Household Goods (HHG) Consumer Protection Working Group Second Public Meeting

William A. Quade
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
29 March 2017

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 59 (Wednesday, March 29, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15551-15552]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-06185]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2016-0116]


Household Goods (HHG) Consumer Protection Working Group Second 
Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: 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 second HHG Working Group meeting will be held on May 2 and 
3, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and May 4, 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 public planning to attend should 
email FMCSA at the contact information listed below by April 15, 2017. 
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: 

[[Page 15552]]

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 HHG 
Working Group met for the first time on January 4-5, 2017.
    The Working Group will terminate one year after the date its 
recommendations are submitted to the Secretary of Transportation.

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 May 2-4, 2017, meeting, oral comments from the public will 
be heard from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on May 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: March 23, 2017.
William A. Quade,
Associate Administrator for Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 2017-06185 Filed 3-28-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P