[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 21, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 20648-20649]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-07455]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service

48 CFR Parts 32 and 352

[Docket No. O1-2012-0005]
RIN 0917-AA18


Acquisition Regulations; Buy Indian Act; Procedures for 
Contracting; Reopening and Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Indian Health Service (IHS), HHS.

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening and extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Indian Health Service (IHS) is reopening and extending the 
comment period for the proposed rule entitled ``Acquisition 
Regulations; Buy Indian Act; Procedures for Contracting.'' This action 
is being taken in response to requests from stakeholders to extend the 
comment period to allow additional time for interested persons to 
submit comments on the proposed rule.

DATES: IHS is reopening and extending the comment period on the 
proposed rule published November 10, 2020 (85 FR 71596) for 60 days. 
Submit either electronic or written comments on the proposed rule by 
June 21, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments as follows. Please note that late, 
untimely filed comments will not be considered. Electronic comments 
must be submitted on or before June 21, 2021. The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept comments until 
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time at the end of June 21, 2021. Comments received 
by mail/hand delivery/courier (for written/paper submissions) will be 
considered timely if they are postmarked or the delivery service 
acceptance receipt is on or before that date.

Electronic Submissions

    Submit electronic comments in the following way:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted 
electronically, including attachments, to https://www.regulations.gov 
will be posted to the docket unchanged. Because your comment will be 
made public, you are solely responsible for ensuring that your comment 
does not include any confidential information that you or a third party 
may not wish to be posted, such as medical information, your or anyone 
else's Social Security number, or confidential business information, 
such as a manufacturing process. Please note that if you include your 
name, contact information, or other information that identifies you in 
the body of your comments, that information will be posted on https://www.regulations.gov.
     If you want to submit a comment with confidential 
information that you do not wish to be made available to the public, 
submit the comment as a written/paper submission and in the manner 
detailed (see ``Written/Paper Submissions'' and ``Instructions'').

Written/Paper Submissions

    You may send comments identified by docket number OI-2012-0005 
using any of the following methods:
    Carl Mitchell, Director, Division of Regulatory Policy Coordination 
(DRPC), Office of Management Services (OMS), Indian Health Service, 
5600 Fishers Lane, Mail Stop 09E70, Rockville, MD 20857.
    Tiffani Redding, Director, Office of Recipient Integrity 
Coordination (ORIC), Department of Health and Human Services, Office of 
the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources (ASFR), Room 533H, 
Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical questions concerning 
this proposed rule contact:
    Carl Mitchell, Director, Division of Regulatory Policy Coordination 
(DRPC), Office of Management Services, Indian Health Service, 301-443-
6384, [email protected]; or Santiago Almaraz, Acting Director 
Office of Management Services, Indian Health Service, 301-443-4872, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Federal Register of November 10, 2020 
(85 FR 71596), the Indian Health Service (IHS) published a proposed 
rule entitled ``Acquisition Regulations; Buy Indian Act; Procedures for 
Contracting'' with a 60-day comment period.
    Comments have been received from tribes and tribal entities 
requesting an extension of the comment period due to the encompassing 
of the holiday season during the original comment period, as well as 
the disproportionately high impact of the pandemic on Indian Country. 
Both of these events have delayed stakeholders from being able to 
perform a complete and full review of the proposed rule and provide 
comments within the initial 60-day comment period.
    IHS has concluded that it is reasonable to reopen and extend the 
comment period for an additional 60

[[Page 20649]]

days to allow any interested persons to submit comments on the proposed 
rule.

     Approved: April 06, 2021.
Xavier Becerra,
Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services.
[FR Doc. 2021-07455 Filed 4-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-16-P