[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 22, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 15252]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-7177]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

42 CFR Part 121


Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network; Response to 
Comment Period

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Final rule; response to comments.

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SUMMARY: Section 413 of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives 
Improvement Act of 1999, signed into law by the President on December 
17, 1999, provided that the Organ Procurement and Transplantation 
Network (OPTN) Final Rule published on April 2, 1998, together with the 
amendments published on October 20, 1999, was not to become effective 
before March 16, 2000. The Department published a notice in the Federal 
Register on December 21, 1999, announcing the stay of the Final Rule 
and informing the public of the opportunity to submit comments on the 
Final Rule, as amended, for a 60-day period. After considering the 
comments submitted, the Department has determined that no further 
amendments to the Final Rule are warranted at this time.

DATES: The Final Rule published on April 2, 1998 (63 FR 16296) and 
amended on October 20, 1999 (64 FR 56650) became effective on March 16, 
2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynn Rothberg Wegman, Director, 
Division of Transplantation, Office of Special Programs, HRSA, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Room 7C-22, Rockville, Maryland 20857. Telephone: 301-
443-7577.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In response to the Federal Register notice 
of December 21, 1999 (64 FR 71626), the Department received 2,561 
public comments. Of these, 2,205 were form letters. All of the form 
letters and a majority of the individual comments opposed some 
provisions of the Final Rule. However, after reviewing these comments, 
the Department has concluded that the comments raised no significant 
issues not addressed previously in the history of this rulemaking. 
Indeed, the comments raised issues which were addressed in the 
amendments published on October 20, 1999 (64 FR 56650), and in 
explanatory language in the preamble to those amendments.
    For these reasons, the Department has determined that no further 
amendments to the Final Rule are warranted by the most recent public 
comments at this time.

    Dated: March 17, 2000.
Claude Earl Fox,
Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration.

    Approved: March 17, 2000.
Donna E. Shalala,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-7177 Filed 3-20-00; 12:19 pm]
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