June 8, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have agreed to convert the interim rule published in the Federal Register at 69 FR 59701, October 5, 2004, to a final rule without change. The final rule amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement section 1428 of the Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003, Title XIV of Public Law 108- 136, Authorization of Telecommuting for Federal Contractors.

This document summarizes the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rules agreed to by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council in this Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-04. 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.acqnet.gov/far.

In this document, the Commission adopts revisions to its antenna gain pattern rules, and adopts new rules for Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) networks and other networks using certain multiple access techniques.

This notice announces the initial filing of a pesticide petition proposing the establishment of regulations for residues of a certain pesticide chemical in or on various food commodities.

This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Dassault Model Mystere-Falcon 50 and 900 series airplanes, and Model Falcon 2000 and 900EX series airplanes. This proposal requires temporary changes to the Airplane Flight Manual to prohibit the use of certain functions depending on whether or not the operator chooses to deactivate the global positioning system (GPS). For airplanes on which the GPS is deactivated, this proposal requires installing a deactivation locking collar on certain circuit breakers. For certain airplanes, this proposal also requires modifying the wiring of the global positioning/inertial reference system. This action is necessary to prevent the erroneous cockpit display of ground speed, wind velocity and direction, flight path angle, and true track angle when using certain autopilot and/or flight management system functions. Erroneous cockpit displays could cause the pilot to lose situational awareness, and possibly lose control of the airplane. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.

This document contains the interim final regulations governing the administration of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000, as amended (EEOICPA or Act) by the Department of Labor (Department or DOL). Part B of the Act provides uniform lump-sum payments and medical benefits to covered employees and, where applicable, to survivors of such employees, of the Department of Energy (DOE), its predecessor agencies and certain of its vendors, contractors and subcontractors. Part B of the Act also provides smaller uniform lump-sum payments and medical benefits to individuals found eligible by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for benefits under section 5 of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) and, where applicable, to their survivors. Part E of the Act provides variable lump-sum payments (based on a worker's permanent impairment and/or years of established wage-loss) and medical benefits for covered DOE contractor employees and, where applicable, provides variable lump-sum payments to survivors of such employees (based on a worker's death due to a covered illness and any years of established wage-loss). Part E of the Act also provides these same payments and benefits to uranium miners, millers and ore transporters covered by section 5 of the RECA and, where applicable, to survivors of such employees. The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) administers the adjudication of claims and the payment of benefits under EEOICPA, with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimating the amounts of radiation received by employees alleged to have sustained cancer as a result of such exposure and establishing guidelines to be followed by OWCP in determining whether such cancers are at least as likely as not related to employment. Both DOE and DOJ are responsible for notifying potential claimants and for submitting evidence necessary for OWCP's adjudication of claims under EEOICPA.