December 8, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule amends the Farm Service Agency (FSA) regulations for direct and guaranteed Farm Operating loans and Farm Ownership loans, and the lease and disposal of inventory property. This rule implements changes required by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). The maximum loan amount authorized for direct Farm Ownership loans and direct Farm Operating loans is being increased. The existing Beginning Farmer Downpayment Loan Program is being amended to include socially disadvantaged farmers and to reduce the size of the required down payment. Regulations governing lease and disposal of FSA's real estate inventory, which currently give priority to beginning farmers, are being amended to also give socially disadvantaged farmers priority.

The Federal Election Commission is announcing a public hearing on the policies and procedures of the Federal Election Commission including but not limited to, policy statements, advisory opinions, and public information, as well as various elements of the compliance and enforcement processes such as audits, matters under review, report analysis, administrative fines, and alternative dispute resolution. The Commission also seeks comment from the public on the procedures contained in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended, 2 U.S.C. 431 et. seq. (``FECA'' or ``the Act''), as well as the Commission's implementing regulations.

This document contains proposed regulations on the calculation of amounts includible in income under section 409A(a) and the additional taxes imposed by such section with respect to service providers participating in certain nonqualified deferred compensation plans. The regulations would affect such service providers and the service recipients for whom the service providers provide services. This document also provides a notice of public hearing on these proposed regulations.

The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management invites comments on the submission for OMB review as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

https:// www.fda.gov/cder/meeting/SummaryPublicHearingMedicationGuides .htm). Finally, PPIs are also required for some drugs and are considered part of the approved product labeling, for example, for estrogens and oral contraceptives. FDA will seek the advice of the advisory committee, and commentary from stakeholders and from the public, for consideration as it considers appropriate next steps to improve the communication of information about prescription drugs to patients. FDA intends to make background material available to the public no later than 2 business days before the meeting. If FDA is unable to post the background material on its Web site prior to the meeting, the background material will be made publicly available at the location of the advisory committee meeting, and the background material will be posted on FDA's Web site after the meeting. Background material is or will be available at https://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/acmenu.htm, click on the year 2009 and scroll down to the appropriate advisory committee link. Procedure: Interested persons may present data, information, or views, orally or in writing, on issues pending before the committee. Written submissions may be made to the contact person on or before February 19, 2009. Oral presentations from the public will be scheduled between approximately 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on February 26 and between approximately 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on February 27. Those desiring to make formal oral presentations should notify the contact person and submit a brief statement of the general nature of the evidence or arguments they wish to present, the names and addresses of proposed participants, and an indication of the approximate time requested to make their presentation on or before February 19, 2009. Time allotted for each presentation may be limited. If the number of registrants requesting to speak is greater than can be reasonably accommodated during the scheduled open public hearing session, FDA may conduct a lottery to determine the speakers for the scheduled open public hearing session. The contact person will notify interested persons regarding their request to speak by February 20, 2009. Persons attending FDA's advisory committee meetings are advised that the agency is not responsible for providing access to electrical outlets. FDA welcomes the attendance of the public at its advisory committee meetings and will make every effort to accommodate persons with physical disabilities or special needs. If you require special accommodations due to a disability, please contact Lee L. Zwanziger at least 7 days in advance of the meeting. FDA is committed to the orderly conduct of its advisory committee meetings. Please visit our Web site at https://www.fda.gov/oc/advisory/ default.htm for procedures on public conduct during advisory committee meetings. Notice of this meeting is given under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. app. 2).

These proposed regulations would revise Federal requirements for establishing and enforcing intergovernmental support obligations in Child Support Enforcement (IV-D) program cases receiving services under title IV-D of the Social Security Act (the Act). The proposed changes would: Revise current interstate requirements to apply to case processing in all intergovernmental cases; require the responding State IV-D agency to pay the cost of genetic testing; clarify responsibility for determining in which State tribunal a controlling order determination is made where multiple support orders exist; recognize and incorporate electronic communication advancements; and make conforming changes to the Federal substantial-compliance audit and State self-assessment requirements.

The Department of Transportation seeks comment on rules it is proposing to enhance airline passenger protections in the following ways: by requiring air carriers to adopt contingency plans for lengthy tarmac delays and incorporate them in their contracts of carriage, by requiring air carriers to respond to consumer problems, by deeming the continued operation of a flight that is chronically late to be unfair and deceptive in violation of 49 U.S.C. 41712, by requiring air carriers to publish information on flight delays on their Web sites, and by requiring air carriers to adopt customer service plans, incorporate these into their contracts of carriage, and audit their own compliance with their plans. The Department takes this action on its own initiative in response to the many recent instances when passengers have been subject to waits on airport tarmacs for very long periods and also in response to the ongoing high incidence of flight delays.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action to allow refiners and laboratories to use more current and improved fuel testing procedures with twelve American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) analytical test methods. Once these test method changes are adopted, they will supersede the corresponding earlier versions of these test methods in EPA's motor vehicle fuel regulations. EPA is also taking action to allow an alternative test method for olefins in gasoline. As explained further below in the preamble of this document, EPA views these changes as non-controversial and we anticipate no adverse comment.