Announcement of Household Goods Consumer Protection Working Group Members and First Public Meeting

T.F. Scott Darling, III
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
23 December 2016

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 247 (Friday, December 23, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 94481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30987]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2016-0116]


Announcement of Household Goods Consumer Protection Working Group 
Members and First Public Meeting

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: FMCSA announces the appointment of 15 members to the Household 
Goods (HHG) Consumer Protection Working Group (HHG Working Group). This 
group will meet for the first time on January 4-5, 2017. Congress 
mandated the establishment of the HHG Working Group in the Fixing 
America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The group is charged with 
providing recommendations on how to better educate and protect HHG 
moving customers (consumers) during interstate HHG moves.

DATES: The first HHG Working Group meeting will be held on January 4, 
2017 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and January 5, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. to 
12:00 p.m. at the USDOT Headquarters, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590. Members of the Working Group and the public 
should arrive at 8:30 a.m. to facilitate clearance through DOT 
security. Copies of the agenda will be made available at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/fastact/household-goods-consumer-protection-working-group.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth Rodgers, Chief, Commercial 
Enforcement and Investigations Division, Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. Phone (202) 366-0073; Email 
Kenneth.Rodgers@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

FAST Act

    Section 5503 of the FAST Act (Pub. L. 114-94) (December 4, 2015) 
requires the HHG Working Group to provide recommendations to the 
Secretary of Transportation, through the FMCSA Administrator. The 
Working Group will operate in accordance with the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (FACA). 5 U.S.C. App. 2.
    As required by Section 5503 of the FAST Act, the Working Group will 
make recommendations in three areas relating to ``how to best convey to 
consumers relevant information with respect to the Federal laws 
concerning the interstate transportation of household goods by motor 
carrier.'' Those areas are:
    1. How to condense the FMCSA ``Ready to Move ?'' tips published in 
April 2006 (FMCSA-ESA-03-005) into a more consumer friendly format;
    2. How best to use state-of-the-art education techniques and 
technologies (including how to optimize use of the Internet as an 
educational tool); and
    3. How to reduce and simplify the paperwork required of motor 
carriers and shippers in interstate transportation.
    Section 5503 mandates that the Secretary of Transportation appoint 
a Working Group that is comprised of (i) individuals with expertise in 
consumer affairs; (ii) educators with expertise in how people learn 
most effectively; and (iii) representatives of the FMCSA regulated 
interstate HHG moving industry.
    On April 20, 2016, FMCSA solicited applications and nominations of 
interested persons to serve on the HHG Working Group. Applications and 
nominations were due on or before May 20, 2016 [81 FR 23354].
    The Working Group will terminate one year after the date its 
recommendations are submitted to the Secretary of Transportation.

Member Information

    On October 7, 2016, the Secretary appointed consumer affairs 
experts Jennifer M. Gartlan (Federal Maritime Commission), Gabriel 
Meyer (Surface Transportation Board), and Kelsey M. Owen (Better 
Business Bureau). Representing educators with expertise in how people 
learn most effectively will be Margaret McQueen (FMCSA National 
Training Center). Representatives of the FMCSA regulated interstate HHG 
moving industry are Francisco Acuna (Household Goods Compliance 
Solutions, Inc.), Thomas A. Balzar (Ohio Trucking Association), Andrew 
Friedman (PACK RAT LLC), Heather Paraino (MoveRescue), Jonathan Todd 
(Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP), Charles L. White 
(International Association of Movers), Chad W. Hall (All My Sons Moving 
and Storage), Dan Veoni (American Moving and Storage Association), 
Thomas J. Carney, (Carney McNicholas), John Esparza (Texas Trucking 
Association), and Richard Corona (Enterprise Database Corporation).

Meeting Information

    Meetings will be open to the general public, except as provided 
under FACA. Notice of each meeting will be published in the Federal 
Register at least 15 calendar days prior to the date of the meeting.
    For the January 4-5, 2017, meeting, oral comments from the public 
will be heard from 3:00 p.m.to 4:00 p.m. on January 4, 2017. Should all 
public comments be exhausted prior to the end of the specified oral 
comment period, the comment period will close.

    Issued on: December 15, 2016.
T.F. Scott Darling, III,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2016-30987 Filed 12-22-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P