December 13, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) finds that sales of certain carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate (CTL plate) from Austria were made at less than normal value during the period of review (POR) November 14, 2016 through April 30, 2018.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of utility scale wind towers (wind towers) from Indonesia. The period of investigation is January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2020 for the Native Hawaiian Education (NHE) program, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.362A. This notice relates to the approved information collection under OMB control number 1894-0006.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew exemptions for 90 individuals from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) for interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The exemptions enable these individuals to continue to operate CMVs in interstate commerce without meeting the vision requirements in one eye.

The Committee is proposing to add services to the Procurement List that will be furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities, and deletes products and services previously furnished by such agencies.

This final rule amends the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's regulations on Benefits Payable in Terminated Single- Employer Plans and Allocation of Assets in Single-Employer Plans to prescribe certain interest assumptions under the benefit payments regulation for plans with valuation dates in January 2020 and interest assumptions under the asset allocation regulation for plans with valuation dates in the first quarter of 2020. These interest assumptions are used for valuing benefits and paying certain benefits under terminating single-employer plans covered by the pension insurance system administered by PBGC.

NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) for the lane snapper commercial and recreational sectors in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) for the 2019 fishing year through this temporary rule. NMFS has projected that the 2019 stock annual catch limit (ACL) for Gulf lane snapper has been met. Therefore, NMFS closes the commercial and recreational sectors for Gulf lane snapper on December 13, 2019, and they will remain closed through the end of the current fishing year on December 31, 2019. These closures are necessary to protect the Gulf lane snapper resource.

This notice lists the projects approved by rule by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission during the period set forth in DATES.

This notice lists Grandfathering Registration for projects by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission during the period set forth in DATES.

This notice lists Grandfathering Registration for projects by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission during the period set forth in DATES.

In December 2016, the U.S. Trade Representative initiated a proceeding to reinstate action against the European Union (EU) in order to exercise the WTO authorization to suspend concessions in connection with the dispute EC-Measures Concerning Meat and Meat Products. In light of successful negotiations with the EU to resolve U.S. concerns with the operation of the U.S.-EU Beef MOU, the U.S. Trade Representative has determined to conclude the proceeding with a determination not to reinstate action.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is seeking nominations for membership on CLIAC. CLIAC, consisting of 20 members including the Chair, represents a diverse membership across laboratory specialties, professional roles (laboratory management, technical specialists, physicians, nurses) and practice settings (academic, clinical, public health), and includes a consumer representative. In addition, the Committee includes three ex officio members (or designees), including the Director, CDC; the Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); and the Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A nonvoting representative from the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) serves as the industry liaison. The Designated Federal Officer or their designee and the Executive Secretary are present at all meetings to ensure meetings are within applicable statutory, regulatory and HHS General Administration manual directives.

Through this Request for Information (RFI), the Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO) in the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI), Office of the Director (OD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), invites feedback from stakeholders throughout the scientific research community, clinical practice communities, patient and family advocates, scientific or professional organizations, federal partners, internal NIH stakeholders, and other interested constituents on the development of the fiscal years (FY) 2021-2025 Trans-NIH Strategic Plan for Sexual and Gender Minority Health Research. This plan will describe future directions in sexual and gender minority (SGM) health and research to optimize NIH's research investments.

This Notice describes the proposal to extend data collection under the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Generic Program-Specific Performance Progress Report (PPR) (0970-0490). This overarching generic allows ACF program offices to collect performance and progress data from recipients and sub-recipients who receive funding from ACF under a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement. This information is required under 45 CFR 75.342, monitoring and reporting program performance. The generic program-specific PPR was originally approved in January 2017.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to amend its regulations on disclosure of certain records. Recent changes in law, to include the VA MISSION Act of 2018, now authorize VA to disclose certain protected records to non-VA entities (including private entities and other Federal agencies) for purposes of providing health care or performing other health care-related activities or functions. The Act also authorizes VA to disclose these protected records to a third party for the purpose of recovering or collecting reasonable charges for care furnished to, or paid on behalf of, a patient in connection with a non-service connected disability or to which the United States is deemed to be a third-party beneficiary. This proposed rule would align VA's regulations with the recent changes in law.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has submitted an information collection request to the OMB for extension under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection requests a three-year extension of its Financial Assistance Information Collection, OMB Control Number 1910-0400. This information collection request covers information necessary to administer and manage DOE's financial assistance programs.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that Shanghai Wells Hanger Co., Ltd. and Hong Kong Wells Ltd. (collectively, Shanghai Wells) has failed to demonstrate its eligibility for separate rate status during the period of review (POR); thus, Shanghai Wells will be considered part of the China-wide entity. We invite all interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

This document announces receipt of and publishes a petition for waiver from GD Midea Air Conditioning Equipment Co. LTD. (``Midea''), which seeks an exemption from the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') test procedure when determining the efficiency of listed room air conditioner basic models. Midea seeks to use an alternate test procedure to address issues involved in testing the basic models listed in its petition. According to Midea, the current DOE test procedure for room air conditioners, which provides for testing at full-load performance only, does not take into account the benefits of room air conditioners that use variable-speed compressors (``variable-speed room air conditioners''), with their part-load performance characteristics, and misrepresents their actual energy consumption. Midea requests that DOE permit Midea to test the basic models listed in its petition using the alternate test procedure in the interim waiver granted to LG Electronics USA, Inc. (``LG'') on June 29, 2018, which requires testing units at four rating conditions instead of a single rating condition and calculating each test unit's weighted- average combined energy efficiency ratio (``CEER''), which is compared to the expected performance of a theoretical comparable single-speed room air conditioner across the same four rating conditions. The measured performance of the variable-speed room air conditioner when tested under the high-temperature rating condition of the DOE test procedure for room air conditioners would be scaled by the same relative performance improvement to determine the test unit's final rated CEER value. DOE grants Midea an interim waiver from DOE's room air conditioner test procedure for the basic models listed in the Interim Waiver Order, subject to use of the alternate test procedure as set forth in the Interim Waiver Order. DOE solicits comments, data, and information concerning Midea's petition and its suggested alternate test procedure to inform its final decision on Midea's waiver request.

Upon Congressional approval, VA intends to develop and implement a pilot program designed to increase veteran access to health care and support services at no additional cost to VA or veterans. The initial demonstration project VA proposes under this pilot program is to improve dental health care access for veterans by connecting them with community-based, pro bono or discounted, dental service providers. The objective of this pilot demonstration is to improve overall health by increasing access to dental services for enrolled veterans currently ineligible for dental services through VA. Improving the state of veteran health will be evaluated through assessment of emergency medical care visits. Thus, the anticipated impact of this pilot program is to improve quality of health while decreasing health care related costs associated with the provision of emergency care.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office published in the Federal Register on July 31, 2019 (delayed on October 2, 2019), a final rule amending its regulations to mandate electronic filing of trademark applications and all submissions associated with trademark applications and registrations, and to require the designation of an email address for receiving USPTO correspondence, with limited exceptions. This rulemaking clarifies the mandatory electronic filing regulation addressing the requirements for receiving a filing date, by amending it to remove the word ``domicile.'' This rulemaking also clarifies the mandatory electronic filing regulation addressing the requirements for a TEAS Plus application.