Agencies and Commissions January 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Copyright Royalty Judges are announcing their final determination of the rates and terms for the use of musical works in physical phonorecords, permanent downloads, and ringtones and are adopting as final regulations the rates and terms for the use of musical works in limited downloads, interactive streaming, and incidental digital phonorecord deliveries.

The following public hearings on proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Appellate, Bankruptcy, Civil, Criminal, and Evidence Rules, have been canceled: Evidence Rules Hearing, January 13, 2009, in San Antonio, TX; Criminal Rules Hearing, January 16, 2009, in Los Angeles, CA; Bankruptcy Rules Hearing, January 23, 2009, in New York, NY; Evidence Rules Hearing, January 26, 2008, in Atlanta, GA; Appellate Rules Hearing, January 30, 2009, in Washington, DC; and Bankruptcy Rules Hearing, February 6, 2009, in San Francisco, CA. [Original notice of hearings appeared in the Federal Register on July 29, 2008.]

The Advisory Committee on Rules of Evidence will hold a two- day meeting. The meeting will be open to public observation but not participation.

The Advisory Committee on Rules of Appellate Procedure will hold a two-day meeting. The meeting will be open to public observation but not participation.

On September 24, 2008, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved, for a period of three years, the information collections for the service quality measurement plan for interstate special access and monthly usage requirements associated with the Commission's Section 272(f)(1) Sunset of the BOC Separate Affiliate and Related Requirements; 2000 Biennial Regulatory Review Separate Affiliate Requirements of Section 64.1903 of the Commission's Rules; Petition of AT&T Inc. for Forbearance Under 47 U.S.C. 160(c) with Regard to Certain Dominant Carrier Regulations for In-Region, Interexchange Services, Report and Order and Memorandum Opinion and Order, FCC 07-159 (released Aug. 31, 2007) (Report and Order). These information collection requirements required OMB approval in order to become effective.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is today publishing a list of rules to be reviewed pursuant to Section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. The list is published to provide the public with notice that these rules are scheduled for review by the agency and to invite public comment on them.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is adopting amendments to the form used by mutual funds to register under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and to offer their securities under the Securities Act of 1933 in order to enhance the disclosures that are provided to mutual fund investors. The amendments require key information to appear in plain English in a standardized order at the front of the mutual fund statutory prospectus. The Commission is also adopting rule amendments that permit a person to satisfy its mutual fund prospectus delivery obligations under section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act by sending or giving the key information directly to investors in the form of a summary prospectus and providing the statutory prospectus on an Internet Web site. Upon an investor's request, mutual funds are also required to send the statutory prospectus to the investor. These amendments are intended to improve mutual fund disclosure by providing investors with key information in plain English in a clear and concise format, while enhancing the means of delivering more detailed information to investors. Finally, the Commission is adopting additional amendments that are intended to result in the disclosure of more useful information to investors who purchase shares of exchange- traded funds on national securities exchanges.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L.104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

The NRC is developing an update to its policy statement on safety culture to include the unique aspects of security and to ensure that the policy applies to all licensees and certificate holders. The NRC is conducting a public meeting to solicit public input on topics relating to the development of the policy statement. In addition to announcing the public meeting, the NRC is using this notice to request comments on the topics discussed in this notice. These topics can be found in section D (Topics for Discussion) of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces a forthcoming meeting of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.

This notice reopens the comment period for a Notice of public hearing on the policies and procedures of the Federal Election Commission. The comment period will be open until February 18, 2009. The Notice of public hearing addresses Federal Election Commission policies and procedures including, but not limited to, policy statements, advisory opinions, and public information, as well as various elements of the compliance and enforcement processes such as audits, matters under review, report analysis, administrative fines, and alternative dispute resolution. The Commission also seeks comment from the public on the procedures contained in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (``FECA''), as well as the Commission's implementing regulations.

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).