2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Branch for the Study of the United States, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, invites proposal submissions for the design and implementation of three Study of the United States Institutes to take place over the course of six weeks beginning in June 2007. These institutes should provide a multinational group of experienced educators with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture, values and institutions. Two of these institutes will be for groups of 18 university level faculty each, one with a focus on American Civilization, the other on Journalism and Media. The third institute will be a general survey course on the study of the United States, for a group of 30 secondary educators. Prospective applicants may only submit proposals to host one institute listed under this competition.

The inventions listed below are owned by an agency of the U.S. Government and are available for licensing in the U.S. in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally-funded research and development. Foreign patent applications are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage for companies and may also be available for licensing.

In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, for opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval.

On September 15, 2006, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') published the preliminary results of the antidumping duty changed circumstances review and notice to revoke in part the order on welded large diameter line pipe from Japan (``LDLP'') with respect to certain welded large diameter line pipe as described below. See Preliminary Results of the Antidumping Duty Changed Circumstances Review and Notice of Intent to Revoke the Order in Part: Certain Welded Large Diameter Line Pipe from Japan, (71 FR 54471) (September 15, 2006) (``Preliminary Results''). In our Preliminary Results, we gave interested parties an opportunity to comment; however, we did not receive any comments from parties opposing the partial revocation of the order. Therefore, the Department hereby revokes this order with respect to all future entries for consumption of certain welded large diameter line pipe, as described below, effective on the date of publication of this Federal Register notice.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of New Mexico (FEMA-1659-DR), dated August 30, 2006, and related determinations.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the Commonwealth of Virginia (FEMA-1661-DR), dated September 22, 2006, and related determinations.

DoD has issued a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to remove obsolete text relating to a restriction on the acquisition of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) carbon fiber from foreign sources. The restriction expired on May 31, 2006.

NMFS solicits nominations for the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel. Nominations are being sought to fill one-third of the Advisory Panel posts for a 3-year appointment.

The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces two public teleconferences of the SAB Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC) to continue activities related to preparation of an advisory on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA) draft White Paper: Modifying EPA Radiation Risk Models Based on BEIR VII.

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announce the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, L.L.C., Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port license application. Also, public hearings will be held on matters relevant to the approval or denial of the license application. The application describes a project that would be located in federal waters of Massachusetts Bay, in Block 125, approximately 13 miles south-southeast of Gloucester, MA. The Coast Guard and MARAD request public comments on the FEIS and application. Publication of this notice begins a 30-day public comment period and provides information on how to participate in the process. As a point of clarification, there is another deepwater port application by Neptune LNG, L.L.C. in the same vicinity. These applications are being processed and reviewed independently. The Neptune FEIS should be noticed as available and public hearing information published on November 3, 2006.

The Commissioner has determined (1) A 3.3 percent cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (the Act), effective for December 2006; (2) An increase in the Federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) monthly benefit amounts under title XVI of the Act for 2007 to $623 for an eligible individual, $934 for an eligible individual with an eligible spouse, and $312 for an essential person; (3) The student earned income exclusion to be $1,510 per month in 2007 but not more than $6,100 in all of 2007; (4) The dollar fee limit for services performed as a representative payee to be $34 per month ($66 per month in the case of a beneficiary who is disabled and has an alcoholism or drug addiction condition that leaves him or her incapable of managing benefits) in 2007; (5) The dollar limit on the administrative-cost assessment charged to attorneys representing claimants to be $77 in 2007; (6) The national average wage index for 2005 to be $36,952.94; (7) The Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) contribution and benefit base to be $97,500 for remuneration paid in 2007 and self-employment income earned in taxable years beginning in 2007; (8) The monthly exempt amounts under the Social Security retirement earnings test for taxable years ending in calendar year 2007 to be $1,080 and $2,870; (9) The dollar amounts (``bend points'') used in the primary insurance amount benefit formula for workers who become eligible for benefits, or who die before becoming eligible, in 2007 to be $680 and $4,100; (10) The dollar amounts (``bend points'') used in the formula for computing maximum family benefits for workers who become eligible for benefits, or who die before becoming eligible, in 2007 to be $869, $1,255, and $1,636; (11) The amount of taxable earnings a person must have to be credited with a quarter of coverage in 2007 to be $1,000; (12) The ``old-law'' contribution and benefit base to be $72,600 for 2007; (13) The monthly amount deemed to constitute substantial gainful activity for statutorily blind individuals in 2007 to be $1,500, and the corresponding amount for non-blind disabled persons to be $900; (14) The earnings threshold establishing a month as a part of a trial work period to be $640 for 2007; and (15) Coverage thresholds for 2007 to be $1,500 for domestic workers and $1,300 for election workers.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) GTSIO-520 series reciprocating engines. That AD currently requires initial and repetitive visual inspections of the starter adapter assembly and crankshaft gear and unscheduled visual inspections of the starter adapter assembly and crankshaft gear due to a rough-running engine. That AD also requires replacement of the starter adapter shaft gear needle bearing with a certain bushing and installation of a certain TCM service kit at the next engine overhaul, or at the next starter adapter replacement, whichever occurs first. This proposed AD would require the inspection ordered in paragraph (h) of AD 2005-20-04 to be done every 100 hours time-in-service (TIS), or annually. This proposed AD results from an error discovered in AD 2005-20-04. We are proposing this AD to prevent failure of the starter adapter assembly and or crankshaft gear, resulting in failure of the engine and possible forced landing.

The Health Resources and Services Administration published a document in the Federal Register of September 22, 2006, regarding a meeting date for the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children. The meeting scheduled for November 2-3, 2006, has been cancelled.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services announces the following information collection has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the addressee section of this notice.

The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management, invites comments on the proposed information collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management, invites comments on the proposed information collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

MCC is providing an update to the report originally submitted on August 11, 2006 to reflect a change in the statutory eligibility status of candidate countries.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation) proposes a regulation requiring grantees to conduct and document criminal history checks on Senior Companions and Foster Grandparents, and on AmeriCorps State/National (including Education Award Program) participants and grant-funded staff in those programs who, on a recurring basis, have access to children, persons age 60 and older, or individuals with disabilities.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that, under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has extended the expiration date to May 1, 2007, for the use of the prior version of Form FDA 3500A for ``MedWatch: Food and Drug Administration Medical Products Reporting Program'' (the MedWatch Program).

The Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC) will hold a public meeting on Thursday, November 16, 2006.