[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16007-16008]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04777]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2024-0182]


National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee; March 2024 
Meetings

AGENCY: U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION: Notice of open Federal advisory committee meetings.

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SUMMARY: The National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee 
(Committee) will conduct a series of meetings over two days in Edmonds, 
WA to discuss issues relating to personnel in the United States 
Merchant Marine including the training, qualifications, certification, 
documentation, and fitness of mariners.

DATES: 
    Meetings: The National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee 
is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, from 9 a.m. until 4:30 
p.m. Pacific daylight time (PDT) and Wednesday, March 27, 2024, from 9 
a.m. until 4:30 p.m. (PDT). The Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 26, 
2024, will include periods during which the Committee will break into 
subcommittees. These meetings may adjourn early if the Committee has 
completed its business.
    Comments and supporting documentation: To ensure your comments are 
received by Committee members before the meeting, submit your written 
comments no later than March 18, 2024.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at Compass Courses, additional 
information about the facility can be found at: https://compasscourses.com.
    The National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee is 
committed to ensuring all participants have equal access regardless of 
disability status. If you require reasonable accommodation due to a 
disability to fully participate, please email Mrs. Megan Johns Henry at 
[email protected] or call at (202) 372-1255 as soon as possible.
    Instructions: You are free to submit comments at any time, 
including orally at the meetings as time permits, but if you want 
Committee members to review your comment before the meeting, please 
submit them no later than March 18, 2024. We are particularly 
interested in comments on the topics in the ``Agenda'' section below. 
We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal Decision Making 
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. To do so, go to https://www.regulations.gov, type USCG-2024-0182 in the search box and click 
``Search''. Next, look for this document in the Search Results column, 
and click on it. Then click on the Comment option. If you cannot submit 
your material using https://www.regulations.gov, email the individual 
in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for 
alternate instructions. You must include the docket number USCG-2024-
0182. Comments received will be posted without alteration at https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. You 
may wish to review the Privacy and Security Notice, found via link on 
the homepage https://www.regulations.gov. For more about privacy and 
submissions in response to this document, see DHS's eRulemaking System 
of Records notice (85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020). If you encounter 
technical difficulties with comment submission, contact the individual 
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.
    Docket Search: Documents mentioned in this notice as being 
available in the docket, and all public comments, will be in our online 
docket at https://www.regulations.gov and can be viewed by following 
that website's instructions. Additionally, if you go to the online 
docket and sign-up for email alerts, you will be notified when comments 
are posted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Megan Johns Henry, Alternate 
Designated Federal Officer of the National Merchant Marine Personnel 
Advisory Committee, telephone (202) 372-1255, or email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of these meetings is in compliance 
with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 117-286, 5 U.S.C. ch. 
10). The National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee is 
authorized by section 601 of the Frank LoBiondo Act of 2018 and is 
codified in 46 U.S.C. 15103. The Committee operates under the 
provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act and 46 U.S.C. 15109. 
The National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee provides 
advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Homeland Security 
through the Commandant of the United States Guard on matters relating 
to personnel in the United States Merchant Marine including the 
training, qualifications, certification, documentation, and fitness of 
mariners.
    Agenda: The National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee 
will meet on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 and Wednesday, March 27, 2024, to 
review, discuss, deliberate, and formulate recommendations, as 
appropriate on the following topics:

Day 1

    The agenda for the March 26, 2024 meeting is as follows:
    (1) The full Committee will meet briefly to discuss subcommittees' 
business and task statements, which are listed under paragraph (11) 
under Day 2 below.
    (2) During the morning session of the meeting, subcommittees will 
separately address and work on the following task statements, which are 
available for viewing at https://homeport.uscg.mil/missions/federal-advisory-committees/national-merchant-marine-personnel-advisory-committee-(nmerpac)/task-statements:
    (a) Task Statement 21-5, Review of Merchant Mariner Rating and 
Officer Endorsement Job Task Analyses;

[[Page 16008]]

    (b) Task Statement 21-4, STCW Convention and STCW Code Review; and
    (c) Task Statement 21-2, Communication Between External 
Stakeholders and the Mariner Credentialing Program.
    (3) During the afternoon session of the meeting, subcommittees will 
separately address and work on the following task statements, which are 
available for viewing at https://homeport.uscg.mil/missions/federal-advisory-committees/national-merchant-marine-personnel-advisory-committee-(nmerpac)/task-statements:
    (a) Task Statement 21-5, Review of Merchant Mariner Rating and 
Officer Endorsement Job Task Analyses;
    (b) Task Statement 21-4, STCW Convention and STCW Code Review; and
    (c) Task Statement 22-2, Alternative Methods for Meeting STCW 
Training Requirements at the Operational Level.
    (4) Report of subcommittees. At end of the day, the Chair or Co-
Chairs of the subcommittees will report to the full Committee on what 
was accomplished. The full Committee will not take action on this date 
and the Chair or Co-Chairs of the subcommittees will present a full 
report to the Committee on Day 2 of the meeting.
    (5) Adjournment of meeting.

Day 2

    The agenda for the March 27, 2024 meeting is as follows:
    (1) Introduction.
    (2) Designated Federal Officer and U.S. Coast Guard Leadership 
remarks.
    (3) Roll call of Committee members and determination of a quorum.
    (4) Adoption of the agenda.
    (5) Acceptance of Minutes from Committee Meeting 6 (December 12, 
2023).
    (6) Introduction of new task.
    (7) Homeport demonstration.
    (8) Office of Merchant Mariner Credentialing update presentation.
    (9) Public comment period.
    (10) National Maritime Center update presentation.
    (11) Reports from the subcommittee Chair or Co-Chairs.
    The Committee will review the information presented on the 
following Task Statements and deliberate on any recommendations 
presented by the subcommittees, recommendations may be approved and 
completed tasks may be closed. Official action on these topics may be 
taken:
    (a) Task Statement 21-1, Review of IMO Model Courses Being 
Validated by the IMO HTW Subcommittee;
    (b) Task Statement 21-2, Communication Between External 
Stakeholders and the Mariner Credentialing Program, including amendment 
Task Statement 21-2A, Reviewing Assessments in NVICS for STCW;
    (c) Task Statement 21-3, Military Education, Training, and 
Assessment for STCW and National Mariner Endorsements;
    (d) Task Statement 21-4, STCW Convention and Code Review;
    (e) Task Statement 21-5, Review of Merchant Mariner Rating and 
Officer Endorsement Job Task Analyses;
    (f) Task Statement 21-6, Sea Service for Merchant Mariner 
Credential Endorsements;
    (g) Task Statement 21-9, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault-
Prevention and Culture Change in the Merchant Marine;
    (h) Task Statement 22-1, Propulsion Power Limits;
    (i) Task Statement 22-2, Alternative Methods for Meeting STCW 
Training Requirements at the Operational Level;
    (j) Task Statement 23-2, Critical Skills for Navigation Using 
Nautical Charts and Training and Assessments of Skills Using Electronic 
Navigational Charts; and
    (k) Task Statement 23-3, Critical Skills for Radar Navigation and 
Collision Avoidance and Training and Assessment of Skills Using Radar 
and Automatic Radar Plotting Aids (ARPA).
    (12) Closing remarks.
    (13) Adjournment of meeting.
    A copy of all meeting documentation will be available at https://homeport.uscg.mil/missions/federal-advisory-committees/national-merchant-marine-personnel-advisory-committee-(nmerpac) by March 11, 
2024. Alternatively, you may contact the individual noted in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above.
    Public comments or questions will be taken throughout the meetings 
as the Committee discusses the issues, and prior to deliberations and 
voting. There will also be a public comment period during the meeting 
on March 27, 2024, at approximately 12:30 p.m. (PDT). Public comments 
will be limited to 3 minutes per speaker and limited to one comment per 
person. Please note that the public comments period will end following 
the last call for comments. Please contact the individual listed in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to register as a speaker.

    Dated: February 29, 2024.
Jeffrey G. Lantz,
Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2024-04777 Filed 3-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P