January 26, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Copyright Royalty Judges are announcing their final determination of the rates and terms for the use of musical works in physical phonorecords, permanent downloads, and ringtones and are adopting as final regulations the rates and terms for the use of musical works in limited downloads, interactive streaming, and incidental digital phonorecord deliveries.

Effective October 1, 2009, Public Law 110-351 provides Indian Tribes with the option to operate a foster care, adoption assistance and, at tribal option, a kinship guardianship assistance program under title IV-E of the Social Security Act (the Act). The Federal government would share in the costs of Tribes operating an ACF-approved title IV-E program. Public Law 110-351 requires that ACF develop interim final rules after consulting with Tribes and affected States on the implementation of the tribal plan requirements in section 479B of the Act and other amendments made by the Tribal provisions in section 301 of Public Law 110-351. The law requires that such regulations include: (1) Procedures to ensure that a transfer of State or Tribal responsibility for the placement and care of a child under a State title IV-E plan to a Tribal title IV-E plan occurs in a manner that does not affect the child's eligibility for title IV-E or title XIX Medicaid and such services or payments; and, (2) the in-kind expenditures from third-party sources permitted for the Tribal share of administration and training expenditures under title IV-E. This notice is designed to provide a written opportunity for comment to all interested persons and notify Tribal leaders of in-person opportunities to consult with the Children's Bureau on the development of these regulations.

In the Second Order on Reconsideration, the Commission denies a petition for reconsideration or, in the alternative, clarification filed by T-Mobile USA, Inc. with respect to the Commission's Secondary Markets Second Report and Order (Second R&O) in this proceeding.

This rule makes final the conforming amendments to the regulations of the Public Housing Operating Fund Program to reflect recent statutory amendments allowing for: (1) The maximum term of an energy performance contract (EPC) between a public housing authority (PHA) and an entity other than HUD to be up to 20 years, and (2) the extension of an existing EPC, without reprocurement, to a period of no more than 20 years, to allow additional energy conservation improvements. The increase in the maximum EPC term, which was limited to 12 years, is provided by statutory amendments and will enable longer payback periods for energy conservation measures. This final rule adopts an October 16, 2008 interim rule without change.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is denying the petition for rulemaking (PRM) filed by Mr. Raymond A. Crandall on May 17, 2007, and docketed on June 22, 2007 (Docket No. PRM-50-87). In his petition, the petitioner requested that the NRC amend the regulations that govern domestic licensing of production and utilization facilities to eliminate the specific criteria related to the radiological doses for control room habitability at nuclear power plants. The petitioner stated that the current deterministic radiological dose requirements for control room habitability have resulted in several negative safety consequences, including an increased risk to public safety. He requested that the NRC delete the 5 rem whole body dose limit and the 0.05 sievert (Sv) (5 rem) total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) limit specified in the current regulations.

OSHA is convening an informal public hearing to receive testimony and documentary evidence on the proposed rule for Cranes and Derricks in Construction (29 CFR part 1926, subpart CC) which published on October 9, 2008 (73 FR 59714).

The Securities and Exchange Commission is adopting amendments to the form used by mutual funds to register under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and to offer their securities under the Securities Act of 1933 in order to enhance the disclosures that are provided to mutual fund investors. The amendments require key information to appear in plain English in a standardized order at the front of the mutual fund statutory prospectus. The Commission is also adopting rule amendments that permit a person to satisfy its mutual fund prospectus delivery obligations under section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act by sending or giving the key information directly to investors in the form of a summary prospectus and providing the statutory prospectus on an Internet Web site. Upon an investor's request, mutual funds are also required to send the statutory prospectus to the investor. These amendments are intended to improve mutual fund disclosure by providing investors with key information in plain English in a clear and concise format, while enhancing the means of delivering more detailed information to investors. Finally, the Commission is adopting additional amendments that are intended to result in the disclosure of more useful information to investors who purchase shares of exchange- traded funds on national securities exchanges.