CFTC Seeks Comments on Qualification Info for Advisory Committees

Content

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“Commission” or “CFTC”) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed
collection of qualification information for advisory committee and subcommittee candidates by the agency. Under the Paperwork
Reduction Act (“PRA”), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the
Federal Register
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information,
and to allow 60 days for public comment.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before May 4, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by subject matter “OMB Control No. 3038-0119 (Qualification Information for Candidates
to Advisory Committees and Subcommittees),” and by any of the following methods:

• The Agency's website, at https://comments.cftc.gov/. Follow the instructions for submitting comments through the website.

• Mail: Christopher Kirkpatrick, Secretary of the Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st
Street NW, Washington, DC 20581.

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Same as Mail above.

Please submit your comments using only one method. All comments must be submitted in English, or if not, accompanied by an
English translation.

Comments will be posted as received to https://www.cftc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michelle Ghim, Office of the General Counsel Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1151 21st Street
NW, Washington, DC 20581; (202) 418-5667; email: FACA@cftc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) for each collection of information
they conduct or sponsor. “Collection of Information” is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3 and includes agency
requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party.
Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the
Federal Register
concerning each proposed collection of information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this
requirement, the CFTC is publishing notice of the proposed collection of information listed below. An agency may not conduct
or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB
control number. (1)

Title: Qualification Information for Candidates to Advisory Committees and Subcommittees (OMB Control No. 3038-0119). This is a request
for extension of a currently approved information collection.

Abstract: The CFTC's advisory committees were created to provide input and make recommendations to the Commission on a variety of regulatory
and market issues that affect the integrity and competitiveness of U.S. derivatives markets. The committees facilitate communication
between the Commission and U.S. derivatives markets, trading firms, market participants, and end users. The CFTC currently
has five advisory committees. The Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee was established by the Dodd-Frank Wall
Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Public Law 111-203, and subsequently codified in the Commodity Exchange Act, 7
U.S.C. 1 et seq., at 7 U.S.C. 2(a)(15), and is not subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Public Law 92-463 codified as 5 U.S.C.
1001 et seq.. The Agricultural Advisory Committee, Global Markets Advisory Committee, Innovation Advisory Committee, and the Market Risk
Advisory Committee, are discretionary committees under the FACA. The Commission also establishes subcommittees that report
to advisory committees as needed. Advisory committee and subcommittee members are generally representatives, but depending
on the issues to be addressed, the Commission will appoint special government employees and officials from other federal agencies
from time to time. Representatives provide the viewpoints of entities or recognizable groups, and they are expected to represent
a particular and known bias. On the other hand, special government employees are expected to provide their own independent
judgment in committee deliberations and are expected to discuss and deliberate in a manner that is free from conflicts of
interest. (2) Advisory committee and subcommittee members generally serve 2, 3 or 4-year terms, and appointments are made following the
establishment of a new subcommittee or as committee or subcommittee vacancies arise.

The CFTC identifies candidates for advisory committee and subcommittee membership through a variety of methods, including
public requests for nominations; recommendations from existing advisory committee members; consultations with knowledgeable
persons outside the CFTC (industry, consumer groups, other state or federal government agencies, academia, etc.); requests
to be represented received from individuals and organizations; and Commissioners' and CFTC staff's professional knowledge
of those experienced in the derivatives and underlying commodities markets.

Following the identification process, the CFTC develops a list of proposed members with the relevant points of view needed
to ensure membership balance. The Commission then votes to appoint individuals, or specified organizations, to serve.

The collection of information is necessary to support the CFTC Advisory Committee Program which includes committees, most
of which are governed by the FACA, and subcommittees that report directly to the advisory committees, as noted above. Pursuant
to the FACA, an agency must ensure that a committee is balanced with respect to the viewpoints represented and the functions
to be performed by that committee. Consistent with this, in order to select individuals for potential membership on an advisory
committee, the CFTC must determine that potential members are qualified to serve on an advisory committee and that the viewpoints
are properly balanced on the committee. The CFTC is also required to

  ensure that committee members are properly designated as special government employees or representatives. [(3)]() While CFTC subcommittees are not subject to the FACA, the selection process for subcommittee members who are not already serving
  on the parent committee is similar to that of new committee members. Additionally, the agency follows similar member selection
  procedures for the agency's non-FACA committee.

CFTC staff would use the information collected to determine the experience and expertise of potential advisory committee and
subcommittee members, ensure that the membership on a committee or subcommittee is balanced, and ensure that committee and
subcommittee members are properly designated as representatives or special government employees.

The CFTC seeks to collect the following information: Information that supports an individual's experience and expertise to
serve on an advisory committee or subcommittee, including letters of interest, recommendation letters, nomination letters
(including self-nominations), resumes, curriculum vitae or other similar biographical information documents. Additionally,
information that ensures membership balance (e.g., represented viewpoint category) and appropriate designation of an individual as either a representative or special government
employee.

With respect to the collection of information, the CFTC invites comments on:

• Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information will have a practical use;
• The accuracy of the Commission's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
• Ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the information to be collected; and • Ways to minimize the burden of collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology; e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

You should submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. If you wish the Commission to consider information
that you believe is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, a petition for confidential treatment of
the exempt information may be submitted according to the procedures established in § 145.9 of the Commission's regulations. (4)

The Commission reserves the right, but shall have no obligation, to review, pre-screen, filter, redact, refuse or remove any
or all of your submission from http://www.cftc.gov that it may deem to be inappropriate for publication, such as obscene language. All submissions that have been redacted or
removed that contain comments on the merits of the Information Collection Request will be retained in the public comment file
and will be considered as required under the Administrative Procedure Act and other applicable laws, and may be accessible
under the Freedom of Information Act.

Burden Statement: The respondent burden for this collection is estimated to be as follows:

Estimated Number of Respondents: 400.

Estimated Average Burden Hours per Respondent: 1 hour.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 400 hours.

Frequency of Collection: As needed.

There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection.

(Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.)

Dated: March 3, 2026. Robert Sidman, Deputy Secretary of the Commission. [FR Doc. 2026-04395 Filed 3-4-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6351-01-P

Footnotes

(1) 44 U.S.C. 3512, 5 CFR 1320.5(b)(2)(i) and 1320.8 (b)(3)(vi).

(2) 18 U.S.C. 202(a).

(3) See, OGE DO-04X9, DO-04-022, and DO-05-012.

(4) 17 CFR 145.9.

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