Document ID: NHTSA-2014-0101-0001
Agency: nhtsa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Buy American Waivers
Posted Date: 2014-09-23T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 184 (Tuesday, September 23, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56850-56851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22552]

[[Page 56850]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2014-0101]

Notice of Buy America Waiver

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Buy America waiver.

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SUMMARY: This Notice provides NHTSA's finding with respect to a request 
from the Idaho Department of Transportation (IDOT) to waive the 
requirements of Buy America for the purchase of Child Passenger Safety 
(CPS) training dolls. NHTSA finds that a non-availability waiver of the 
Buy America requirements is appropriate for the purchase of the CPS 
training dolls using Federal highway safety grant funds because there 
are no suitable products produced in the United States.

DATES: The effective date of this waiver is September 29, 2014. Written 
comments regarding this notice may be submitted to NHTSA and must be 
received on or before: October 8, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted using any one of the 
following methods:
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
     Fax: Written comments may be faxed to (202) 493-2251.
     Internet: To submit comments electronically, go to the 
Federal regulations Web site at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
online instructions for submitting comments.
     Hand Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: All comments submitted in relation to this waiver 
must include the agency name and docket number. Please note that all 
comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. You 
may also call the Docket at 202-366-9324.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For program issues, contact Barbara 
Sauers, Office of Regional Operations and Program Delivery, NHTSA 
(phone: 202-366-0144). For legal issues, contact Andrew DiMarsico, 
Office of Chief Counsel, NHTSA (phone: 202-366-5263). You may send mail 
to these officials at National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Notice provides NHTSA's finding that a 
waiver of the Buy America requirements, 23 U.S.C. 313, is appropriate 
for IDOT to purchase CPS training dolls using grant funds authorized 
under 23 U.S.C. 402 (section 402) and 23 U.S.C. 405(b) (section 405) to 
train safety professionals, police officers, fire and emergency medical 
personnel, educators, and parents on the use of child restraints and 
occupant protection. Section 402 funds are available for use by State 
Highway Safety Programs to reduce traffic accidents and deaths, 
injuries and property damage and to encourage the proper use of 
occupant protection devices (including the use of safety belts and 
child restraint systems) by occupants of motor vehicles. 23 U.S.C. 
402(a). Section 405(b) funds are available for use by State Highway 
Safety Programs to implement effective programs to reduce highway 
deaths and injuries resulting from individuals riding unrestrained or 
improperly restrained in motor vehicles that, among other things, 
includes supporting resources and training in all aspects of the use of 
child restraints. See 23 U.S.C. 405(b)(4)(A)(ii).
    Buy America provides that NHTSA ``shall not obligate any funds 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out the Surface Transportation 
Assistance Act of 1982 (96 Stat. 2097) or [Title 23 U.S.C.] and 
administered by the Department of Transportation, unless steel, iron, 
and manufactured products used in such project are produced in the 
United States.'' 23 U.S.C. 313. However, NHTSA may waive those 
requirements if (1) their application would be inconsistent with the 
public interest; (2) such materials and products are not produced in 
the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities and 
of a satisfactory quality; or (3) the inclusion of domestic material 
will increase the cost of the overall project contract by more than 25 
percent. 23 U.S.C. 313(b).
    IDOT seeks a waiver to purchase CPS training dolls because there 
are no sufficient products produced domestically that meet the needs 
identified by IDOT. IDOT aims to use the CPS training dolls to educate 
caregivers and CPS technicians how to properly restrain infants and 
children in child restraints and how to select the correct restraint 
for each child based on the child's age, height, and weight, and/or 
physical disability. Idaho notes that regular play dolls are inadequate 
for the purpose of CPS training because such dolls do not accurately 
replicate an infant's or child's physical build, such as, height, 
weight, and structural proportions (e.g., an infant's head is 25% of 
the infant's total body weight). In contrast, CPS training dolls are 
designed to model the typical physique of a child at a certain age.
    Idaho seeks to purchase CPS training dolls from Huggable Images, 
which offers for sale CPS training dolls that are manufactured in 
China. This company provides CPS training dolls that simulate newborns 
(including premature newborns), infants, toddlers and children of 
varying heights and weights.
    However, IDOT is unable to identify other CPS training dolls 
manufactured in the United States. IDOT states that it worked closely 
with the Idaho Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to 
research the availability of CPS training dolls manufactured or 
assembled in the United States. Its research included Internet 
research, research through a supplier network, Thomasnet.com and an 
email request to over 1400 child passenger safety professionals. 
Despite Idaho's efforts, it was unable to find any American made CPS 
training dolls. NHTSA conducted similar assessments and is not aware of 
any CPS training dolls produced in the United States.\1\ Since these 
items are unavailable from a domestic manufacturer, the Buy America 
waiver is appropriate. NHTSA invites public comment on this conclusion.
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    \1\ One company, Nasco, offers one day old infant dolls that are 
life-like to train expecting parents the basics of baby care. See 
http://www.enasco.com/c/fcs/Child+DevelopmentFamily+Life/
Newborn+Baby+Dolls/. While these training dolls are anatomically 
correct, they are not necessarily accurate for height and weight 
that would be appropriate for CPS training.
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    In light of the above discussion, and pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 
313(b)(2), NHTSA finds that it is appropriate to grant a waiver from 
the Buy America requirements to IDOT in order to purchase the CPS 
training dolls. This waiver applies to Idaho and all other States 
seeking to use section 402 and 405 funds to purchase these items for 
the purposes mentioned herein. These waivers will continue through 
fiscal year 2015 and will allow the purchase of these items as required 
for IDOT and its training programs. Accordingly, this waiver will 
expire at the conclusion of fiscal year 2015 (September 30, 2015). In 
accordance with the provisions of Section 117 of the Safe, Accountable, 
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy of Users 
Technical

[[Page 56851]]

Corrections Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-244, 122 Stat. 1572), NHTSA is 
providing this Notice as its finding that a waiver of the Buy America 
requirements is appropriate for the CPS training dolls. Written 
comments on this finding may be submitted through any of the methods 
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discussed above.

    Authority:  23 U.S.C. 313; Public Law 110-161.
    Issued in Washington, DC, under authority delegated in 49 CFR part 
1.95.

O. Kevin Vincent,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2014-22552 Filed 9-22-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P