Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, State.
Final rule.
By interim final rule published September 27, 1999 (64 FR 51894), the United States Department of State [“Department”] adopted fees sufficient for it to recover the full cost of its administrative processing of certain requests for Exchange Visitor Program Designation services. The Department is hereby adopting as final the September 27, 1999 interim final rule, with modifications. The Department administers the Exchange Visitor Program pursuant to the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961. The Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agency Appropriations Act of 1998 authorizes the Department to collect fees related to its provision of Exchange Visitor Program services.
Sally J. Lawrence (Chief), Exchange Visitor Program Designation Staff. (202)401–9810.
On September 27, 1999, the United States Information Agency [“USIA”] issued an interim final rule on the adoption of fees for all requests for an extension, change of category, reinstatement, or program designation as well as for non-routine requests for the Form IAP–66. This rule was to be effective on January 1, 2000. The September 27 interim final rule on fees was amended by a final rule dated October 7, 1999 (64 FR 54538), and also by an interim final rule dated January 5, 2000 (65 FR 352). Those amendments were needed because of the consolidation of USIA into the Department of State and the time needed to establish an administrative process for the Department's collection of the fees. The Department now has had sufficient time to institute the requisite collection, recording and accounting system.
Accordingly, the Department hereby adopts as a final rule the September 27, 1999 interim final rule at 64 FR 51894, with administrative modifications as indicated above. This rule has no effect on the user fee that is currently being charged for applications for waiver of the two-year home-country residence requirement of 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as set forth in 22 CFR 22.1 item 72.
Because this rule involves a foreign affairs function of the United States Government, the Department is not required to prepare and make available for public comment an initial regulatory flexibility analysis.
This rule will not have substantial direct effect on the States, on the relationship between the National Government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government.
This rule is exempt from review under Executive Order 12866, but has been reviewed internally by the Department to ensure consistency with the purposes thereof.
The Department has determined that this rule is not a major rule, as defined by section 804 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
No actions are necessary under the provisions of the unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995.
This rule does not create any new paperwork requirements.
Cultural Exchange Programs.
8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(J), 1182, 1184, 1258; 22 U.S.C. 1431–1442, 2451–2460; Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, Pub. L. 105–277, 112 Stat. 2681 et seq.; Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1977, 3 CFR, 1977 Comp. p. 200; E.O. 12048 of March 27, 1978; 3 CFR, 1978 Comp. p. 168.
(a)
(b)
(1) Request for program extension—$198.
(2) Request for change of program category—$198.
(3) Request for reinstatement—$198.
(4) Request for program designation—$799.
(5) Request for non-routine handling of an IAP–66 Form Request—$43.