July 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the extension of a currently approved information collection, Locatable Minerals-36 CFR part 228, subpart A.

The Secretary of Homeland Security determined on September 23, 2008 that there is a significant potential for a domestic emergency involving a heightened risk of attack with a specified biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear agent or agentsin this case, Bacillus anthracis. On the basis of this determination, the Secretary of Health and Human Services is renewing the October 1, 2008 declaration by former Secretary Michael O. Leavitt of an emergency justifying the authorization of emergency use of doxycycline hyclate tablets accompanied by emergency use information subject to the terms of any authorization issued by the Commissioner of Food and Drugs under 21 U.S.C. 360bbb-3(a) and amending the declaration to include all oral formulations of doxycyline accompanied by emergency use information subject to the terms of any authorization issued by the Commissioner of Food and Drugs under 21 U.S.C. 360bbb-3(a). This notice is being issued in accordance with section 564(b)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. 360bbb-3(b)(4).

This document provides required notice of substantive rules issued by the Coast Guard and temporarily effective between December 2008 and July 2010, that expired before they could be published in the Federal Register. This notice lists temporary safety zones, security zones, special local regulations, drawbridge operation regulations and regulated navigation areas, all of limited duration and for which timely publication in the Federal Register was not possible.

As part of its statutory authority and responsibility to analyze sentencing issues, including operation of the Federal sentencing guidelines, and in accordance with Rule 5.2 of its Rules of Practice and Procedure, the United States Sentencing Commission is seeking comment on possible priority policy issues for the amendment cycle ending May 1, 2012.

On July 27, 2009, NHTSA published a final rule that amended the Federal motor vehicle safety standard for air brake systems by requiring substantial improvements in stopping distance performance on new truck tractors. In response, the agency received eight petitions for reconsideration. The agency has already responded to most of the issues raised in the petitions. This document responds to the one outstanding issue raised in the petitions, stopping distance performance requirements at lower initial speeds. Based on testing results and our concern that the current requirements might not be practicable, NHTSA is slightly relaxing the stopping distance requirement for typical loaded tractors tested from an initial speed of 20 mph by increasing the distance from 30 feet to 32 feet and for unloaded tractors tested from an initial speed of 20 mph by increasing the distance from 28 feet to 30 feet. We believe no other changes are necessary.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of the draft guidance entitled ``510(k) Device Modifications: Deciding When To Submit a 510(k) for a Change to an Existing Device.'' The recommendations in this guidance document are intended to describe when a new 510(k) should be submitted for a change or modification to a legally marketed device. This draft guidance is not final nor is it in effect at this time.

Pursuant to the FTC's authority to enforce the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (``FDCPA''), 15 U.S.C. 1692l(a), and Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (``FTC Act''), 15 U.S.C. 45, the Commission issues this final Statement of Policy Regarding Communications in Connection with the Collection of Decedents' Debts (``Statement'').\1\ When a person dies, creditors and the debt collectors they hire usually have the right to collect on the person's debts from the assets of his or her estate. Sections 805(b) and (d) of the FDCPA prohibit debt collectors from contacting individuals other than the debtor to collect a debt, unless the individual is the debtor's spouse, parent (if the debtor is a minor), guardian, executor, or administrator. The Commission has learned that, to recover on a decedent's debts, some debt collectors contact the decedent's relatives, although these relatives may have no authority to pay the debts from the decedent's estate and no legal obligation to pay the debts from their own assets. By contacting persons who are not specified in Section 805 of the FDCPA, and by engaging in practices that may deceive those persons about their obligations, these debt collectors may be violating the FDCPA. The Commission recognizes, however, that imposing unnecessary restrictions on a debt collector's ability to collect a decedent's debt from the person authorized to pay those debts may instead cause some debt collectors to seek to recover by invoking the probate process, imposing substantial costs on the estate and delaying the distribution of assets to heirs and beneficiaries. To balance these interests and protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices, this Statement announces that the FTC will forebear from enforcing Section 805(b) of the FDCPA, 15 U.S.C. 1692c(b), against a debt collector for communicating about a decedent's debts with persons specifically identified as appropriate to contact under Section 805 of the FDCPA (e.g., spouse, parent, guardian, executor, or administrator) or any other person who has the authority to pay the decedent's debts from the assets of the decedent's estate. The Statement also clarifies how a debt collector can comply with the law in locating the person who has the requisite authority with whom to discuss the decedent's debts. Finally, the Statement explains how a debt collector can avoid engaging in deceptive practices in communicating with a third party about a decedent's debts.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a request for a new Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below.

EPA is finalizing a limited approval and limited disapproval of permitting rules submitted for the Placer County Air Pollution Control District (PCAPCD) and Feather River Air Quality Management District (FRAQMD) portions of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions were proposed in the Federal Register on May 19, 2011 and concern New Source Review (NSR) permit programs for new and modified major stationary sources of air pollution. We are approving local rules that regulate these emission sources under the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990 (CAA or the Act).

This notice announces a meeting of a Subcommittee of the National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality.

This notice announces the intention of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve the proposed information collection project: ``Pre-test of an Assisted Living Consensus Instrument.'' In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3521, AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on May 11, 2011 and allowed 60 days for public comment. No comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment.