February 4, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is adopting a final rule amending its regulation related to recipient governing bodies. This final rule changes two requirements and gives increased flexibility to recipient governing bodies in how they recruit, appoint, and retain client-eligible members. First, LSC is revising the definition of the term eligible client to remove the requirement that a client-eligible board member be financially eligible at the time of reappointment to a governing body. Second, LSC is eliminating the requirement that client- eligible members be appointed by outside groups. The final rule gives each recipient governing body the discretion to continue applying these provisions if it wishes but eliminates the requirement to do so.

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is required by law to establish maximum income levels for individuals eligible for legal assistance. This document updates the specified income levels to reflect the annual amendments to the Federal Poverty Guidelines issued by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

This rule changes the National Honey Board (Board) importer- handler member and alternate to an importer member and alternate. The Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order (Order) is administered by the Board with oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This rule also updates the definition for the term Board to reflect current practices, and make clarifying and conforming changes to other provisions of the program.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is adjusting the maximum civil monetary penalties (CMPs) that may be imposed for violations of the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act (PFCRA) and the NEA's Restrictions on Lobbying to reflect the requirements of the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (the 2015 Act). The 2015 Act further amended the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (the Inflation Adjustment Act) to improve the effectiveness of civil monetary penalties and to maintain their deterrent effect. This final rule provides the 2019 annual inflation adjustments to the initial ``catch-up'' adjustments made on June 15, 2017, and reflects all other inflation adjustments made in the interim.

In accordance with the Commission's regulations, the Commission, by its designee, the Executive Director, issues this document of the annual update to the fee schedule, which lists per-acre rental fees by county (or other geographic area) for use of government lands by hydropower licensees.

The Commission is proposing to transition from the current use of the Visual FoxPro software, which is no longer supported by its developer, to a type of Extensible Markup Language (XML) called eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL). The XBRL standard would be used to file the Commission's Form Nos. 1, 1-F, 2, 2-A, 3-Q electric, 3-Q natural gas, 6, 6-Q, 60, and 714. The use of XBRL should make the information in these forms easier for filers and data users to analyze and assist in automating regulatory filings and business information processing. In addition, the Commission believes that transitioning from the current Visual FoxPro system to XBRL will decrease the costs, over time, of preparing the necessary data for submission and complying with future changes to filing requirements set forth by the Commission. The Commission is also proposing to revise its regulations to require filers of Form No. 1-F to file their report in electronic media.

This proposed rule would update proficiency testing (PT) regulations under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) to address current analytes (that is, substances or constituents for which the laboratory conducts testing) and newer technologies. This proposed rule would also make additional technical changes to PT referral regulations to more closely align them with the CLIA statute.

The FDIC is amending its regulations that implement brokered deposits and interest rate restrictions to conform with recent changes to section 29 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act made by section 202 of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act related to reciprocal deposits, which took effect on May 24, 2018. The FDIC is also making conforming amendments to the FDIC's regulations governing deposit insurance assessments.