2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)] 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. Currently, the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed collection: Notice of Final Payment or Suspension of Compensation Benefits (LS-208). A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this Notice.

NARA is giving public notice that the agency has submitted to OMB for approval the information collection described in this notice. The public is invited to comment on the proposed information collection pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (5 U.S.C., Appendix, as amended), the Sunshine in the Government Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended), and 41 CFR 102-3.150, the Department of Defense announces the following Federal advisory committee meeting of the Reserve Forces Policy Board (RFPB).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requesting that any industry organizations interested in participating in the selection of nonvoting industry representatives to serve on certain device panels of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee (MDAC) in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) notify FDA in writing. FDA is also requesting nominations for a nonvoting industry representative(s) to serve on certain device panels of the MDAC in the CDRH. A nominee may either be self-nominated or nominated by an organization to serve as a nonvoting industry representative. Nominations will be accepted for current vacancies effective with this notice.

This rule identifies communities, where the sale of flood insurance has been authorized under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), that are scheduled for suspension on the effective dates listed within this rule because of noncompliance with the floodplain management requirements of the program. If the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) receives documentation that the community has adopted the required floodplain management measures prior to the effective suspension date given in this rule, the suspension will not occur and a notice of this will be provided by publication in the Federal Register on a subsequent date.

The Commission is noticing a recently-filed Postal Service request to establish price adjustments for market dominant products by amounts which, on average, are at or below the statutory price cap of 2.133 percent for each class of mail. This notice addresses procedural steps associated with this filing.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

This rule increases the assessment rate established for the California Walnut Board (Board) for the 2011-12 and subsequent marketing years from $0.0174 to $0.0175 per kernelweight pound of assessable walnuts. The Board locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of walnuts grown in California. Assessments upon walnut handlers are used by the Board to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The marketing year began September 1 and ends August 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. Comments are requested concerning (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (e) ways to further reduce the information collection burden on small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees. The FCC may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the PRA that does not display a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

The Coast Guard is developing a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) to finalize a 1992 interim rule that set forth the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA'90) claims procedures and removed certain conflicting and superseded regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations. Before publishing the SNPRM, the Coast Guard is inviting members of the public to respond to questions and offer comments on their experience to date with the OPA'90 claims procedures and on whether additional pre-OPA'90 rules should be removed from the Code of Federal Regulations. The Coast Guard is also inviting the public to provide background information and cost data that will better inform the regulatory assessment for this rulemaking.

This notice announces the inpatient hospital deductible and the hospital and extended care services coinsurance amounts for services furnished in calendar year (CY) 2012 under Medicare's Hospital Insurance Program (Medicare Part A). The Medicare statute specifies the formulae used to determine these amounts. For CY 2012, the inpatient hospital deductible will be $1,156. The daily coinsurance amounts for CY 2012 will be(1) $289 for the 61st through 90th day of hospitalization in a benefit period; (2) $578 for lifetime reserve days; and (3) $144.50 for the 21st through 100th day of extended care services in a skilled nursing facility in a benefit period.

In this document, the Commission proposes to continue utilizing the factors used for the ``undue burden'' exemption standard when evaluating future petitions seeking individual exemptions under the new economically burdensome standard contained in the CVAA. In addition, the Commission proposes to replace all current references to ``undue burden'' in the Commission's closed captioning rules with the term ``economically burdensome'' to correspond with the new language reflected in the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA). The intended effect of this action is to ensure that the Commission's rules conform to section 202 of the CVAA.

In this document, the Commission grants an Application for Review challenging the Anglers Order, and reverses the two exemptions granted in the Anglers Order and the 296 exemptions subsequently granted in reliance on the Anglers Order. The intended effect of this action is to ensure that the Commission evaluates petitions for exemption from the captioning rules in the way intended by the Communications Act (Act).

This document contains final and temporary regulations amending 26 CFR parts 31 and 301. These regulations extend the exceptions from taxes under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (``FICA'') and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (``FUTA'') under sections 3121(b)(3) (concerning individuals who work for certain family members), 3127 (concerning members of religious faiths), and 3306(c)(5) (concerning persons employed by children and spouses and children under 21 employed by their parents) of the Internal Revenue Code (``Code'') to entities that are disregarded as separate from their owners for federal tax purposes. The temporary regulations also clarify the existing rule that the owners of disregarded entities, except for qualified subchapter S subsidiaries, are responsible for backup withholding and related information reporting requirements under section 3406. The text of the temporary regulations also serves as the text of the proposed regulations set forth in the notice of proposed rulemaking on this subject in the Proposed Rules section in this issue of the Federal Register.

In this document, the Commission provides guidance on how it will construe, on an interim basis, the term ``economically burdensome'' for purposes of evaluating requests for individual exemptions. The intended effect of these actions is to ensure that the Commission evaluates petitions for exemption from the captioning rules in the way intended by the Communications Act (Act).