Agencies and Commissions March 3, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents
Results 1 - 22 of 22
Commercial Availability of Apparel Inputs (2006): Effect of Providing Preferential Treatment to Apparel From Sub-Saharan African, Caribbean Basin, and Andean Countries
Following receipt of a request from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) dated February 16, 2006, the Commission instituted its sixth annual investigation No. 332-473, Commercial Availability of Apparel Inputs (2006): Effect of Providing Preferential Treatment to Apparel from Sub-Saharan African, Caribbean Basin, and Andean Countries, under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332(g)) to provide advice regarding the probable economic effect of granting preferential treatment to apparel made from fabrics or yarns that are the subject of petitions filed in 2006 with the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) under the ``commercial availability'' provisions of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), and the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA). The Commission conducted similar investigations in the years 2001-05 to provide advice with respect to petitions filed in those years. Background: The Commission will follow procedures similar to those followed in the commercial availability reviews in 2005 under investigation No. 332-465. Thus, in 2006, the Commission will provide advice for each commercial availability review under one investigation number. The Commission will post a notification letter announcing the initiation of each review on its Internet site (https://www.usitc.gov) and send the notification letter to a list of interested parties who wish to be automatically notified about any requests for which the Commission initiates analysis. Interested parties may be added to this list by notifying Jackie W. Jones (202-205-3466, jackie.jones@usitc.gov) or Heidi Colby-Oizumi (202-205-3391, heidi.colby@usitc.gov). The notification letter will specify the article(s) under consideration, the deadline for submission of public comments on the proposed preferential treatment, and the name, telephone number, and Internet e-mail address of a staff contact for additional information. The Commission has a special area on its Internet site (https://www.usitc.gov/indeconana/researchana/pres cong/332/shortsupply/shortsupintro.htm) to provide the public with information on the status of each request for which the Commission initiated analysis. CITA publishes a summary of each request from interested parties in the Federal Register and posts them on its Internet site (U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Textiles and Apparel, at https://otexa.ita.doc.gov/fr.htm). The Commission will submit its reviews to the USTR not later than the 42nd day after receiving a request for advice. The Commission will post a public version of each review on its website as soon as possible thereafter, with any confidential business information deleted.
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request
The Corporation for National and Community Service (hereinafter the ``Corporation''), 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 and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. Sec. 3506(c)(2)(A)). 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 requirement on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Corporation is soliciting comments concerning its proposed marketing questionnaire to help inform volunteer and member recruitment efforts for its various programs and initiatives. The survey, which would be completed voluntarily by current and prospective volunteers or program participants (for example, AmeriCorps members or RSVP volunteers), would be conducted online with visitors to the Corporation's website domains and in focus groups and public discussions with current and prospective volunteers and program participants. Completion of the survey is voluntary. Copies of the information collection requests can be obtained by contacting the office listed in the address section of this notice.
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
In accordance with the requirement of Section 3506 (c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 which provides opportunity for public comment on new or revised data collections, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) will publish periodic summaries of proposed data collections. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information has practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the RRB's estimate of the burden of the collection of the information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden related to the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Roundtable on Internal Control Reporting Requirements
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board announced on February 16, 2006 that they will sponsor a roundtable May 10, 2006, at the Commission's headquarters in Washington, DC, to discuss second-year experiences with the reporting and auditing requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 related to companies' internal control over financial reporting. The roundtable discussion will include issuers, auditors, investors and other interested parties. ``Last spring's informative roundtable resulted in valuable guidance,'' said SEC Chairman Christopher Cox. ``We look forward to an update on compliance efforts after year two. I'm pleased that the PCAOB is coordinating this year's roundtable with the SEC. We will carefully consider the facts presented to help develop policies to effectively and efficiently improve the reliability of financial statements for the benefit of investors.'' ``I am very much open to suggestions to make the internal control assessment process more efficient, including modifications of the PCAOB's auditing standard and other actions the Board could undertake,'' said PCAOB Acting Chairman Bill Gradison. ``This is the PCAOB's highest priority policy issue.'' The Commission and the PCAOB further announced today that, in addition to the roundtable, they are seeking written feedback from registrants, auditors, investors and others on their experiences with complying with the Section 404 requirements. The Commission is not soliciting feedback on a particular set of inquiries. The information that is submitted to either organization will become part of the public record of the Section 404 roundtable.
Procurement List Deletions
This action deletes from the Procurement List products previously furnished by such agencies.
Senior Executive Service Pay
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing proposed regulations to provide agencies with the authority to increase the rates of basic pay of certain members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) whose pay was set before the agency's senior executive performance appraisal system was certified for the calendar year involved. The proposed regulations would allow an agency to review the rate of basic pay of these SES members and provide an additional pay increase, if warranted, up to the rate for level II of the Executive Schedule upon certification of the agency's senior executive performance appraisal system for the current calendar year.
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
Background On June 15, 1984, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delegated to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) its approval authority under the Paperwork Reduction Act, as per 5 CFR 1320.16, to approve of and assign OMB control numbers to collection of information requests and requirements conducted or sponsored by the Board under conditions set forth in 5 CFR 1320 Appendix A.1. Board-approved collections of information are incorporated into the official OMB inventory of currently approved collections of information. Copies of the OMB 83-Is and supporting statements and approved collection of information instruments are placed into OMB's public docket files. The Federal Reserve may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
Medicare Part B Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount
We propose to add to our regulations a new subpart, Medicare Part B Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, to contain the rules we would follow for Medicare Part B income-related monthly adjustment amount determinations. The monthly adjustment amount represents the amount of decrease in the Medicare Part B premium subsidy, i.e. the amount of the Federal Government's contribution to the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. This new subpart would implement section 811 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (the Medicare Modernization Act or MMA) and would contain the rules for determining when, based on income, a monthly adjustment amount will be added to a Supplementary Medical Insurance (Medicare Part B) beneficiary's standard monthly premium. These proposed rules describe: what the new subpart is about; what information we would use to determine whether you would pay an income- related monthly adjustment amount and the amount of the adjustment when applicable; when we will consider a major life-changing event that results in a significant reduction in your modified adjusted gross income; and how you can appeal our determination about your income- related monthly adjustment amount.
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Reinstatement of Collection; Comment Request
The National Science Foundation is announcing plans to request reinstatement of an annual Web-based collection for the Informal Science Education (ISE) Program. In accordance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing opportunity for public comment on this action. After obtaining and considering public comment, NSF will prepare the submission requesting OMB Clearance of this collection for no longer than 3 years. Comments: Comments are invited on (a) Whether the proposed collection on information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Exposure Draft of Final Report of Advisory Committee on Smaller Public Companies
The Securities and Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Smaller Public Companies is publishing an exposure draft of its Final Report and requesting public comment on it.
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Joint Comment Request
In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the OCC, the Board, and the FDIC (the ``agencies'') may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. On December 13, 2005, the agencies, under the auspices of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), published a notice in the Federal Register (70 FR 73745) requesting public comment on the extension, without revision, of the currently approved information collections, the Country Exposure Report (FFIEC 009) and the Country Exposure Information Report (FFIEC 009a). The comment period for this notice expired on February 13, 2006. No comments were received. The agencies are now submitting requests to OMB for approval of the extension, without revision, of the FFIEC 009 and FFIEC 009a reports.
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection, Comment Request
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to request clearance for this collection. In accordance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing opportunity for public comment on this action. After obtaining and considering public comment, NSF will prepare the submission requesting OMB clearance of this collection for no longer than three years. Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information of respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Recognition of Multilateral Clearing Organizations
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``Commission'') is issuing an Order pursuant to Section 409(b)(3) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act (``FDICIA''). Section 409 provides that the Commission (or one of several other authorized U.S. financial regulators) may determine that the supervision by a foreign financial regulator of a multilateral clearing organization for over- the-counter derivative instruments satisfies appropriate standards. The Commission is issuing this Order pursuant to Section 409(b)(3) of FDICIA with respect to the Alberta Securities Commission and its supervision of NetThruPut, Inc., a recognized clearing agency in Alberta, Canada.
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