[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 208 (Friday, October 26, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65383-65384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-26395]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Renewal of Charters for Certain Federal Advisory Committees
AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the
Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: As stipulated by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as
amended (5 U.S.C. App), the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services is hereby announcing that the charters have been renewed for
the following federal advisory committees for which Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Health provides management support: Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee (CFSAC); President's Council on
Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition (PCFSN); Secretary's Advisory Committee
on Human Research Protections (SACHRP); and Advisory Committee on Blood
Safety and Availability (ACBSA). Functioning as federal advisory
committees, these committees are governed by the provisions of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Under FACA, the charter for a
federal advisory committee must be renewed every two years in order for
the committee to continue to operate.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Olga B. Nelson, Committee Management
Officer, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue SW., Room 714B;
Washington, DC 20201; (202) 690-5205.
[[Page 65384]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: CFSAC was established on September 5, 2002
as a discretionary federal advisory committee. The Committee was
established to advise, consult with, and make recommendations to the
Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary for Health, on a broad range
of topics including (1) The current state of knowledge and research
about the epidemiology and risk factors relating to chronic fatigue
syndrome (CFS), and identifying potential opportunities in these areas;
(2) current and proposed diagnosis and treatment methods for chronic
fatigue syndrome; and (3) development and implementation of programs to
inform the public, health care professionals, and the biomedical,
academic, and research communities about chronic fatigue syndrome
advances.
One amendment was proposed and approved for the new charter. The
Committee structure has been expanded to include three non-voting
liaison representative positions. These positions will be occupied by
representatives from organizations that have interest in, and/or are
concerned with, the issues of individuals with CFS. Individuals will be
designated by their organizations to serve as non-voting liaison
representatives for a term not to exceed two years. The designated
federal officer (DFO) for CFSAC or designee will select the
organizations to serve in the non-voting liaison representative
positions. The non-voting liaison representatives will not receive
compensation.
On August 29, 2012, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
approved renewal of the CFSAC charter. The new charter was made
effective and filed with the appropriate Congressional committees and
the Library of Congress on September 5, 2012. Renewal of the CFSAC
charter provides authorization for the Committee to continue to operate
until September 5, 2014. A copy of the Committee charter is available
on the CFSAC Web site at http://www.hhs.gov/advcomcfs.
The PCFSN is a non-discretionary federal advisory committee. The
PCFSN was established under Executive Order 13545, dated June 22, 2010.
This authorizing directive was issued to amend the purpose, function,
and name of the Council, which formerly operated as the President's
Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS). The scope of the
Council was changed to include nutrition to bring attention to the
importance of good nutrition with regular physical activity for
maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The PCFSN is the only federal advisory
committee that is focused solely on the promotion of physical activity,
fitness, sports, and nutrition. Since the PCFSN was established by
Presidential directive, appropriate action had to be taken by the
President or agency head to authorize continuation of the PCFSN. The
President issued Executive Order 13585, dated September 30, 2011,
authorizing the PCFSN to continue to operate until September 30, 2013.
No amendments were recommended for the PCFSN charter. The charter
was approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and filed
with the appropriate Congressional committees and the Library of
Congress on September 10, 2012. A copy of the Council charter is
available on the PCFSN Web site at http://fitness.gov.
SACHRP is a discretionary federal advisory committee. SACHRP
provides advice to the Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary for
Health, on matters pertaining to the continuance and improvement of
functions within the authority of the Department of Health and Human
Services concerning protections for human subjects in research.
No amendments were recommended for the SACHRP charter. On September
21, 2012, the Secretary of Health and Human Services approved renewal
of the SACHRP charter. The new charter was filed with the appropriate
Congressional committees and the Library of Congress on October 1,
2012. SACHRP is authorized to continue to operate until October 1,
2014. A copy of the charter is available on the Committee Web site at
http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/sachrp/.
The ACBSA is a discretionary federal advisory committee. The
Committee was established to provide advice to the Secretary, through
the Assistant Secretary for Health, on a range of policy issues around
the safety and availability of the blood supply and blood products.
The following amendments were proposed and approved for the ACBSA
charter: (1) The Committee title has been changed to Advisory Committee
on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability (ACBTSA); (2) the scope of
work to be performed by the Committee has been clarified. For solid
organs and blood stem cells, the Committee's scope will be limited to
policy issues related to donor derived infectious disease complications
of transplantation; (3) the Committee's scope of activities and duties
have been expanded to include tissues because the ACBTSA has
responsibility for providing advice and making recommendations on
transplantation; and (4) the Committee structure has been expanded to
increase the number of official representative members to nine to allow
representation from the American Association of Tissue Banks, the Eye
Bank Association of America, and an organ procurement organization.
On October 9, 2012, the new charter was approved by the Secretary
of Health and Human Services and filed with the appropriate
Congressional committees and the Library of Congress. ACBTSA is
authorized to operate until October 9, 2014. A copy of the charter can
be obtained on the ACBTSA Web site at http://www.hhs.gov/ash/bloodsafety/index.html.
Copies of the charters for the designated committees also can be
obtained by accessing the FACA database that is maintained by the
Committee Management Secretariat under the General Services
Administration. The Web site address for the FACA database is http://fido.gov/facadatabase.
Dated: October 22, 2012.
Howard K. Koh,
Assistant Secretary for Health.
[FR Doc. 2012-26395 Filed 10-25-12; 8:45 am]
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