August 3, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On July 11, 2005, the Committee received a request from the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, the National Council of Textile Organizations, the National Textile Association, and UNITE HERE requesting that the Committee limit imports from China of cotton and man-made fiber nightwear (Category 351/651). They request that a textile and apparel safeguard action, as provided for in the Report of the Working Party on the Accession of China to the World Trade Organization (the Accession Agreement) be applied on imports of such nightwear. The Committee hereby solicits public comments on this request, in particular with regard to whether imports from China of such nightwear are, due to market disruption, threatening to impede the orderly development of trade in this product. Comments must be submitted by September 2, 2005 to the Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, Room 3001A, United States Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20230.

On July 11, 2005, the Committee received a request from the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, the National Council of Textile Organizations, the National Textile Association, and UNITE HERE requesting that the Committee limit imports from China of women's and girls' cotton and man-made fiber woven shirts and blouses (Category 341/641). They request that a textile and apparel safeguard action, as provided for in the Report of the Working Party on the Accession of China to the World Trade Organization (the Accession Agreement) be applied on imports of such shirts and blouses. The Committee hereby solicits public comments on this request, in particular with regard to whether imports from China of such shirts and blouses are, due to market disruption, threatening to impede the orderly development of trade in this product. Comments must be submitted by September 2, 2005 to the Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, Room 3001A, United States Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20230.

On January 31, 2005 (70 FR 4958), EPA announced an opportunity for animal feeding operations (AFOs) to sign a voluntary consent agreement and final order (air compliance agreement). This supplemental notice announces a reopening to the signup period for the consent agreement and final order.

In this document, the Commission adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), seeking comment on a number of procedures designed to streamline the process of allocating new FM channels and modifying the communities of license of existing radio stations, and to reduce current backlogs in proceedings to amend the FM Table of Allotments. In the NPRM, the Commission also announced a freeze on all new petitions to amend the FM Table of Allotments, and announced its intention to open a 90-day window during which parties to pending proceedings to amend the FM Table of Allotments, in which Notices of Proposed Rulemaking have been released and comment and reply comment deadlines have passed, may universally settle all conflicts between their proposals and/or counterproposals, without limitation as to reimbursement.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on information collection provisions for the Importer's Entry Notice.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, May 22, 1995), this notice announces that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for the elimination of the optional form (OF) called Applying for a Federal Job (OF 510), the revision of the optional form called Optional Application for Federal Employment (OF 612), the specifications of the improved resume builder in the USAJOBS Web site (https://www.USAJOBS.gov), and screen shots of the web pages within the USAJOBS Web site. OPM proposes eliminating the OF 510. The OF 510 is a brochure that has been used to provide guidance to the general public on how to apply for Federal jobs and how to construct a Federal resume (i.e., what necessary work, education, and other information applicants should include in their resumes or other applications). However, the same instructions contained in the OF 510 have been incorporated into the revised OF 612 and the USAJOBS resume builder. The instructions are also available through numerous other sources, including the USAJOBS Web site, that were not available at the time this brochure was originally created. This proposed action will eliminate the need to print, maintain, and distribute an instructional guide in hard copy format now that the information can be readily updated and delivered by leveraging current web and other automated technology. The OF 612 is a form used to collect applicant qualifications information associated with vacancy announcements. The form provides necessary guidance to applicants so that they can be considered for employment when applying for Federal jobs. Presently the OF 612 is downloadable from OPM's electronic forms page on the USAJOBS Web site (https://www.opm.gov/forms) in fillable pdf format. The data collected are necessary for Federal agencies to evaluate applicants for Federal jobs under the authority of sections 1104, 1302, 3301, 3304, 3320, 3361, 3393, and 3394 of title 5, United States Code. OPM has reconstructed the resume builder in the USAJOBS Web site to be in line with the data elements collected in the revised OF 612. The resume builder contains the critical elements applied across the Federal government to assess an applicant's qualifications as required under the aforementioned sections of 5 United States Code. The OF 612 and the resume builder in the USAJOBS Web site contain questions regarding the applicant's education history, including dates of attendance, name, type and place of institution, and degrees earned. Due to the increasing number of claimed degrees earned from non- accredited or bogus institutions, commonly referred to as ``diploma mills,'' the revised OF 612 and the USAJOBS resume ask applicants to list only degrees from schools that were accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or other education that meets the provisions of OPM's Operating Manual at www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e4.htm. The revised OF 612 and resume builder also advise applicants not to list education from degrees based solely on life experiences, or obtained from schools with little or no academic standards. The USAJOBS Web site is the Federal Government's official one-stop source for Federal jobs and employment information. USAJOBS is operated by OPM and provides job vacancy information, employment fact sheets, job applications/forms, and on-line resume development. Job seekers may create a ``My USAJOBS'' account where they can create up to five resumes. These resumes are stored in one location where they can be updated, saved, or sent at any time. The public reporting burden for the collection of the data will vary from 20 to 240 minutes, with an average of 90 minutes for both, the OF 612 and the online resume builder. This time estimate includes time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering data, and completing and reviewing the information. OF 612burden hours calculation: Estimated number of respondents: 245,000. Average time to complete the OF 612: 90 min. (1.5 hours). 245,000 x 1.5 = 367,500 burden hours. Federal Resumeburden hours calculation: Estimated number of respondents: 3,510,600. Average time to complete the on-line resume builder: 90 min. (1.5 hours). 3,510,600 x 1.5 = 5,265,900 burden hours. The dramatic upsurge in responses is due to expansion and acceptance of resumes in the Federal application process and the advancement of technology to provide for online application, as well as increased interest by job seekers in Federal employment as evidenced by an eightfold growth in visits to the USAJOBS Federal employment information system in FY 2004 over FY 2003. The increase in time is based on new requirements that job applicants provide accreditation information for institutions of higher education from which they have received a degree. As job applicants will need to verify their education against this new requirement, the OF-612 or Federal resume will take longer to complete than it has in the past. As a result of the 60-day notice, OPM received one comment expressing concern about the additional burden for applicants. The reason for this extra burden was the requirement that applicants provide accreditation information for institutions of higher education from which they have received degrees. OPM has determined that this was a valid concern. Therefore, the OF 612 and the resume builder will contain specific instructions to the applicant to list only degrees from facilities that have been duly accredited by the U.S. Department of Education or other education that meets the provisions of OPM's Operating Manual at https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e4.htm, and not from non-accredited or bogus institutions. For copies of this proposal, contact Mary Beth Smith-Toomey by phone at (202) 606-8358, by FAX at (202) 418-3251, or via e-mail at MaryBeth.Smith-Toomey@opm.gov. Please include a mailing address with your request.

In the Rules and Regulations section of this issue of the Federal Register, the IRS is issuing temporary regulations relating to the capitalization of costs under the simplified service cost method of the Income Tax Regulations and the simplified production method. The regulations affect taxpayers that use the simplified service cost method or the simplified production method for self-constructed assets that are constructed on a routine and repetitive basis in the ordinary course of their businesses. The text of those regulations also serves as the text of these proposed regulations.

An open meeting of the Small Business/Self EmployedTaxpayer Burden Reduction Committee of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel will be conducted (via teleconference). The TAP will be discussing issues pertaining to increasing compliance and lessening the burden for Small Business/Self Employed individuals.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is amending a system of records notice to its existing inventory of record systems subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended.