January 30, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning the addition of Express Mail & Priority Mail Contract 13 to the competitive product list. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

In accordance with the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2, the Department of the Interior, U.S. Extractive Industries Transparence Initiative Advisory Committee will meet as indicated below.

The Postal Service gives notice of filing a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to add a domestic shipping services contract to the list of Negotiated Service Agreements in the Mail Classification Schedule's Competitive Products List.

This report is being published as required by the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Act of 2010, 2 U.S.C. 931 et seq. The Act requires that OMB issue (1) an annual report as specified in 2 U.S.C. 934(a) and (2) a sequestration order, if necessary.

In accordance with Section 102(a)(4)(C) of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Reform Act of 1989, this document notifies the public of funding awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 to public housing agencies (PHAs) under the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP). The purpose of this notice is to publish the names, addresses, and amount of the awards to PHAs for non-competitive funding awards for housing conversion actions, public housing relocations and replacements, moderate rehabilitation replacements, and HOPE VI voucher awards.

This document contains corrections to a notice of proposed rulemaking and notice of public hearing (REG-130074-11) that was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, December 5, 2012 (77 FR 72268). The proposed regulations are relating to Additional Hospital Insurance Tax on income above threshold amounts (``Additional Medicare Tax''), as added by the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, these proposed regulations provide guidance for employers and individuals relating to the implementation of Additional Medicare Tax.

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. An agency 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 control number. Comments are requested concerning 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; the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; 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 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.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) invites comment on issues regarding 121.5 MHz emergency locator transmitters (ELTs), in effort to ensure that it's rules pertaining to Aviation Communications remain up-to-date and continues to further the Commission's goals of accommodating new technologies, facilitating the efficient and effective use of the aeronautical spectrum, avoiding unnecessary regulation, and, above all, enhancing the safety of flight.

In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, the information collection associated with the Commission's Report and Order (Order), Facilitating the use of Microwave for Wireless Backhaul and Other Uses and Providing Additional Flexibility To Broadcast Auxiliary Service and Operational Fixed Microwave Licensees. This notice is consistent with the Order, which stated that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register announcing the effective date of those rules.

As part of the President's Export Control Reform effort, the Department of State proposes to amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to revise Category XVI (nuclear weapons related articles) of the U.S. Munitions List (USML). The revisions contained in this rule are part of the Department of State's retrospective plan under E.O. 13563 completed on August 17, 2011. The Department of State's full plan can be accessed at https://www.state.gov/documents/ organization/181028.pdf.

This document contains corrections to a notice of proposed rulemaking (REG-148873-09) and notice of public hearing that was published in the Federal Register on Monday, January 7, 2013 (78 FR 913). The proposed regulation provides guidance regarding creating a new taxpayer identifying number known as an IRS truncated taxpayer identification number, a TTIN.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports from the manufacturer that center overhead stowage (COS) boxes could fall from their supports under forward load levels less than the 9 g forward load requirements as defined by certain regulations. This AD requires modifying COS boxes by installing new brackets, stiffeners, and hardware as needed. We are issuing this AD to prevent detachment of COS boxes at forward load levels less than 9 g during an emergency landing, which would cause injury to passengers and/or crew, and could impede subsequent rapid evacuation.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to revise its test procedures for cooking products established under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. Test procedures for cooking products can be found at DOE's regulations for Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products, subpart B, appendix I (Appendix I). The proposed amendments to Appendix I would amend the test method for measuring the energy efficiency of induction cooking tops and ranges. Appendix I does not currently include any test methods applicable to induction cooking products. The proposed amendments would incorporate induction cooking tops by amending the definition of ``conventional cooking top'' to include induction heating technology. Furthermore, the proposed amendments would require for cooking tops the use of test equipment compatible with induction technology as well as with gas burners and electric resistance heating elements. Specifically, the amendments would replace the solid aluminum test blocks currently specified in the test procedure for cooking tops with hybrid test blocks comprising two separate pieces: an aluminum body and a stainless steel base. Appendix I currently specifies the test block size for electric cooking tops based on the surface unit diameter; however, there are no provisions for determining which test block size to use for non-circular electric surface units. The proposed amendments include a clarification that the test block size be determined using the smallest dimension of the electric surface unit.

The EPA is finalizing amendments to the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for stationary reciprocating internal combustion engines. The final amendments include alternative testing options for certain large spark ignition (generally natural gas-fueled) stationary reciprocating internal combustion engines, management practices for a subset of existing spark ignition stationary reciprocating internal combustion engines in sparsely populated areas and alternative monitoring and compliance options for the same engines in populated areas. The EPA is establishing management practices for existing compression ignition engines on offshore vessels. The EPA is also finalizing limits on the hours that stationary emergency engines may be used for emergency demand response and establishing fuel and reporting requirements for certain emergency engines used for emergency demand response. The final amendments also correct minor technical or editing errors in the current regulations for stationary reciprocating internal combustion engines.

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau) is amending Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). Regulation Z currently prohibits a creditor from making a higher-priced mortgage loan without regard to the consumer's ability to repay the loan. The final rule implements sections 1411 and 1412 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), which generally require creditors to make a reasonable, good faith determination of a consumer's ability to repay any consumer credit transaction secured by a dwelling (excluding an open-end credit plan, timeshare plan, reverse mortgage, or temporary loan) and establishes certain protections from liability under this requirement for ``qualified mortgages.'' The final rule also implements section 1414 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which limits prepayment penalties. Finally, the final rule requires creditors to retain evidence of compliance with the rule for three years after a covered loan is consummated.