[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 102 (Friday, May 26, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30452-30454]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8086]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Charter Renewal of the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa (TACA); 
Request for Nominations

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of renewal of the charter and request for nominations.

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SUMMARY: On March 27, 2006, the United States Trade Representative 
(USTR) renewed the charter of the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa 
(TACA), for a four-year term to expire on March 27, 2010. The TACA 
advises the USTR on trade and development policy matters with respect 
to the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. There are currently 
opportunities for membership on this Committee.

DATES: In order to receive full consideration, nominations for current 
vacancies should be received not later than June 25, 2006. Nominations 
will be accepted after June 25 until the

[[Page 30453]]

expiration of the charter term on March 27, 2010, for appointments made 
on a rolling basis as vacancies arise.

ADDRESSES: Submission by electronic mail: [email protected]. 
Submissions by facsimile: Lois Stith, Program Assistant, Office of 
Intergovernmental Affairs & Public Liaison, at (202) 395-4827. The 
public is strongly encouraged to submit documents electronically rather 
than by facsimile.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Constance Hamilton, Deputy Assistant 
U.S. Trade Representative for African Affairs, (202) 395-9514.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act (5 U.S.C. appendix 2), section 135 of the Trade Act of 1974, as 
amended (19 U.S.C. 2155), and section 14 of the AGOA Acceleration Act 
of 2004, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has renewed the 
charter of the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa.

Background

    Section 135 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2155), 
established a private-sector trade advisory system to ensure that U.S. 
trade policy and trade negotiation objectives adequately reflect U.S. 
commercial and economic interests. Section 135(a)(2) directs the 
President to:

    seek information and advice from representative elements of the 
private sector and the non-Federal governmental sector with respect 
to
    (A) Negotiating objectives and bargaining positions before 
entering into a trade agreement under [title I of the Trade Act of 
1974 and section 2103 of the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority 
Act of 2002];
    (B) The operation of any trade agreement once entered into, 
including preparation for dispute settlement panel proceedings to 
which the United States is a party; and
    (C) Other matters arising in connection with the development, 
implementation, and administration of the trade policy of the United 
States* * *

    Section 135(c)(1) of the 1974 Trade Act provides that:

    [t]he President may establish individual general policy advisory 
committees for industry, labor, agriculture, services, investment, 
defense, and other interests, as appropriate, to provide general 
policy advice on matters referred to in subsection (a) of this 
section. Such committees shall, insofar as is practicable, be 
representative of all industry, labor, agricultural, service, 
investment, defense, and other interests, respectively, including 
small business interests, and shall be organized by the United 
States Trade Representative and the Secretaries of Commerce, 
Defense, Labor, Agriculture, the Treasury, or other executive 
departments, as appropriate. The members of such committees shall be 
appointed by the United States Trade Representative in consultation 
with such Secretaries.

Section 14 of the AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004 directs the President 
to convene the TACA ``in order to facilitate the goals and objectives 
of the African Growth and Opportunity Act and this Act, and to maintain 
ongoing discussions with African trade and agricultural ministries and 
private sector organizations on issues of mutual concern, including 
regional and international trade concerns and World Trade Organization 
issues.''
    Pursuant to these provisions, the United States Trade 
Representative (USTR) renewed the charter of the Trade Advisory 
Committee on Africa (TACA) on March 27, 2006.

Functions

    The duties of the TACA are to provide the President, through the 
USTR, with policy advice on issues involving trade and development in 
sub-Saharan Africa. The TACA is expected to meet an average of two to 
three times a year in Washington, DC.

Membership

     Members serve without compensation and are responsible for all 
expenses incurred to attend the meetings. TACA members are appointed by 
the USTR. Appointments are made at the chartering of the TACA and 
periodically throughout the four-year charter term. Members serve at 
the discretion of the USTR. Appointments to the TACA expire at the end 
of the TACA's charter term, in this case, March 27, 2010.

Eligibility

    Eligibility for membership on the TACA is limited to U.S. citizens 
who are not full-time employees of a governmental entity and are not 
registered with the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents 
Registration Act. Members will represent a U.S. entity engaged in 
issues relevant to trade and development in sub-Saharan Africa that (a) 
is directly engaged in the import or export of goods or that sells its 
services abroad, or (b) is an association of such entities. For 
purposes of the preceding sentence, a ``U.S. entity'' is an 
organization (1) incorporated in the United States (or, if 
unincorporated, having its headquarters or principal place of business 
in the United States), and (2) controlled by U.S. citizens or by 
another U.S. entity. An entity is not a U.S. entity if 50 percent plus 
one share of its stock (if a corporation, or a similar ownership 
interest of an unincorporated entity) is controlled, directly or 
indirectly, by non-U.S. citizens or non-U.S. entities. If the nominee 
is to represent an entity or corporation with ten percent or greater 
non-U.S. ownership, the nominee must demonstrate at the time of 
nomination that this ownership interest does not constitute control and 
will not adversely affect his or her ability to serve as a trade 
advisor to the United States government. In addition to the industry 
representatives, the TACA may include representatives of nongovermental 
organizations involved in trade and development issues regarding sub-
Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa trade and development experts must 
represent a U.S. entity engaged in issues relevant to the work of the 
TACA. A nongovernmental organization is a ``U.S. entity'' if the 
organization is (1) incorporated in the United States (or, if 
unincorporated, having its headquarters in the United States), (2) at 
least 50 percent of the organization's annual revenue is attributable 
to nongovernmental U.S. sources; and (3) more than 50 percent of its 
Board of Directors or membership is made up of U.S. citizens. If the 
nominee is to represent an organization more than ten percent of whose 
Board of Directors or membership is made up of non-U.S. citizens or 
non-U.S. entities, the nominee must be prepared to demonstrate at the 
time of nomination that this non-U.S. interest does not constitute 
control and will not adversely affect his or her ability to serve as a 
trade advisor to the United States.
    Members are selected to represent their respective sponsoring U.S. 
entity's interests on sub-Saharan African trade matters, and thus 
nominees are considered foremost based upon their ability to carry out 
the goals of section 135(c) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. Other 
criteria are the nominee's knowledge of and expertise in international 
trade issues as relevant to the work of the TACA and that 
representation on the TACA is balanced in terms of sectors, 
demographics, and other interests. Additionally, USTR may appoint 
members expert in a relevant subject matter to serve in an individual 
capacity. Appointments to the TACA are made without regard to political 
affiliation.
    All TACA members must be able to obtain and maintain a security 
clearance.

Application Procedures

    In order to facilitate the prompt processing of submissions, USTR 
strongly urges and prefers electronic (e-mail) submissions to 
[email protected] in response to this

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notice. In the event that an e-mail submission is impossible, 
submissions should be made by facsimile. Persons making submissions by 
e-mail should use the following subject line: ``Trade Advisory 
Committee for Africa Nomination''. Documents should be submitted as 
WordPerfect, MSWord, or text (.TXT) files. Persons who make submissions 
by e-mail should not provide separate cover letters; information that 
might appear in a cover letter should be included in the submission 
itself. Similarly, to the extent possible, any attachments to the 
submission should be included in the same file as the submission 
itself, and not as separate files.
    For consideration, a nominee should send (1) a sponsor letter, (2) 
a r[eacute]sume, with demonstrated knowledge of international trade and 
development issues with respect to sub-Saharan Africa, and (3) company 
or organization information to the e-mail address or facsimile number 
indicated above. Sponsor letters must be on the company or organization 
letterhead. Company or organization information must address the 
activities, products, or services of the U.S. entity to be represented 
and certify that the entity is a U.S. entity as defined in the 
Eligibility section above.

Florizelle Liser,
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for African Affairs.
 [FR Doc. E6-8086 Filed 5-25-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W6-P