Agencies and Commissions August 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The information collection requirements described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (``PRA'') (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). The FTC is seeking public comments on its proposal to extend through August 31, 2008, the current Paperwork Reduction Act clearances for information collection requirements contained in four Commission rules and one clearance covering the Commission's administrative activities. Those clearances expire on August 31, 2005.

NARA is giving public notice that the agency has submitted to OMB for approval the information collection described in this notice. The public is invited to comment on the proposed information collection pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Farm Credit Administration (FCA, we, or our) issues this final rule amending our liquidity reserve requirement for the banks of the Farm Credit System (System) to ensure the banks have adequate liquidity. The final rule increases the minimum liquidity reserve requirement to 90 days, increases the eligible investment limit to 35 percent of total outstanding loans and requires Farm Credit banks to develop and maintain liquidity contingency plans. These enhanced requirements will improve the ability of Farm Credit banks to supply agricultural credit in all economic situations.

This document proposes to amend the amateur radio service rules to eliminate the requirement that individuals pass a telegraphy examination in order to qualify for any amateur radio operator license.

In this document, the Commission grants petitions for reconsideration of the 2004 TRS Report & Order. Through this action, the Commission reverses its conclusion that translation from American Sign Language (ASL) into Spanish is not a telecommunications relay service (TRS) eligible for compensation from the Interstate TRS Fund. This decision will allow Spanish-speaking people who are deaf to communicate with others who speak only Spanish and will allow them to integrate more fully into society.

The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Public Law 104-13. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information, subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act that does not display a valid control number. Comments are requested concerning (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), this notice advises interested persons of the fifth meeting of the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (Council) under its charter renewed as of December 29, 2003. The meeting will be held at the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC.

This interim rule amends SBA's HUBZone, 8(a) Business Development, Government Contracting and Size Standard regulations to implement provisions of the Small Business Act including the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, specifically, Subtitle E of Division K entitled the Small Business Reauthorization and Manufacturing Assistance Act of 2004. Consistent with the new statutory requirements under Subtitle E, this interim rule: Amends the definitions of the terms ``business concern,'' ``affiliation,'' ``HUBZone small business concern'' and ``qualified HUBZone small business concern;'' amends the HUBZone eligibility requirements for tribally-owned HUBZone concerns; extends qualified HUBZone areas to include military base closure areas for a period of five years; revises the definition of a ``qualified non-metropolitan county;'' extends the redesignation period for HUBZone areas through the release of the 2010 census data; and provides a five percent HUBZone evaluation price preference for agricultural commodities in international food aid procurements. Pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, SBA has determined that there is good cause to issue this rule as an interim rule with an immediate effective date. However, SBA encourages and will consider all timely public comments in developing the final rule.

The Commission hereby gives notice of the scheduling of an expedited review pursuant to section 751(c)(3) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1675(c)(3)) (the Act) to determine whether revocation of the antidumping duty order on certain non-frozen concentrated apple juice from China would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time. For further information concerning the conduct of this review and rules of general application, consult the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, part 201, subparts A through E (19 CFR part 201), and part 207, subparts A, D, E and F (19 CFR part 207).

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) publishes notice at least once monthly of certain Federal agency requests for records disposition authority (records schedules). Once approved by NARA, records schedules provide mandatory instructions on what happens to records when no longer needed for current Government business. They authorize the preservation of records of continuing value in the National Archives of the United States and the destruction, after a specified period, of records lacking administrative, legal, research, or other value. Notice is published for records schedules in which agencies propose to destroy records not previously authorized for disposal or reduce the retention period of records already authorized for disposal. NARA invites public comments on such records schedules, as required by 44 U.S.C. 3303a(a).

This notice reopens the comment period for a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the definition of ``Federal election activity.'' The comment period will be open for thirty days. The NPRM includes proposals that would retain the existing definition of ``voter registration activity'' and modify the existing definitions of ``get- out-the-vote activity'' and ``voter identification'' to conform Commission rules to the ruling of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Shays v. Federal Election Commission.