Adjustment of Civil Monetary Penalties for Inflation; Correcting Amendment, 42748-42749 [2017-19311]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 175 / Tuesday, September 12, 2017 / Rules and Regulations
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Subpart S—Kentucky
PART 52—APPROVAL AND
PROMULGATION OF
IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
Dated: August 25, 2017.
V. Anne Heard,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.
2. Section 52.920(c), Table 1 is
amended under Chapter 53 by revising
the entry for ‘‘401 KAR 53:010’’ to read
as follows:
■
1. The authority citation for part 52
continues to read as follows:
■
40 CFR part 52 is amended as follows:
§ 52.920
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
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Identification of plan.
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TABLE 1—EPA-APPROVED KENTUCKY REGULATIONS
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State
effective
date
Title/subject
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Chapter 53
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401 KAR 53:010 .....
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BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
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07/19/16
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
42 CFR Part 403
[CMS–6076–IFR2]
RIN 0991–AC0
Adjustment of Civil Monetary Penalties
for Inflation; Correcting Amendment
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Interim final rule; correcting
amendment.
AGENCY:
In the September 6, 2016
Federal Register (81 FR 61538), we
published an interim final rule (IFR)
issuing a new regulation to adjust for
inflation the maximum civil monetary
penalty amounts for the various civil
monetary penalty authorities for all
agencies within HHS. This correcting
amendment corrects a limited number
of technical and typographical errors
identified in the CMS provisions of the
September 6, 2016 IFR.
DATES:
Effective date: This correcting
amendment is effective September 12,
2017.
pmangrum on DSK3GDR082PROD with RULES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:01 Sep 11, 2017
Jkt 241001
Ian
Mahoney, (410) 786–4247.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
I. Background
In the September 6, 2016 (81 FR
61538) Federal Register, in the interim
final rule (IFR) titled ‘‘Adjustment of
Civil Monetary Penalties for Inflation,’’
there is a technical error identified and
corrected in this correcting amendment.
The provisions of this correcting
amendment are effective as if they had
been included in the IFR published on
September 6, 2016 and, accordingly, are
applicable beginning September 6, 2016.
The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation
Adjustment Act Improvements Act of
2015 (the 2015 Act) (section 701 of the
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, Pub. L.
114–74, enacted on November 2, 2015),
which amended the Federal Civil
Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of
1990 (the Inflation Adjustment Act)
(Pub. L. 101–410, 104 Stat. 890 (1990)
(codified as amended at 28 U.S.C. 2461
note 2(a)), is intended to improve the
effectiveness of civil monetary penalties
and to maintain the deterrent effect of
such penalties by requiring agencies to
adjust the civil monetary penalties for
inflation on an initial basis and
annually. The U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) lists
the civil monetary penalties and the
penalty amounts administered by all of
PO 00000
Frm 00022
*
*
*
*
*
09/12/17, [Insert citation of publication].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
*
*
Ambient Air Quality
Applicability date: The corrections
indicated in this correcting amendment
are applicable beginning September 6,
2016.
*
[FR Doc. 2017–19212 Filed 9–11–17; 8:45 am]
Explanation
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
its agencies in tabular form in 45 CFR
102.3.
II. Summary of Errors
On page 61561 of the IFR, in the table
indicating the changes in regulations
text for § 403.912(a)(1), we inadvertently
made errors in the specifying the
minimum and maximum civil monetary
penalty amounts to which the inflation
adjustment would be applied (the ‘‘base
penalty range’’). Specifically, we
inadvertently changed the base penalty
range from $1,000 and $10,000 to
$10,000 and $100,000, respectively. The
statutory authority for this civil money
penalty is section 1128G of the Act (42
U.S.C. 1320a–7h), which requires
applicable manufacturers to report
annually to CMS any payments or other
transfers of value to covered recipients.
In addition, the statute requires
applicable manufacturers and
applicable group purchasing
organizations to report annually to CMS
ownership investment interests held by
physicians or their family members in
such entities. Section 1128G(b)(1) of the
Act provides that if an applicable
manufacturer or applicable group
purchasing organization fails to report
the required information in timely
manner to CMS, the entity is subject to
a civil money penalty amount between
$1,000 and $10,000 for each payment or
transfer of value or ownership or
investment interest not reported, up to
an annual maximum of $150,000 per
submission by a reporting entity.
Accordingly, we are revising
E:\FR\FM\12SER1.SGM
12SER1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 175 / Tuesday, September 12, 2017 / Rules and Regulations
pmangrum on DSK3GDR082PROD with RULES1
§ 403.912(a)(1) to correct the
typographical error in the penalty
ranges originally established in section
1128G of the Act.
III. Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking
and Delay in Effective Date
In accordance with section 553(b) of
the Administrative Procedure Act (APA)
(5 U.S.C. 553(b)), we ordinarily publish
a notice of proposed rulemaking in the
Federal Register to provide for a period
of public comment before the provisions
of a rule take effect. However, we can
waive this notice and comment
procedure if the Secretary finds, for
good cause, that the notice and
comment process is impracticable,
unnecessary, or contrary to the public
interest, and incorporates a statement of
the finding and the reasons therefore in
the notice. Section 553(d) of the APA
ordinarily requires a 30-day delay in
effective date of final rules after the date
of their publication in the Federal
Register. This 30-day delay in effective
date can be waived, however, if an
agency finds for good cause that the
delay is impracticable, unnecessary, or
contrary to the public interest, and the
agency incorporates a statement of the
findings and its reasons in the rule
issued.
We believe that this document does
not constitute a rulemaking that would
be subject to the requirement for a
public comment period. Specifically, we
find that undertaking further notice and
comment procedures to correct the IFR
in unnecessary and contrary to public
interest.
First, we believe it is unnecessary to
allow for public comment regarding
whether to correct a misstated penalty
range that is inconsistent with, and
exponentially higher than, that
permitted by the authorizing statute. As
noted previously, this correcting
amendment merely corrects a
typographical error in the base penalty
range to which the inflation increase
implemented by the IFR would be
applied. This correction is necessary to
ensure that the base penalty range does
not exceed the range authorized under
section 1128G(b)(1)(A) of the Act, as
adjusted under the Inflation Adjustment
Act. Public comment on this correction
amendment is unnecessary because it
could never change the statutory
penalty range at issue. We note that the
IFR never indicated that we were
increasing the base penalty range
identified in this or any other civil
money penalty authority. In fact, on
page 61548 of the IFR, we indicated that
the new inflation adjusted penalty range
under § 403.912(a) would be from
$1,087 to $10,874 per unreported
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:01 Sep 11, 2017
Jkt 241001
arrangement, up to a calendar year cap
of $163,117. Furthermore, we note that
the erroneous base range stated on page
61561 of the IFR makes little sense in
light of the statutory calendar year cap
for this penalty. Under the original base
penalty range, CMS could impose the
minimum penalty of $1,000 for up to
150 unreported arrangements. Under the
erroneous regulations text in the IFR,
CMS would be permitted to impose the
minimum penalty amount of $10,000 for
only a maximum of 16 unreported
arrangements. Even if we had the
statutory authority to increase the base
penalty range through rulemaking, the
maximum penalty amount erroneously
stated in the IFR is patently inconsistent
with one of the stated policies of the
IFR—to maintain the deterrent effect of
civil money penalties. Second, we
believe that providing an opportunity
for public comment on this correcting
amendment is contrary to the public
interest. First, as noted previously,
public comment in this case could never
change the statutory penalty range at
issue. We believe that it would not be
in the public interest to offer a futile
comment period. Second, the entities
subject to civil money penalties
authorized under section 1128G(b) of
the Act should be advised, in a timely
manner, of the correct amounts for
which they could be liable. It is in the
public interest to ensure that the
regulations accurately reflect the
statutory authority.
For similar reasons, we are also
waiving the 30-day delay in effective
date for this correcting amendment.
First, we believe it is unnecessary to
delay the effective date of corrections to
a typographical error in regulation text
that was patently inconsistent with the
relevant statutory authority. Second, we
believe that delaying the effective date
of these corrections would be contrary
to the public interest because the
entities subject to civil money penalties
should be advised, in a timely manner,
of the correct amounts for which they
could be liable. Therefore, we find good
cause to waive the 30-day delay in
effective date.
Finally, the corrections indicated in
this correcting amendment are
applicable to civil monetary penalties as
if they had been included in the IFR.
That is, the corrections are applicable to
civil money penalties imposed under
§ 403.912(a)(1) beginning September 6,
2016, the date the IFR became effective.
We do not believe this correcting
amendment constitutes retroactive
rulemaking because the erroneous base
penalty range was never authorized
under section 1128G(b) of the Act. In
addition, we have not imposed any
PO 00000
Frm 00023
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
42749
penalties under § 403.912(a)(1) since the
effective date of the IFR.
List of Subjects in 42 CFR Part 403
Grant programs—health, Health
insurance, Hospitals, Intergovernmental
relations, Medicare, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements.
Accordingly, as noted in section II. of
this document, the Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services is making the
following correcting amendments to 42
CFR part 403:
PART 403—SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND
PROJECTS
1. The authority citation for part 403
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1395b–3 and Secs.
1102 and 1871 of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1302 and 1395hh).
§ 403.912
[Amended]
2. Section 403.912(a)(1) is amended
by removing the phrase ‘‘not less than
$10,000, but not more than $100,000’’
and adding in its place the phrase ‘‘not
less than $1,000, but not more than
$10,000.’’
■
Dated: August 17, 2017.
Seema Verma,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services.
Dated: September 6, 2017.
Thomas E. Price,
Secretary, Department of Health and Human
Services.
[FR Doc. 2017–19311 Filed 9–11–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120–01–P
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 73
[MB Docket No. 12–106, FCC 17–41]
Noncommercial Educational Station
Fundraising for Third-Party Non-Profit
Organizations
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Final rule; announcement of
effective date.
AGENCY:
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 Noncommercial
Educational Station Fundraising for
Third-Party Non-Profit Organizations
Report and Order’s third-party
fundraising rules. This document is
consistent with the Report and Order,
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\12SER1.SGM
12SER1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 175 (Tuesday, September 12, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 42748-42749]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19311]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
42 CFR Part 403
[CMS-6076-IFR2]
RIN 0991-AC0
Adjustment of Civil Monetary Penalties for Inflation; Correcting
Amendment
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Interim final rule; correcting amendment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In the September 6, 2016 Federal Register (81 FR 61538), we
published an interim final rule (IFR) issuing a new regulation to
adjust for inflation the maximum civil monetary penalty amounts for the
various civil monetary penalty authorities for all agencies within HHS.
This correcting amendment corrects a limited number of technical and
typographical errors identified in the CMS provisions of the September
6, 2016 IFR.
DATES:
Effective date: This correcting amendment is effective September
12, 2017.
Applicability date: The corrections indicated in this correcting
amendment are applicable beginning September 6, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ian Mahoney, (410) 786-4247.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
In the September 6, 2016 (81 FR 61538) Federal Register, in the
interim final rule (IFR) titled ``Adjustment of Civil Monetary
Penalties for Inflation,'' there is a technical error identified and
corrected in this correcting amendment. The provisions of this
correcting amendment are effective as if they had been included in the
IFR published on September 6, 2016 and, accordingly, are applicable
beginning September 6, 2016.
The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements
Act of 2015 (the 2015 Act) (section 701 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of
2015, Pub. L. 114-74, enacted on November 2, 2015), which amended the
Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (the Inflation
Adjustment Act) (Pub. L. 101-410, 104 Stat. 890 (1990) (codified as
amended at 28 U.S.C. 2461 note 2(a)), is intended to improve the
effectiveness of civil monetary penalties and to maintain the deterrent
effect of such penalties by requiring agencies to adjust the civil
monetary penalties for inflation on an initial basis and annually. The
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lists the civil
monetary penalties and the penalty amounts administered by all of its
agencies in tabular form in 45 CFR 102.3.
II. Summary of Errors
On page 61561 of the IFR, in the table indicating the changes in
regulations text for Sec. 403.912(a)(1), we inadvertently made errors
in the specifying the minimum and maximum civil monetary penalty
amounts to which the inflation adjustment would be applied (the ``base
penalty range''). Specifically, we inadvertently changed the base
penalty range from $1,000 and $10,000 to $10,000 and $100,000,
respectively. The statutory authority for this civil money penalty is
section 1128G of the Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a-7h), which requires
applicable manufacturers to report annually to CMS any payments or
other transfers of value to covered recipients. In addition, the
statute requires applicable manufacturers and applicable group
purchasing organizations to report annually to CMS ownership investment
interests held by physicians or their family members in such entities.
Section 1128G(b)(1) of the Act provides that if an applicable
manufacturer or applicable group purchasing organization fails to
report the required information in timely manner to CMS, the entity is
subject to a civil money penalty amount between $1,000 and $10,000 for
each payment or transfer of value or ownership or investment interest
not reported, up to an annual maximum of $150,000 per submission by a
reporting entity. Accordingly, we are revising
[[Page 42749]]
Sec. 403.912(a)(1) to correct the typographical error in the penalty
ranges originally established in section 1128G of the Act.
III. Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking and Delay in Effective Date
In accordance with section 553(b) of the Administrative Procedure
Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553(b)), we ordinarily publish a notice of proposed
rulemaking in the Federal Register to provide for a period of public
comment before the provisions of a rule take effect. However, we can
waive this notice and comment procedure if the Secretary finds, for
good cause, that the notice and comment process is impracticable,
unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest, and incorporates a
statement of the finding and the reasons therefore in the notice.
Section 553(d) of the APA ordinarily requires a 30-day delay in
effective date of final rules after the date of their publication in
the Federal Register. This 30-day delay in effective date can be
waived, however, if an agency finds for good cause that the delay is
impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest, and the
agency incorporates a statement of the findings and its reasons in the
rule issued.
We believe that this document does not constitute a rulemaking that
would be subject to the requirement for a public comment period.
Specifically, we find that undertaking further notice and comment
procedures to correct the IFR in unnecessary and contrary to public
interest.
First, we believe it is unnecessary to allow for public comment
regarding whether to correct a misstated penalty range that is
inconsistent with, and exponentially higher than, that permitted by the
authorizing statute. As noted previously, this correcting amendment
merely corrects a typographical error in the base penalty range to
which the inflation increase implemented by the IFR would be applied.
This correction is necessary to ensure that the base penalty range does
not exceed the range authorized under section 1128G(b)(1)(A) of the
Act, as adjusted under the Inflation Adjustment Act. Public comment on
this correction amendment is unnecessary because it could never change
the statutory penalty range at issue. We note that the IFR never
indicated that we were increasing the base penalty range identified in
this or any other civil money penalty authority. In fact, on page 61548
of the IFR, we indicated that the new inflation adjusted penalty range
under Sec. 403.912(a) would be from $1,087 to $10,874 per unreported
arrangement, up to a calendar year cap of $163,117. Furthermore, we
note that the erroneous base range stated on page 61561 of the IFR
makes little sense in light of the statutory calendar year cap for this
penalty. Under the original base penalty range, CMS could impose the
minimum penalty of $1,000 for up to 150 unreported arrangements. Under
the erroneous regulations text in the IFR, CMS would be permitted to
impose the minimum penalty amount of $10,000 for only a maximum of 16
unreported arrangements. Even if we had the statutory authority to
increase the base penalty range through rulemaking, the maximum penalty
amount erroneously stated in the IFR is patently inconsistent with one
of the stated policies of the IFR--to maintain the deterrent effect of
civil money penalties. Second, we believe that providing an opportunity
for public comment on this correcting amendment is contrary to the
public interest. First, as noted previously, public comment in this
case could never change the statutory penalty range at issue. We
believe that it would not be in the public interest to offer a futile
comment period. Second, the entities subject to civil money penalties
authorized under section 1128G(b) of the Act should be advised, in a
timely manner, of the correct amounts for which they could be liable.
It is in the public interest to ensure that the regulations accurately
reflect the statutory authority.
For similar reasons, we are also waiving the 30-day delay in
effective date for this correcting amendment. First, we believe it is
unnecessary to delay the effective date of corrections to a
typographical error in regulation text that was patently inconsistent
with the relevant statutory authority. Second, we believe that delaying
the effective date of these corrections would be contrary to the public
interest because the entities subject to civil money penalties should
be advised, in a timely manner, of the correct amounts for which they
could be liable. Therefore, we find good cause to waive the 30-day
delay in effective date.
Finally, the corrections indicated in this correcting amendment are
applicable to civil monetary penalties as if they had been included in
the IFR. That is, the corrections are applicable to civil money
penalties imposed under Sec. 403.912(a)(1) beginning September 6,
2016, the date the IFR became effective. We do not believe this
correcting amendment constitutes retroactive rulemaking because the
erroneous base penalty range was never authorized under section
1128G(b) of the Act. In addition, we have not imposed any penalties
under Sec. 403.912(a)(1) since the effective date of the IFR.
List of Subjects in 42 CFR Part 403
Grant programs--health, Health insurance, Hospitals,
Intergovernmental relations, Medicare, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Accordingly, as noted in section II. of this document, the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services is making the following correcting
amendments to 42 CFR part 403:
PART 403--SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS
0
1. The authority citation for part 403 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1395b-3 and Secs. 1102 and 1871 of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1302 and 1395hh).
Sec. 403.912 [Amended]
0
2. Section 403.912(a)(1) is amended by removing the phrase ``not less
than $10,000, but not more than $100,000'' and adding in its place the
phrase ``not less than $1,000, but not more than $10,000.''
Dated: August 17, 2017.
Seema Verma,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Dated: September 6, 2017.
Thomas E. Price,
Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services.
[FR Doc. 2017-19311 Filed 9-11-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P