[Federal Register: November 16, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 220)]
[Notices]               
[Page 69585-69586]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16no05-99]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Bureau of Customs and Border Protection

[Docket No. USCBP-2005-0036]

 
Customs and Border Protection Airport and Seaport Inspections 
User Fee Advisory Committee

AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: Notice of Federal Advisory Committee Meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Airport and Seaport 
Inspections User Fee Advisory Committee will hold a meeting on November 
30, 2005. This meeting will be open to the public.

DATES: Wednesday, November 30, 2005.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at Customs International Briefing 
Conference Room (B 1.5-10), Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20229 from 12:30 p.m.--4 p.m. Members of 
the public may submit written comments at any time before or after the 
meeting to the contact person for consideration by this Advisory 
Committee. Written comments received by the contact person prior to the 
meeting will be considered for discussion at the meeting. A transcript 
of the meeting will be made available online for public viewing about 
two weeks following the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Roberto Williams, Office of 
Finance, Room 4.5A, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
20229; telephone: (202) 344-1101; e-mail: Roberto.M.Williams@dhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Agenda of Meeting

    The agenda of the November 30 meeting is expected to include:
    1. Introduction of the Committee members;
    2. Discussion of activities since last meeting;
    3. Discussion of workload and financial issues;
    4. Discussion of future traffic trends;
    5. Discussion of specific concerns and questions of Committee 
members;
    6. Discussion of relevant written statements submitted in advance 
by members of the public;
    7. Discussion of Committee administrative issues and scheduling of 
next meeting

Background on the CBP Airport and Seaport Inspections User Fee Advisory 
Committee

    The CBP Airport and Seaport Inspections User Fee Advisory Committee 
(hereinafter the ``Advisory Committee'') was created under the 
authority of Section 286(k) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 
1952, as amended by the Department of Justice Appropriations Act of 
1986 [Pub. L. 99-59; enacted October 30, 1986] (8 U.S.C. 1356(k)). 
Formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) 
Airport and Seaport Inspections User Fee Advisory Committee, the 
original Advisory Committee was responsible only for immigration 
airport and seaport inspectional services and associated user fees. The 
Executive Associate Commissioner, Immigration and Naturalization 
Service (INS) chaired that advisory committee.
    The Homeland Security Act of 2002 merged portions of the U.S. 
Customs Service and the INS to create Customs and Border Protection 
(CBP), as part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Section 
1512(d) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 transferred the 
responsibilities of the Advisory Committee to CBP. Under CBP, the 
executive Directors of Budget, Office of Finance; and Travel Security 
and Facilitation, Office of Field Operations, chair the Advisory 
Committee.
    The Advisory Committee held its first meeting under the direction 
of CBP in October 2003. A subsequent meeting was held in April 2004. It 
is noted that before the creation of DHS, there was an advisory 
committee called the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act 
(COBRA) Fees Advisory Committee, which met to discuss user fee issues 
related to customs inspectional services. All advisory responsibilities 
previously handled by the COBRA Fees Advisory Committee have been 
vested within this Advisory Committee.
    In June 2005, the Advisory Committee's charter was renewed and 
amended in consultation with the DHS Committee Management Officer. The 
charter reflects the broader responsibilities of CBP, providing that 
the Advisory Committee will give advice and recommendations on policy 
and program issues relating to CBP inspectional services at airports 
and seaports, whether the inspectional services relate to agriculture, 
customs, or immigration functions.

Purpose of Committee

    The purpose of this Advisory Committee is the performance of 
advisory responsibilities pursuant to section 286(k) of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (INA), as amended, 8 U.S.C. 1356(k) and the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 1 et seq. This Advisory Committee 
will advise on issues related to the performance of Airport and Seaport 
agriculture, customs, and immigration inspection services. This advice 
should include, but need not be limited to, the time period in which 
such services should be performed, the proper number and deployment of 
inspection officers, the level of fees, and the appropriateness of any 
proposed fee. These responsibilities are related to the assessment of 
an immigration user fee pursuant to 8 U.S.C. 1356(d), the assessment of 
a customs inspection user fee pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 58c(a)(5), and the 
assessment of an agriculture inspection user fee pursuant to 21 U.S.C 
136a. The Advisory Committee focuses its attention on those areas of 
most concern and benefit to the travel industry, the traveling public, 
and the Federal Government.

Public Attendance

    A limited number of members of the public may register to attend 
the public session on a first-come, first-served basis per the 
procedures that follow. Security requires that any member of the public 
who wishes to attend the public session provide his or her name and 
date of birth no later than 5 p.m. e.s.t., November 25, 2005, to Mr. 
Roberto Williams via e-mail at Roberto.M.Williams@dhs.gov or via phone 
at (202) 344-1101. Persons with disabilities who require special 
assistance should indicate so in their admittance request and are 
encouraged to indicate their desires to attend and anticipated special 
needs as early as possible. Photo identification will be required for 
entry into the public

[[Page 69586]]

session, and everyone in attendance must be present and seated by 12:30 
p.m.

    Dated: November 10, 2005.
Elaine P. Killoran,
Acting Assistant Commissioner, Office of Finance, Customs and Border 
Protection.
[FR Doc. 05-22678 Filed 11-15-05; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 9111-14-P