January 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the waters of the Columbia River during a New Year's fireworks display. The Captain of the Port, Portland, Oregon, is taking this action to safeguard watercraft and their occupants from safety hazards associated with this display. Entry into this safety zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is publishing technical amendments to the Agriculture Acquisition Regulation (AGAR) as a final rule. We use the direct final rule process to make non-controversial changes to the AGAR. We are amending the AGAR to update organizational references to USDA components; to update citations to statutes and to Executive Orders; to update or clarify internal procedures; and to reflect changes in the Federal Acquisition Regulation through Federal Acquisition Circular 2001-24.

This document seeks comment on a Petition for Declaratory Ruling filed by the Consumer Bankers Association asking the Commission to preempt certain sections of the Wisconsin Statutes and Wisconsin Administrative Code as applied to interstate telephone calls.

FRA is issuing this final rule to mandate the reflectorization of freight rolling stock (freight cars and locomotives) to enhance the visibility of trains in order to reduce the number and severity of accidents at highway-rail grade crossings in which train visibility is a contributing factor. This rule establishes a schedule for the application of retroreflective material and prescribes standards for the construction, performance, application, inspection, and maintenance of the material.

The Commission seeks comment on applying to Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) service providers its revised interpretation of the commercial time limits applicable to children's programming. Specifically, the Commission proposes to require that the display of Internet Web site addresses during DBS program material is permitted as within the time limits only if the Web site meets certain requirements, including the requirement that it offer a substantial amount of bona fide program-related or other noncommercial content and is not primarily intended for commercial purposes. In addition, the Commission proposes to apply to DBS its revised definition of ``commercial matter'' as including promotions of television programs or video programming services other than children's educational and informational programming. The Commission also seeks comment on how to tailor its rules to allow innovation in interactivity in children's television programming, while at the same time ensuring that parents can control what information their children can access.

The Department of Health and Human Services is amending its acquisition regulation (HHSAR) for the purpose of making administrative and editorial changes to reflect organizational title changes resulting from Office of the Secretary (OS) and Operating Division (OpDiv) reorganizations; updating and removing outdated references; providing procedural guidance for reporting violations of the Procurement Integrity Act; assigning unique document numbers for contracts and task orders, in accordance with an Office of Management and Budget Memorandum dated August 6, 2003; adding a new training requirement for HHS project officers; adding the terms ``veteran-owned'' and ``service- disabled veteran-owned'' to describe small business categories consistent with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR); permitting a total of basic and option periods of up to ten years for all service contracts not subject to the Service Contract Act or other statutory requirements; adding the Choice of Law (Overseas) clause in solicitations and contracts when contract performance will be outside the United States, its possessions, and Puerto Rico, except as otherwise provided in a government-to-government agreement; removing the reference to the Department's General Administration Manual with respect to major system acquisitions; deleting unconstitutional and unenforceable portions of the Confidentiality of Information clause resulting from the outcome of Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior Univ. v. Sullivan, and providing current references with respect to assurances and regulations governing the protection of human subjects. HHS is issuing a direct final rule for this action because HHS expects there will be no significant adverse comments on the rule.