[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58777-58778]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25374]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Charter Renewal of the Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue 
Safety and Availability

AGENCY: Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, Department of 
Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services is hereby giving 
notice that the charter for the Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue 
Safety and Availability (ACBTSA) has been renewed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. James Berger, Designated Federal 
Officer for the ACBTSA, Senior Advisor for Blood and Tissue Policy, 
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and 
Human Services, Mary E. Switzer Building, 330 C Street SW, Suite L100, 
Washington, DC 20024. Phone: (202) 795-7697; Fax: (202) 691-2102; 
Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ACBTSA is a non-discretionary Federal 
advisory committee. ACBTSA is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 217a, Section 
222 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended. The Committee 
is governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(FACA), Public Law 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. App), which sets forth 
standards for the formation and use of advisory committees.
    The ACBTSA advises, assists, consults with, and makes policy 
recommendations to the Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary for 
Health, regarding these broad responsibilities related to the safety of 
blood, blood products, tissues, and organs. For solid organs and blood 
stem cells, the Committee's work is limited to policy issues related to 
donor derived infectious disease complications of transplantation.
    To carry out its mission, the ACBTSA provides advice to the 
Secretary through the Assistant Secretary for Health on a range of 
policy issues to include: (1) Identification of public health issues 
through surveillance of blood and tissue safety issues with national 
biovigilance data tools; (2) identification of public health issues 
that affect availability of blood, blood products, and tissues; (3) 
broad public health, ethical, and legal issues related to the safety of 
blood, blood products, and tissues; (4) the impact of various economic 
factors (e.g., product cost and supply) on safety and availability of 
blood, blood products, and tissues; (5) risk communications related to 
blood transfusion and tissue transplantation; and (6) identification of 
infectious disease transmission issues for blood, organs, blood stem 
cells and tissues.
    On September 25, 2018, the Secretary approved for the ACBTSA 
charter to be renewed. The new charter was effected and filed with the 
appropriate Congressional committees and the Library of Congress on 
October 9, 2018. Renewal of the Committee's charter gives authorization 
for the Committee to continue to operate until October 9, 2020.

[[Page 58778]]

    A copy of the ACBTSA charter is available on the Committee's 
website at https://www.hhs.gov/ohaidp/initiatives/blood-tissue-safety/advisory-committee/charter/index.html. A copy of the charter can also 
be obtained by accessing the FACA database that is maintained by the 
Committee Management Secretariat under the General Services 
Administration. The website address for the FACA database is 
www.facadatabase.gov.

    Dated: October 19, 2018.
James J. Berger,
Senior Advisor for Blood and Tissue Policy, Designated Federal Officer, 
Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability.
[FR Doc. 2018-25374 Filed 11-20-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-41-P