[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 60 (Monday, March 30, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16684-16686]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-07235]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Establishment of the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating 
Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Solicitation of Nominations for 
Appointment to the Council Membership

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Health and Human 
Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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    Authority: Executive Order 13676, dated September 18, 2014, 
authorizes establishment of the Presidential Advisory Council on 
Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (Advisory Council). The 
Advisory Council will be governed by provisions of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.), which 
sets forth standards for the formation and use of federal advisory 
committees.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
announces establishment of the Advisory Council. The Advisory Council 
will provide advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary 
regarding programs and policies intended to support and evaluate the 
implementation of Executive Order 13676, including the National 
Strategy for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (Strategy) and the 
National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria 
(Action Plan).
    This notice also will serve to announce that HHS is seeking 
nominations of individuals who are interested in being considered for 
appointment to the Advisory Council. Resumes or curricula vitae from 
qualified individuals who wish to be considered for appointment as a 
member of the Advisory Council are currently being accepted.

DATES: Nominations must be received no later than close business April 
29, 2015.

ADDRESSES: All nominations should be sent to: Bruce Gellin, M.D., 
M.P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health; Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Health; Department of Health and Human Services; 200 
Independence Avenue SW., Room 715H; Washington, DC 20201. Nomination 
materials, including attachments, also may be submitted electronically 
to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Gellin, M.D., M.P.H., Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Health; Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Health; Department of Health and Human Services; Telephone: (202) 260-
6638; Fax: (202) 690-4631; Email address: [email protected]. The Advisory 
Council charter may be accessed online at http://www.hhs.gov/ash/carb. 
The charter includes detailed information about the Advisory Council's 
purpose, function, and structure.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria 
represents a serious threat to public health and the economy. 
Detecting, preventing, and controlling antibiotic resistance requires a 
strategic, coordinated, and sustained effort. The federal government 
will work domestically and internationally to detect, prevent, and 
control illness and death related to antibiotic-resistant infections by 
implementing measures that reduce the emergence and spread of 
antibiotic-resistant bacteria and help ensure the continued 
availability of effective therapeutics for the treatment of bacterial 
infections.
    Under Executive Order 13676, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (the Secretary) is directed to establish the Advisory Council 
in consultation with the Secretaries of Defense and Agriculture. The 
Advisory Council will provide advice and recommendations to the 
Secretary regarding programs and policies to support and evaluate the 
implementation of Executive Order 13676, including the National 
Strategy

[[Page 16685]]

for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (Strategy) and the National 
Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (Action Plan). 
On March 24, 2015, the Secretary approved for the Advisory Council to 
be established. The charter for the Advisory Council was filed with the 
appropriate Congressional committees and the Library of Congress on the 
same date. The Advisory Council has been established as a non-
discretionary federal advisory committee.
    Objectives and Scope of Activities. The Advisory Council will 
provide advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary 
regarding programs and policies intended to support and evaluate the 
implementation of Executive Order 13676, including the Strategy and 
Action Plan. The Advisory Council will function solely for advisory 
purposes.
    Membership and Designation. The Advisory Council will consist of 
not more than 30 members, including the voting and non-voting members 
and Chair and Vice Chair. The members will be appointed or designated 
by the Secretary, who will designate the Chair and Vice Chair from 
among the voting members of the Advisory Council.
    Voting Members. There will be public voting members selected from 
individuals who are engaged in research on, or implementation of, 
interventions regarding efforts to preserve the effectiveness of 
antibiotics by optimizing their use; advance research to develop 
improved methods for combating antibiotic resistance and conducting 
antibiotic stewardship; strengthen surveillance of antibiotic-resistant 
bacterial infections; prevent the transmission of antibiotic-resistant 
bacterial infections; advance the development of rapid point-of-care 
and agricultural diagnostics; further research on new treatments for 
bacterial infections; develop alternatives to antibiotics for 
agricultural purposes; maximize the dissemination of up-to-date 
information on the appropriate and proper use of antibiotics to the 
general public and human and animal healthcare providers; and improve 
international coordination of efforts to combat antibiotic resistance.
    The public voting members will represent balanced points of view 
from human biomedical, public health, and agricultural fields to 
include surveillance of antibiotic-resistant infections, prevention 
and/or interruptions of the spread of antibiotic-resistant threats, or 
development of rapid diagnostics and novel treatments. The public 
voting members may be physicians, veterinarians, epidemiologists, 
microbiologists, or other health care professionals (e.g., nurses, 
pharmacists, others); individuals who have expertise and experience as 
consumer or patient advocates concerned with antibiotic resistance, or 
in the fields of agriculture and pharmaceuticals; and they also may be 
from State or local health agencies or public health organizations. All 
public voting members will be classified as special Government 
employees (SGEs).
    Ex-officio Members (non-voting). The Advisory Council will include 
members selected to represent various federal agencies, including HHS, 
DoD, and USDA, that are involved in the development, testing, 
licensing, production, procurement, distribution, and/or use of 
antibiotics and/or antibiotic research. The federal ex-officio members 
shall possess the knowledge, skills, experience, and expertise 
necessary to generate informed and intelligent recommendations with 
respect to the issues mandated by Executive Order 13676. Federal 
agencies will be invited to participate as non-voting ex-officio 
members of the Advisory Council, as it is deemed necessary by the 
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretaries of Defense and 
Agriculture, to accomplish the mission the Advisory Council.
    Liaison Representatives (non-voting). The Advisory Council 
structure also may include non-voting liaison representatives from 
organizations and/or interest groups that have involvement in the 
development, testing, licensing, production, procurement, distribution, 
and/or use of antibiotics and/or antibiotic research. Organizations 
will be invited to participate as non-voting liaison representatives as 
it is deemed necessary by the Secretary or designee to accomplish the 
established mission of the Advisory Council.
    The public voting and non-voting liaison representative members 
will be appointed to serve for overlapping terms of up to four years. 
The Chair and Vice Chair will be appointed to serve for three years, 
unless otherwise specified.
    The public voting members are authorized to receive per diem and 
reimbursement for travel expenses when attending meetings of the 
Advisory Council, as authorized by Section 5703, Title 5 U.S.C., as 
amended for persons employed intermittently in Government service. 
Individuals who are appointed to serve as non-voting liaison 
representative members also may be allowed to receive per diem and 
reimbursement for any applicable expenses for travel that is performed 
to attend meetings of the Advisory Council in accordance with Federal 
travel regulations.
    Estimated Number and Frequency of Meetings. The Advisory Council 
will meet, at a minimum, two times per fiscal year depending on the 
availability of funds. Meetings will be open to the public, except as 
determined otherwise by the Secretary or other official to whom the 
authority has been delegated in accordance with guidelines under 
Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b(c).
    Nominations: Nominations, including self-nominations, of 
individuals who have the specified expertise and knowledge will be 
considered for appointment as public voting and/or non-voting members 
of the Advisory Council. A nomination should include, at a minimum, the 
following for each nominee: (1) A letter of nomination that clearly 
states the name and affiliation of the nominee, the basis for the 
nomination (i.e., the desired member category and specific attributes 
which qualify the nominee to be considered for appointment as a public 
voting and/or non-voting member of the Advisory Council), and a 
statement from the nominee (including designated representatives of 
organizations and/or interest groups) that indicates that the 
individual is willing to serve as a member of the Advisory Council, if 
selected; (2) the nominator's name, address, and daytime telephone 
number, and the address, telephone number, and email address of the 
individual being nominated; and (3) a current copy of the nominee's 
curriculum vitae or resume, which should be limited to no more than 10 
pages.
    Every effort will be made to ensure that the Advisory Council is a 
diverse group of individuals with representation from various 
geographic locations, racial and ethnic minorities, all genders, and 
persons living with disabilities.
    Individuals being considered for appointment as public voting 
members will be required to complete and submit a report of their 
financial holdings. An ethics review must be conducted to ensure that 
individuals appointed as public voting members of the Advisory Council 
are not involved in any activity that may pose a potential conflict of 
interest for the official duties that are to be performed. This is a 
federal ethics requirement that must be satisfied upon entering the 
position and annually throughout the established term of appointment on 
the Advisory Council.


[[Page 16686]]


    Dated: March 24, 2015.
Sylvia M. Burwell,
Secretary of Health and Human Services.
[FR Doc. 2015-07235 Filed 3-27-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4150-28-P