March 22, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), located within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announces the award of approximately $1,000,000, for Year 1 funding to the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM). The award will allow PHIM to efficiently execute Malawi's essential public health functions at national and subnational levels and sustain gains achieved for HIV.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announces the award of approximately $10,000,000, for Year 1 funding to the Government of Botswana (GOB). The award will strengthen GOB capacity to develop and implement programmatic activities that orient the Ministry of Health (MOH) towards ensuring ownership, accountability, and capacity to manage a sustained HIV national response, decrease TB/HIV morbidity and mortality, and improve capacity to effectively respond to emerging diseases of public health interest.

The Postal Service gives notice of filing a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to add a domestic shipping services contract to the list of Negotiated Service Agreements in the Mail Classification Schedule's Competitive Products List.

The Copyright Royalty Judges solicit comments on a motion of Allocation Phase claimants for partial distribution of 2020 cable royalty funds.

DoD is issuing a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to revise the requirements related to the assumption of risk associated with aircraft under DoD contracts. Revisions are required due to numerous changes in aircraft contract situations and the emergence of contracts for small, unmanned aircraft.

DoD is issuing a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to update the policy and procedures for use of the Supplier Performance Risk System and to require contracting officers to consider SPRS risk assessments, if available, in the evaluation of a supplier's quotation or offer and to consider SPRS supplier risk assessments when determining contractor responsibility.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office or USPTO) amends patent fees for small and micro entities set forth in its regulations to implement the provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023which included the Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022 (UAIA). The UAIA, signed into law on December 29, 2022, supports the USPTO's efforts to reduce the innovation ecosystem's barriers to entry. The UAIA increased fee discounts for small entities from 50% to 60% and fee discounts for micro entities from 75% to 80% for fees for filing, searching, examining, issuing, appealing, and maintaining patent applications and patents. The UAIA also increased fee discounts for small entities from 75% to 80% for filing a basic nonprovisional utility application electronically.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeks input on criteria to help align and ensure consistency across radon service provider credentialing programs operated by certification bodies and states. The criteria reflect stakeholder feedback received in response to a 2017 Federal Register Notice on the same subject and consideration of conformity assessment practices in place across the federal government. The EPA is soliciting comment on these criteria. The comments will inform development of the final version of the criteria.

FRA is proposing to amend its regulations related to occupational noise exposure in three ways. First, in response to a Congressional mandate, FRA is proposing to expand those regulations to require that railroads provide an appropriate atmosphere-supplying emergency escape breathing apparatus to every train crew member and certain other employees while they are occupying a locomotive cab of a freight train transporting a hazardous material that would pose an inhalation hazard in the event of release during an accident. Second, FRA is proposing to change the name of this part of its regulations from ``Occupational Noise Exposure'' to ``Occupational Safety and Health in the Locomotive Cab'' to reflect the additional subject matter of this SNPRM and to make other conforming amendments. Third, FRA is proposing to remove the provision stating the preemptive effect of this part of FRA's regulations because it is unnecessary.