Agencies and Commissions November 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Public Law No. 104-13. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act that does not display a valid control number. Comments are requested concerning (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has determined to terminate the above-captioned proceeding.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has submitted the following proposal(s) for the collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget for review and approval. Summary of Proposal(s): (1) Collection title: Request to Non-Railroad Employer for Information About Annuitant's Work and Earnings. (2) Form(s) submitted: RL-231-F. (3) OMB Number: 3220-0107. (4) Expiration date of current OMB clearance: 02/28/2006. (5) Type of request: Extension of a currently approved collection. (6) Respondents: Business or other for-profit. (7) Estimated annual number of respondents: 300. (8) Total annual responses: 300. (9) Total annual reporting hours: 150. (10) Collection description: Under the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), benefits are not payable if an annuitant works for an employer covered under the RRA or last non-railroad employer. The collection obtains information regarding an annuitant's work and earnings from a non-railroad employer. The information will be used for determining whether benefits should be withheld. Additional Information or Comments: Copies of the forms and supporting documents can be obtained from Charles Mierzwa, the agency clearance officer (312-751-3363) or Charles.Mierzwa@rrb.gov. Comments regarding the information collection should be addressed to Ronald J. Hodapp, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092 or Ronald.Hodapp@rrb.gov and to the OMB Desk Officer for the RRB, at the Office of Management and Budget, Room 10230, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503.

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing an interim regulation to allow Peace Corps volunteers who are FEHB Program enrolled annuitants, survivors, and former spouses to suspend their FEHB enrollments and then return to the FEHB Program during the Open Season, or return to FEHB coverage immediately, if they involuntarily lose health benefits coverage under the Peace Corps. The intent of this rule is to allow these beneficiaries to avoid the expense of continuing to pay FEHB Program premiums while they have other health coverage as Peace Corps volunteers, without endangering their ability to return to the FEHB Program in the future.

This document grants a petition filed by Linda A. Davidson by allotting Channel 290A at Milner, Georgia, as its first local service and Channel 290A at Plains, Georgia, as its first local service. See 70 FR 17042, published April 4, 2005. To accommodate the Milner allotment, this document also substituted Channel 232A for vacant Channel 290A at Ellaville, Georgia. Vacant Channel 290A at Ellaville, Georgia is listed as construction permit number FM030 in Auction 62 scheduled for November 1, 2005. Accordingly, the auctioned winner must file for a construction permit for Channel 232A in lieu Channel 290A at Ellaville. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

By letter dated July 6, 2004, Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota requested that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) enter into an Agreement with the State as authorized by Section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (Act). Under the proposed Agreement, the Commission would discontinue, and Minnesota would assume, portions of the Commission's regulatory authority exercised within the State. As required by the Act, NRC is publishing the proposed Agreement for public comment. NRC is also publishing the summary of a Draft Staff Assessment of the Minnesota Program. Comments are requested on the proposed Agreement and the NRC Draft Staff Assessment which finds the Program adequate to protect public health and safety and compatible with NRC's program for regulation of agreement material. The proposed Agreement would release (exempt) persons who possess or use certain radioactive materials in Minnesota from portions of the Commission's regulatory authority. The Act requires that NRC publish those exemptions. Notice is hereby given that the pertinent exemptions have been previously published in the Federal Register and are codified in the Commission's regulations as 10 CFR part 150.

The Service Employees International Union Local 25 and Participating Employers Pension Trust requested the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (``PBGC'') to approve a plan amendment providing for special withdrawal liability rules for employers that maintain the Plan. PBGC published a Notice of Pendency of the Request for Approval of the amendment on July 6, 2005 (70 FR 38983) (``Notice of Pendency''). In accordance with the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (``ERISA''), PBGC is now advising the public that the agency has approved the requested amendment.

The Committee is terminating further consideration of requests for safeguard action on imports from China of twenty-four textile and apparel product categories.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the General Services Administration has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve a renewal of a currently approved information collection requirement regarding zero burden information collection reports. A request for public comments was published at 70 FR 24043, May 6, 2005. No comments were received. Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have extended the due date by two weeks for public comments on their proposed rule that would amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement section 1432 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004. Title XIV of the Act, referred to as the Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003 (SARA), amended section 8002(d) of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 (FASA) to expressly authorize the use of time- and-materials (T&M) and labor-hour (LH) contracts for certain categories of commercial services under specified conditions. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register at 70 FR 56318, September 26, 2005.