[Federal Register: March 18, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 53)]
[Proposed Rules]               
[Page 14427]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18mr08-28]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

49 CFR Part 39

RIN 2105-AB87

 
Transportation for Individuals With Disabilities: Passenger 
Vessels

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation 
(DOT).

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of comment period and notice of public 
meeting.

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SUMMARY: DOT will hold a public meeting on April 8-9, 2008, in 
connection with its NPRM on passenger vessel disability access 
guidelines.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule published on January 
23, 2007 (72 FR 2833), is reopened April 8, 2008, through April 23, 
2008, to allow for the posting of comments related to the meeting held 
on April 8-9, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the DOT Headquarters located at 
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, in the DOT Conference 
Center, Rooms 8/9/10. Please enter at the New Jersey Avenue entrance, 
on the corner of M ST, SE., and New Jersey Avenue, SE. This entrance is 
accessible for individuals with disabilities.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the 
meeting, contact Brett Jortland, Attorney, DOT Office of the General 
Counsel, at 202.366.9314 or brett.jortland@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOT will host a public meeting to discuss 
issues of interest raised as a result of DOT's Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking on January 23, 2007 (72 FR 2833), regarding transportation 
for individuals with disabilities on passenger vessels.
    Public attendance at the meeting is limited to space available. The 
meeting will be physically accessible to individuals with disabilities. 
DOT is housed in a secure government building that requires visitors to 
pass a security screening and be escorted within the building. Meeting 
attendees should plan to arrive suitably early to allow for clearance 
of security and escort to the meeting room. Parking in the neighborhood 
surrounding DOT Headquarters is extraordinarily limited, so meeting 
attendees are strongly advised to travel to the meeting by Metro; the 
Navy Yard Station on Metro's Green Line serves DOT headquarters.
    The meeting will begin with introductory presentations from DOT 
regarding the NPRM, the Access Board regarding its companion 
rulemaking, and the passenger vessel industry to ensure that meeting 
attendees all have baseline knowledge of the types of vessels proposed 
for coverage under this regulation. Following these presentations, the 
meeting will proceed with open discussions moderated by a neutral 
facilitator. The discussions will follow the items on the meeting 
agenda. The agenda for the meeting will be placed in the docket for 
this rulemaking no later than March 21, 2008. The docket can be found 
at www.regulations.gov, under docket number OST-2007-26829.
    Individuals wishing to attend the meeting must RSVP to Brett 
Jortland with their name, organization (if any), and identify whether 
they are representing persons with disabilities, the passenger vessel 
industry, or other interests. In addition to space limitations, DOT 
reserves the right to limit attendance to ensure that all viewpoints 
are represented in the meeting's discussions. Individuals requiring 
special services, such as sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids, are asked to indicate this in their RSVP, which must be 
received no later than April 3, 2008.

    Dated: March 10, 2008.
Neil Eisner,
Assistant General Counsel for Regulation and Enforcement, U.S. 
Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 08-1036 Filed 3-12-08; 4:01 pm]

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