Office of the Secretary 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This regulatory agenda is a semiannual summary of projected regulations, existing regulations, and completed actions of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its components. This agenda provides the public with information about DHS's regulatory and deregulatory activity. DHS expects that this information will enable the public to be more aware of, and effectively participate in, the Department's regulatory and deregulatory activity. DHS invites the public to submit comments on any aspect of this agenda.

This document corrects technical and typographical errors in the final rule with comment period that appeared in the Federal Register on November 22, 2023, titled ``Medicare Program: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems; Quality Reporting Programs; Payment for Intensive Outpatient Services in Hospital Outpatient Departments, Community Mental Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and Opioid Treatment Programs; Hospital Price Transparency; Changes to Community Mental Health Centers Conditions of Participation, Changes to the Inpatient Prospective Payment System Medicare Code Editor; Rural Emergency Hospital Conditions of Participation Technical Correction'' (referred to hereafter as the ``CY 2024 OPPS/ASC final rule with comment period'').

The Regulatory Agenda is a semiannual summary of all current and projected rulemakings, reviews of existing regulations, and completed rulemaking actions of the Department of Transportation (DOT). The Regulatory Agenda provides the public with information about DOT's planned regulatory activity for the next 12 months. This information enables the public to participate in the Department's regulatory process. The public is encouraged to submit comments on any aspect of this Regulatory Agenda.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Department of Transportation (DOT) is forwarding the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the information collection and its expected burden. On September 6, 2023, DOT published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR. DOT received no comments on this notice. This collection is necessary for administration of the Reconnecting Communities (RCP) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Discretionary Grant Programs and funding opportunities. Together, these programs are known as ``Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN)'' in the combined NOFO. RCN provides federal financial assistance for surface transportation infrastructure projects. Through RCP, this includes removing, retrofitting, or mitigating transportation facilities such as highways and rail lines that create barriers to community connectivity including to mobility, access, or economic development. Through NAE, this includes the RCP eligibilities and expands eligibility to activities that reduce the burdens to communities of existing transportation infrastructure, including air quality impacts and greenhouse gas emissions, urban heat islands, gaps in tree canopy coverage, and other natural environment concerns.

The DoD announces the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as part of the environmental planning process for the O'Brien Road Access Modernization (ORAM) project at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland (hereafter referred to as Fort Meade). The DoD proposes to implement the ORAM project, which would entail renovation and upgrade of inspection facilities, upgrade of access facilities, and corresponding roadway improvements for Mapes, O'Brien, Perimeter, and Venona Roads on Fort Meade.

This final rule will improve the electronic exchange of health care data and streamline processes related to prior authorization through new requirements for Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations, state Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) programs, state Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) FFS programs, Medicaid managed care plans, CHIP managed care entities, and Qualified Health Plan (QHP) issuers on the Federally-facilitated Exchanges (FFEs). This final rule will also add new measures for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) to report under the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program and for MIPS eligible clinicians to report under the Promoting Interoperability performance category of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). These policies, taken together, will reduce overall payer and provider burden and improve patient access to health information while continuing CMS's drive toward interoperability in the health care market.

This final rule modifies and updates certain provisions of regulations related to Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) accreditation, certification, and standards for the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) with Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) in OTPs. This includes making flexibilities put forth during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) permanent, as well as expanding access to care and evidence-based treatment for OUD. The final rule also removes all language and rules pertaining to the Drug Addiction and Treatment Act (DATA) Waiver from the regulations pursuant to the ``Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023''.

The DoD has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, the DoD is providing notice to rescind 23 Privacy Act SORNs. A description of these systems can be found in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. Additionally, the DoD is issuing a direct final rule, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, to amend its regulation and remove the Privacy Act exemptions rule for four SORNs [items (i) through (k), and (t)] rescinded in this notice.

On January 18, 2024, the DoD published a notice announcing a Federal Advisory Committee meeting of the Defense Science Board (DSB) that was to take place on January 18, 2024. The meeting has been cancelled.

Defense Human Resources Activity publishes this Civilian Personnel Per Diem Bulletin Number 325. Bulletin Number 325 lists current per diem rates prescribed for reimbursement of subsistence expenses while on official Government travel to Alaska, Hawaii, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the possessions of the United States. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 lodging rate review for Alaska resulted in rate changes for multiple locations.

This document extends the comment period for the Notice and Request for Comments on the Implications of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Commitments/Regimes and Other Proposed Commitments Being Considered Under a WHO Convention, Agreement or Other International Instrument on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response that appeared in the December 22, 2023, issue of the Federal Register. The comment period for the notice, which is due to close on January 22, 2024, is extended to January 31, 2024.

The DoD is publishing this notice to announce that the following Federal Advisory Committee meeting of the Defense Business Board (``the Board'') will take place.

The DoD is publishing this notice to announce that the following Federal Advisory Committee meeting of the Defense Science Board (DSB) will take place.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Education & Training) announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

The DoD has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act.

The DoD is issuing this final rule to adjust each of its statutory civil monetary penalties (CMP) to account for inflation. The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 and the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (the 2015 Act), requires the head of each agency to adjust for inflation its CMP levels in effect as of November 2, 2015, under a revised methodology that was effective for 2016 and for each year thereafter.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) is issuing a final rule to amend its regulations to exempt certain records in the INTERIOR/OIG- 02, Investigative Records, system of records from one or more provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 because of criminal, civil, and administrative law enforcement requirements.

The U.S. Department of Labor (Department) is publishing this final rule to adjust for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced by the Department, pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act). The Inflation Adjustment Act requires the Department to annually adjust its civil money penalty levels for inflation no later than January 15 of each year. The Inflation Adjustment Act provides that agencies shall adjust civil monetary penalties notwithstanding Section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Additionally, the Inflation Adjustment Act provides a cost- of-living formula for adjustment of the civil penalties. Accordingly, this final rule sets forth the Department's 2024 annual adjustments for inflation to its civil monetary penalties.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the Department of the Interior (DOI, Department) is issuing a public notice of its intent to modify the Privacy Act system of records, INTERIOR/DOI-10, Incident Management, Analysis and Reporting System. DOI is revising this notice to change the title of the system, propose new and modified routine uses, and update all sections of the system notice to accurately reflect the scope of the system. This modified system will be included in DOI's inventory of systems of records.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Defense Health Agency announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

This final rule implements the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Reporting Program provision of the 21st Century Cures Act by establishing new Conditions and Maintenance of Certification requirements for health information technology (health IT) developers under the ONC Health IT Certification Program (Program). This final rule also makes several updates to certification criteria and standards recognized by the Program. The Program updates include revised certification criteria for ``decision support interventions,'' ``patient demographics and observations,'' and ``electronic case reporting,'' as well as a new baseline version of the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) standard to Version 3. Additionally, this final rule provides enhancements to support information sharing under the information blocking regulations. The implementation of these provisions advances interoperability, improves algorithm transparency, and supports the access, exchange, and use of electronic health information (EHI). This final rule also updates numerous technical standards in the Program in additional ways to advance interoperability, enhance health IT certification, and reduce burden and costs for health IT developers and users of health IT.

The DoD has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act.