[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 49 (Monday, March 13, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13261-13262]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6190]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

49 CFR Part 40

[Docket OST-99-6578]
RIN 2105-AC49


Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing 
Programs

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of agenda for public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) scheduled three 
public listening sessions on its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) 
to revise the Department's drug and alcohol testing procedures, 
published in the Federal Register on December 9, 1999 (64 FR 69076). In 
the meeting notice, published in the Federal Register on January 18, 
2000 (65 FR 2573), the Department included tentative agendas for the 
meetings to be held in Los Angeles, California, and Dallas, Texas. 
However, the Department did not include such an agenda for the meeting 
to be held in Washington DC. This notice provides the agenda for the 
Washington DC meeting, which will include a roundtable discussion on 
the

[[Page 13262]]

proposed public interest exclusion (PIE) provisions of the NPRM.

DATES AND ADDRESSES: The public meetings will be held on March 20 and 
21, 2000, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20004; on March 28, 2000, 
at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport, 5711 West Century Boulevard, Los 
Angeles, CA 90045, telephone number (310) 410-4000, fax (310) 410-6177; 
and on March 30, 2000, at the Crowne Plaza, Dallas Market Center, 7050 
Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75247, telephone number (214) 630-8500, 
fax (214) 630-0037.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general meeting information and to 
register for one of the meetings, contact the DOT contractor, Marti 
Bludworth, Transportation Safety Institute (TSI), Special Programs 
Division, DTI-100, 4400 Will Rogers Parkway, Suite 205, Oklahoma City, 
OK 73108-2057, telephone number (800) 862-4832, extension 323, fax 
number (405) 946-4268, or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

    The purpose of the meetings is to provide all segments of the 
transportation industry and the general public with an opportunity to 
make statements, which have not already been made previously, to the 
docket. These meetings would also give DOT the opportunity to ask 
questions and ensure that the public comments are clearly understood by 
the Department. It may also give the Department the opportunity to 
clarify issues related to comments that had already been submitted to 
the docket during the early days of the formal comment period. 
Questions by commenters and other attendees to the DOT will be 
permitted as time allows. Registration and meeting procedures were 
specified in the January 18, 2000, notice.

B. Agenda for the Washington, DC, Meeting

    The meeting in Washington, DC will be held for a day and a half to 
provide ample opportunity for attendees to make comments and for DOT to 
have additional time, if needed, to ask follow up questions. This 
geographic location will also provide added opportunity for additional 
DOT staff and industry representatives from the Capital area to attend 
the meeting.
    The following is a tentative agenda that may be modified as needed 
to accommodate the needs of commenters and to ensure adequate coverage 
of the subject matter. We call your attention particularly to the 
``Roundtable Discussion'' on the second day of the meeting concerning 
the service agent accountability provisions of the proposed rules, 
known as the public interest exclusion (PIE) proposal. This proposal 
has generated considerable interest among interested parties, and we 
believe that it could be useful to schedule an open, interactive 
discussion among attendees about it. This discussion will be in 
addition to the opportunity for speakers to address this proposal in 
their regular statements. As time permits, the Department intends to 
hold similar discussions as part of the Los Angeles and Dallas meetings 
as well.

Agenda--DOT Public Meeting, Ronald Reagan and International Trade 
Center, Atrium Ballroom A

March 20-21, 2000 Washington, DC

Monday, March 20, 2000
09:00-09:15  Introduction and Administrative Items
09:15-09:55  Overview of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
10:00-11:10  Collection Issues
11:15-11:30  Laboratory Issues
11:30-12:00  Q&A and Public Comments
01:00-01:50  Labor/Employer/Employee Issues
02:00-03:45  Medical Review Officer Issues
03:50-04:10  Substance Abuse Professional Issues
04:10-05:00  Questions and Answers and Additional Public Comments
Tuesday, March 21, 2000
09:00-10:10  Service Agents/Public Interest Exclusion
10:30-01:30  Public Interest Exclusion Round Table Discussion

    Issued this 7th day of March 2000, at Washington, DC.
Mary Bernstein,
Director, Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance, Department 
of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 00-6190 Filed 3-9-00; 12:09 pm]
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