Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 134 / Thursday, July 11, 1996 / Notices 36605

Management Services (S8G) provides

the Assistant Inspector General and

Deputy Assistant Inspector General with

staff assistance on the full range of their

responsibilities.

Add Subchapter:

Subchapter S8H

Office of the Counsel to the Inspector

General

S8H.00 Mission

S8H.10 Organization

S8H.20 Functions

Section S8H.00 The Office of the

Counsel to the Inspector General—

(Mission)

The Office of the Counsel to the

Inspector General (OCIG) (S8H)

provides independent authoritative

legal advice, guidance and counsel to

the IG and senior staff on legal issues;

regulatory strategy; legislative

proposals; and integration and

interpretation of new and emerging

authorities and Agency responsibilities

under anticipated and current

regulatory authorities. The OCIG

provides advice on the legal issues

being deliberated concerning relevant

regulatory and procedural information

and reviews documents and other

materials to ensure sufficiency and

compliance with regulatory

requirements. The OCIG is responsible

for the implementation of the Civil

Monetary Penalty (CMP) program,

including imposition of penalties and

assessments, and the settlement and

litigation of CMP cases. The OCIG is

also responsible for the coordination

and drafting of regulatory commentary.

Section S8H.10 The Office of the

Counsel to the Inspector General—

(Organization)

The Office of the Counsel to the

Inspector General (OCIG) (S8H) under

the leadership of the Counsel to the

Inspector General, includes:

A. Counsel to the Inspector General

(S8H).

B. The Immediate Office of the

Counsel to the Inspector General (S8H).

Section S8H.20 The Office of the

Counsel to the Inspector General—

(Functions)

A. The Counsel to the Inspector

General (S8H) is directly responsible to

the Inspector General for providing

authoritative legal advice concerning

legal and regulatory strategy; legislative

proposals; program authority and

responsibilities; and the content of

applicable statutes, regulations, rulings,

administrative decisions and judicial

precedents in all matters relating to

audits and investigations of Agency

programs and the CMP program.

B. The Immediate Office of the

Counsel to the Inspector General (S8H)

provides staff assistance to the Counsel

in support of the full range of his/her

responsibilities.

1. The office implements the CMP

program.

2. The office formulates CMP

regulations and develops operating

policies and procedures.

3. The office conducts or directs

research involving controversial legal

questions, issues, problems and

complex cases concerning the

interpretation, application and

enforcement of Agency statutes, rules

and regulations.

4. The office reviews, evaluates and

analyzes factual and legal issues and

materials resulting from hearings, court

actions and other proceedings.

5. The office reviews proposed

legislation, regulations, policies and

procedures to identify vulnerabilities

and recommend modifications, where

appropriate.

6. The office reviews OIG files and

records in response to Privacy and

Freedom of Information Act requests.

7. The office provides legal advice to

officials and employees regarding ethics

and standards of conduct matters.

Coordinates the OIG’s confidential

reporting system reporting on financial

interests and outside activities.

8. The office imposes, settles and

litigates CMP cases brought under

sections 1129 and 1140 of the Social

Security Act.

9. The office coordinates and drafts

regulatory commentary.

Dated: June 23, 1996.

David C. Williams,

Inspector General, Social Security

Administration.

[FR Doc. 96–17649 Filed 7–10–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4190–29–P

STATE JUSTICE INSTITUTE

Sunshine Act Meeting

TIME AND DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996, 9

a.m.–5 p.m.; Monday, July 29, 1996, 9

a.m.–12 p.m.

PLACE: Opryland Hotel, 2800 Opryland

Drive, Nashville, TN 37214.

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: FY 1996

grant requests and internal Institute

business.

PORTIONS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: All

matters other than those noted as closed

below.

PORTIONS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC: Internal

personnel matters; Board committee

meetings.

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:

David I. Tevelin, Executive Director,

State Justice Institute, 1650 King Street,

Suite 600, Alexandria, VA 22314, (703)–

684–6100.

David I. Tevelin,

Executive Director.

[FR Doc. 96–17755 Filed 7–9–96; 11:29 am]

BILLING CODE 6820–SC–M

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Agricultural Policy Advisory

Committee for Trade; Meeting

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice that the Agricultural

Policy Advisory Committee for Trade

will hold meetings during the period

beginning July 15, 1996 through

November 30, 1996. These meetings will

be closed to the public.

SUMMARY: The Agricultural Policy

Advisory Committee of Trade will hold

meetings beginning July 15, 1996

through November 30, 1996. The

meetings will include a review and

discussion of current issues which

influence U.S. agricultural trade policy

that include, but are not limited to,

issues concerning WTO accession

negotiations with various countries;

U.S./Mexico bilateral agricultural trade

issues; U.S./Canada bilateral

agricultural trade issues; Chile NAFTA

accession negotiations; international

sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to

trade; implementation of USDA’s Longterm Agricultural Trade Strategy, and

WTO Uruguay Round Agreement

implementation issues. Pursuant to

section 2155(f)(2) of title 19 of the

United States Code, the U.S. Trade

Representative has determined that

these meetings will be concerned solely

with matters the disclosure of which

would seriously compromise the

development by the United States

Government of trade policy priorities,

negotiating objectives, and bargaining

positions. Accordingly, these meetings

will be closed to the public.

DATES: The meetings are scheduled

beginning July 15, 1996 through

November 30, 1996, unless otherwise

notified.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at

the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 14th

& Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20250, unless

otherwise notified.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Clayton Parker, Director of

Intergovernmental Affairs, Office of the
36606 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 134 / Thursday, July 11, 1996 / Notices

United States Trade Representative,

(202) 395–6120 or John Winski, Joint

Executive Secretary, Agricultural Policy

Advisory Committee for Trade, Foreign

Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, at (202) 720–6829.

Charlene Barshefsky,

Acting United States Trade Representative.

[FR Doc. 96–17428 Filed 7–10–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–10–M

Trade Policy Staff Committee: Request

for Comments Concerning Basic

Telecommunications Services

Negotiations Under World Trade

Organization’s General Agreement on

Trade in Services

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: The Office of the U.S. Trade

Representative (USTR) is soliciting a

second round of public comments on

the requests made to U.S. negotiating

partners in the Group of Basic

Telecommunications (GBT) of the

General Agreement on Trade in Services

(GATS). The GATS is one of the

Uruguay Round agreements

administered by the World Trade

Organization. Interested persons are

invited to submit their comments on

market-opening commitments that

should be sought in the basic

telecommunications services sector by

August 1, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

William Corbett, Office of Services,

Investment and Intellectual Property,

Office of the United States Trade

Representative, at (202) 395–4510 or

Laura B. Sherman, Office of the General

Counsel, Office of the United States

Trade Representative, at (202) 395–

3150.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Group

on Basic Telecommunications (GBT)

was created in April 1996 by a Decision

on Commitments on Basic

Telecommunications of the WTO

Council on Trade in Services. It is the

successor to the Negotiating Group on

Basic Telecommunications (NGBT),

which was created in April 1994 by a

Marrakesh Ministerial Decision with a

mandate to conclude talks by April 30,

1996. The New group’s charge is to

continue negotiations on liberalization

of trade in telecommunications

transport networks and services within

the framework of the General Agreement

on Trade in Services. The Decision set

the date for entry into force of a

prospective agreement as January 1,

1998 and established the period of

January 15 through February 15, 1997

during which current negotiating offers

could be modified or supplemented and

MFN exceptions could be taken.

These arrangements, sought by the

United States, effectively extended the

life of negotiations to obtain more and

better offers and thereby the critical

mass necessary for the United States to

maintain its offer.

The United States is in the process of

refining requests for market-opening

commitments from other countries

participating in the GBT. These requests

must be submitted by the end of

September 1996. A list of countries

participating in and observing the GBT

is attached.

The United States objective in the

negotiations is to obtain levels of

openness in the telecom markets of

other participants equivalent to the level

in the United States. Interested persons

are invited to submit their comments on

commitments the United States should

seek in wire or wireless

communications, satellite systems,

regulatory schemes, interconnection

issues, foreign ownership restrictions,

and competition safeguards, among

other things.

Comments should be filed no later

than August 1, 1996. Comments must be

in English and provided in twenty

copies to Mr. William Corbett, Office of

Services, Investment and Intellectual

Property, Office of the United States

Trade Representative, Room 301, 600

17th Street, Washington D.C. 20508.

Non-confidential information received

will be available for public inspection

by appointment, in the USTR Reading

Room, Room 101, Monday through

Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and

1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. For an

appointment call Brenda Webb on 202–

395–6186. Business confidential

information will be subject to the

requirements of 15 CFR § 2003.6. Any

business confidential material must be

clearly marked as such on the cover

letter or page and each succeeding page,

and must be accompanied by a nonconfidential summary thereof.

Frederick L. Montgomery,

Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.

WTO Group on Basic

Telecommunications

Participants in the NGBT

Argentina

Australia

Barbados*

Brazil

Canada

Chile

Colombia

Cote d’Ivoire

Cuba*

Cyprus*

Czech Republic

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt*

European Union

Austria

Belgium

Denmark

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Ireland

Italy

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Portugal

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland

India

Israel

Japan

Korea

Mauritius

Mexico

Morocco

New Zealand

Norway

Pakistan

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Singapore

Slovak Republic

Switzerland

Thailand

Tunisia*

Turkey

United States

Venezuela

Observes in the NGBT

Bolivia

Brunei

Bulgaria

China

Chinese Taipei

Costa Rica

El Salvador

Guatemala

Honduras

Indonesia

Ivory Coast

Jamaica

Latvia

Madagascar

Malaysia

Myanmar

Nicaragua

Pakistan

Panama

Romania

Russian Federation

Slovenia

South Africa

Trinidad & Tobago

United Arab Emirates

Uruguay

Participants making offers = 48 governments