[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 184 (Thursday, September 22, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 65313]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-22833]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

38 CFR Part 38

RIN 2900-AP74


Authority To Solicit Gifts and Donations; Withdrawal

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Withdrawal of proposed rule.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is withdrawing VA's 
proposed rulemaking, published on July 11, 2016, to amend its 
regulation giving the Under Secretary of Memorial Affairs (USMA), or 
his designee, authority to solicit gifts and donations. VA received two 
supportive comments and no adverse comments concerning the proposed 
rule and its companion substantially identical direct final rule 
published in the Federal Register on the same date. Accordingly, this 
document withdraws as unnecessary the proposed rule.

DATES: The proposed rule published on July 11, 2016, 81 FR 44827, is 
withdrawn.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Howard, Chief of Staff, 
National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Department of Veterans Affairs, 
(40A), 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420, (202) 461-6215. 
(This is not a toll-free number.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a proposed rule published in the Federal 
Register on July 11, 2016, 81 FR 44827, VA proposed to amend 38 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) 38.603(b) that prohibits the solicitation of 
contributions. On the same date, VA published a substantially identical 
direct final rule at 81 FR 44792. The direct final rule and proposed 
rule each provided a 30-day comment period that ended on August 10, 
2016. Two public comments were received, both in support of the 
rulemakings. Because no adverse comments were received, VA is 
withdrawing the proposed rule as unnecessary. In a companion document 
in this issue of the Federal Register, VA is confirming the effective 
date of September 9, 2016 for the direct final rule, RIN 2900-AP75, 
published at 81 FR 44792.

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Gina S. 
Farrisee, Deputy Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs, 
approved this document on September 16, 2016, for publication.

    Dated: September 19, 2016.
Jeffrey Martin,
Office Program Manager, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, 
Office of the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2016-22833 Filed 9-21-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P