January 5, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This information collection consists of several instruments that allow the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Program to assess the ability of potential sponsors to provide for the physical and mental well-being of the UAC and whether the UAC will be safe in the custody of the potential sponsor. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is inviting public comments on proposed revisions to the Sponsor Verification Application (formerly the Family Reunification Application); and the Sponsor Care Agreement. Revisions to the Sponsor Care Agreement change the categorization from supplementary material to an information collection and associated burden has been included in this update.

The No Surprises Act, enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 required the Secretary of Labor to convene an Advisory Committee of 15 members to advise on the standardized format for the voluntary reporting, by group health plans to State All Payer Claims Databases, of medical claims, pharmacy claims, dental claims, and eligibility and provider files collected from private and public payers. The Committee shall also advise the Secretary on the guidance provided to States on the process by which States may collect such data in the standardized reporting format. This Committee will be responsible for issuing a report to the Secretary of Labor and certain congressional committees within 180 days of the enactment of the Act, which shall include recommendations on the standardized format and guidance described above. The Act provides for members of this Committee to have distinguished themselves in fields of health services research, health economics, health informatics, data privacy and security, or the governance of State All Payer Claims Databases, or who represent organizations likely to submit data to or use the database, including patients, employers, employee organizations that sponsor group health plans, health care providers, health insurance issuers, or third-party administrators of group health plans. The Act gave the Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, responsibility for appointing 9 of the 15 members to include eight representatives of various agencies within the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, as well as one representative of a State All Payer Claims Database. The Act gave the Comptroller General responsibility for appointing the remaining 6 of the committee's 15 members, including 1 representative of an employer that sponsors a group health plan; 1 representative of an employee organization that sponsors a group health plan; 1 academic researcher with expertise in health economics or health services research; 1 consumer advocate; and 2 additional members. GAO is accepting nominations of individuals for Committee appointments that will be effective in March 2021. Nominations should be sent to the email address listed below. Acknowledgement of submissions will be provided within a week of submission.

The Copyright Royalty Judges announce commencement of a proceeding to determine reasonable rates and terms for making and distributing phonorecords for the period beginning January 1, 2023, and ending December 31, 2027. The Copyright Royalty Judges also announce the date by which a party wishing to participate in the rate determination proceeding must file its Petition to Participate and the accompanying $150 filing fee.

This document contains final regulations to implement legislative changes to sections 263A, 448, 460, and 471 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) that simplify the application of those tax accounting provisions for certain businesses having average annual gross receipts that do not exceed $25,000,000, adjusted for inflation. This document also contains final regulations regarding certain special accounting rules for long-term contracts under section 460 to implement legislative changes applicable to corporate taxpayers. The final regulations generally affect taxpayers with average annual gross receipts of not more than $25 million, as adjusted for inflation.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``Commission'' or ``CFTC'') is adopting amendments (``Final Rule'') to its margin requirements for uncleared swaps for swap dealers (``SDs'') and major swap participants (``MSPs'') for which there is not a prudential regulator (``CFTC Margin Rule''). The Commission is amending the CFTC Margin Rule to revise the calculation method for determining whether certain entities come within the scope of its initial margin (``IM'') requirements for uncleared swaps beginning in the last phase of the phased compliance schedule, which starts on September 1, 2022, and the timing for compliance with the IM requirements after the end of the phased compliance schedule. These amendments align certain aspects of the CFTC Margin Rule with the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and the International Organization of Securities Commissions' (``BSBS/ IOSCO'') Framework for margin requirements for non-centrally cleared derivatives (``BCBS/IOSCO Framework''). The Commission is also amending the CFTC Margin Rule to allow SDs and MSPs subject to the CFTC Margin Rule to use the risk-based model calculation of IM of a counterparty that is a CFTC-registered SD or MSP to determine the amount of IM to be collected from the counterparty and to determine whether the IM threshold amount for the exchange of IM has been exceeded such that documentation concerning the collection, posting, and custody of IM would be required.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``Commission'' or ``CFTC'') is adopting, and invites comments on, an interim final rule (``Interim Final Rule'') to amend the definition of ``material terms'' to maintain current portfolio reconciliation requirements for swap dealers and major swap participants following the effective date of changes to a recently amended Commission regulation.