98-31911. Public Hearing

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 230 (Tuesday, December 1, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 66198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-31911]


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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION AGENCY

Overseas Private Investment Corporation


Public Hearing

AGENCY: Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

ACTION: Notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and requirements for 
participation in an annual public hearing to be conducted by the 
Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) on December 15, 1998. 
This hearing is required by the OPIC Amendments Act of 1985, and this 
notice is being published to facilitate public participation. The 
notice also describes OPIC and the subject matter of the hearing.

DATES: The hearing will be held on December 15, 1998, and will begin 
promptly at 10:00 a.m. Prospective participants must submit to OPIC 
before close of business December 8, 1998, notice of their intent to 
participate.

ADDRESSES: The location of the hearing will be: Overseas Private 
Investment Corporation, 1100 New York Avenue, N.W., 12th Floor, 
Washington, D.C. Notices and prepared statements should be sent to 
Harvey Himberg, Financial Management and Statutory Review Department, 
Overseas Private Investment Corporation, 1100 New York Avenue, N.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20527.
    Procedure: (a) Attendance; Participation. The hearing will be open 
to the public. However, a person wishing to present views at the 
hearing must provide OPIC with advance notice on or before December 8, 
1998. The notice must include the name, address and telephone number of 
the person who will make the presentation, the name and address of the 
organization which the person represents (if any) and a concise summary 
of the subject matter of the presentation.
    (b) Prepared Statements. Any participant wishing to submit a 
prepared statement for the record must submit it to OPIC with the 
notice or, in any event, not later than 5 p.m. on December 11, 1998. 
Prepared statements must be typewritten, double spaced and may not 
exceed twenty-five (25) pages.
    (c) Duration of Presentations. Oral presentations will in no event 
exceed ten (10) minutes, and the time for individual presentations may 
be reduced proportionately, if necessary, to afford all prospective 
participants on a particular subject an opportunity to be heard or to 
permit all subjects to be covered.
    (d) Agenda. Upon receipt of the required notices, OPIC will prepare 
an agenda for the hearing setting forth the subject or subjects on 
which each participant will speak and the time allotted for each 
presentation. OPIC will provide each prospective participant with a 
copy of the agenda.
    (e) Publication of Proceedings. A verbatim transcript of the 
hearing will be compiled. The transcript will be available to members 
of the public at the cost of reproduction.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OPIC is a U.S. Government agency which 
provides, on a commercial basis, political risk insurance and financing 
in friendly developing countries and emerging democracies for 
environmentally sound projects which confer positive developmental 
benefits upon the project country while creating employment in the U.S. 
OPIC is required by section 231A(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961, as amended (``the Act'') to hold at least one public hearing each 
year.
    Among other issues, OPIC's annual public hearing has, in previous 
years, provided a forum for testimony concerning section 231A(a) of the 
Act. This section provides that OPIC may operate its programs only in 
those countries that are determined to be ``taking steps to adopt and 
implement laws that extend internationally recognized worker rights to 
workers in that country (including any designated zone in that 
country).''
    Based on consultations with Congress, OPIC complies with annual 
determinations made by the Executive Branch with respect to worker 
rights for countries that are eligible for the Generalized System of 
Preferences (GSP). Any country for which GSP eligibility is revoked on 
account of its failure to take steps to adopt and implement 
internationally recognized worker rights is subject concurrently to the 
suspension of OPIC programs until such time as a favorable worker 
rights determination can be made.
    For non-GSP countries in which OPIC operates its programs, OPIC 
reviews any country which is the subject of a formal challenge at its 
annual public hearing. To qualify as a formal challenge, testimony must 
pertain directly to the worker rights requirements of the law as 
defined in OPIC's 1985 reauthorizing legislation (P.L. 99-204) with 
reference to the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, and be supported by 
factual information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUBLIC HEARING CONTACT:
Harvey A. Himberg, Financial Management and Statutory Review 
Department, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, 1100 New York 
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20527 [phone] or by facsimile at 
[phone].

    Dated: November 24, 1998.
Richard C. Horanburg,
Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-31911 Filed 11-30-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3210-01-M