January 6, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has received a complaint entitled Certain Non-Volatile Memory Chips and Products Containing Same, DN 2996; the Commission is soliciting comments on any public interest issues raised by the complaint or complainant's filing under section 210.8(b) of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 210.8(b)).

The Commission is noticing a recently-filed Postal Service request for an advisory opinion on an initiative involving examination of the continuation of service at postal retail locations. This document invites public comments on the request and addresses several related procedural steps.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final regulations to eliminate the 10-year statute of limitations on collection of debt by administrative offset, which includes centralized salary offset. The final regulations conform with an amendment made by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. This change would authorize the offset of nontax payments (via salary offset) to collect delinquent Federal debt without regard to the amount of time the debt has been delinquent. OPM is also making several technical changes to be consistent with the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Justice Federal Claims Collection Standards and the Department of the Treasury salary offset regulations.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing an interim final regulation to update the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) regulations to reflect updated election opportunities for participants in the Pathways Programs. The Pathways Programs were created by Executive Order (E.O.) 13562, signed by the President on December 27, 2010, and are designed to enable the Federal Government to compete effectively for students and recent graduates by improving its recruitment efforts through internships and similar programs with Federal agencies. This interim final rule furthers these recruitment and retention efforts by providing health insurance, as well as dental and vision benefits, to eligible program participants and their families.

In accordance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 which provides opportunity for public comment on new or revised data collections, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) will publish periodic summaries of proposed data collections. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information has practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the RRB's estimate of the burden of the collection of the information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden related to the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. 1. Title and purpose of information collection: Public Service Pension Questionnaires; OMB 3220-0136. Public Law 95-216 amended the Social Security Act of 1977 by providing, in part, that spouse or survivor benefits may be reduced when the beneficiary is in receipt of a pension based on employment with a Federal, State, or local governmental unit. Initially, the reduction was equal to the full amount of the government pension. Public Law 98-21 changed the reduction to two-thirds of the amount of the government pension. Public Law 108-203 amended the Social Security Act by changing the requirement for exemption to public service offset, that Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes be deducted from the public service wages for the last 60 months of public service employment, rather than just the last day of public service employment. Sections 4(a)(1) and 4(f)(1) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) provides that a spouse or survivor annuity should be equal in amount to what the annuitant would receive if entitled to a like benefit from the Social Security Administration. Therefore, the public service pension (PSP) provisions apply to RRA annuities. RRB regulations pertaining to the collection of evidence relating to public service pensions or worker's compensation paid to spouse or survivor applicants or annuitants are found in 20 CFR 219.64c. The RRB utilizes Form G-208, Public Service Pension Questionnaire, and Form G-212, Public Service Monitoring Questionnaire, to obtain information used to determine whether an annuity reduction is in order. Completion of the forms is voluntary. However, failure to complete the forms could result in the nonpayment of benefits. One response is requested of each respondent. The RRB proposes no changes to the forms in the collection.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing this proposed regulation to implement the administrative wage garnishment (AWG) provisions of the Debt Collection Act of 1982, as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA). The regulation will allow OPM to garnish the disposable pay of an individual to collect delinquent non-tax debts owed to the United States without first obtaining a court order. The proposed regulation sets forth procedures for use by OPM in collecting debts owed to the Federal Government. The Federal Claims Collection Act of 1966, as amended by the Debt Collection Act of 1982 and the DCIA, requires agencies to issue regulations on their debt collection procedures. The proposed regulation includes procedures for collection of debts through AWG.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a proposed rule to implement provisions of Public Law 111-203, the Dodd- Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Public Law 111- 203 includes authorization for certain transferred employees to have a special enrollment opportunity and special rights regarding Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) to ensure their continuity of benefits coverage.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has formed a partnership with the software community to enhance the quality of software-related patents (Software Partnership). The Software Partnership is an opportunity to bring stakeholders together through a series of roundtable discussions to share ideas, feedback, experiences, and insights on software-related patents. On December 5, 2013, as part of the Software Partnership, the USPTO hosted a roundtable discussion on the USPTO's prior art searching techniques and tools. At the roundtable, the USPTO spoke on the prior art resources currently utilized by examiners and listened to external speakers and the public on additional prior art resources and improved search techniques. In order to receive further feedback from stakeholders, the USPTO is requesting comments on the questions regarding prior art resources and search techniques set forth below.

The Postal Service gives notice of filing a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to add a domestic shipping services contract to the list of Negotiated Service Agreements in the Mail Classification Schedule's Competitive Products List.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing the availability of a compliance guideline for official establishments to control and reduce the spread of Salmonella in hog slaughter facilities. The guidance provides information on best practices that may be applied at a hog slaughter facility to prevent, eliminate, or reduce levels of Salmonella on hogs at all stages of slaughter and dressing. This guideline will help hog slaughter establishments better comply with the relevant regulatory requirements. FSIS has posted this guideline on its Web page https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/ topics/regulatory-compliance/compliance-guides-index.

On November 21, 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a direct final rule approving portions of two revisions to the Texas State Implementation Plan (SIP) concerning the Permits for Specific Designated Facilities Program, also referred to as the FutureGen Program. The direct final action was published without prior proposal because EPA anticipated no adverse comments. EPA stated in the direct final rule that if we received relevant, adverse comments by December 23, 2013, EPA would publish a timely withdrawal in the Federal Register. EPA received a letter dated December 19, 2013, from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality stating that the March 9, 2006, and July 2, 2010, SIP revisions specific to the FutureGen program have been withdrawn from our consideration as revisions to the Texas SIP. Accordingly, EPA is withdrawing our direct final approval and in a separate rulemaking in today's Federal Register we are also withdrawing the corresponding proposed approval. We find that no further action is necessary on the Texas FutureGen Program March 9, 2006 and July 2, 2010 SIP revisions. The State's action also withdraws from EPA's review the FutureGen Program component of the January 22, 2010 Consent Decree between EPA and the BCCA Appeal Group, Texas Association of Business, and Texas Oil and Gas Association. This withdrawal is being taken under section 110 and parts C and D of the Federal Clean Air Act.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of certain sliding windows that were difficult to operate after landing. This AD requires a detailed inspection to identify part numbers of sliding windows and sliding window seals, and modification if necessary. This AD also includes an optional replacement. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct incorrect seals, which could lead to the functional loss of the sliding window as an exit, possibly preventing the flightcrew from safely evacuating the airplane during an emergency.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, and -900 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of arcing and smoke at the left number 2 window in the flight deck. This AD requires inspecting the orientation of both sides of the coil cord connector keyways of the number 2 windows on the flight deck; re-clocking the connector keyways, if necessary; and replacing the coil cord assemblies on both number 2 windows on the flight deck. We are issuing this AD to prevent arcing, smoke, and fire in the flight deck, which could lead to injuries to or incapacitation of the flightcrew.

The Department of the Navy (DoN) is revising its rules to assist the Secretary in managing sunken military craft under the jurisdiction of the DoN pursuant to the Sunken Military Craft Act (SMCA), and to issue revised application guidelines for research permits on terrestrial military craft under the jurisdiction of the DoN.

The Department of Defense (DoD) proposes to establish policy, assign responsibilities, and provide procedures for the issuing of distinct DoD ID cards. The ID cards shall be issued to uniformed service members, their dependents, and other eligible individuals and will be used as proof of identity and DoD affiliation. Following the June 26, 2013, U.S. Supreme Court decision that found Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, this rule also extends benefits to same sex spouses of Uniformed Service members and DOD civilians. The Department will now construe the words ``spouse'' and ``marriage'' to include same-sex spouses and marriages.

The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopts a Second Report and Order that establishes consolidated service rules for the 758-769 and 788-799 MHz bands, the 700 MHz spectrum licensed to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) for purposes of establishing a nationwide public safety broadband network. The Second Report and Order also lifts the suspension on the certification of equipment for operation in this band and directs the Office of Engineering and Technology to commence such certification, consistent with the service rules adopted therein.