Document ID: FMCSA-2009-0343-0001
Agency: fmcsa
Document Type: Rule
Title: Meetings: Medical Review Board
Posted Date: 2009-12-07T05:00Z

[Federal Register: December 7, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 233)]
[Notices]               
[Page 64120-64121]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07de09-942]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2009-0343]

 
Medical Review Board Public Meeting

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Medical Review Board (MRB) public meeting.

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SUMMARY: FMCSA announces a public meeting of the Agency's MRB. The MRB 
public meeting will provide the public an opportunity to observe MRB 
deliberations about FMCSA's medical standards and provide comments to 
the MRB in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

DATES: The MRB meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. on 
Wednesday, January 6, 2010. Please refer to the preliminary agenda for 
this meeting in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice 
for specific information.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place at the United States Department 
of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Oklahoma Room, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. You may submit comments 
bearing the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) Docket ID FMCSA-
2009-0343 using any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Each submission must include the Agency name and the docket ID for 
this Notice. Note that DOT posts all comments received without change 
to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
included in a comment. Please see the Privacy Act heading below.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time or Room W12-140 
on the ground level of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
Washington, DC, between

[[Page 64121]]

9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The 
FDMS is available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year. If you want 
acknowledgment that we received your comments, please include a self-
addressed, stamped envelope or postcard or print the acknowledgement 
page that appears after submitting comments on-line.
    Privacy Act: Anyone may search the electronic form of all comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or of the person signing the comment, if 
submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.).
    You may review the DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the 
Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19476). This 
information is also available at http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Mary D. Gunnels, Director, Medical 
Programs, (202) 366-4001, fmcsamedical@dot.gov, FMCSA, Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W64-224, Washington, 
DC 20590-0001. Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Information On Services for Individuals With Disabilities: For 
information on facilities or services for individuals with disabilities 
or to request special assistance at the meeting, contact Jennifer 
Musick at 703-998-0189 ext. 237.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The preliminary agenda for the meeting 
includes:

0900-0910 Call to Order, Introduction and Agenda Review
0910-0915 Medical Review Board (MRB) vote on Minutes of the July 1, 
2009 Meeting
0915-0945 Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Commercial Motor 
Vehicle (CMV) safety: Evidence Report Findings
0945-1015 Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and CMV safety: 
Medical Expert Panel (MEP) Opinion
1015-1045 Ad hoc Committee Report on Parkinson's disease, Multiple 
Sclerosis and CMV safety
1045-1100 Public Comment on Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis and 
CMV safety
1100-1115 Break**
1115-1145 MRB Deliberations on Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis 
and CMV safety
1145-1215 Narcolepsy (with and without Cataplexy) and CMV Driver 
Safety: Evidence Report Findings
1215-1315 Lunch (on your own)
1315-1345 Ad hoc Committee Report on Narcolepsy and CMV Driver Safety
1345-1400 Public Comment on Narcolepsy (with and without Cataplexy) and 
CMV Driver Safety
1400-1430 MRB Deliberation on Narcolepsy (with and without Cataplexy) 
and CMV Driver Safety
1430-1500 Traumatic Brain Injury and CMV Driver Safety: Evidence Report 
Findings
1500-1515 Break **
1515-1545 Traumatic Brain Injury and CMV Driver Safety: MEP Opinion
1545-1600 Public Comment on Traumatic Brain Injury and CMV Driver 
Safety
1600-1630 MRB Deliberation on Traumatic Brain Injury and CMV Driver 
Safety
1630-1700 Ad hoc Committee Report on Psychiatric Disorders and CMV 
Driver Safety
1700-1730 MRB Deliberation on Psychiatric Disorders and CMV Driver 
Safety
1730-1740 MRB Further Business
1740 Call to Adjourn

    ** Breaks will be announced on meeting day and may be adjusted 
according to schedule changes, other meeting requirements.

Background

    The U.S. Secretary of Transportation announced on March 7, 2006, 
the five medical experts who serve on the MRB. Section 4116 of the 
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A 
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, Pub. L. 109-59) requires the Secretary of 
Transportation with the advice of the MRB to ``establish, review, and 
revise medical standards for operators of Commercial Motor Vehicles 
(CMVs) that will ensure that the physical condition of operators is 
adequate to enable them operate the vehicles safely.'' FMCSA is 
planning updates to the physical qualification regulations of CMV 
drivers, and the MRB will provide the necessary science-based guidance 
to establish realistic and responsible medical standards.
    The MRB operates in accordance with FACA as announced in the 
Federal Register (70 FR 57642, October 3, 2005). The MRB is charged 
initially with the review of all current FMCSA medical standards (49 
CFR 391.41), as well as making recommendations for new science-based 
standards and guidelines to ensure that drivers operating CMVs in 
interstate commerce, as defined in CFR 390.5, are physically capable of 
doing so.

Meeting Participation

    Attendance is open to the interested public, including medical 
examiners, motor carriers, drivers, and representatives of medical and 
scientific associations. Written comments for this MRB meeting will 
also be accepted beginning on December 7, 2009 and continuing until 
January 20, 2010, and should include the docket ID that is listed in 
the ADDRESSES section.
    During the MRB meeting, oral comments may be limited depending on 
how many persons wish to comment; and will be accepted on a first come, 
first serve basis as requestors register at the meeting. The comments 
must directly address relevant medical and scientific issues on the MRB 
meeting agenda. For more information, please view the following Web 
site: http://mrb.fmcsa.dot.gov.

    Issued on: December 2, 2009.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy and Program Development.
[FR Doc. E9-29112 Filed 12-4-09; 8:45 am]

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