Agencies and Commissions August 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) is adopting revisions to the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval System (EDGAR) Filer Manual to reflect updates to the EDGAR system. The revisions are being made primarily to retire the offline EDGARLink tool and the associated templates; to support the electronic filing of submission form types 13H, 13H-A, 13H-Q, 13H-I, 13H-T, 13H-R, for large trader registration, and N-PX-CR, N-PX-FM, N-PX-NT, N-PX-VR and their amendments; to update submission form types N-PX and N-PX/A; to update the OMB information on Forms 3, 4, 5, and 25-NSE; to support minor validation updates for Form N-MFP submissions; and to add four new applicant types to the Form ID. The EDGAR system is scheduled to be upgraded to support this functionality on August 1, 2011. The filer manual is also being revised to address changes previously made in EDGAR.

In this document, the Commission adopts modifications to its certification process for all Internet-based telecommunications relay service (iTRS) providers to ensure that all entities seeking certification in the futureor currently certified entities seeking re-certificationare fully qualified to provide iTRS in compliance with its rules and requirements, to reduce waste, fraud and abuse, and to improve the Commission's oversight of these providers once they have been certified.

In this document, the Commission adopts interim rules requiring that Internet-based Telecommunications Relay Service (iTRS) providers certify, under penalty of perjury, that their certification applications and annual compliance filings are truthful, accurate, and complete. These rules are necessary to help ensure that the Commission has true and complete information, thereby ensuring that only qualified providers are eligible for compensation from the Interstate TRS Fund (Fund).

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing regulations to implement the Pathways Programs established by E.O. 13562, signed December 27, 2010, to provide clear paths to Federal internships and potential careers in Government for students and recent graduates. As directed by the President, the Pathways Programs consist of the Internship Program, the Recent Graduates Program and the Presidential Management Fellows Program. The President determined that these programs should be excepted from the competitive service and placed in the newly created Schedule D of the excepted service. OPM's proposed implementing regulations would provide for more transparency in Federal internship opportunities, limit the programs so they are used as a supplement to competitive examining and not a substitute for it, apply veterans' preference, and provide for OPM oversight. Agencies would only be permitted to use the Pathways Programs as part of an overall workforce planning strategy and pursuant to an agreement with OPM. The regulations would require agencies to make an investment in the program participants' development through training, mentorship, and other means. The regulations would further require agencies to conduct meaningful assessments of participant performance as part of an agency's determination as to whether the program participants should be converted to permanent positions in the competitive service.

Title III of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the Dodd-Frank Act or the Act) provided that the functions, powers, and duties of the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) relating to State savings associations will transfer to the FDIC effective one year after July 21, 2010, the date that the Dodd-Frank Act was enacted. The Act also amended section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDI Act) to designate the FDIC as the ``appropriate Federal banking agency'' for State savings associations. The FDIC is authorized to issue regulations pursuant to the FDI Act and other existing laws as the ``appropriate Federal banking agency'' (or under similar statutory terminology). As a result, pursuant to those laws, the FDIC, the newly-designated ``appropriate Federal banking agency'' for State savings associations, is authorized to issue certain regulations involving State savings associations. Consistent with the authority provided to the FDIC by the Dodd- Frank Act, the FDI Act, and other statutory authorities, the FDIC is reissuing and redesigning certain transferring OTS regulations. In republishing these rules, the FDIC is making only technical changes to existing OTS regulations (such as nomenclature or address changes). The FDIC is not republishing those OTS regulations for which other appropriate Federal banking agencies are authorized to act. In the future, the FDIC may take other actions related to the transferred rules: Incorporating them into other FDIC regulations contained in Title 12, Chapter III, amending them, or rescinding them, as appropriate.

This is an amendment of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for Public Assistance Only for the State of Puerto Rico (FEMA-4004-DR), dated 07/14/2011. Incident: Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides. Incident Period: 05/20/2011 through 06/08/2011.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is correcting a notice appearing in the Federal Register on July 27, 2011 (76 FR 44865), that extended the public comment period and provided a date for a public meeting for the proposed rule, ``Domestic Licensing of Source MaterialAmendments/Integrated Safety Analysis.'' This action is necessary to correct the date of the public meeting in the DATES section, and to correct the Docket ID information for accessing publicly available documents related to the proposed rule and draft guidance document in the ADDRESSES section.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (the Commission) proposes measures to improve 911 availability and location determination for users of interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. First, the Commission considers whether to apply our 911 rules to ``outbound-only'' interconnected VoIP services, i.e., services that support outbound calls to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) but not inbound voice calling from the PSTN. These services, which allow consumers to place IP-based outbound calls to any telephone number, have grown increasingly popular in recent years. The Commission asks whether such services are likely to generate consumer expectations that they will support 911 calling and consider whether to extend to outbound-only interconnected VoIP service providers the same 911 requirements that have applied to other interconnected VoIP service providers since 2005. The Commission seeks comment on whether our proposal to amend the definition of interconnected VoIP service for 911 purposes has any impact on our interpretation of certain statutes that reference the Commission's existing definition of interconnected VoIP service.

On March 9, 2009, President Obama issued a Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies on Scientific Integrity. Shortly thereafter the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) led an interagency task group to develop an implementation strategy, and NSF was represented on the task group. On December 17, 2010, the OSTP Director issued a Memorandum with implementation guidance (for copies of both memoranda, see: https://www.whitehouse.gov/ administration/eop/ostp/library/scientificintegrity). NSF is fully committed to its efforts to ensure that our processes will advance the goals articulated in the Memoranda. This report summarizes NSF practices both current and planned to maintain and enhance scientific integrity across our S&E community. The report is organized according to the major headings and topics of the December 2010 OSTP Memorandum.

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 November 30, 2014, the current OMB clearance for the information collection requirements contained in its Use of Prenotification Negative Option Plans (``Negative Option Rule'' or ``Rule''). That clearance expires on November 30, 2011.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission gives notice of its intent to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for renewal of the information collection described below.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is issuing a revision to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.156, ``Qualification of Connection Assemblies for Nuclear Power Plants.'' This guide describes a method that the NRC considers acceptable for complying with the Commission's regulations on the environmental qualification of connection assemblies and environmental seals in combination with cables or wires as assemblies for service in nuclear power plants. The environmental qualification helps ensure that connection assemblies can perform their safety functions during and after a design-basis event.

This document informs the public that an appeal of the closing of the Still Pond, Maryland post office has been filed. It identifies preliminary steps and provides a procedural schedule. Publication of this document will allow the Postal Service, petitioners, and others to take appropriate action.