Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Administrative Practices and Procedures; Formal Evidentiary Public Hearing

Federal Register, Volume 83 Issue 36 (Thursday, February 22, 2018)

Federal Register Volume 83, Number 36 (Thursday, February 22, 2018)

Notices

Pages 7742-7744

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov

FR Doc No: 2018-03604

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

Docket No. FDA-2014-N-2029

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Administrative Practices and Procedures; Formal Evidentiary Public Hearing

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the Agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Federal Agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on administrative practices and procedures; formal evidentiary public hearing.

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the collection of information by April 23, 2018.

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 April 23, 2018. The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept comments until midnight Eastern Time at the end of April 23, 2018. 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

Submit written/paper submissions as follows:

Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for written/paper submissions): Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

For written/paper comments submitted to the Dockets Management Staff, FDA will post your comment, as well as any attachments, except for information submitted, marked and identified, as confidential, if submitted as detailed in ``Instructions.''

Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket No. FDA-2014-N-2029 for ``Administrative Practices and Procedures; Formal Evidentiary Public Hearing.'' Received comments, those filed in a timely manner (see ADDRESSES), will be placed in the docket and, except for those submitted as ``Confidential Submissions,'' publicly viewable at https://www.regulations.gov or at the Dockets Management Staff between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Confidential Submissions--To submit a comment with confidential information that you do not wish to be made publicly available, submit your comments only as a written/paper submission. You should submit two copies total. One copy will include the information you claim to be confidential with a heading or cover note that states ``THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.'' The Agency will review this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in its consideration of comments. The second copy, which will have the claimed confidential information redacted/blacked out, will be available for public viewing and posted on https://www.regulations.gov. Submit both copies to the Dockets Management Staff. If you do not wish your name and contact information to be made publicly available, you can provide this information on the cover sheet and not in the body of your comments and you must identify this information as ``confidential.'' Any information marked as ``confidential'' will not be disclosed except in accordance with 21 CFR 10.20 and other applicable disclosure law. For more information about FDA's posting of comments to public dockets, see 80 FR 56469, September 18, 2015, or access the information at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-09-18/pdf/2015-23389.pdf.

Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or the electronic and written/paper comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov and insert the

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docket number, found in brackets in the heading of this document, into the ``Search'' box and follow the prompts and/or go to the Dockets Management Staff, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amber Sanford, Office of Operations, Food and Drug Administration, Three White Flint North, 10A-12M, 11601 Landsdown St., North Bethesda, MD 20852, 301-796-8867, email protected.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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. ``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 (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, FDA is publishing notice of the proposed collection of information set forth in this document.

With respect to the following collection of information, FDA invites comments on these topics: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA's functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FDA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information technology.

Administrative Practices and Procedures (21 CFR 10.30, 10.33, 10.35, and 10.85); Formal Evidentiary Public Hearing (21 CFR 12.22 and 12.45)

(OMB Control Number 0910-0191)--Extension

The Administrative Procedures Act (5 U.S.C. 553(e)) provides that every Agency shall give an interested person the right to petition for issuance, amendment, or repeal of a rule. Section 10.30 (21 CFR 10.30) sets forth the format and procedures by which an interested person may submit to FDA, in accordance with Sec. 10.20 (21 CFR 10.20), a citizen petition requesting the Commissioner of Food and Drugs (the Commissioner) to issue, amend, or revoke a regulation or order, or to take or refrain from taking any other form of administrative action.

The Commissioner may grant or deny such a petition, in whole or in part, and may grant such other relief or take other action as the petition warrants. Respondents are individuals or households, State or local governments, and not-for-profit institutions or groups.

Section 10.33 (21 CFR 10.33), issued under section 701(a) of the Federal, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) (21 U.S.C. 371(a)), sets forth the format and procedures by which an interested person may request reconsideration of part or all of a decision of the Commissioner on a petition submitted under 21 CFR 10.25 (Initiation of administrative proceedings). A petition for reconsideration must contain a full statement in a well-organized format of the factual and legal grounds upon which the petition relies. The grounds must demonstrate that relevant information and views contained in the administrative record were not previously or not adequately considered by the Commissioner. The respondent must submit a petition no later than 30 days after the decision involved. However, the Commissioner may, for good cause, permit a petition to be filed after 30 days. An interested person who wishes to rely on information or views not included in the administrative record shall submit them with a new petition to modify the decision. FDA uses the information provided in the request to determine whether to grant the petition for reconsideration. Respondents to this collection of information are individuals of households, State or local governments, not-for-profit institutions, and businesses or other for-profit institutions who are requesting from the Commissioner of FDA a reconsideration of a matter.

Section 10.35 (21 CFR 10.35), issued under section 701(a) of the FD&C Act, sets forth the format and procedures by which an interested person may request, in accordance with Sec. 10.20, the Commissioner to stay the effective date of any administrative action.

Such a petition must do the following: (1) Identify the decision involved; (2) state the action requested, including the length of time for which a stay is requested; and (3) include a statement of the factual and legal grounds on which the interested person relies in seeking the stay. FDA uses the information provided in the request to determine whether to grant the petition for stay of action.

Respondents to this information collection are interested persons who choose to file a petition for an administrative stay of action.

Section 10.85 (21 CFR 10.85), issued under section 701(a) of the FD&C Act, sets forth the format and procedures by which an interested person may request, in accordance with Sec. 10.20, an advisory opinion from the Commissioner on a matter of general applicability. When making a request, the petitioner must provide a concise statement of the issues and questions on which an opinion is requested, and a full statement of the facts and legal points relevant to the request. Respondents to this collection of information are interested persons seeking an advisory opinion from the Commissioner.

FDA has developed a method for electronic submission of citizen petitions. The Agency still allows for non-electronic submissions; however, electronic submissions of a citizen petition to a specific electronic docket presents a simpler and more straightforward approach. FDA has created a single docket on https://www.regulations.gov, the U.S. Government's consolidated docket website for Federal Agencies, for the initial electronic submission of all citizen petitions. The advantage to this change is that it ensures efficiency and ease in communication, quicker interaction between citizen petitioners and FDA, and easier access to FDA to seek input through the citizen petition process.

The regulations in 21 CFR 12.22, issued under section 701(e)(2) of the FD&C Act, set forth the instructions for filing objections and requests for a hearing on a regulation or order under Sec. 12.20(d) (21 CFR 12.20(d)). Objections and requests must be submitted within the time specified in Sec. 12.20(e). Each objection, for which a hearing has been requested, must be separately numbered and specify the provision of the regulation or the proposed order. In addition, each objection must include a detailed description and analysis of the factual information and any other document, with some exceptions, supporting the objection. Failure to include this information constitutes a waiver of the right to a hearing on that objection. FDA uses the description and analysis to determine whether a hearing request is justified. The description and

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analysis may be used only for the purpose of determining whether a hearing has been justified under 21 CFR 12.24 and does not limit the evidence that may be presented if a hearing is granted.

Respondents to this information collection are those parties that may be adversely affected by an order or regulation.

Section 12.45 (21 CFR 12.45), issued under section 701 of the FD&C Act, sets forth the format and procedures for any interested person to file a petition to participate in a formal evidentiary hearing, either personally or through a representative. Section 12.45 requires that any person filing a notice of participation state their specific interest in the proceedings, including the specific issues of fact about which the person desires to be heard. This section also requires that the notice include a statement that the person will present testimony at the hearing and will comply with specific requirements in 21 CFR 12.85, or, in the case of a hearing before a Public Board of Inquiry, concerning disclosure of data and information by participants (21 CFR 13.25). In accordance with Sec. 12.45(e) the presiding officer may omit a participant's appearance.

The presiding officer and other participants will use the collected information in a hearing to identify specific interests to be presented. This preliminary information serves to expedite the prehearing conference and commits participation.

The respondents are individuals or households, State or local governments, not-for-profit institutions and businesses, or other for-

profit groups and institutions.

FDA estimates the burden of this collection of information as follows:

Table 1--Estimated Annual Reporting Burden \1\

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Number of Average

21 CFR section Number of responses per Total annual burden per Total hours

respondents respondent responses response

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10.30--Citizen petition......... 220 1 220 24 5,280

10.33--Administrative 6 1 6 10 60

reconsideration of action......

10.35--Administrative stay of 6 1 5 10 50

action.........................

10.85--Requests for Advisory 4 1 4 16 64

opinions.......................

12.22--Filing objections and 5 1 5 20 100

requests for a hearing on a

regulation or order............

12.45--Notice of participation.. 5 1 5 3 15

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Total....................... .............. .............. .............. .............. 5,569

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\1\ There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of

information.

The burden estimates for this collection of information are based on Agency records and experience over the past 3 years. The increase in burden hours is due to an increase in the number of respondents under several provisions.

Dated: February 14, 2018.

Leslie Kux,

Associate Commissioner for Policy.

FR Doc. 2018-03604 Filed 2-21-18; 8:45 am

BILLING CODE 4164-01-P

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