Fluid milk promotion order,
[Federal Register: May 22, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 99)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 28292-28294]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22my98-20]
Proposed Rules Federal Register
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
7 CFR Part 1160
[DA-98-04]
Fluid Milk Promotion Order; Invitation to Submit Comments on Proposed Amendments to the Order
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
SUMMARY: This document invites written comments on a proposal to amend the Fluid Milk Promotion Order. The proposed amendments, requested by the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board, which administers the Order, would modify the membership status and term of office of Board members. The proposed rule would also amend order language pertaining to committees and intellectual property rights (patents, copyrights, inventions, and publications). The Board believes that the proposed amendments are necessary to maintain Board membership continuity. The changes should allow the Board to operate in a more effective and efficient manner.
DATES: Comments are due no later than June 22, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Comments (two copies) should be filedwith the USDA/AMS/ Dairy Programs, Promotion and Research Branch, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Stop 0233, Room 2734 South Building, Washington, DC 20250- 0233. Comments should reference the docket number and the date and page number of this issue of the Federal Register and will be made available for public inspection in Room 2734 South Building during regular business hours.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David R. Jamison, Chief, USDA/AMS/ Dairy Programs, Promotion and Research Branch, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Stop 0233, Room 2734 South Building, Washington, DC 20250- 0233, (202) 720-6909, David__Jamison@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612) requires the Agency to examine the impact of a proposed rule on small entities. Small businesses in the fluid milk processing industry have been defined by the Small Business Administration as those employing less than 500 employees. There are approximately 250 fluid milk processors subject to the provisions of the Fluid Milk Promotion Order. Most of the parties subject to the Order are considered small entities.
Several changes are proposed to the Order provisions of the Fluid Milk Promotion Order (7 CFR Part 1160) concerning membership on the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board (Board) and the terms of office for Board members. The Order is authorized under the Fluid Milk Promotion Act of 1990 (7 USC 6401-6417). The Board requested the amendments.
The Order provides for a 20-member board with 15 members representing geographic regions and five at-large members, at least three of whom are to be fluid milk processors and at least one member from the general public. To the extent practicable, members representing geographic regions should represent processing operations of differing sizes.
Currently, the Order provides that a fluid milk processor can be represented on the Board by not more than one member. The Board in its petition for rulemaking noted that it is more difficult to maintain the single member representation; that processors are larger in size and operate in several geographic areas; and that, to maintain continuity and provide a consistent pool of processor representatives, a change in the Order provisions is needed to allow more than one representative on the Board. The proposed amendments would allow a fluid milk processor to have two members on the Board.
Currently, except in those instances where a Board member changes fluid milk processor affiliation and is eligible to serve on the Board in another capacity during the same term, a Board member whose processor affiliation has changed cannot continue to serve on the Board. This proposed rule would allow Board members whose fluid milk processor company affiliation has changed to serve on the Board for a period of up to 60 days or until a successor is appointed, whichever is sooner, provided that the eligibility requirements of the Order are still met. This should help in the reduction of Board vacancies and foster continuity in Board activities and membership.
Another change that would contribute to greater continuity on the Board would allow Board members who fill vacancies with a term of 18 months or less to serve two consecutive full 3-year terms. Currently, the order provides that except for the initial staggered appointments, Board members could only serve two consecutive terms.
Another change would permit the Board to establish working committees of persons other than Board members to assist the Board with activities by providing information, knowledge, and expertise that otherwise might not be available.
Finally, the amendments would also modify the intellectual property provisions of the Order to specifically provide for and allow joint ownership of intellectual property, i.e., patents, copyrights, inventions, and publications, that is developed using joint funds.
These amendments to Order provisions should not add any burden to regulated parties because they relate to provisions concerning membership on the Board, the establishment of working committees, and joint ownership for patents, copyrights, inventions, and publications. The proposed changes would not impose additional reporting or collecting requirements. No relevant Federal rules have been identified that duplicate, overlap, or conflict with the rule.
Accordingly, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 605(b), the Agricultural Marketing Service has certified that this rule would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
Executive Order 12866 and the Paperwork Reduction Act
This proposed rule has been reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget and has been determined to be not significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.
This proposed rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988, Civil Justice Reform. This rule is not intended to have retroactive effect. If adopted,
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this proposed rule would not preempt any State or local laws, regulations, or policies, unless they present an irreconcilable conflict with this rule.
The Fluid Milk Promotion Act of 1990, as amended, authorizes the Fluid Milk Promotion Order. The Act provides that administrative proceedings must be exhausted before parties may file suit in court. Under section 1999K of the Act, any person subject to a Fluid Milk Promotion Order may file with the Secretary a petition stating that the Order, any provision of the Order, or any obligation imposed in connection with the Order is not in accordance with the law and request a modification of the Order or to be exempted from the Order. A person subject to an order is afforded the opportunity for a hearing on the petition. After a hearing, the Secretary would rule on the petition. The Act provides that the district court of the United States in any district in which the person is an inhabitant, or has his principal place of business, has jurisdiction to review the Secretary's ruling on the petition, provided a complaint is filednot later than 20 days after the date of the entry of the ruling.
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the forms and reporting and recordkeeping requirements that are included in the Fluid Milk Promotion Order have been approved previously by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and were assigned OMB No. 0581-0093, except for Board members' nominee background information sheets that were assigned OMB No. 0505-0001.
Statement of Consideration
The proposed rule would amend the membership and term-of-office provisions of the Fluid Milk Promotion Order. Currently, the Order provides that a fluid milk processor can be represented on the Board by not more than one member. The Board in its recommendation for rulemaking noted that it is more difficult to maintain the single member representation; that processors are larger in size and operate in several geographic areas; and that, to maintain continuity and provide a consistent pool of processor representatives, a change in the Order provisions is needed to allow more than one representative on the Board. The proposed amendments would allow a fluid milk processor to have two members on the Board.
The proposed amendments also would allow Board members whose fluid milk processor company affiliation has changed to serve on the Board for a period of up to 60 days or until a successor is appointed, whichever is sooner. Currently, except in those instances where a Board member changes fluid milk processor affiliation and is eligible to serve on the Board in another capacity during the same term, a Board member whose processor affiliation has changed cannot continue to serve on the Board. This proposed rule would allow Board members whose fluid milk processor company affiliation has changed to serve on the Board for a period of up to 60 days or until a successor is appointed, whichever is sooner, provided that the eligibility requirements of the Order are still met. This should help in the reduction of Board vacancies and foster continuity in Board activities and membership.
The proposed amendments would also allow Board members who fill vacancies with a term of 18 months or less to serve two additional 3- year terms. Currently, the Order states that, except for the initial staggered Board appointments of 1- or 2-year terms, Board members may only serve two consecutive terms. Thus any time served with the initial term is considered a complete term. The Board feels that this rule change would allow for greater continuity of membership.
This document also proposes to amend two additional sections of the Fluid Milk Promotion Order. The proposed amendments would permit the Board to establish working committees of persons other than Board members to assist the Board with activities by providing information, knowledge, and expertise that otherwise might not be available.
The proposed amendments also would modify the section on patents, copyrights, inventions, and publications by allowing jointly developed intellectual property to be jointly owned. Currently, the Order does not specifically provide for such joint ownership. This proposed amendment would allow the Board greater flexibility concerning intellectual property as it relates to ownership rights.
A thirty-day comment period is provided for interested persons to comment on this proposed rule. This period is appropriate so as to permit implementation of the changes, if adopted, as soon as possible.
List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1160
Fluid milk products, Milk, Promotion.
For the reasons set forth in the preamble, it is proposed that 7 CFR Part 1160 be amended as follows:
PART 1160--FLUID MILK PROMOTION PROGRAM
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The authority citation for 7 CFR Part 1160 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 6401-6417.
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In Sec. 1160.200, paragraph (a) is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 1160.200 Establishment and membership.
(a) There is hereby established a National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board of 20 members, 15 of whom shall represent geographic regions and five of whom shall be at-large members of the Board. To the extent practicable, members representing geographic regions shall represent fluid milk processing operations of differing sizes. No fluid milk processor shall be represented on the Board by more than two members. The at-large members shall include at least three fluid milk processors and at least one member from the general public. Except for the member or members from the general public, nominees appointed to the Board must be active owners or employees of a fluid milk processor. The failure of such a member to own or work for a fluid milk processor or its successor fluid milk processor shall disqualify that member for membership on the Board except that such member shall continue to serve on the Board for a period of up to 60 days following the disqualification or until the appointment of a successor Board member to such position, whichever is sooner, provided that such person continues to meet the criteria for serving on the Board as a processor representative. * * * * *
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In Sec. 1160.201, paragraph (b) is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 1160.201 Term of office.
* * * * *
(b) No member shall serve more than two consecutive terms, except that any member who is appointed to serve for an initial term of one or two years shall be eligible to be reappointed for two three-year terms. Appointment to another position on the Board is considered a consecutive term. Should a non-board member be appointed to fill a vacancy on the Board with a term of 18 months or less remaining, the appointee shall be entitled to serve two consecutive 3-year terms following the term of the vacant position to which the person was appointed.
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In Sec. 1160.208, paragraph (g) is revised to read as follows:
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Sec. 1160.208 Powers of the Board.
* * * * *
(g) To select committees and subcommittees, to adopt bylaws, and to adopt such rules for the conduct of its business as it may deem advisable; and the Board may establish working committees of persons other than Board members; * * * * *
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In Sec. 1160.505, the text is designated paragraph (a) and a new paragraph (b) is added to read as follows:
Sec. 1160.505 Patents, copyrights, inventions and publications.
* * * * *
(b) Should patents, copyrights, inventions, and publications be developed through the use of funds collected by the Board under this subpart, and funds contributed by another organization or person, ownership and related rights to such patents, copyrights, inventions, and publications shall be determined by the agreement between the Board and the party contributing funds towards the development of such patent, copyright, invention, and publication in a manner consistent with paragraph (a) of this section.
Dated: May 18, 1998. Enrique E. Figueroa, Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 98-13772Filed5-21-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P
