[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 51 (Friday, March 14, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13950-13951]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-5123]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2008-0037]


Medical Review Board Public Meeting

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Medical Review Board (MRB) Public Meeting.

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SUMMARY: FMCSA announces a public meeting of the Agency's MRB. The MRB 
public meeting will provide the public an opportunity to observe and 
participate in MRB deliberations about the revision and development of 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation (FMCSR) medical standards, in 
accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

DATES: The MRB meeting will be held from 8 a.m.-3:45 p.m. on April 7, 
2008. Please note the preliminary agenda for this meeting in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for specific 
information.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place at the Westin Gateway, 801 N. 
Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22203. You may submit comments bearing the 
Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) Docket ID FMCSA-2008-0037 using 
any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Each submission must include the Agency name and the docket ID for 
this Notice. Note that DOT posts all comments received without change 
to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
included in a comment. Please see the Privacy Act heading below.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time or Room W12-140 
on the ground level of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays. The FDMS is available 24 hours each day, 365 
days each year. If you want acknowledgment that we received your 
comments, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope or postcard 
or print the acknowledgement page that appears after submitting 
comments on-line.
    Privacy Act: Anyone may search the electronic form of all comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or of the person signing the comment, if 
submitted on behalf of an

[[Page 13951]]

association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review the DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78; Apr. 11, 2000). This information is 
also available at http://Docketinfo.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Mary D. Gunnels, Director, Medical 
Programs, (202) 366-4001, [email protected], FMCSA, Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W64-224, Washington, 
DC 20590-0001. Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Information on Services for Individuals With Disabilities:
    For information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities or to request special assistance at the meeting, contact 
Jennifer Musick at 703-998-0189 ext. 237.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The preliminary agenda for the meeting 
includes:

0800-0820 Call to Order, Introduction and Agenda Review
0820-0830 Medical Review Board Administrative Discussion
0830-0900 Renal Disease Evidence Report
0900-0930 Renal Disease Panel Recommendations
0930-1000 Public Comment to the Medical Review Board
1000-1030 MRB Deliberations on Renal Disease
1030-1100 Vision and Driving Evidence Report
1100-1200 Lunch
1200-1230 Vision Panel Recommendations
1230-1300 Public Comment to the Medical Review Board
1300-1330 MRB Deliberations on Vision
1330-1400 Musculoskeletal Disease Evidence Report
1400-1430 Musculoskeletal Disease Panel Recommendations
1430-1445 Driver Perspective
1445-1515 Public Comment to the Medical Review Board
1515-1545 MRB Deliberations on Musculoskeletal Disease
1545 Call to Adjourn
    *Breaks will be announced on meeting day and may be adjusted 
according to schedule changes, other meeting requirements.

Background

    The U.S. Secretary of Transportation announced on March 7, 2006, 
the five medical experts who serve on FMCSA's Medical Review Board 
(MRB). Section 4116 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, Pub. L. 109-
59) requires the Secretary of Transportation with the advice of the MRB 
to ``establish, review, and revise medical standards for operators of 
Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs) that will ensure that the physical 
condition of operators is adequate to enable them to operate the 
vehicles safely.'' FMCSA is planning updates to the physical 
qualification regulations of CMV drivers, and the MRB will provide the 
necessary science-based guidance to establish realistic and responsible 
medical standards.
    The MRB operates in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act (FACA) as announced in the Federal Register (70 FR 57642, October 
3, 2005). The MRB is charged initially with the review of all current 
FMCSA medical standards (49 CFR 391.41), as well as proposing new 
science-based standards and guidelines to ensure that drivers operating 
CMVs in interstate commerce, as defined in CFR 390.5, are physically 
capable of doing so.

Meeting Participation

    Attendance is open to the interested public, including medical 
examiners, motor carriers, drivers, and representatives of medical and 
scientific associations. Written comments for this MRB meeting will 
also be accepted beginning on March 14, 2008. and continuing until 
April 21, 2008, and should include the docket ID that is listed in the 
ADDRESSES section.
    During the MRB meeting, oral comments may be limited depending on 
how many persons wish to comment; and will be accepted on a first come, 
first serve basis as requestors register at the meeting. The comments 
must directly address relevant medical and scientific issues on the MRB 
meeting agenda. For more information, please view the following Web 
site: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mrb.

    Issued on: March 7, 2008.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy and Program Development.
 [FR Doc. E8-5123 Filed 3-13-08; 8:45 am]
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