Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 2014 / Notices 72683 

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 

System, December 3, 2014. 

Michael J. Lewandowski, 

Associate Secretary of the Board. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28665 Filed 12–5–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6210–01–P 

FEDERAL RETIREMENT THRIFT 

INVESTMENT BOARD 

Sunshine Act; Notice of Meeting 

TIME AND DATE: 10:00 a.m. (Eastern 

Time) December 15, 2014 (Telephonic). 

PLACE: 10th Floor Board Meeting Room, 

77 K Street NE., Washington, DC 20002. 

STATUS: Parts will be open to the public 

and parts will be closed to the public. 

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: 

Open to the Public 

1. Approval of the Minutes of the 

November 17, 2014 Board Member 

Meeting 

2. Thrift Savings Plan Monthly Reports 

a. Monthly Participant Activity Report 

b. Monthly Investment Policy Report 

c. Legislative Report 

3. Office of the General Counsel Update 

Closed to the Public 

4. Personnel 

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

Kimberly Weaver, Director, Office of 

External Affairs, (202) 942–1640. 

Dated: December 4, 2014. 

James Petrick, 

General Counsel, Federal Retirement Thrift 

Investment Board. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28844 Filed 12–4–14; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 6760–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Request for Comments on Ethical 

Considerations and Implications of 

Public Health Emergency Response 

With a Focus on the Current Ebola 

Virus Disease Epidemic 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, 

Presidential Commission for the Study 

of Bioethical Issues, Office of the 

Secretary, Department of Health and 

Human Services. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Presidential Commission 

for the Study of Bioethical Issues is 

requesting public comment on ethical 

considerations and implications of 

public health emergency response with 

a focus on the current Ebola virus 

disease epidemic. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments must be received by 5:00 

p.m. EST on February 6, 2015. 

Comments received after this date will 

be considered only as time permits. 

ADDRESSES: Individuals, groups, and 

organizations interested in commenting 

on this topic may submit comments by 

email to info@bioethics.gov or by mail to 

the following address: Public 

Commentary, Presidential Commission 

for the Study of Bioethical Issues, 1425 

New York Ave. NW., Suite C–100, 

Washington, DC 20005. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Hillary Wicai Viers, Communications 

Director, Presidential Commission for 

the Study of Bioethical Issues. 

Telephone: 202–233–3960. E-Mail: 

hillary.viers@bioethics.gov. Additional 

information may be obtained at http:// 

www.bioethics.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

November 24, 2009, the President 

established the Presidential Commission 

for the Study of Bioethical Issues (the 

Commission) to advise him on 

bioethical issues generated by novel and 

emerging research in biomedicine and 

related areas of science and technology. 

The Commission is charged with 

identifying and promoting policies and 

practices that ensure ethically 

responsible conduct of scientific 

research and health care delivery. 

Undertaking these duties, the 

Commission seeks to identify and 

examine specific bioethical, legal, and 

social issues related to potential 

scientific and technological advances; 

examine diverse perspectives and 

possibilities for international 

collaboration on these issues; and 

recommend legal, regulatory, or policy 

actions as appropriate. 

The Commission is considering three 

areas of ethical concern raised by public 

health emergency response with a focus 

on the current Ebola virus disease (EVD) 

epidemic. The first area concerns U.S. 

public policies that restrict association 

or movement (such as quarantine), 

which have recently been proposed 

and/or employed for health care 

workers and military personnel 

returning from countries affected by 

EVD in western Africa. The second area 

concerns the ethics of placebocontrolled trials in the context of public 

health emergencies, and the EVD 

epidemic specifically, where the drug 

undergoing testing might be effective 

against the disease causing the 

emergency. The third area of concern is 

the ethical considerations relevant to 

collecting and storing biospecimens 

during a public health emergency, such 

as the EVD epidemic, and sharing these 

specimens and associated data 

internationally for future research. At its 

meeting on November 6, 2014, the 

Commission heard from legal and 

medical experts in public health and 

infectious disease, and began its 

consideration of the complex ethical 

landscape of U.S. public health 

emergency response to the EVD 

epidemic. 

The Commission is interested in 

receiving comments from individuals, 

groups, and professional communities 

regarding the three areas of ethical 

concern outlined above. The 

Commission is particularly interested in 

receiving public commentary regarding 

the following issues in the context of 

public health emergency response 

generally and the EVD epidemic 

specifically: 

• Ethical and scientific standards for 

public health emergency response; 

• Ethical and scientific standards that 

guide the use of quarantine or other 

movement restrictions during public 

health emergencies; 

• The impact of quarantine or other 

movement restrictions on the 

availability or willingness of health 

workers to volunteer to contain the 

epidemic in disease-affected areas; 

• The impact of quarantine or other 

movement restrictions on public fear 

and anxiety about potential threats to 

public health; 

• How U.S. public policy and public 

health response to the current EVD 

epidemic might or should affect public 

attitudes to, and further U.S. policy and 

public health response to, other current 

and future public health issues and 

emergencies; 

• Ethical and scientific standards for 

placebo-controlled trials during public 

health emergencies; 

• Ethical and scientific standards for 

collection, storage, and international 

sharing of biospecimens and associated 

data during public health emergencies. 

To this end, the Commission is 

inviting interested parties to provide 

input and advice through written 

comments. 

Comments will be publicly available, 

including any personally identifiable or 

confidential business information that 

they contain. Trade secrets should not 

be submitted. 

Dated: November 20, 2014. 

Lisa M. Lee, 

Executive Director, Presidential Commission 

for the Study of Bioethical Issues. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28617 Filed 12–5–14; 8:45 am] 

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