April 6, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FMCSA announces its decision to exempt eight individuals from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce. They are unable to meet the vision requirement in one eye for various reasons. The exemptions enable these individuals to operate CMVs in interstate commerce without meeting the vision requirement in one eye.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew exemptions for 14 individuals from the hearing requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) for interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The exemptions enable these hard of hearing and deaf individuals to continue to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew exemptions for four individuals from the requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) that interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers have ``no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of epilepsy or any other condition which is likely to cause loss of consciousness or any loss of ability to control a CMV.'' The exemptions enable these individuals who have had one or more seizures and are taking anti-seizure medication to continue to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that we have issued two successive incidental harassment authorizations (IHA) to the Port of Alaska (POA), authorizing the take of small numbers of marine mammals incidental to construction of the Petroleum and Cement Terminal (PCT), Anchorage, Alaska.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is providing notice of adjusted present value factors applicable to retirees who elect to provide survivor annuity benefits to a spouse based on post-retirement marriage, and to retiring employees who elect the alternative form of annuity or elect to credit certain service with nonappropriated fund instrumentalities. This notice is necessary to conform the present value factors to changes in the economic and demographic assumptions adopted by the Board of Actuaries of the Civil Service Retirement System.

Notice is being given that the FAA is considering a proposal from the City of Arlington Airport Director to change certain portions of the airport from aeronautical use to non-aeronautical use at Arlington Municipal Airport, Arlington, WA. The proposal consists of 292.35 acres identified on the Airport Layout Plan as the Airport Business Park and the Airport Industrial Park.

HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau will award $200,000 in supplemental funding to Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Biomedical and Health Sciences (Rutgers), to support the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part F AIDS Education and Training Centers' (AETC) National Coordinating Resource Center (NCRC) project in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. Pending the availability of funds and satisfactory performance, HRSA will award up to $200,000 in each succeeding fiscal year of their period of performance. The NCRC is responsible for facilitating and coordinating AETC training and technical assistance activities, disseminating, and promoting the work of AETC programs. This supplemental funding will enable the recipient to scale up their program efforts to ensure that HIV care and treatment professionals have the tools and information needed to achieve the goals of the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EHE).

The following open meeting has been canceled: Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules on May 8, 2020, in Washington, DC.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bell Textron, Inc. (Type Certificate previously held by Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc.) (Bell) Model 204B, 205A, 205A-1, 205B, 212, 214B, 214B-1, 412, 412CF, and 412EP helicopters. This proposed AD was prompted by a report of a shoulder harness seat belt comfort clip (comfort clip) interfering with the seat belt inertia reel. This proposed AD would require removing comfort clips from service and inspecting the seat belt shoulder harness (harness) for a rip or an abrasion. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on January 22, 2020. The collection involves information related to Extended Operations of Multi Engine Airplanes. A final rule published on January 16, 2007 codified previous practices that permitted certificated air carriers to operate two-engine airplanes over long range routes. The FAA uses this information collection to ensure that aircraft for long range flights are equipped to minimize diversions, to preclude and prevent diversions in remote areas, and to ensure that all personnel are trained to minimize any adverse impacts of a diversion.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 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 Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is soliciting comments on the information collection for Qualification/ Certification Program Request for MSHA Individual Identification Number (MIIN).

In compliance with the requirement of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and Human Services, is publishing the following summary of a proposed collection for public comment.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation Model S-76C helicopters. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of inaccurate main gear box (MGB) indications in flight. This proposed AD would require updating the remote data acquisition unit (RDAU) software and re-identifying the RDAU and, for certain helicopters, updating the software of the display unit (DU) and re-identifying the DU. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This interim final rule with comment period (IFC) gives individuals and entities that provide services to Medicare beneficiaries needed flexibilities to respond effectively to the serious public health threats posed by the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Recognizing the urgency of this situation, and understanding that some pre-existing Medicare payment rules may inhibit innovative uses of technology and capacity that might otherwise be effective in the efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on Medicare beneficiaries and the American public, we are changing Medicare payment rules during the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for the COVID-19 pandemic so that physicians and other practitioners, home health and hospice providers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, rural health clinics (RHCs), and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are allowed broad flexibilities to furnish services using remote communications technology to avoid exposure risks to health care providers, patients, and the community. We are also altering the applicable payment policies to provide specimen collection fees for independent laboratories collecting specimens from beneficiaries who are homebound or inpatients (not in a hospital) for COVID-19 testing. We are also expanding, on an interim basis, the list of destinations for which Medicare covers ambulance transports under Medicare Part B. In addition, we are making programmatic changes to the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) and the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) Model in light of the PHE, and program-specific requirements for the Quality Payment Program to avoid inadvertently creating incentives to place cost considerations above patient safety. This IFC will modify the calculation of the 2021 and 2022 Part C and D Star Ratings to address the expected disruption to data collection and measure scores posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and also to avoid inadvertently creating incentives to place cost considerations above patient safety. This rule also amends the Medicaid home health regulations to allow other licensed practitioners to order home health services, for the period of this PHE for the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with state scope of practice laws. We are also modifying our under arrangements policy during the PHE for the COVID-19 pandemic so that hospitals are allowed broader flexibilities to furnish inpatient services, including routine services outside the hospital.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of New Hampshire. The revision provides the state's determination, via a negative declaration, that there are no facilities within its borders subject to EPA's 2016 Control Technique Guideline (CTG) for the oil and gas industry. The intended effect of this action is to propose approval of these items into the New Hampshire SIP. This action is being taken in accordance with the Clean Air Act.