Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 105 / Wednesday, June 3, 2009 / Notices 26713 

that the FOIA’s disclosure obligation is 

not absolute and provides exemptions to 

protect, for example, national security, 

personal privacy, privileged records, 

and law enforcement interests. 

In response to both Presidential 

memoranda, FDA has formed an 

internal Transparency Task Force to 

develop recommendations for making 

useful and understandable information 

about FDA activities and 

decisionmaking more readily available 

to the public in a timely manner and in 

a user-friendly format, in a manner 

compatible with the agency’s goal of 

protecting confidential information, as 

appropriate. As a part of this process, 

the Task Force is holding two public 

meetings and establishing a public 

docket to seek public input on these 

issues. The first public meeting to solicit 

input from interested stakeholders on 

improving agency transparency, the 

subject of this meeting notice, will be 

held on June 24, 2009. The Task Force 

is exploring additional ways to seek 

input through the Internet, and is 

planning to hold a second public 

meeting in the fall of 2009. A meeting 

announcement describing the scope of 

the second meeting will be published in 

the Federal Register. 

II. Scope of Meeting 

FDA is interested in receiving 

comments from the public on issues 

related to transparency. The comments 

should focus on ways in which the 

agency should provide information to 

the public about what FDA is doing, the 

bases for the agency’s decisions, and the 

processes used to make agency 

decisions. In addition to general 

suggestions about the ways the agency 

can inform the public, we are 

specifically interested in soliciting input 

on the following questions: 

1. How can the agency better explain its 

operations, activities, processes, and 

decisionmaking? 

2. What specific information should 

FDA provide about agency operations, 

activities, processes, and 

decisionmaking, including: 

a. Enforcement actions? 

b. Product approvals? 

c. Recalls? 

d. Other actions? 

3. What tools, techniques, processes, or 

other mechanisms should FDA use to be 

more effective in providing useful and 

understandable information? 

a. Internet tools? 

b. Tools to improve targeting and 

effectiveness of communications, 

including risk communication? 

c. Improvements to the Freedom of 

Information Act processes? 

d. Other? 

4. What, if any, legislative or regulatory 

changes are needed to improve FDA’s 

ability to provide useful and 

understandable information to the 

public? 

5. As FDA becomes more transparent, 

what information should remain 

confidential in order to promote key 

internal and external policy goals, such 

as preserving patient privacy, and how, 

in these cases, should FDA explain the 

importance of confidentiality? 

6. What metrics should FDA use to 

gauge the effectiveness of its 

transparency efforts? 

III. Request for Comments 

Regardless of attendance at the public 

meeting, interested persons may submit 

written or electronic comments (see 

ADDRESSES). Submit a single copy of 

electronic comments or two paper 

copies of any mailed comments, except 

that individuals may submit one paper 

copy. To permit time for interested 

persons to submit data, information, or 

views on this subject, submit comments 

by August 7, 2009. Where relevant, you 

should annotate and organize your 

comments to identify the specific 

question addressed by the question 

number referenced in the previous text. 

Please identify comments with the 

docket number assigned to this notice, 

which is found at the heading of this 

document. Received comments may be 

seen in the Division of Dockets 

Management (see ADDRESSES) between 9 

a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through 

Friday. FDA is also exploring additional 

electronic means for the public to 

provide comments and feedback on this 

topic. 

IV. Transcripts 

Transcripts of the meeting will be 

available for review approximately 30 

days after the meeting at http:// 

www.regulations.gov and at the Division 

of Dockets Management (see 

ADDRESSES). 

Dated: May 29, 2009. 

Jeffrey Shuren, 

Associate Commissioner for Policy and 

Planning. 

[FR Doc. E9–12902 Filed 6–2–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–01–S 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

National Center for Environmental 

Health/Agency for Toxic Substances 

and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR); 

Notice of National Conversation on 

Public Health and Chemical Exposures 

Kick-Off Meeting 

Time and Date: 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., 

Friday, June 26, 2009. 

Location: Ronald Reagan Building and 

International Trade Center, 1300 

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20004. 

Status: Open to the public, limited 

only by the space available. The meeting 

room accommodates approximately 600 

people. 

Purpose: This meeting will launch the 

National Conversation on Public Health 

and Chemical Exposures, a collaborative 

initiative to identify and prioritize 

actions for revitalizing the nation’s 

public health approach to chemical 

exposures. 

Meeting Agenda: The meeting will 

include a plenary session featuring Dr. 

Howard Frumkin, Director of NCEH/ 

ATSDR as well as other guests. The 

plenary will provide an overview of this 

stakeholder and public involvement 

initiative. Breakout sessions will 

provide participants with opportunities 

to discuss specific issues related to 

public health and chemical exposures. 

National Conversation Project: The 18 

month long National Conversation will 

offer many opportunities for 

involvement, including: Expert working 

groups, regional and local face-to-face 

public meetings, and Web-based 

discussions. The resulting action agenda 

will outline steps for NCEH/ATSDR and 

other institutions to take to better 

protect public health from harmful 

chemical exposures. NCEH/ATSDR is 

sponsoring this project. 

Contact for Additional Information: If 

you would like to receive additional 

information on this meeting and 

initiative, please send your contact 

information to: 

nationalconversation@cdc.gov. 

Dated: May 26, 2009. 

James R. Seligman, 

Chief Information Officer, Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention. 

[FR Doc. E9–12900 Filed 6–2–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 


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