Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 17 / Wednesday, January 27, 2016 / Notices 4739 

By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Tia Delano, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2016–01642 Filed 1–26–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Office of the Secretary 

Mounir R. Khouri; Public Interest 

Exclusion Order 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: On January 20, 2016, the 

Department of Transportation (DOT) 

issued a decision and order under the 

Procedures for Transportation 

Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing 

Programs that excludes a service agent, 

Mounir R. Khouri, from providing drug 

and alcohol testing services in any 

capacity to any DOT-regulated employer 

for a period of 5 years. Mr. Khouri 

provided Consortium/Third Party 

Administrator Services (C/TPA) and 

Medical Review Officer (MRO) services 

to DOT-regulated trucking companies. 

Mr. Khouri pled guilty to criminal 

charges that he made materially false 

statements that an MRO had reviewed 

drug test results, when a qualified MRO 

had not done so. This Federal Register 

publication serves as notice to the 

public that DOT-regulated employers or 

their service agents must stop using the 

services of Mounir R. Khouri for 

administering their DOT-regulated drug 

and/or alcohol testing programs. 

DATES: The effective date of the Public 

Interest Exclusion is January 20, 2016 

and it will remain in effect until January 

20, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Patrice M. Kelly, Acting Director, U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Office of 

Drug and Alcohol Policy and 

Compliance, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 

SE., Washington, DC 20590; (202) 366– 

3784 (voice), (202) 366–3897 (fax), or 

patrice.kelly@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

In accordance with the provisions of 

the Department’s regulation at 49 CFR 

part 40 (Part 40), Subpart R, Public 

Interest Exclusions (PIE), the Federal 

Motor Carrier Safety Administration 

(FMCSA) issued a Notice of Proposed 

Exclusion (NOPE) to Mr. Khouri on 

August 27, 2015, notifying him that he 

had engaged in serious noncompliance. 

In the NOPE, the FMCSA stated that the 

Department’s Office of the Inspector 

General had conducted a criminal 

investigation that revealed that Mr. 

Khouri subverted the MRO’s role in the 

testing process. Specifically, Mr. Khouri 

held out as performing C/TPA services 

and he: Received laboratory confirmed 

drug test results and falsely certified 

that those results were reviewed by a 

qualified MRO; acted as an MRO, 

without qualifications to do so, by 

verifying laboratory confirmed positive 

test results; and prepared false Federal 

Drug Testing Custody and Control 

Forms (CCFs) for untested specimens 

and misrepresented that the specimens 

had tested negative. In the United States 

District Court for the District of 

Vermont, Mr. Khouri pled guilty and 

was convicted for making false 

statements on a CCF. Those false 

statements indicated that an MRO had 

reviewed a drug test, when Mr. Khouri 

knew that had not occurred. 

Public Interest Exclusion Decision and 

Order 

On January 20, 2016, the Department 

issued a PIE against Mounir R. Khouri. 

This PIE prohibits all DOT-regulated 

employers and service agents from 

utilizing Mounir R. Khouri for drug and 

alcohol testing services in any capacity 

for a period of 5 years. A full copy of 

the Department’s Decision and Order 

can be found at http://www.dot.gov/

odapc. 

In accordance with the terms of the 

Department’s Decision and Order and 

per 49 CFR 40.403(a), Mounir R. Khouri 

is required to directly notify each of the 

affected DOT-regulated employer clients 

in writing about the issuance, scope, 

duration, and effect of the PIE. The 

Department is notifying employers and 

the public about this PIE by publishing 

it in a ‘‘List of Excluded Drug and 

Alcohol Service Agents’’ on its Web site 

at http://www.dot.gov/odapc/ and will 

make the list available upon request. As 

required by 49 CFR 40.401(d), the 

Department is publishing this Federal 

Register notice to inform the public that 

Mounir R. Khouri is subject to a PIE for 

5 years. After January 20, 2021, Mounir 

R. Khouri, will be removed from the list 

and the public will be notified of that 

removal, also in accordance with 49 

CFR 40.401(d). 

Any DOT-regulated employer who 

uses the services of Mounir R. Khouri 

between January 20, 2016 and January 

20, 2021 may be subject to a civil 

penalty for violation of Part 40. 

Dated this 20th day of January, 2016, at 

Washington, DC. 

Patrice M. Kelly, 

Acting Director, Office of Drug and Alcohol 

Policy Compliance. 

[FR Doc. 2016–01630 Filed 1–26–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Office of the Secretary 

List of Countries Requiring 

Cooperation With an International 

Boycott 

In accordance with section 999(a)(3) 

of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 

the Department of the Treasury is 

publishing a current list of countries 

which require or may require 

participation in, or cooperation with, an 

international boycott (within the 

meaning of section 999(b)(3) of the 

Internal Revenue Code of 1986). 

On the basis of the best information 

currently available to the Department of 

the Treasury, the following countries 

require or may require participation in, 

or cooperation with, an international 

boycott (within the meaning of section 

999(b)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code 

of 1986). 

Iraq 

Kuwait 

Lebanon 

Libya 

Qatar 

Saudi Arabia 

Syria 

United Arab Emirates 

Yemen 

Dated: January 19, 2016. 

Danielle Rolfes, 

International Tax Counsel, (Tax Policy). 

[FR Doc. 2016–01622 Filed 1–26–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–25–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Multiemployer Pension Plan 

Application To Reduce Benefits 

AGENCY: Department of the Treasury. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; Request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Board of Trustees of the 

Iron Workers Local 17 Pension Plan, a 

multiemployer pension plan, has 

submitted an application to Treasury to 

reduce benefits under the plan in 

accordance with the Multiemployer 

Pension Reform Act of 2014 (MPRA). 

The purpose of this notice is to 

announce that the application submitted 

by the Board of Trustees of the Iron 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
4740 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 17 / Wednesday, January 27, 2016 / Notices 

Workers Local 17 Pension Plan has been 

published on the Web site of the 

Department of the Treasury (Treasury), 

and to request public comments on the 

application from interested parties, 

including contributing employers, 

employee organizations, and 

participants and beneficiaries of the Iron 

Workers Local 17 Pension Plan. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

March 14, 2016. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

electronically through the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal at http://

www.regulations.gov, in accordance 

with the instructions on that site. 

Electronic submissions through 

www.regulations.gov are encouraged. 

Comments may also be mailed to the 

Department of the Treasury, MPRA 

Office, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., 

Room 1224, Washington, DC 20220. 

Attn: Deva Kyle. Comments sent via 

facsimile and email will not be 

accepted. 

Additional Instructions. All 

comments received, including 

attachments and other supporting 

materials, will be made available to the 

public. Do not include any personally 

identifiable information (such as Social 

Security number, name, address, or 

other contact information) or any other 

information in your comment or 

supporting materials that you do not 

want publicly disclosed. Treasury will 

make comments available for public 

inspection and copying on 

www.regulations.gov or upon request. 

Comments posted on the Internet can be 

retrieved by most Internet search 

engines. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information regarding the application 

from the Board of Trustees of the Iron 

Workers Local 17 Pension Plan, please 

contact Treasury at (202) 622–1534 (not 

a toll-free number). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 

2014 (MPRA) amended the Internal 

Revenue Code to permit a 

multiemployer plan that is projected to 

have insufficient funds to reduce 

pension benefits payable to participants 

and beneficiaries if certain conditions 

are satisfied. In order to reduce benefits, 

the plan sponsor is required to submit 

an application to the Secretary of the 

Treasury, which Treasury, in 

consultation with the Pension Benefit 

Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) and the 

Department of Labor, is required to 

approve or deny. 

On December 23, 2015, the Board of 

Trustees of the Iron Workers Local 17 

Pension Plan submitted an application 

for approval to reduce benefits under 

the plan. Treasury received that 

application on December 28, 2015. As 

required by MPRA, that application has 

been published on Treasury’s Web site 

at http://www.treasury.gov/services/

Pages/Plan-Applications.aspx. Treasury 

is publishing this notice in the Federal 

Register, in consultation with PBGC and 

the Department of Labor, to solicit 

public comments on all aspects of the 

Iron Workers Local 17 Pension Plan 

application. 

Comments are requested from 

interested parties, including 

contributing employers, employee 

organizations, and participants and 

beneficiaries of the Iron Workers Local 

17 Pension Plan. Consideration will be 

given to any comments that are timely 

received by Treasury. 

Dated: Janaury 21, 2016. 

David R. Pearl, 

Executive Secretary, Department of the 

Treasury. 

[FR Doc. 2016–01618 Filed 1–26–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–25–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Multiemployer Pension Plan 

Application To Reduce Benefits 

AGENCY: Department of the Treasury. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; Request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Board of Trustees of the 

Teamsters Local Union No. 469 Pension 

Plan (Teamsters Local 469 Pension 

Plan), a multiemployer pension plan, 

has submitted an application to 

Treasury to reduce benefits under the 

plan in accordance with the 

Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 

2014 (MPRA). The purpose of this 

notice is to announce that the 

application submitted by the Board of 

Trustees of the Teamsters Local 469 

Pension Plan has been published on the 

Web site of the Department of the 

Treasury (Treasury), and to request 

public comments on the application 

from interested parties, including 

contributing employers, employee 

organizations, and participants and 

beneficiaries of the Teamsters Local 469 

Pension Plan. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

March 14, 2016. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

electronically through the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal at http://

www.regulations.gov, in accordance 

with the instructions on that site. 

Electronic submissions through 

www.regulations.gov are encouraged. 

Comments may also be mailed to the 

Department of the Treasury, MPRA 

Office, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., 

Room 1224, Washington, DC 20220. 

Attn: Deva Kyle. Comments sent via 

facsimile and email will not be 

accepted. 

Additional Instructions. All 

comments received, including 

attachments and other supporting 

materials, will be made available to the 

public. Do not include any personally 

identifiable information (such as Social 

Security number, name, address, or 

other contact information) or any other 

information in your comment or 

supporting materials that you do not 

want publicly disclosed. Treasury will 

make comments available for public 

inspection and copying on 

www.regulations.gov or upon request. 

Comments posted on the Internet can be 

retrieved by most Internet search 

engines. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information regarding the application 

from the Board of Trustees of the 

Teamsters Local 469 Pension Plan, 

please contact Treasury at (202) 622– 

1534 (not a toll-free number). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 

2014 (MPRA) amended the Internal 

Revenue Code to permit a 

multiemployer plan that is projected to 

have insufficient funds to reduce 

pension benefits payable to participants 

and beneficiaries if certain conditions 

are satisfied. In order to reduce benefits, 

the plan sponsor is required to submit 

an application to the Secretary of the 

Treasury, which Treasury, in 

consultation with the Pension Benefit 

Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) and the 

Department of Labor, is required to 

approve or deny. 

On December 28, 2015, the Board of 

Trustees of the Teamsters Local 469 

Pension Plan submitted an application 

for approval to reduce benefits under 

the plan. As required by MPRA, that 

application has been published on 

Treasury’s Web site at https://

www.treasury.gov/services/Pages/PlanApplications.aspx. Treasury is 

publishing this notice in the Federal 

Register, in consultation with PBGC and 

the Department of Labor, to solicit 

public comments on all aspects of the 

Teamsters Local 469 Pension Plan 

application. 

Comments are requested from 

interested parties, including 

contributing employers, employee 

organizations, and participants and 

beneficiaries of the Teamsters Local 469 

Pension Plan. Consideration will be 

given to any comments that are timely 

received by Treasury. 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES