[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 2, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10877-10878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-04473]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating 
Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

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

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: As stipulated by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is hereby giving notice 
that a meeting is scheduled to be held for the Presidential Advisory 
Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (the Advisory 
Council). The meeting will be open to the public; a public comment 
session will be held during the meeting. Pre-registration is required 
for members of the public who wish to attend the meeting and who wish 
to participate in the public comment session. Individuals who wish to 
attend the meeting and/or send in their public comment via email should 
send an email to [email protected]. Registration information is available on 
the Web site http://www.hhs.gov/ash/carb/ and must be completed by 
March 21, 2016; all in-person attendees must pre-register by this date. 
Additional information about registering for the meeting and providing 
public comment can be obtained at http://www.hhs.gov/ash/carb/ on the 
Meetings page.

DATES: The meeting is scheduled to be held on March 30, 2016, from 
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, and March 31, 2016, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 
p.m. ET (times are tentative and subject to change). The confirmed 
times and agenda items for the meeting will be posted on the Web site 
for the Advisory Council at http://www.hhs.gov/ash/carb/ when this 
information becomes available. Pre-registration for attending the 
meeting in person is required to be completed no later than March 21, 
2016; public attendance at the meeting is limited to the available 
space.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Hubert H. 
Humphrey Building, Great Hall, 200 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, 
DC 20201.
    The meeting also can be accessed through a live webcast on the day 
of the meeting. For more information, visit http://www.hhs.gov/ash/carb/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Gellin, Designated Federal 
Officer, Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-
Resistant Bacteria, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services, Room 715H, Hubert H. Humphrey 
Building, 200 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20201. Phone: 
(202) 260-6638; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under Executive Order 13676, dated

[[Page 10878]]

September 18, 2014, authority was given to the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services to establish the Presidential Advisory Council on 
Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (Advisory Council), in 
consultation with the Secretaries of Defense (DoD) and Agriculture 
(USDA). Activities of the Advisory Council are governed by the 
provisions of Public Law 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.), which sets 
forth standards for the formation and use of federal advisory 
committees.
    The Advisory Council will provide advice, information, and 
recommendations to the Secretary of HHS 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). The Advisory 
Council shall function solely for advisory purposes.
    In carrying out its mission, the Advisory Council will provide 
advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary regarding 
programs and policies intended 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 March public meeting will be dedicated to presentations by the 
five currently active working groups of the Advisory Council, which 
are: Antibiotic Stewardship; One Health Surveillance; Diagnostic 
Innovations; Treatment, Prevention and Control Research and 
Development; and International Collaboration on Combating Antibiotic-
Resistant Bacteria (CARB). The Advisory Council will deliberate and 
vote on the working groups' findings and recommendations. In addition, 
the Advisory Council will be presented with a new task(s) from the 
Secretary of HHS, in consultation with USDA and DoD. The meeting agenda 
will be posted on the Advisory Council Web site at http://www.hhs.gov/ash/carb when it has been finalized.
    Public attendance at the meeting is limited to the available space. 
Individuals who plan to attend and need special assistance, such as 
sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should 
notify the Advisory Council at the address/telephone number listed 
above at least one week prior to the meeting. For those unable to 
attend in person, a live webcast will be available. More information on 
registration and accessing the webcast can be found at http://www.hhs.gov/ash/carb/.
    Members of the public will have the opportunity to provide comments 
prior to the Advisory Council meeting by emailing [email protected]. Public 
comments should be sent in by midnight March 21, 2016, and should be 
limited to no more than one page. All public comments received prior to 
March 21, 2016, will be provided to Advisory Council members and read 
during the public comment period designated on the agenda; comments are 
limited to two minutes per speaker.

    Dated: February 25, 2016.
Bruce Gellin,
Designated Federal Officer, Presidential Advisory Council on Combating 
Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health.
[FR Doc. 2016-04473 Filed 3-1-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4150-44-P