The Integrated Management Administrative Resources Tool (iMART) provides FAS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) a system that integrates and reconciles multiple financial data sources to support the administrative control of funds, including the reconciliation of financial transactions, and the financial reporting needs to report on global operations.

At the end of FY 2012, FAS/Office of Foreign Service Operations (OFSO) identified the need for an integrated management system that links agency business processes with workforce management, financial and budget planning, execution, and reconciliation. Without a system that links business processes with workforce and financial management, the agency was left with an operational gap and forced to operate in an inefficient environment. The management of resources and personnel data required duplicative entries into multiple systems, thereby increasing the risk of error and led to untimely recording of operational data. As a result, FAS had been unable to optimally align performance management goals and objectives to USDA and FAS strategic plans.

The initial iMART project focused entirely on the OFSO requirement to automate and streamline its business processes. At the end of FY 2013, FAS expanded the project to include agency-wide overseas operations. During the past five years, significant portions of agency workforce management and overseas financial execution of funds have been completed.

In FY 2018, FAS and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)/International Services (IS) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the iMART project as it provides a variety of benefits for both agencies. FAS and APHIS/IS support USDA's global initiatives and are a part of the Foreign Service community, making these agencies unique in their organizational structure, staffing, and relationship to the State Department through the Foreign Service Act of 1890.

APHIS/IS' primary goal in adopting iMART as a management tool is to address a variety of challenges in their human capital management. The system will provide a complete and consolidated profile of their personnel that will allow them to make informed strategic decisions that influence their resource management.

There are many functionalities within iMART that will give APHIS/IS an advantage in the management of their operations. APHIS/IS will see immediate results in the tracking of Foreign Service Officer assignments and entitlements, which will give them the ability to make sound resource projections based on confirmed data. iMART allows APHIS/IS to be more analytical and forward thinking in financial planning and offers the ability to develop concise reports expediently to guide future decision making. This collaboration also creates efficiencies at both agencies by providing a shared platform for data required in working with the State Department and managing a vast overseas operation.

I. Abstract

Sponsored primarily by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA MCHB), the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) is designed to produce data on the physical and emotional health of children under 18 years of age who live in the United States. The United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities sponsor supplemental content on the NSCH. Additionally, the upcoming cycle of the NSCH would like to feature four individual state oversamples that include the selection of a pre-determined number of sample cases above the current production base sample in those states. The state oversamples would be sponsored by the State of Colorado, the State of Nebraska, the Oregon Center for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs, and the State of Wisconsin.

The NSCH collects information on factors related to the well-being of children, including access to health care, in-home medical care, family interactions, parental health, school and after-school experiences, and neighborhood characteristics. The goal of the 2020 NSCH is to provide HRSA MCHB, the supplemental sponsoring agencies, states, and other data users with the necessary data to support the production of national estimates yearly and state-based estimates with pooled samples on the health and well-being of children, their families, and their communities as well as estimates of the prevalence and impact of children with special health care needs.

Below is a list of updates we are requesting for the 2020 NSCH. These updates will be described in further detail within the full Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Information Collection Request (ICR) package.

• Increased sample size —With additional sponsor funding and realized cost savings from streamlining the survey operations process, we are requesting an increase in sample size. The base NSCH sample plus the proposed state oversamples may reach up to 240,000 addresses for the 2020 NSCH. The additional burden on any one address is not increasing as the total estimated time to complete the survey remains less than 5 minutes for households without children and, on average, 33 minutes for households with children. However, because the total number of sampled addresses is increasing by approximately 45,000, the total overall burden to the public is also increasing by approximately 9,271 hours. The increased sample will allow individual states to produce statistically sound child health estimates in a fewer number of years than if the sample were to remain the same annually, thereby resulting in more timely state-level health estimates of children.

• Unconditional incentive distribution percentage —We plan to continue monitoring the effectiveness of the unconditional monetary incentive, but request an increase to the percent of addresses receiving a $5 incentive in the initial screener mailing. When utilized, an unconditional incentive has proven effective each cycle of the NSCH. Response rates for the unconditional monetary incentive groups showed a statistically significant difference over the control group that did not receive an unconditional monetary incentive. A larger increase in response was noted for the households mailed a $5 compared with the $2 incentive, however both treatment groups have proven effective at reducing nonresponse bias by encouraging response. For both the 2018 NSCH and 2019 NSCH, the initial screener incentive splits were 45% received $2; 45% received $5; and 10% did not receive an incentive. The proposal for 2020 NSCH is that 30% receive $2; 60% receive $5; and 10% would not receive an incentive with the initial mailing. The incentive assignment to each sampled address would still be random as was done in prior cycles and approved by OMB. Results from the 2018 NSCH indicate that the increased incentive amount proved effective at obtaining a higher response in general and particularly so from underrepresented population groups. 1 Therefore, the goal of an increased $5 incentive treatment group is aimed at reducing nonresponse bias further.

• Redesigned survey contact materials test —Instead of testing a redesigned envelope alone in the initial mailing (as was done in 2019), the 2020 NSCH plans to assign a 30% experimental treatment group to receive a redesigned suite of screener (and topical if applicable) survey invitation and follow-up mail packages throughout the entire data collection period. Two rounds of cognitive testing were approved previously by OMB  2 and will be used to inform development of the redesigned contact materials and envelopes. The goal of the redesign is to provide the sampled addresses with a cohesive set of items within each survey invitation package. The proposed materials include key facts pertaining to survey data usage, relatable images for the target population, and colors that match the associated paper questionnaires. We plan to evaluate the experimental treatment group after data closeout to determine the effectiveness of the redesigned package strategy and inform future decision-making.

• Revised questionnaire content —The NSCH questionnaires with newly proposed and revised content from the sponsors at HRSA MCHB are currently undergoing two rounds of cognitive testing. This testing request was submitted under the generic clearance package and approved by OMB  3 . Based on the results, a final set of proposed modified content will be included in the full OMB ICR for the 2020 NSCH.

• State oversample   4 —In order to inform state-level decision making around various priorities, some stakeholders have shown interest in sponsoring an oversample of addresses within their state as part of the annual NSCH administration. Currently, four states (Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon, and Wisconsin) are moving forward with this option for the first time as part of the 2020 NSCH. Oversamples will provide states with more robust data for analysis and planning at the state level. The oversamples can be classified as either a general state-wide oversample or sub-state oversample. The state-wide oversample increases the total number of sampled addresses within a given state and will be distributed to the geographic areas similarly to the production base sample. State-level estimates of rare populations or outcomes could be evaluated from this larger sample, but sub-state ( e.g., county-level) estimates could not. The sub-state oversample is aimed at producing smaller than state-level ( e.g., county or county-level grouping) estimates in combination with the NSCH base sample to reach a specific sample size in each targeted group. The requirements to meet each sub-state oversample are primarily determined by county for the 2020 NSCH.

On July 1, 2019, Commerce published in the Federal Register its preliminary affirmative determination in the LTFV investigation of yarn from India and invited parties to comment. 1 A summary of the events that occurred since Commerce published the Preliminary Determination may be found in the Issues and Decision Memorandum. 2

The Issues and Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at https://access.trade.gov and is available to all parties in the Central Records Unit, Room B8024 of the main Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Issues and Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn. The signed and electronic versions of the Issues and Decision Memorandum are identical in content.

The period of investigation is October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018.

The product covered by this investigation is polyester textured yarn from India. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix I.

During the course of this investigation and the concurrent countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of yarn from India, and concurrent antidumping duty (AD) and CVD investigations of yarn from the People's Republic of China, certain interested parties commented on the scope of the investigations as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. 3 Commerce addressed these comments in the Preliminary Determination, wherein Commerce preliminarily modified the scope language as it appeared in the Initiation Notice to exclude bulk continuous filament yarn. 4 No interested parties commented on the preliminary exclusion of bulk continuous filament yarn. Thus, we have made no changes to the scope language from the Preliminary Determination with regard to bulk continuous filament yarn.

In the Preliminary Determination, we also noted that on May 2, 2019, the petitioners  5 requested that Commerce include an additional Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheading in the scope language. 6 We stated our intent to address this request in the final determinations of this and the above-referenced concurrent investigations. Specifically, the petitioners requested that Commerce add HTSUS 5402.52.00 covering twisted yarn to the scope of the investigations. 7 As no interested parties rebutted the petitioners' request to add this HTSUS subheading, and Commerce finds the petitioners' request is reasonable, we have revised the scope of the investigations to include HTSUS 5402.52.00. See Appendix I for the final scope of the investigation.

All issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs that were submitted by parties in this investigation are addressed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum. A list of the issues addressed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum is attached to this notice at Appendix II.

As provided for in section 782(i) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), in July and August 2019, we conducted verification of the sales and cost information submitted by Reliance Industries Limited (Reliance) for use in our final determination. We used standard verification procedures, including an examination of relevant accounting and production records, and original source documents provided by Reliance. 8

Based on our analysis of the comments received and our findings at verification, we made certain changes to the margin calculations for Reliance. For a discussion of these changes, see the “Margin Calculations” section of the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

The respondent JBF Industries Limited (JBF) failed to cooperate in this investigation. Therefore, in the Preliminary Determination, pursuant to sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act, Commerce assigned JBF a rate based on adverse facts available (AFA). There is no new information on the record that would cause us to revisit our determination to apply AFA to JBF. Accordingly, we continue to find that the application of AFA pursuant to sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act is warranted with respect to JBF. Commerce has assigned to JBF's exports of the subject merchandise the rate of 47.51 percent, which is Reliance's highest transaction-specific margin. 9 Because this rate is not secondary information, but rather is based on information obtained in the course of the investigation, Commerce need not corroborate this rate pursuant to section 776(c) of the Act.

Section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act provides that the estimated weighted-average dumping margin for all other producers and exporters not individually investigated shall be equal to the weighted average of the estimated weighted-average dumping margins established for exporters and producers individually investigated excluding rates that are zero, de minimis, or determined entirely under section 776 of the Act. Commerce assigned a rate based entirely on facts available to JBF. Therefore, the only rate that is not zero, de minimis, or based entirely on facts otherwise available is the rate calculated for Reliance. Consequently, the rate calculated for Reliance is also assigned as the rate for all other producers and exporters.

The final estimated weighted-average dumping margins are as follows:

We intend to disclose the calculations performed in this final determination within five days of the date of publication of this notice to parties in this proceeding in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

In accordance with section 735(c)(1)(B) of the Act, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to continue to suspend liquidation of all appropriate entries of yarn from India, as described in Appendix I of this notice, which are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after July 1, 2019, the date of publication in the Federal Register of the affirmative Preliminary Determination.

Pursuant to section 735(c)(1)(B)(ii) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(d), we will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit for such entries of merchandise equal to the estimated weighted-average dumping margin as follows: (1) The cash deposit rate for the respondents listed above will be equal to the respondent-specific estimated weighted-average dumping margin determined in this final determination; (2) if the exporter is not a respondent identified above but the producer is, then the cash deposit rate will be equal to the respondent-specific estimated weighted-average dumping margin established for that producer of the subject merchandise; and (3) the cash deposit rate for all other producers and exporters will be equal to the all-others estimated weighted-average dumping margin. These suspension-of-liquidation instructions will remain in effect until further notice.

In the event that a CVD order is issued, and suspension of liquidation is resumed in the companion CVD investigation on yarn from India, Commerce will instruct CBP to require cash deposits adjusted by the amount of export subsidies, as appropriate. 10 These adjustments are reflected in the final column of the rate chart, above. Until such suspension of liquidation is resumed in the companion CVD investigation, and so long as suspension of liquidation continues under this AD investigation, the cash deposit rates for this AD investigation will be the rates identified in the estimated weighted-average dumping margin column in the rate chart, above.

In accordance with section 735(d) of the Act, we will notify the International Trade Commission (ITC) of the final affirmative determination of sales at LTFV. Because Commerce's final determination is affirmative, in accordance with section 735(b)(2) of the Act, the ITC will make its final determination as to whether the domestic industry in the United States is materially injured, or threatened with material injury, by reason of imports or sales (or the likelihood of sales) for importation of yarn no later than 45 days after this final determination. If the ITC determines that such injury does not exist, this proceeding will be terminated, and all cash deposits posted will be refunded. If the ITC determines that such injury does exist, Commerce will issue an AD order directing CBP to assess, upon further instruction by Commerce, antidumping duties on all imports of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the effective date of the suspension of liquidation, as discussed above in the “Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation” section.

This notice will serve as a final reminder to the parties subject to administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305. Timely written notification of return or destruction of APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and the terms of an APO is a sanctionable violation.

This determination and this notice are issued and published pursuant to sections 735(d) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(c).

On May 3, 2019, Commerce published in the Federal Register the Preliminary Determination. 1 The selected mandatory respondents in this investigation are Fujian Billion Polymerization Fiber Technology Industrial Co., Ltd. (Fujian Billion), Suzhou Shenghong Fiber Co., Ltd. (Shenghong Fiber), and Suzhou Shenghong Garmant Development Co. (Garmant). In the Preliminary Determination, in accordance with section 705(a)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(4), Commerce aligned the final countervailing duty (CVD) determination with the final antidumping duty (AD) determination. The revised deadline for the final determination of this investigation is now November 13, 2019. On August 22, 2019, Commerce issued its Post-Preliminary Analysis. 2

A summary of the events that occurred since Commerce published the Preliminary Determination, as well as a full discussion of the issues raised by parties for this final determination, may be found in the Issues and Decision Memorandum. 3 The Issues and Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at http://access.trade.gov and is available to all parties in the Central Records Unit, Room B8024 of the main Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Issues and Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed and electronic versions of the Issues and Decision Memorandum are identical in content.

The period of investigation (POI) is January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017.

The products covered by this investigation are yarn from China. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see the “Scope of the Investigation” in Appendix I.

During the course of this investigation and the concurrent AD investigation of yarn from China, and concurrent AD and CVD investigations of yarn from India, certain interested parties commented on the scope of the investigations as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. 4 Commerce addressed these comments in the Preliminary Determination, wherein Commerce preliminarily modified the scope language as it appeared in the Initiation Notice to exclude bulk continuous filament yarn. 5 No interested parties commented on the preliminary exclusion of bulk continuous filament yarn. Thus, we have made no changes to the scope language from the Preliminary Determination with regard to bulk continuous filament yarn.

On May 2, 2019, the petitioners  6 requested that Commerce include an additional Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheading in the scope language. 7 Specifically, the petitioners requested that Commerce add HTSUS 5402.52.00 covering twisted yarn to the scope of the investigations. 8 As no interested parties rebutted the petitioners' request to add this HTSUS subheading, and Commerce finds the petitioners' request is reasonable, we have revised the scope of the investigations to include HTSUS 5402.52.00. See Appendix I for the final scope of the investigation.

In accordance with section 703(e)(1)(B) of the Act, Commerce preliminarily determined that critical circumstances existed for all imports of yarn from China. 9 Based our examination of the data on the record, we continue to determine that critical circumstances exist for all producers/exporters of yarn from China in the final determination. For comments regarding critical circumstances, see Issues and Decisions Memorandum.

As provided in section 782(i) of the Act, in July 2019, we conducted verification of the questionnaire responses submitted by Fujian Billion and the Government of China (GOC). 10 We used standard verification procedures, including an examination of relevant accounting and financial records, and original source documents.

The subsidy programs under investigation and the issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs by parties in this investigation are discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum. A list of the issues that parties raised, and to which we responded in the Issues and Decision Memorandum, is attached to this notice at Appendix II.

Commerce conducted this investigation in accordance with section 701 of the Act. For each of the subsidy programs found countervailable, Commerce determines that there is a subsidy, i.e., a financial contribution by an “authority” that gives rise to a benefit to the recipient, and that the subsidy is specific. 11 For a full description of the methodology underlying our final determination, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

In making this final determination, Commerce relied, in part, on facts available pursuant to section 776(a) of the Act. Additionally, as discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum, because one or more respondents did not act to the best of their ability in responding to our requests for information, we drew adverse inferences, where appropriate, in selecting from among the facts otherwise available, pursuant to section 776(b) of the Act. For further information, see the section “Use of Facts Otherwise Available and Adverse Inferences” in the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

Based on our review and analysis of the comments received from parties, minor corrections presented at verification, and our verification findings, we made certain changes to Fujian Billion's subsidy rate calculations. Commerce has also revised the adverse facts available (AFA) rate and the all-others rate. For a discussion of these changes, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

In accordance with section 705(c)(l)(B)(i) of the Act, we calculated a rate for Fujian Billion, a producer/exporter of subject merchandise selected for individual examination in this investigation. Commerce assigned rates based entirely on facts otherwise available with adverse inferences pursuant to section 776 of the Act to Shenghong Fiber and Garmant.

Section 705(c)(5)(A) of the Act provides that in the final determination, Commerce shall determine an estimated all-others rate for companies not individually examined. This rate shall be an amount equal to the weighted average of the estimated subsidy rates established for those companies individually examined, excluding any zero and de minimis rates and any rates based entirely under section 776 of the Act.

In this investigation, Commerce preliminarily assigned rates based entirely on facts available for Shenghong Fiber and its cross-owned affiliates, and Garmant. Therefore, the only rate that is not zero, de minimis, or based entirely on facts otherwise available is the rate calculated for Fujian Billion. Consequently, the rate calculated for Fujian Billion is also assigned as the rate for all other producers and exporters.

Commerce determines that the following estimated countervailable subsidy rates exist:

On May 3, 2019, Commerce published in the Federal Register the Preliminary Determination . 1 On June 12, 2019, Commerce also published the Amended Preliminary Determination in the Federal Register . 2 On August 22, 2019, Commerce issued its Post-Preliminary Analysis. 3 The selected mandatory respondents in this investigation are JBF Industries Limited (JBF) and Reliance Industries Limited (Reliance). In the Preliminary Determination, in accordance with section 705(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(4), Commerce aligned the final countervailing duty (CVD) determination with the final antidumping duty (AD) determination. The revised deadline for the final determination of this investigation is now November 13, 2019.

A summary of the events that occurred since Commerce published the Preliminary Determination, as well as a full discussion of the issues raised by parties for this final determination, may be found in the Issues and Decision Memorandum issued concurrently with this notice. 4 The Issues and Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at http://access.trade.gov and is available to all parties in the Central Records Unit, Room B8024 of the main Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Issues and Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/ . The signed and electronic versions of the Issues and Decision Memorandum are identical in content.

The period of investigation (POI) is April 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018.

The product covered by this investigation is polyester textured yarn from India. For a full description of the scope of this investigation, see the “Scope of the Investigation” in Appendix I.

During the course of this investigation and the concurrent AD investigation of yarn from India, and concurrent AD and CVD investigations of yarn from China, certain interested parties commented on the scope of the investigation as it appeared in the Initiation Notice . 5 Commerce addressed these comments in the Preliminary Determination, wherein Commerce preliminarily modified the scope language as it appeared in the Initiation Notice to exclude bulk continuous filament yarn. 6 No interested parties commented on the preliminary exclusion of bulk continuous filament yarn. Thus, we have made no changes to the scope language from the Preliminary Determination with regard to bulk continuous filament yarn.

On May 2, 2019, the petitioners  7 requested that Commerce include an additional Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheading in the scope language. 8 Specifically, the petitioners requested that Commerce add HTSUS 5402.52.00 covering twisted yarn to the scope of the investigations. 9 As no interested parties rebutted the petitioners' request to add this HTSUS subheading, and Commerce finds that the petitioners' request is reasonable, we have revised the scope of the investigations to include HTSUS 5402.52.00. See Appendix I for the final scope of the investigation.

As provided in section 782(i) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), in July 2019, we conducted verification of the questionnaire responses submitted by JBF, Reliance, and the Government of India (GOI). 10 We used standard verification procedures, including an examination of relevant accounting and financial records, and original source documents.

The subsidy programs under investigation and the issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs by parties in this investigation are discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum. A list of the issues that parties raised, and to which we responded in the Issues and Decision Memorandum, is attached to this notice at Appendix II.

Commerce conducted this investigation in accordance with section 701 of the Act. For each of the subsidy programs found countervailable, Commerce determines that there is a subsidy, i.e., a financial contribution by an “authority” that gives rise to a benefit to the recipient, and that the subsidy is specific. 11 For a full description of the methodology underlying our final determination, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

In making this final determination, Commerce relied, in part, on facts available pursuant to section 776(a) of the Act. Additionally, as discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum, because one or more respondents did not act to the best of their ability in responding to our requests for information, we drew adverse inferences, where appropriate, in selecting from among the facts otherwise available, pursuant to section 776(b) of the Act. 12 For further information, see the section “Use of Facts Otherwise Available and Adverse Inferences” in the accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum.

Based on our review and analysis of the comments received from parties, minor corrections presented at verification, and our verification findings, we made certain changes to JBF's and Reliance's subsidy rate calculations. Commerce has also revised the all-others rate. For a discussion of these changes, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

In accordance with section 705(c)(l)(B)(i) of the Act, we calculated rates for JBF and Reliance, the producers/exporters of subject merchandise selected for individual examination in this investigation.

Section 705(c)(5)(A) of the Act provides that in the final determination, Commerce shall determine an estimated all-others rate for companies not individually examined. This rate shall be an amount equal to the weighted average of the estimated subsidy rates established for those companies individually examined, excluding any zero and de minimis rates and any rates based entirely under section 776 of the Act.

In this investigation, Commerce calculated individual estimated countervailable subsidy rates for both JBF and Reliance that are not zero, de minimis, or based entirely on facts otherwise available. Commerce calculated the all-others rate using a weighted average of the individual estimated subsidy rates calculated for the examined respondents using each company's publicly-ranged values for the merchandise under consideration. 13

Commerce determines that the following estimated countervailable subsidy rates exist:

We intend to disclose to parties in this proceeding the calculations performed for this final determination within five days of the date of publication of this notice, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

As a result of our Preliminary Determination and pursuant to section 703(d)(1)(B) and (d)(2) of the Act, we instructed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to suspend liquidation of entries of subject merchandise as described in the scope of the investigation section entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of the Preliminary Determination in the Federal Register . In accordance with section 703(d) of the Act, we issued instructions to CBP to discontinue the suspension of liquidation for CVD purposes for subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, on or after August 31, 2019, but to continue the suspension of liquidation of all entries from May 3, 2019 through August 30, 2019.

If the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issues a final affirmative injury determination, we will issue a CVD order, reinstate the suspension of liquidation under section 706(a) of the Act, and require a cash deposit of estimated countervailing duties for such entries of subject merchandise in the amounts indicated above. If the ITC determines that material injury, or threat of material injury, does not exist, this proceeding will be terminated, and all estimated duties deposited or securities posted as a result of the suspension of liquidation will be refunded or canceled.

In accordance with section 705(d) of the Act, we will notify the ITC of our determination. In addition, we are making available to the ITC all non-privileged and non-proprietary information related to this investigation. We will allow the ITC access to all privileged and business proprietary information in our files, provided the ITC confirms that it will not disclose such information, either publicly or under an administrative protective order (APO), without the written consent of the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

In the event that the ITC issues a final negative injury determination, this notice will serve as the only reminder to parties subject to an APO of their responsibility concerning the destruction of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3). Timely written notification of the return/destruction of APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and terms of an APO is a violation which is subject to sanction.

This determination is issued and published pursuant to sections 705(d) and 777(i) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(c).

Background

On July 1, 2019, Commerce published in the Federal Register its preliminary affirmative determination in the LTFV investigation of yarn from China and invited parties to comment. 1 A summary of the events that occurred since Commerce published the Preliminary Determination may be found in the Issues and Decision Memorandum. 2

The Issues and Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at http://access.trade.gov and to all parties in the Central Records Unit, Room B8024 of the main Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Issues and Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed and electronic versions of the Issues and Decision Memorandum are identical in content.

The period of investigation is April 1, 2018 through September 30, 2018.

The product covered by this investigation is polyester textured yarn from China. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix I.

During the course of this investigation and the concurrent countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of yarn from China, and concurrent antidumping duty (AD) and CVD investigations of yarn from India, certain interested parties commented on the scope of the investigations as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. 3 Commerce addressed these comments in the Preliminary Determination, wherein Commerce preliminarily modified the scope language as it appeared in the Initiation Notice to exclude bulk continuous filament yarn. 4 No interested parties commented on the preliminary exclusion of bulk continuous filament yarn. Thus, we have made no changes to the scope language from the Preliminary Determination with regard to bulk continuous filament yarn.

In the Preliminary Determination, we also noted that, on May 2, 2019, the petitioners  5 requested that Commerce include an additional Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheading in the scope language. 6 We stated our intent to address this request in the final determinations of this and the above-referenced concurrent investigations. Specifically, the petitioners requested that Commerce add HTSUS 5402.52.00 covering twisted yarn to the scope of the investigations. 7 As no interested parties rebutted the petitioners' request to add this HTSUS subheading, and Commerce finds the petitioners' request is reasonable, we have revised the scope of the investigations to include HTSUS 5402.52.00. See Appendix I for the final scope of the investigation.

On April 18, 2019, Commerce issued its preliminary determination that critical circumstances exist for imports from all producers and exporters of yarn from China. 8 In accordance with section 733(e)(2)(A) of the Act, the suspension of liquidation shall apply to unliquidated entries from all exporters and producers of yarn from China that were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date which is 90 days before the publication of the Preliminary Determination, April 2, 2019. 9 For this final determination, we continue to find that critical circumstances exist for all imports of yarn from China, pursuant to section 735(a)(3) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.206.

All issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs that were submitted by parties in this investigation are addressed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum. A list of the issues addressed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum is attached to this notice at Appendix II.

For the final determination, we continue to find that the China-wide entity, which includes certain Chinese exporters and/or producers that did not respond to Commerce's requests for information, failed to provide necessary information, failed to provide information in a timely manner, and significantly impeded the proceeding. Commerce continues to rely upon facts otherwise available, with adverse inferences (AFA), for the China-wide entity pursuant to sections 776(a) and (b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). The China-wide entity includes each of the following companies selected for individual examination: Fujian Zhengqi Hi-tech Fiber Technology Co., Ltd; Suzhou Shenghong Fiber Co., Ltd.; and the single entity comprising Fujian Billion Polymerization Fiber Technology Industrial Co., Ltd. and its affiliate Fujian Baikai Textile Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. As AFA, we continue to assign the highest margin alleged in the Petition of 77.15 percent. 10

For the final determination, we continue to find that one exporter, Jiangsu Hengli Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. (Hengli), which was not selected for individual examination in this investigation, demonstrated eligibility for a separate rate. In the Preliminary Determination, we stated that, because none of the mandatory respondents received a separate rate and we determined the China-wide rate based on AFA, we looked to section 735(c)(5)(B) of the Act for guidance and, consistent with that provision, used “any reasonable method” to determine the rate for exporters that are not being individually examined and found to be entitled to a separate rate. As “any reasonable method,” we found it appropriate to assign the simple average of the Petition rates ( i.e., 76.07 percent)  11 to Hengli, the separate rate applicant not individually examined, consistent with our practice. 12 For the final determination, we continue to find the method applied in the Preliminary Determination to be the most reasonable, and thus, continue to assign the simple average of the Petition rates to Hengli.

As explained in the Initiation Notice and implemented in the Preliminary Determination, we have continued to calculate producer/exporter combination rates for the respondents that are eligible for a separate rate. 13 Policy Bulletin 05.1 describes this practice. 14

The final estimated dumping margins are as follows:

As we stated in the Preliminary Determination, because Commerce has continued to apply AFA to the China-wide entity, of which mandatory respondents are a part, in accordance with section 776 of the Act, and the applied AFA rate is based solely on the Petition, and the rate assigned to the sole separate rate company was a simple average of the Petition rates, there are no calculations to disclose. 16

In accordance with section 735(c)(1)(B) of the Act, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to continue to suspend liquidation of all appropriate entries of yarn from China, as described in Appendix I, from the separate rate company, Hengli, and the China-wide entity, and, in accordance with section 735(c)(4) of the Act, because we continue to find that critical circumstances exist, we will instruct CBP to continue to suspend liquidation of all appropriate entries of yarn from China which were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after April 2, 2019, which is 90 days prior to the date of publication of the Preliminary Determination in the Federal Register .

To determine the cash deposit rate, Commerce normally adjusts the estimated weighted-average dumping margin by the amount of domestic subsidy pass-through and export subsidies determined in a companion CVD proceeding when CVD provisional measures are in effect. Accordingly, where Commerce makes an affirmative determination for domestic subsidy pass-through or export subsidies, Commerce offsets the calculated estimated weighted-average dumping margin by the appropriate rate(s). We have made an affirmative final determination for export subsidies for certain respondents and all others in the companion CVD investigation. 17 However, suspension of liquidation for provisional measures in the companion CVD case has been discontinued; therefore, we are not instructing CBP to collect cash deposits based upon the adjustment for those export subsidies at this time.

Pursuant to section 735(c)(1)(B)(ii) of the Act, Commerce will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the weighted-average amount by which normal value exceeds U.S. price as follows: (1) The cash deposit rate for the exporter/producer combination listed in the table above will be the rate identified for that combination in the table; (2) for all combinations of exporters/producers of merchandise under consideration that have not received their own separate rate above, the cash-deposit rate will be the cash deposit rate established for the China-wide entity; and (3) for all non-Chinese exporters of the merchandise under consideration which have not received their own separate rate above, the cash-deposit rate will be the cash deposit rate applicable to the Chinese exporter/producer combination that supplied that non-Chinese exporter. These suspension of liquidation instructions will remain in effect until further notice.

In accordance with section 735(d) of the Act, we will notify the International Trade Commission (ITC) of the final affirmative determination of sales at LTFV. Because Commerce's final determination is affirmative, in accordance with section 735(b)(2) of the Act, the ITC will make its final determination as to whether the domestic industry in the United States is materially injured, or threatened with material injury, by reason of imports or sales (or the likelihood of sales) for importation of yarn from China, no later than 45 days after this final determination. If the ITC determines that such injury does not exist, this proceeding will be terminated and all cash deposits posted will be refunded. If the ITC determines that such injury does exist, Commerce will issue an antidumping duty order directing CBP to assess, upon further instruction by Commerce, antidumping duties on all imports of yarn from China entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the effective date of the suspension of liquidation, as discussed above in the “Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation” section.

This notice will serve as a final reminder to the parties subject to administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility concerning the disposition of propriety information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305. Timely written notification of return or destruction of APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and terms of an APO is a sanctionable violation.

This determination is issued and published pursuant to sections 735(d) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(c).

The Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils, in conjunction with NOAA Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions have implemented the Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) process, a multi-step method for determining the status of fish stocks in the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a multi-step process including: (1) Data Workshop, (2) a series of assessment webinars, and (3) a Review Workshop. The product of the Data Workshop is a report that compiles and evaluates potential datasets and recommends which datasets are appropriate for assessment analyses. The assessment webinars produce a report that describes the fisheries, evaluates the status of the stock, estimates biological benchmarks, projects future population conditions, and recommends research and monitoring needs. The product of the Review Workshop is an Assessment Summary documenting panel opinions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the stock assessment and input data. Participants for SEDAR Workshops are appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils and NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, HMS Management Division, and Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Participants include data collectors and database managers; stock assessment scientists, biologists, and researchers; constituency representatives including fishermen, environmentalists, and NGO's; International experts; and staff of Councils, Commissions, and state and federal agencies.

The items of discussion during the Assessment Webinar are as follows:

1. Using datasets and initial assessment analysis recommended from the data workshop, panelists will employ assessment models to evaluate stock status, estimate population benchmarks and management criteria, and project future conditions.

2. Participants will recommend the most appropriate methods and configurations for determining stock status and estimating population parameters.

Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. Action will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the intent to take final action to address the emergency.

The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office (see ADDRESSES ) at least 5 business days prior to each workshop.

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) was established by Public Law 109-430 on December 20, 2006, and reauthorized by Public Law 113-86 on March 6, 2014 and Public Law 115-423 on January 7, 2019 , with a mandate to provide an effective drought early warning system for the United States; coordinate, and integrate as practicable, Federal research in support of a drought early warning system; and build upon existing forecasting and assessment programs and partnerships. See 15 U.S.C. 313d. The Public Law also calls for consultation with “relevant Federal, regional, State, tribal, and local government agencies, research institutions, and the private sector” in the development of NIDIS. 15 U.S.C. 313d(c). The NIDIS Executive Council provides the NIDIS Program Office with an opportunity to engage in individual consultation with senior resource officials from NIDIS's Federal partners, as well as leaders from state and local government, academia, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector.

Status: This meeting will be open to public participation. Individuals interested in attending should register at https://cpaess.ucar.edu/meetings/2019/fall-2019-nidis-executive-council-meeting. Please refer to this web page for the most up-to-date meeting times and agenda. Seating at the meeting will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Special Accommodations: This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for special accommodations may be directed no later than 12:00 p.m. on November 26, 2018, to Elizabeth Ossowski, Program Coordinator, David Skaggs Research Center, Room GD102, 325 Broadway, Boulder CO 80305; Email: Elizabeth.Ossowski@noaa.gov.

Matters To Be Considered: The meeting will include the following topics: (1) NIDIS implementation updates and 2019/2020 priorities, (2) Executive Council member updates and 2019/2020 priorities, (3) Outcomes from the 2019 National Drought Forum, including Priority Actions where NIDIS and partners have a critical role to play, (4) Development of the reinsurance industry's resilience solutions, (5) the U.S. Drought Portal 2020 Re-launch, (6) Opportunities related to the U.S. Drought Monitor and National Soil Moisture Network strategy, and (7) the National Drought Resilience Partnership.

The order of business may be adjusted as necessary to accommodate the completion of agenda items. The meeting will begin on December 10, 2019 at 9 a.m. Other than the start time, interested parties should be aware that discussions may start earlier or later than indicated. In addition, the meeting may be extended from, or completed prior to the date established in this notice.

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. For more information or request for sign language interpretation and other auxiliary aids, please contact Mr. Miguel A. Rolón, Executive Director, Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 270 Muñoz Rivera Avenue, Suite 401, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918-1903, telephone: (787) 766-5926, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

This collection covers information from patent applicants who seek to deposit biological materials as part of a patent application. The information collected from such patent applicants consists of information and documentation demonstrating the applicant's compliance with regulatory requirements, as well as information regarding the biological sample after it is deposited. This collection also covers applications from institutions that wish to be recognized by the USPTO as a suitable depository to receive deposits for patent purposes. The information collection requirements for these actions are separate, as further discussed below.

The deposit of biological materials as part of a patent application is authorized by 35 U.S.C. 2(b)(2). The term “biological material” is defined in 37 CFR 1.801 as including material that is capable of self-replication, either directly or indirectly. When an invention involves a biological material, sometimes words and figures are not sufficient to satisfy the statutory requirement for patentability under 35 U.S.C. 112 (every patent must contain a description of the invention sufficient to enable a person (knowledgeable in the relevant science), to make and use the invention as specified by 35 U.S.C. 112). In such cases, the required biological material must either be: (1) Known and readily available (neither condition alone is sufficient) or (2) deposited in a suitable depository that has been recognized as an International Depositary Authority (IDA) established under the Budapest Treaty, or a depository recognized by the USPTO to meet the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112. Under the authority of 35 U.S.C. 2(b)(2), the deposit rules (37 CFR 1.801-1.809) set forth examining procedures and conditions of deposit which must be satisfied in the event a deposit is required. The rules do not address the substantive issue of whether a deposit is required under any particular set of facts.

In cases where a deposit is necessary, the USPTO collects information to determine whether the depositor is in compliance with the deposit rules. This includes statements proving notification to the interested public on where to obtain samples of the deposits and confirming that all restriction on access to the deposit will be irrevocably removed upon issuance of the patent. A viability statement also must be submitted to the USPTO showing that the biological material was tested by the depository or another, the conditions of the test, and that it is a viable or acceptable deposit. A viability statement is not required when a deposit is made and accepted under the Budapest Treaty.

This collection also covers additional information that may be gathered by the USPTO after a biological material is deposited into the recognized depository. For example, depositors may be required to submit verification statements for biological materials deposited after the effective filing date of a patent application or written notification that an acceptable deposit will be made. Occasionally a deposit may be lost, contaminated, or otherwise is not able to self-replicate, and a replacement or supplemental deposit needs to be made. In that event, this collection covers the requirement that the depositor submit a written notification to the USPTO concerning the particulars of the situation and request a certificate of correction by the USPTO authorizing the replacement or supplemental deposit.

There are no forms associated with the information collected by the USPTO in connection with the deposit of biological materials.

Institutions that wish to be recognized by the USPTO as a suitable depository to receive deposits for patent purposes, are required by 37 CFR 1.803 to make a request demonstrating that they are qualified to store and test the biological materials submitted to them under patent applications. This collection covers the information gathered in the request to allow the USPTO to evaluate whether such an institution has demonstrated that its internal practices (both technical and administrative) and the technical ability of the staff and the facility are sufficient to protect the integrity of the biological materials being stored. For example, this collection covers documentation from depositories that verifies that their practices and procedures, the technical competence of their staff, and their facilities fulfill the stringent requirements spelled out under the rules.

This collection also covers additional information gathered by the USPTO that may be needed after a depository has been recognized by the USPTO. For example, this collection covers requests to handle additional types of biological materials other than the material originally recognized, and viability statements that depositories may submit (on behalf of depositors) for deposits tested at the depository and/or documentation proving the public has been notified about where to obtain samples.

There is no application form associated with requests to become a recognized depository.

By mail, hand delivery, or electronically to the USPTO.

OMB Number: 0651-0022.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits; and not-for-profit institutions.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 951 responses per year. The USPTO estimates that approximately 3% (28) of these responses will be from small entities.

Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take the public 1 hour to gather the necessary information, prepare the appropriate form or documents, and submit the information to the USPTO for a deposit of biological materials. The USPTO estimates that it will take the average depository seeking approval to store biological materials approximately 5 hours to collect and submit the necessary approval information.

Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 955 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $33,021. The USPTO estimates a professional hourly rate of $34.40 for a senior administrative assistant (BLS rate; 43-1011 First Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers) to collect and submit the deposit information. The USPTO expects that the average depository seeking approval to store biological material will be prepared by attorneys at an estimated rate of $68.22 (BLS rate; 23-1011 Lawyers) per hour. Therefore, the USPTO estimates that the respondent cost burden for this collection will be approximately $33,021 per year.

Estimated Total Annual Non-hour Respondent Cost Burden: $2,823,236. There are no maintenance costs, recordkeeping costs, or filing fees associated with this information collection. However, this collection has annual (non-hour) costs in the form of capital start-up and postage costs.

Depositories charge fees to depositors; all depositories charge about the same rates for their services. For example, the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), one of the world's leading biological supply houses and recognized patent depositories, offers comprehensive patent services for $2,500 per deposit. Most deposits received from outside the United States require an import permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as well as a Public Health Service (PHS) permit, available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for importation of agents infectious to humans. There is no extra charge for this permit application processing. The USPTO estimates that the total non-hour respondent cost burden in the form of capital start-up costs amounts to $2,375,000.

In addition, this collection has postage costs. Biological deposits are generally shipped to the depository “Domestic Overnight” by Federal Express (FedEx) and, since depositors are urged to supply frozen or freeze-dried material, it must be packed in dry ice according to a representative from the Patent Department at ATCC. Dry ice itself is considered a dangerous good and requires special packaging. Additional FedEx special handling charges for inaccessible dangerous goods shipments of $40 per shipment apply for temperature-sensitive biological materials and also for the dry ice. An average cost for shipping by FedEx “Domestic Overnight” is estimated to be $75. If the shipment requires pick-up by FedEx, there is an additional charge of $4. Special packaging is also required for these shipments. According to DG Supplies Inc., a supplier of infectious and diagnostic goods packaging, the average cost of frozen infectious shippers is estimated to be $352.82 per package for specimen shipments requiring refrigeration or dry ice. Therefore, postage costs average $471.82 per shipment. The postage cost for a depository seeking recognition is estimated to be $7.65, sent to the USPTO by USPS Priority Mail legal flat rate envelope.

The USPTO estimates that the (non-hour) respondent cost burden in the form of mailing costs amounts to $448,236.

Therefore, the USPTO estimates that the total (non-hour) respondent cost burden for this collection in the form of capital start-up costs and postage costs is $2,823,236.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public record.

USPTO invites public comments on:

(a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(b) Accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, e.g., including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

The patent term restoration portion of the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 (Pub. L. 98-417), which is codified at 35 U.S.C. 156, permits the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to extend the term of protection under a patent to compensate for delay during regulatory review and approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or Department of Agriculture. Only patents for drug products, medical devices, food additives, or color additives are potentially eligible for extension. The maximum length that a patent may be extended under 35 U.S.C. 156 is five years. The USPTO administers 35 U.S.C. 156 through 37 CFR 1.710-1.791.

This collection covers information gathered in patent term extension applications submitted under 35 U.S.C. 156(d). Under this provision, an application for patent term extension must identify the approved product; the patent to be extended; and the claims included in the patent that cover the approved product, a method of using the approved product, or a method of manufacturing the approved product. 35 U.S.C. 156(d) also requires the application for patent term extension to provide a brief description of the activities undertaken by the applicant during the regulatory review period with respect to the approved product and the significant dates of these activities.

This collection also covers information gathered in requests for interim extensions pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 156(e). Under this provision an interim extension may be granted if the term of an eligible patent for which an application for patent term extension has been submitted would expire before a certificate of extension is issued. Under 35 U.S.C. 156(d)(5), an interim extension may be granted if the applicable regulatory review period that began for a product is reasonably expected to extend beyond the expiration of the patent term in effect. In addition, this collection covers requests for review of final eligibility decisions, and to withdraw an application requesting a patent term extension after it is submitted.

Separate from the extension provisions of 35 U.S.C. 156, the USPTO may in some cases extend the term of an original patent under the provisions at 35 U.S.C. 154 due to certain delays in the prosecution of the patent application, including delays caused by interference proceedings, secrecy orders, or appellate review by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a Federal court in which the patent is issued pursuant to a decision reversing an adverse determination of patentability. The USPTO administers 35 U.S.C. 154 through 37 CFR 1.701-1.705. The patent term provisions of 35 U.S.C. 154(b), as amended by Title IV, Subtitle D of the Intellectual Property and Communications Omnibus Reform Act of 1999, allow the applicant an opportunity to request reconsideration of the USPTO's patent term adjustment determination. This collection covers information gathered in such a request. In addition, this collection covers instances when the USPTO may reduce the amount of patent term adjustment granted if delays were caused by an applicant's failure to make a reasonable effort to respond within three months of the mailing date of a communication from the USPTO. Applicants may petition for reinstatement of a reduction in patent term adjustment with a showing that, in spite of all due care, the applicant was unable to respond to a communication from the USPTO within the three-month period.

The information in this collection is used by the USPTO to consider whether an applicant is eligible for a patent term extension or reconsideration of a patent term adjustment and, if so, to determine the length of the patent term extension or adjustment.

By mail, facsimile, hand delivery, or electronically to the USPTO.

OMB Number: 0651-0020.

IC Instruments and Forms: There are no forms associated with this collection.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits; not-for-profit institutions.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 620 responses per year. The USPTO estimates that approximately 25% (155) of these responses will be from small entities.

Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take the public from 1 to 25 hours, depending on the complexity of the situation, to gather the necessary information, prepare the appropriate documents, and submit the information to the USPTO.

Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 4,102 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Respondent (Hourly) Cost Burden: $1,796,676.00. The USPTO expects that attorneys will complete these applications. The professional hourly rate for intellectual property attorneys is $438. The attorney rates are found in the 2017 Report of the Economic Survey of the America Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA). Using this hourly rate, the USPTO estimates that the total respondent cost burden for this collection is $1,796,676.00 per year.

Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) Respondent Cost Burden: $209,488. There are no capital startup, maintenance, or operating fees associated with this collection. There are, however, annual (non-hour) costs in the form of postage costs and fees.

There are filing fees associated with this collection. The items with filing fees are listed in the table below.

I. Abstract

The Patent Law Treaties Implementation Act of 2012 (PLTIA) amended the patent laws to implement the provisions of the Patent Law Treaty (PLT) in title II. PLT Article 13 provides for the restoration of the right of priority where there is a failure to timely claim priority to the prior application, and also where there is a failure to file the subsequent application within twelve months of the filing date of the priority application. Section 201(c) of the PLTIA amended 35 U.S.C. 119 to provide that the twelve month periods set forth in 35 U.S.C. 119(a) and (e) may be extended by an additional two months if the delay in filing an application claiming priority to a foreign application or the benefit of a provisional application within that twelve-month period was unintentional. In December 2013, the USPTO revised its rules of practice for consistency with the PLT and title II of the PLTIA.

The information in this collection is necessary so that patent applicants and/or patentees may seek restoration of the right of priority to a prior-filed foreign application or of the right to the benefit of a prior-filed provisional application. The USPTO will use the petition to restore the right of priority to a prior-filed foreign application or the right to the benefit of a prior-filed provisional application to determine whether the applicant has satisfied the conditions of the applicable statute (35 U.S.C. 119) and regulation (37 CFR 1.55(c) or 1.78(b)).

The information in this collection can be submitted electronically through EFS-Web, the USPTO's Web-based electronic filing system, as well as on paper. The USPTO is therefore accounting for both electronic and paper submissions in this collection.

Electronically if applicants submit the information using EFS-Web. By mail or hand delivery in paper form.

OMB Number: 0651-0073.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Individuals or households; businesses or other for-profits; and not-for-profit institutions.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 650 responses per year. The USPTO estimates that 120 responses will be received from small entities.

Estimated Time per Response: Approximately 99% of the total responses for this collection will be submitted electronically. The USPTO estimates it will take approximately 60 minutes (1 hour) to complete the information in this collection, including the time it takes for reading the instructions for the forms, gathering the necessary information, completing the forms, and submitting them to the USPTO. The time per response, estimated annual responses, and estimated annual hour burden associated with each instrument in this collection are shown in the table below.

Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 650 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Respondent (Hourly) Cost Burden: $284,700.00. The USPTO expects that attorneys in private firms will complete these applications. The professional hourly rate for intellectual property attorneys is $438. The attorney rates are found in the 2017 Report of the Economic Survey of the America Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA). Using this hourly rate, the USPTO estimates that the total respondent cost burden for this collection is $284,700.00 per year.

Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) Respondent Cost Burden: $1,130,076.50, based on filing fees and postage costs.

There are filing fees associated with this collection. The items with filing fees are listed in the table below.

The USPTO estimates that the total non-hour cost burden associated with the filing fees for this collection will be $1,130,000.00

Customers may incur postage costs when submitting items covered by this collection to the USPTO by mail. The USPTO expects that approximately 99 percent of the responses in this collection will be submitted electronically. Of the remaining 1 percent, the vast majority (98%) will be submitted by mail, for a total of 10 mailed submissions.

The average USPS Priority Mail postage cost for a legal flat rate envelop is estimated to be $7.65. The USPTO estimates that the postage costs for the mailed submissions in this collection will total $76.50.

Therefore, the USPTO estimates that the total annual (non-hour) cost burden for this collection, in the form of fees and postage is $1,130,076.50 per year.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public record.

USPTO invites public comments on:

(a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(b) Accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, e.g, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Under the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. “Collection of Information” is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3 and includes agency requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, the CFTC is publishing notice of the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Title: Exemptions from Speculative Limits (OMB Control No. 3038-0013). This is a request for an extension of a currently approved information collection.

Abstract: Commission rule 150.4 provides that all persons holding a greater than 10 percent ownership or equity interest in another entity can avail themselves of an exemption in rule 150.4(b)(2) to disaggregate the positions of the owned entity. To claim the exemption, a person needs to meet certain criteria and file a notice with the Commission in accordance with the provisions of the rule. The rules establish reporting and recordkeeping requirements. Rule 150.4(b)(2) (would establish an exemption for a person to disaggregate the positions of a separately organized entity); 150.4(b)(5) (would expand the exemption for independent account controllers to include additional eligible participants); and 150.4(b)(8) (provides an exemption from aggregation where the sharing of information between persons would cause either person to violate federal law).

With respect to the collection of information, the CFTC invites comments on:

• Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information will have a practical use;

• The accuracy of the Commission's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

• Ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

• Ways to minimize the burden of collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology; e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

All comments must be submitted in English, or if not, accompanied by an English translation. Comments will be posted as received to http://www.cftc.gov. You should submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. If you wish the Commission to consider information that you believe is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, a petition for confidential treatment of the exempt information may be submitted according to the procedures established in § 145.9 of the Commission's regulations. 1

The Commission reserves the right, but shall have no obligation, to review, pre-screen, filter, redact, refuse or remove any or all of your submission from http://www.cftc.gov that it may deem to be inappropriate for publication, such as obscene language. All submissions that have been redacted or removed that contain comments on the merits of the Information Collection Request will be retained in the public comment file and will be considered as required under the Administrative Procedure Act and other applicable laws, and may be accessible under the Freedom of Information Act.

Burden Statement: The Commission's burden estimate for this collection remains unchanged. The respondent burden for this collection is estimated to be as follows:

Estimated Number of Respondents: 240.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 340.

Estimated Average Burden Hours per Response: 20.15.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 6,850.

Frequency of Collection: Once.

There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection.

The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Lender's Request for Payment of Interest and Special Allowance—LaRS.

OMB Control Number: 1845-0013.

Type of Review: An extension of an existing information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Private Sector.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 2,175.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 4,241.

Abstract: The Department of Education (the Department) is submitting the Lender's Interest and Special Allowance Request & Report, ED Form 799 for approval. The information collected on the ED Form 799 is needed to pay interest and special allowance to holders of Federal Family Education Loans, for internal financial reporting, budgetary projections, and for audit and lender reviews by the Department, Servicers, External Auditors and General Accounting Office (GAO).

The legal authority for collecting this information is Title IV, Part B of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (“the HERA”), (Pub. L. 109-171). The Department is requesting the continual approval for regulatory sections 682.304 and 682.414.

The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Student Assistance General Provisions—Subpart K—Cash Management.

OMB Control Number: 1845-0038.

Type of Review: An extension of an existing information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Private Sector; State, Local, and Tribal Governments; Individuals or Households.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 22,225,738.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,011,358.

Abstract: This request is for an extension to the current information collection 1845-0038 that is expiring. This collection pertains to the recordkeeping requirements contained in the regulations related to the administration of the Subpart K—Cash Management section of the Student Assistance General Provisions. The regulatory language has not changed. These program regulations are designed to provide benefits to Title IV, HEA applicants, and protect the taxpayers' interest. The information collection requirements in these regulations are necessary to provide students with required information about their eligibility to receive funding under the federal student financial aid programs and to prevent fraud and abuse of program funds by allowing students to reduce or reject aid being offered as well as being made aware of when such funding can be expected to be available.

This RFI seeks feedback on technologies to integrate and demonstrate advanced supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) Brayton power cycles that are indirectly heated via thermal energy storage at a turbine inlet temperature (TIT) range between 550 and 630 °C. This request is focused on accelerating the commercialization of sCO2 power cycles that are appropriate for near-term integration with concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP), at temperatures that do not require significant de-risking of the cost and performance of novel materials. The RFI DE-FOA-0002182 is available at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ .

Pursuant to 10 CFR 1004.11, any person submitting information that he or she believes to be confidential and exempt by law from public disclosure should submit via email two well marked copies: One copy of the document marked “confidential” including all the information believed to be confidential, and one copy of the document marked “non-confidential” with the information believed to be confidential deleted. DOE will make its own determination about the confidential status of the information and treat it according to its determination.

Factors of interest to DOE when evaluating requests to treat submitted information as confidential include: (1) A description of the items; (2) whether and why such items are customarily treated as confidential within the industry; (3) whether the information is generally known by or available from other sources; (4) whether the information has previously been made available to others without obligation concerning its confidentiality; (5) an explanation of the competitive injury to the submitting person that would result from public disclosure; (6) when such information might lose its confidential character due to the passage of time; and (7) why disclosure of the information would be contrary to the public interest.

Background: The EFAB is an EPA advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. 2, to provide advice and recommendations to the EPA on innovative approaches to financing environmental programs, projects and activities. Administrative support for the EFAB is provided by the Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center within EPA's Office of Water. The Board was established in 1989 to provide advice and recommendations to the EPA on the following issues: Reducing the cost of financing environmental facilities and discouraging polluting behavior; creating incentives to increase private investment in the provision of environmental services and removing or reducing constraints on private involvement imposed by current regulations; developing new and innovative environmental financing approaches and supporting and encouraging the use of cost-effective existing approaches; identifying approaches specifically targeted to small/disadvantaged community financing; increasing the capacity of state and local governments to carry out their respective environmental programs under current Federal tax laws; analyzing how new technologies can be brought to market expeditiously; and increasing the total investment in environmental protection of public and private environmental resources to help ease the environmental financing challenge facing our nation.

The Board meets in-person two times each calendar year (two days per meeting) at different locations within the continental United States. In addition to the bi-annual meetings, teleconference meetings may be held during the year to ensure timely completion of the Board's work. Board members typically contribute approximately 5 to 8 hours per month to the activities of the Board. Members serve on the Board without compensation; however, Board members may receive travel and per diem allowances where appropriate and in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations.

Members are appointed to represent the perspective of specific organizations, associations or groups of persons (Representative members) or to provide their individual expertise (Special Government Employee, or SGE, members).

Candidates invited to serve as SGE members will be asked to submit the “Confidential Financial Disclosure Form for Environmental Protection Agency Special Government Employees” (EPA Form 3110-48). This confidential form allows the EPA to determine whether there is a statutory conflict between that person's public responsibilities as an SGE member and private interests and activities, or the appearance of a loss of impartiality as defined by Federal regulation. The form may be viewed at https://www.epa.gov/waterfinancecenter/efab, but this form should not be submitted as part of a nomination.

Experience and Expertise Sought for the EFAB: The Board seeks to maintain diverse representation across all workforce sectors (local/state/tribal government, business (industry and finance), and nonprofit organizations) and geographic regions of the United States. Nominees should demonstrate experience in environmental finance and/or reducing the cost of financing environmental protection in various environmental media (water, land and air). Experience and expertise sought include, but are not limited to, the following areas: Brownfields; commercial banking; energy efficiency; environmental and financial resiliency; infrastructure financing; insurance markets; local utility management and finance; public-public and public-private partnerships; regulators; resource conservation; sustainable community partnerships; and water and wastewater utility financial management.

EPA values and welcomes diversity. In an effort to obtain nominations of diverse candidates, EPA encourages nominations of women and men of all racial and ethnic groups. In addition to this notice, other sources may be utilized in the solicitation of nominees. The deadline for receiving nominations is Monday, January 6, 2020. Appointments will be made by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and will be announced in June 2020. Nominee qualifications will be assessed under the mandates of the FACA, which requires that committees be balanced in terms of the points of view represented and the functions to be performed; for the Board, this balance includes diversity across a broad range of constituencies, sectors and groups.

How to Submit Nominations: Any interested person or organization may nominate qualified persons to be considered for appointment to the EFAB. Individuals may self-nominate. Nominations should be submitted via email to sanzone.stephanie@epa.gov (preferred) or mailed to the address above. Nominations should include the following information: Contact information for the person making the nomination; contact information for the nominee (if different), including full name and title, business mailing address, telephone and email address; the specific areas of experience or expertise of the nominee; the nominee's curriculum vitae or resume; and a biographical sketch of the nominee indicating current position and recent service on other national advisory committees or national professional organizations. A supporting letter of endorsement is encouraged, but not required.

Evaluation Criteria: The following criteria will be used to evaluate nominees: Residence in the continental United States; professional knowledge of, and experience with, environmental financing activities; senior level-experience that fills a gap in Board representation or brings a new and relevant dimension to its deliberations; demonstrated ability to work in a consensus-building process with a wide range of representatives from diverse constituencies; and willingness to serve a two or three-year term as an active and contributing member, with possible re-appointment to a second term. Under EPA policy, members of EPA advisory committees may not be in receipt of (or reap substantial direct benefit from) an EPA grant; this policy does not apply to state, tribal or local government agency recipients of EPA grants.

Background: The EFAB is an EPA advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C., App. 2, to provide advice and recommendations to EPA on innovative approaches to funding environmental programs, projects, and activities. Administrative support for the EFAB is provided by the Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center (WIRFC) within EPA's Office of Water. Pursuant to FACA and EPA policy, notice is hereby given that the EFAB Stormwater Infrastructure Taskforce will hold two public teleconferences to develop advice and recommendations to the EPA on stormwater funding and financing options throughout the country. The EFAB report will include a description of current approaches to funding stormwater infrastructure in each state, challenges to affordability of the infrastructure based on the type of funding, and gaps for sustainable operations and maintenance for stormwater infrastructure projects.

Availability of Meeting Materials: A meeting agenda and other materials for the meeting will be available on the EFAB website at https://www.epa.gov/waterfinancecenter/efab.

Procedures for Providing Public Input: Public comment for consideration by EPA's federal advisory committees has a different purpose from public comment provided to EPA program offices. Therefore, the process for submitting comments to a federal advisory committee is different from the process used to submit comments to an EPA program office. Federal advisory committees provide independent advice to the EPA. Members of the public can submit comments on matters being considered by the EFAB for consideration by members as they develop their advice and recommendations to the EPA.

Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting an oral presentation at a public teleconference will be limited to three minutes. Persons interested in providing oral statements at the December 4, 2019 teleconference should contact Ellen Tarquinio in writing (preferably via email) at the contact information noted above by November 27, 2019 to be placed on the list of registered speakers. Persons interested in providing oral statements at the December 18, 2019, teleconference should contact Ellen Tarquinio in writing (preferably via email) at the contact information noted above by December 12, 2019 to be placed on the list of registered speakers.

Written Statements: Written statements for the December 4, 2019 teleconference should be received by WIRFC by November 27, 2019 so that the information can be made available to the EFAB workgroup for its consideration prior to the meeting. Written statements for the December 18, 2019 teleconference should be received by WIRFC by December 12, 2019 so that the information can be made available to the EFAB workgroup for its consideration prior to the meeting Written statements should be sent via email to waterfinancecenter@epa.gov (preferred) or in hard copy with original signature to the EFAB mailing address above. Members of the public should be aware that their personal contact information, if included in any written comments, may be posted to the EFAB website. Copyrighted material will not be posted without explicit permission of the copyright holder.

Accessibility: For information on access or services for individuals with disabilities, or to request accommodations for a disability, please contact Tara Johnson at (202) 564-6186 or johnson.tara@epa.gov at least 10 business days prior to the meeting to allow as much time as possible to process your request.

On September 19, 2019, EPA published in the Federal Register (84 FR 49293) proposed changes and clarifications to its Water Quality Trading Policy of 2003. These policy changes and clarifications are intended to increase flexibility and efficiency in state water quality trading programs, specifically in the area of establishing baselines for nonpoint sources subject to a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).

The document, as initially published in the Federal Register , provided for written comments to be submitted to EPA on or before November 18, 2019 (a 60-day public comment period). Since publication, EPA has received a request for additional time to submit comments. EPA is extending the public comment period for 30 days until December 18, 2019.

The meeting will be held on December 10, 2019, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room of the Federal Communications Commission, Room TW-C305, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554.

The CSRIC is a Federal Advisory Committee that will provide recommendations to the FCC to improve the security, reliability, and interoperability of communications systems. On March 15, 2019, the FCC, pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, renewed the charter for CSRIC VII for a period of two years through March 14, 2021. The meeting on December 10, 2019, will be the third meeting of CSRIC VII under the current charter. The FCC will attempt to accommodate as many attendees as possible; however, admittance will be limited to seating availability. The Commission will provide audio and/or video coverage of the meeting over the internet from the FCC's web page at http://www.fcc.gov/live. The public may submit written comments before the meeting to Suzon Cameron, CSRIC Designated Federal Officer, by email suzon.cameron@fcc.gov or U.S. Postal Service Mail to Suzon Cameron, Senior Attorney, Cybersecurity and Communications Reliability Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street SW, Room 7-B458, Washington, DC 20554.

Open captioning will be provided for this event. Other reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Requests for such accommodations should be submitted via email to fcc504@fcc.gov or by calling the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (tty). Such requests should include a detailed description of the accommodation needed. In addition, please include a way the FCC can contact you if it needs more information. Please allow at least five days' advance notice; last-minute requests will be accepted but may be impossible to fill.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the FCC invited the general public and other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection. Comments are requested concerning: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimates; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4), the FCC seeks specific comment on how it might “further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.”

OMB Control Number: 3060-1053.

Title: Misuse of internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS); Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CG Docket Nos. 13-24 and 03-123.

Form Number: N/A.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities.

Number of Respondents and Responses: 372,010 respondents; 1,218,242 responses.

Estimated Time per Response: 0.1 hours (6 minutes) to 40 hours.

Frequency of Response: Annual, every five years, monthly, and ongoing reporting requirements; Recordkeeping requirements; Third party disclosure requirements.

Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The statutory authority for the information collection requirements is found at Sec. 225 [47 U.S.C. 225] Telecommunications Services for Hearing-Impaired Individuals; The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, (ADA), Public Law 101-336, 104 Stat. 327, 366-69, enacted on July 26, 1990.

Total Annual Burden: 653,820 hours.

Total Annual Cost: $86,000.

Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Confidentiality is an issue to the extent that individuals and households provide personally identifiable information, which is covered under the FCC's updated system of records notice (SORN), FCC/CGB-4, “internet-based Telecommunications Relay Service-User Registration Database (ITRS-URD).” As required by the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a, the Commission also published a SORN, FCC/CGB-4 “internet-based Telecommunications Relay Service-User Registration Database (ITRS-URD),” in the Federal Register on February 9, 2015 (80 FR 6963) which became effective on March 23, 2015.

Privacy Impact Assessment: The FCC completed a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) on June 28, 2007. It may be reviewed at https://www.fcc.gov/general/privacy-act-information#pia. The Commission is in the process of updating the PIA to incorporate various revisions to it as a result of revisions to the SORN.

Needs and Uses: On August 1, 2003, the Commission released Telecommunication Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CC Docket No. 98-67, Declaratory Ruling, 68 FR 55898, September 28, 2003, clarifying that one-line captioned telephone voice carry over (VCO) service is a type of telecommunications relay service (TRS) and that eligible providers of such services are eligible to recover their costs from the Interstate TRS Fund (Fund) in accordance with section 225 of the Communications Act.

On July 19, 2005, the Commission released Telecommunication Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CC Docket No. 98-67 and CG Docket No. 03-123, Order, 70 FR 54294, September 14, 2005, clarifying that two-line captioned telephone VCO service, like one-line captioned telephone VCO service, is a type of TRS eligible for compensation from the Fund.

On January 11, 2007, the Commission released Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CG Docket No. 03-123, Declaratory Ruling, 72 FR 6960, February 14, 2007, granting a request for clarification that internet Protocol (IP) captioned telephone relay service (IP CTS) is a type of TRS eligible for compensation from the Fund.

On August 26, 2013, the Commission issued Misuse of internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service; Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CG Docket Nos. 13-24 and 03-123, Report and Order, 78 FR 53684, August 30, 2013, to regulate practices relating to the marketing of IP CTS, impose certain requirements for the provision of this service, and mandate registration and certification of IP CTS users.

On June 8, 2018, the Commission issued Misuse of internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service; Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CG Docket Nos. 13-24 and 03-123, Report and Order and Declaratory Ruling, 83 FR 30082, June 27, 2018 (2018 IP CTS Modernization Order), to facilitate the Commission's efforts to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse and improve its ability to efficiently manage the IP CTS program through regulating practices related to the marketing of IP CTS, generally prohibiting the provision of IP CTS to consumers who do not genuinely need the service, permitting the provision of IP CTS in emergency shelters, and approving the use of automatic speech recognition to generate captions without the assistance of a communications assistant.

On February 15, 2019, the Commission issued Misuse of internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service; Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CG Docket Nos. 13-24 and 03-123, Report and Order, and Order, 84 FR 8457, March 8, 2019 (2019 IP CTS Program Management Order), requiring the submission of IP CTS user registration information to the telecommunications relay service (TRS) User Registration Database (Database) so that the Database administrator can verify IP CTS users to reduce the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse in the IP CTS program.

This notice and request for comments pertains to the programmatic changes in information collection burdens due to the 2018 IP CTS Modernization Order and the 2019 IP CTS Program Management Order, the extension of the currently approved information collection requirements for one-line and two-line CTS and IP CTS rules, and the update to the estimates of existing burdens that were included in the February 2018 PRA submission to OMB.

This meeting is open to members of the general public. The FCC will accommodate as many participants as possible; however, admittance will be limited to seating availability. The FCC will also provide audio and/or video coverage of the meeting over the internet from the FCC's web page at www.fcc.gov/live. Oral statements at the meeting by parties or entities not represented on the Task Force will be permitted to the extent time permits, at the discretion of the Task Force Chair and the Designated Federal Officer. Members of the public may submit comments to the Task Force in the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System, ECFS, at www.fcc.gov/ecfs. Comments to the Task Force should be filed in GN Docket No. 19-329.

Open captioning will be provided for this event. Other reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Requests for such accommodations should be submitted via email to fcc504@fcc.gov or by calling the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY). Such requests should include a detailed description of the accommodation needed. In addition, please include a way for the FCC to contact the requester if more information is needed to fill the request. Please allow at least five days' advance notice; last minute requests will be accepted but may not be possible to accommodate.

Proposed Agenda: The primary agenda of the Task Force's first meeting will be to introduce members of the Task Force, describe the working groups, review the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law 115-334, 132 Stat 4490, and existing FCC and U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and policies relevant to the Task Force's duties, and begin discussing strategies to advance broadband deployment on agricultural land and promote precision agriculture. This agenda may be modified at the discretion of the Task Force Chair and the Designated Federal Officer.

The Commission's notice published in the Federal Register of October 31, 2019, in FR Doc. 2019-23764, on pages 58382-58383, is withdrawn because it was based on outdated information regarding when the Special Primary and Special General Elections in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District will be held. The Commission is now publishing a corrected version of that notice, reflecting updated information regarding when the Special Primary and Special General Elections will be held.

Wisconsin has scheduled a Special Primary Election on February 18, 2020, and a Special General Election on May 12, 2020, to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat in the 7th Congressional District vacated by Representative Sean Duffy.

Committees required to file reports in connection with the Special Primary Election on February 18, 2020, shall file a 12-day Pre-Primary Report. Committees required to file reports in connection with both the Special Primary and Special General Election on May 12, 2020, shall file a 12-day Pre-Primary, a 12-day Pre-General, and a 30-day Post-General Report.

All principal campaign committees of candidates who participate in the Wisconsin Special Primary and Special General Elections shall file a 12-day Pre-Primary Report on February 6, 2020; a 12-day Pre-General Report on April 30, 2020; and a 30-day Post-General Report on June 11, 2020. (See charts below for the closing date for each report.)

All principal campaign committees of candidates participating only in the Special Primary Election shall file a 12-day Pre-Primary Report on February 6, 2020. (See charts below for the closing date for each report.)

Political committees not filing monthly in 2020 are subject to special election reporting if they make previously undisclosed contributions or expenditures in connection with the Wisconsin Special Primary or Special General Elections by the close of books for the applicable report(s). (See charts below for the closing date for each report.)

Since disclosing financial activity from two different calendar years on one report would conflict with the calendar year aggregation requirements stated in the Commission's disclosure rules, unauthorized committees that trigger the filing of the Pre-Primary Report will be required to file this report on two separate forms: One form to cover 2019 activity, labeled as the Year-End Report; and the other form to cover only 2020 activity, labeled as the Pre-Primary Report. Both forms must be filed by February 6, 2020.

Committees filing monthly that make contributions or expenditures in connection with the Wisconsin Special Primary or Special General Elections will continue to file according to the monthly reporting schedule.

Additional disclosure information in connection with the Wisconsin Special Elections may be found on the FEC website at https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/dates-and-deadlines/.

Principal campaign committees, party committees and leadership PACs that are otherwise required to file reports in connection with the special elections must simultaneously file FEC Form 3L if they receive two or more bundled contributions from lobbyists/registrants or lobbyist/registrant PACs that aggregate in excess of the lobbyist bundling disclosure threshold during the special election reporting periods. (See charts below for closing date of each period.) 11 CFR 104.22(a)(5)(v), (b), 110.17(e)(2), (f).

The lobbyist bundling disclosure threshold for calendar year 2019 is $18,700. This threshold amount may change in 2020 based upon the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA). As soon as the adjusted threshold amount is available, the Commission will publish it in the Federal Register and post it on its website. 11 CFR 104.22(g) and 110.17(e)(2). For more information on these requirements, see Federal Register Notice 2009-03, 74 FR 7285 (February 17, 2009).

This notice sets out a summary of the use and burden associated with the following information collections. More detailed information can be found in each collection's supporting statement and associated materials (see ADDRESSES ).

Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. The term “collection of information” is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and includes agency requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA requires federal agencies to publish a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension or reinstatement of an existing collection of information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, CMS is publishing this notice.

1. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Examination and Treatment for Emergency Medical Conditions and Women in Labor (EMTALA); Use: Pursuant to section 1866(a)(1)(I) of the Act, Congress has mandated that the Secretary enforce section 1867 of the Act. Under section 1867, effective August 1, 1986, hospitals may continue to participate in the Medicare program only if they are not out of compliance with its provisions. Continued Paper Work Reduction Act (PRA) approval of the regulation sections cited below will promote uniform and thorough application of the section 1866 and 1867 requirements. They will also provide information when requested by Congress and other interested parties regarding the implementation of the statute. During 2004 through 2018, approximately 8,146 complaints were received, approximately 7,770 of those complaints were investigated, and approximately 3,567 EMTALA deficiencies were found. During Federal fiscal years 2001 through 2005 the Inspector General's Office imposed civil monetary penalties on hospitals in 105 cases, for a total of $2,645,750 in penalties. An audit completed by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) (entitled, Office of Inspector General: Implementation and Enforcement of the Examination and Treatment for Emergency Medical Conditions and Women in Labor by the Health Care Financing Administration, April 1995, A-06-93-00087) determined that CMS's implementation of the Act was generally effective, but Regional Offices (RO) were not consistent with conducting timely investigations, sending acknowledgments to complaints, ensuring that investigations were thorough, or ensuring that violations were referred to the OIG in accordance with CMS policy for possible civil monetary penalty action. OIG further concluded that without proper compliance, there is an increased risk that individuals with emergency medical conditions will not receive the treatment needed to stabilize their condition, which may place them in greater risk of death. Form Number: CMS-R-142 (OMB control number: 0938-0667); Frequency: Occasionally; Affected Public: Private Sector; Business or other for-profits, Not-for-profit institutions; Number of Respondents: 5,291; Total Annual Responses: 5,291; Total Annual Hours: 5,291. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Renate Dombrowski at (410) 786-4645.)

Description: The purpose of the proposed data collection activity is to document and examine the following: Why individuals contact the NHTH; hotline users' perceptions of hotline staff's knowledge and skills; the extent to which users felt their interaction was helpful, they were supported by the NHTH, they were satisfied with the NHTH, and their needs were met by the interaction; and outcomes from NHTH interactions ( e.g., users' knowledge and use of available resources and referrals). The proposed data collection activity includes a two-phase approach to obtain information from individuals after their contact (via phone, text, or live online chat) with the NHTH. The proposed information collection activities are (1) an integrated voice response telephone survey or Web-based survey immediately after NHTH contact; and (2) a telephone or Web-based survey approximately two weeks after completion of the first survey. The survey immediately after contact with the NHTH will be offered to all individuals who contact the NHTH during the data collection period and includes questions focused on users' experiences and satisfaction with their NHTH interaction. The follow-up survey will be administered two weeks later with a sample of respondents who completed the immediate survey and consented to be contacted two weeks later. This second survey includes questions focused on the extent to which NHTH users were satisfied with their NHTH contact and felt that the NHTH contact was helpful.

Respondents: Individuals who contact the NHTH by telephone, text, or live online chat.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 247.

Description: These changes are requested due to the passage of the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Act of 2018 (SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2018) (Pub. L. 115-398), which expands the SOAR to Health and Wellness Training Program. To meet the provisions of the SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2018, OTIP's NHTTAC had to expand the administration of SOAR nationwide.

The NHTTAC delivers training and technical assistance (T/TA) to inform and deliver a public health response to trafficking. In applying a public health approach, NHTTAC holistically builds the capacity of communities to identify and respond to the complex needs of all individuals who have been trafficked, and addresses the root causes that put individuals, families, and communities at risk of trafficking. This will ultimately help improve the availability and delivery of coordinated and trauma-informed services before, during, and after an individual's trafficking exploitation, regardless of their age, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, or type of exploitation.

NHTTAC hosts a variety of services, programs, and facilitated sessions to improve service provision to individuals who have been trafficked, or who are at risk of trafficking, including the Human Trafficking Leadership Academy (HTLA); the Survivor Fellowship Program; the NHTTAC Call Center; both short-term and specialized T/TA requests (requests that take less than 3 hours or 3 or more hours to fulfill, respectively); OTIP-funded grantees; and information through NHTTAC's website, resources, and materials about trafficking.

Respondents: Individuals and organizations such as NHTTAC consultants, T/TA participants, HTLA program participants, Survivor fellows, OTIP grantees, visitors to the NHTTAC website, NHTTAC-supported conference and meeting attendees, members of the National Advisory Council, and scholarship applicants.

The following instruments have an increased number of respondents. The number of respondents for all other previously approved instruments remains the same. The increase in respondents increased the overall burden under OMB #0970-0519 from 689 hours to 9,497 hours. See https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=201910-0970-012 for all instruments and related burden under OMB #0970-0519.