[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 243 (Monday, December 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78717-78718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-32444]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
[Docket Nos. FMCSA-2006-26367 and FMCSA-2011-0131]
Public Meeting of a Joint Subcommittee of the Motor Carrier
Safety Advisory Committee and the Medical Review Board; Obstructive
Sleep Apnea
AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.
[[Page 78718]]
ACTION: Notice of Joint Subcommittee of the Meeting of Motor Carrier
Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) and Medical Review Board (MRB).
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SUMMARY: FMCSA announces that MCSAC and MRB will hold a joint
subcommittee meeting on Wednesday- Thursday, January 4-5, 2012. Both
days of the meeting will be open to the public.
Time and Dates: The joint MCSAC-MRB subcommittee meeting will be
held on Wednesday-Thursday, January 4-5, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m., Eastern Time (E.T.). The meeting will be held at the Hilton
Alexandria Old Town, 1767 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 in the
Washington and Jefferson Rooms on the 2nd floor. The Hilton Alexandria
Old Town is located across the street from the King Street Metro
station.
Matters To Be Considered: The MCSAC-MRB subcommittee will consider
ideas and concepts the Agency should consider for potential regulatory
changes to the current physical qualifications standards to address the
medical certification process for truck and bus drivers that have been
diagnosed with OSA or are believed to suffer from the disease but have
not been diagnosed at the time of the medical examination. The
subcommittee will make its recommendations to the MCSAC and MRB for
their deliberation at a joint meeting of the two bodies in February
2012. Upon approval by the MCSAC and MRB, the recommendations will be
submitted to FMCSA for consideration. Copies of Task Statement 11-05
and an agenda for the 2-day meeting will be made available on the MCSAC
and MRB Web sites at http://mcsac.fmcsa.dot.gov and http://mrb.fmcsa.dot.gov, respectively.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Shannon L. Watson, Senior Advisor
to the Associate Administrator for Policy, Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, (202) 385-2395, [email protected].
Services for Individuals with Disabilities:
For information on facilities or services for individuals with
disabilities or to request special assistance at the meeting, contact
Elizabeth Turner at (617) 494-2068, [email protected], by
Wednesday, December 28, 2011.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
MCSAC
Section 4144 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, Public Law
109-59, 119 Stat. 1144, August 10, 2005) required the Secretary of
Transportation to establish the MCSAC. The MCSAC provides advice and
recommendations to the FMCSA Administrator on motor carrier safety
programs and regulations, and operates in accordance with the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (FACA, 5 U.S.C. App 2).
MRB
Section 4116 of the SAFETEA-LU requires the Secretary of
Transportation, with the advice of the MRB, to ``establish, review, and
revise medical standards for operators of CMVs that will ensure that
the physical condition of operators of CMVs is adequate to enable them
to operate the vehicles safely.'' On November 2, 2010, the Secretary of
Transportation announced the five medical experts who serve on the MRB.
FMCSA is planning revisions 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.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
The MCSAC and the MRB met jointly on December 7, 2011, to discuss
ideas and concepts the Agency should consider for regulatory guidance
and, potentially, for future rulemaking on OSA. The MCSAC and MRB
completed their joint recommendation on regulatory guidance on OSA and
issued a letter report at the end of the meeting. As a result of these
discussions, a joint subcommittee was formed to develop ideas and
concepts the Agency should consider for a potential notice-and-comment
rulemaking to address the issue of OSA.
II. Meeting Participation
Oral comments from the public will be heard during the last half-
hour of the meeting on Wednesday and Thursday. Members of the public
may submit written comments on the topics to be considered during the
meeting by Wednesday, December 28, 2011, to Federal Docket Management
System (FDMC) Docket Number FMCSA-2006-26367 using any of the following
methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Fax: 202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Room W12-140, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., E.T. Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Issued on: December 13, 2011.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2011-32444 Filed 12-16-11; 8:45 am]
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