# General Conference Committee of the National Poultry Improvement Plan; Solicitation for Membership
**AGENCY:**
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
**ACTION:**
Notice of solicitation for membership.
**SUMMARY:**
We are giving notice that the Secretary of Agriculture is soliciting nominations for the election of a member at-large and regional members and their alternates for the General Conference Committee of the National Poultry Improvement Plan.
**DATES:**
Consideration will be given to nominations received on or before June 1, 2020.
**ADDRESSES:**
Completed nomination forms should be sent to the person listed under *FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT* .
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Dr. Elena Behnke, Senior Coordinator, National Poultry Improvement Plan, VS, APHIS, USDA, 1506 Klondike Road, Suite 101, Conyers, GA 30094; phone (770) 922-3496; email: *[email protected].*
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
The General Conference Committee (the Committee) of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) is the Secretary's Advisory Committee on poultry health. The Committee serves as a forum for the study of problems relating to poultry health and, as necessary, makes specific recommendations to the Secretary concerning ways the U.S. Department of Agriculture may assist the industry in addressing these problems. The Committee assists the Department in planning, organizing, and conducting the Biennial Conference of the NPIP. The Committee recommends whether new proposals should be considered by the delegates to the Biennial Conference and serves as a direct liaison between the NPIP and the United States Animal Health Association.
The Committee consists of an elected member-at-large who is an NPIP participant and an elected member (and alternate) from each of the six U.S. regions represented on the Committee. Terms will expire for three current regional members of the Committee in August 2020. We are soliciting nominations from interested organizations and individuals to replace the members and alternates from the South Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia), West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota), and South Central (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas).
Member selection is determined by a majority vote of the NPIP delegates from the respective regions. There must be at least two nominees for each position. Persons interested in serving on the Committee or nominating another individual to serve must complete Form AD-755, which is available on the internet at *https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-755* or may be obtained by contacting the person listed under *FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT* .
To ensure the recommendations of the Committee have taken into account the needs of the diverse groups served by the Department, membership should include, to the extent practicable, individuals with demonstrated ability to represent underrepresented groups (minorities, women, and persons with disabilities). At least one nominee from each of the three regions must have demonstrated the ability to represent an underrepresented group. The voting will be by secret ballot of official delegates from their respective region, and the results will be recorded.
Done in Washington, DC, this 22nd day of April 2020.
Mark Davidson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.