[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 213 (Friday, November 4, 2005)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 67129-67130]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-21986]


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COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS

45 CFR Part 703


Membership Requirement of State Advisory Committees

AGENCY: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Commission.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rule change in the State Advisory Committee 
(SAC) membership criteria with request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The United States Commission on Civil Rights proposes to amend 
its regulation on the SAC membership criteria to ensure both diversity 
and nondiscrimination are considered in its SAC member appointment 
process.

DATES: Comments should be received on or before December 5, 2005 to be 
considered in the formulation of final rule.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about the proposed rule change in the 
SAC membership criteria to: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Office of 
General Counsel, Attn: Christopher Byrnes, Acting Deputy General 
Counsel, 624 Ninth Street, NW., Suite 620, Washington, DC 20425. If you 
prefer to send your comments via e-mail, use the following address: 
[email protected]. You must include the term ``SAC Membership 
Comments'' in the subject line of your electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Byrnes, Acting Deputy 
General Counsel, Telephone: (202) 376-7700 or via e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 31, 2005, the U.S. Commission on 
Civil Rights approved the proposed rule for public comments. The 
Commission invites you to submit comments regarding the proposed change 
in the SAC membership criteria. Please clearly identify the specific 
proposed criteria each comment addresses.
    We will announce the final SAC membership criteria in a notice in 
the Federal Register. We will determine the final regulation on SAC 
membership criteria after considering responses to this notice and 
other information available to the Commission.

List of Subjects in 42 CFR Part 703

    Advisory committees, Organization and functions (Government 
agencies).

    For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Commission on Civil 
Rights proposes to amend 45 CFR part 703 as follows:

PART 703--OPERATIONS AND FUNCTIONS OF STATE ADVISORY COMMITTEES

    1. The authority citation for Part 703 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1975a(d).

    2. Revise Sec.  703.5 to read as follows:


Sec.  703.5  Membership.

    (a) Subject to exceptions made from time to time by the Commission 
to fit special circumstances, each Advisory Committee shall consist of 
at least 11 members appointed by the Commission. Members of the 
Advisory Committees shall serve for a fixed term to be set by the 
Commission upon the appointment of a member subject to the duration of 
Advisory Committees as prescribed by the charter, provided that members 
of the Advisory Committee may, at any time, be removed by the 
Commission.
    (b) No person is to be denied an opportunity to serve on a State 
Advisory Committee because of race, age, sex, religion, national 
origin, or disability. The Commission shall encourage membership on the 
State Advisory Committee to be broadly diverse.
    (c) State Advisory Committee members shall represent a diversity of 
skills and experiences, including, but not limited to, social science 
research, legal research and analysis, and statistical analysis. 
Educators, lawyers, business and labor leaders, social scientists, 
researchers, and news gatherers are some of the more important 
professions or activities or avocations that should be represented on 
the State Advisory Committees. The State Advisory Committees should 
also contain people knowledgeable of the State's governmental machinery 
and public service sector, and people involved in and drawn from such 
influential sectors as business and financial communities, organized 
labor, the news media, and religious groups.
    (d) Each State Advisory Committee should contain men or women who 
have demonstrated an interest in the civil rights issues of color, 
race, religion, sex, age, disability, and national origin and in voting 
rights.
    (e) Both political parties should be represented in each State 
Advisory Committee.


[[Page 67130]]


    Dated: October 31, 2005.
Kenneth L. Marcus,
Staff Director/Acting General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 05-21986 Filed 11-3-05; 8:45 am]
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