Agencies and Commissions November 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document summarizes the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rule agreed to by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council in this Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-29. A companion document, the Small Entity Compliance Guide (SECG), follows this FAC. The FAC, including the SECG, is available via the Internet at https://www.regulations.gov.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have agreed on a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to require certain contractors and subcontractors to use the E-Verify system administered by the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as the means of verifying that certain of their employees are eligible to work in the United States.

To address extraordinary market conditions limiting credit availability for small businesses, SBA is issuing an interim final rule to make adjustments on an emergency basis to certain of its regulations in order to make the secondary market for loans guaranteed under section 7(a) of the Small Business Act (7(a) loans) more efficient with regard to loan pricing and the formation of secondary market loan pools. Specifically, the interim final rule will permanently add an additional base rate of LIBOR for lenders to use when pricing 7(a) loans, and will allow for secondary market loan pools to be formed with weighted average coupon rates. This interim final rule is necessary to help ensure continued availability of capital to small businesses and to improve liquidity in and efficiency of the secondary market.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the GSA will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve a new information collection requirement regarding reporting personal tangible property. A request for public comments was published at 72 FR 64648, November 16, 2007. Comments were received. GSA, on behalf of the Grants Policy Committee proposes to issue a new standard form, the Tangible Personal Property Report (SF-XXXX). We anticipate this being the final notice before the form and instructions are finalized. The general public and Federal agencies are invited to comment on the proposed final form. To view the form, go to OMB's main Web page at https://www.OMB.gov and click on the ``Grants Management,'' then ``Forms'' then Proposed Government-Wide Standard Grants Reporting Forms Links. Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; and ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected.

This is an amendment of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for the State of Illinois (FEMA-1800-DR), dated 10/03/ 2008. Incident: Severe storms and flooding. Incident Period: 09/13/2008 through 10/05/2008. Effective Date: 11/03/2008. Physical Loan Application Deadline Date: 12/02/2008. EIDL Loan Application Deadline Date: 07/03/2009.

This is an amendment of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for the State of Louisiana (FEMA-1786-DR), dated 09/02/2008. Incident: Hurricane Gustav. Incident Period: 09/01/2008 through 09/11/2008. Effective Date: 10/22/2008. Physical Loan Application Deadline Date: 12/03/2008. EIDL Loan Application Deadline Date: 06/02/2009.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, as amended), notice is hereby given that the following meetings of Humanities Panels will be held at the Old Post Office, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20506.

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''). The FTC is seeking public comments on its proposal to extend through January 31, 2012, the current PRA clearance for information sought through compulsory process orders to a combined ten or more of the largest cigarette manufacturers and smokeless tobacco manufacturers in order to obtain from them information including, among other things, their sales and marketing expenditures. The current clearance expires on January 31, 2009.

In 1996, the FDIC published General Counsel's Opinion No. 8 (``GC8''). Through that opinion, the Legal Division of the FDIC sought to clarify the meaning of the term ``deposit'' as that term relates to funds underlying stored value cards. Subsequently, the banking industry developed new types of stored value products with the result that GC8 is obsolete. For this reason, the Legal Division has decided to replace GC8. Under the new GC8, all funds underlying stored value products will be treated as ``deposits'' if they have been placed at an insured depository institution. As a result, all such funds will be subject to FDIC assessments. Also, all such funds will be insured up to the insurance limit. Whether the funds are insurable to the holders of the access mechanisms, as opposed to the distributor of the access mechanisms, will depend upon the satisfaction of the FDIC's standard requirements for obtaining ``pass-through'' insurance coverage. This treatment of the funds underlying stored value products does not differ from the treatment set forth in a proposed rule published by the FDIC in August of 2005. See 70 FR 45571 (August 8, 2005). The new GC8 will provide guidance to the public about the insurance coverage of funds underlying nontraditional access mechanisms. Also, the new GC8 will promote accuracy and consistency by insured depository institutions in reporting ``deposits'' for inclusion in an institution's assessment base.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have agreed on a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to amplify the requirements for a contractor code of business ethics and conduct, an internal control system, and disclosure to the Government of certain violations of criminal law, violations of the civil False Claims Act, or significant overpayments. This final rule implements Pub. L. 110- 252, Title VI, Chapter 1.

In this document, the Commission seeks comment on three specific proposals that are available in the appendices of the document. We note that members of industry, Congress, and the general public have urged the Commission to seek comment on these proposals. We also seek particular comment on two questions. First, should the additional cost standard utilized under section 252(d)(2) of the Act be either the existing TELRIC standard or the incremental cost standard described in the draft order? Second, should the terminating rate for all section 251(b)(5) traffic be set as either a single, statewide rate or a single rate per operating company?

Notice is hereby given that a complaint was filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission on October 6, 2008, under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, 19 U.S.C. 1337, on behalf of Isola USA Corp. of Chandler, Arizona. A supplement to the complaint was filed on October 28, 2008. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 based upon the importation into the United States, the sale for importation, and the sale within the United States after importation of certain prepregs, laminates, and finished circuit boards that infringe certain claims of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,187,852; 6,322,885 and 6,509,414. The complaint further alleges that an industry in the United States exists as required by subsection (a)(2) of section 337. The complainant requests that the Commission institute an investigation and, after the investigation, issue an exclusion order and cease and desist orders.

Patent applications on the inventions listed below assigned to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, have been filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and are available for licensing.

Patent applications on the inventions listed below assigned to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, have been filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and are available for licensing.

Patent applications on the inventions listed below assigned to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, have been filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and are available for licensing.