be

withdrawn, suspended or limited by the

President with respect to any article or

with respect to any country. In

determining whether to withdraw,

suspend, or limit GSP benefits, the

President must consider several factors,

one of which is whether the country

offers equitable and reasonable market

access for U.S. goods and services (19

U.S.C. 2462(c)(4)). India is a beneficiary

of the GSP program. In 1999, more than

$1 billion in imports from India were

granted duty-free treatment under the

GSP program; through October 2000,

more than $966 million in imports from

India received duty-free treatment under

GSP, an increase of over 13% over 1999.

On June 12, 1998, the American

National Soda Ash Corporation

(ANSAC) filed a petition in the 1998

GSP country review contending that the

Government of India has failed to

provide the United States equitable and

reasonable access to India’s soda ash

market. ANSAC requested that India’s

benefits under the GSP program be

withdrawn, suspended or limited. This

petition was accepted for review and

was the subject of public comment and

hearings. The United States also raised

these concerns with the Government of

India over the course of two years

without resolution. Accordingly, absent

a substantial improvement in equitable

and reasonable market access for U.S.

goods and services in India, the TPSC

may recommend that the President

withdraw GSP benefits for India on

some or all of the products identified in

the Annex to this notice.

Opportunities for Public Comment and

Inspection of Comments

The GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC

invites comments in support of, or in

opposition to, the withdrawal,

suspension or limitation of duty-free

treatment under the GSP program for

certain products imported from India.

The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m.

on Friday, February 16, 2001.

Parties submitting comments must

submit an original and 14 copies, in

English, to the Chairman of the GSP

Subcommittee, Trade Policy Staff

Committee, 600 17th Street, NW., Room

518, Washington, DC 20508.

Information and comments will be

available for public inspection by

appointment with the staff of the USTR

public reading room, except for

information submitted in confidence

pursuant to 15 CFR 2007.7. If the

document contains business

confidential information, an original

and 14 copies of a public version of the

submission along with 15 copies of the

confidential version must be also

submitted. The business confidential

version of the submission should be

clearly marked ‘‘business confidential’’

at the top and bottom of each page of the

document. A nonconfidential summary

of the business confidential information

must be included with the business

confidential submission, along with a

written explanation of why the business

confidential material should be

protected. The public version should

also be clearly marked at the top and

bottom of each and every page (either

‘‘public version’’ or ‘‘nonconfidential’’).

Submissions should comply with 15