Agencies and Commissions October 13, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The information collection requirements described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (``PRA'') (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). The Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'') is seeking public comments on its proposal to extend through January 31, 2010 the current OMB clearance for information collection requirements contained in its Mail or Telephone Order Merchandise Trade Regulation Rule (``MTOR'' or ``Rule''), 16 CFR part 435. That clearance expires on January 31, 2007.

The Committee is proposing to add to the Procurement List product to be furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities, and to delete products previously furnished by such agencies. Comments Must be Received on or Before: November 12, 2006.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's regulations on Benefits Payable in Terminated Single-Employer Plans and Allocation of Assets in Single-Employer Plans prescribe interest assumptions for valuing and paying benefits under terminating single-employer plans. This final rule amends the regulations to adopt interest assumptions for plans with valuation dates in November 2006. Interest assumptions are also published on the PBGC's Web site https://www.pbgc.gov.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is proposing for comment amendments to conform provisions of its net capital rule to changes to the net capital rule of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The proposed amendments would apply to broker-dealers also registered as futures commission merchants with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The Securities and Exchange Commission also is proposing to amend certain rules related to subordinated debt agreements to conform those rules to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's amended net capital rules. Finally, the Securities and Exchange Commission is proposing to amend its early warning provisions to require that it be notified if a broker-dealer also registered as a futures commission merchant must warn the Commodity Futures Trading Commission or a designated self-regulatory organization that its adjusted net capital has fallen below specified levels.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``Commission'' or ``CFTC'') is proposing to amend Commission regulations to require that notices of exemption or exclusion under Part 4 of the Commission's regulations submitted to National Futures Association (``NFA'') be filed electronically. The Commission previously has authorized NFA to receive and to process notices of exemption or exclusion from certain of the Commission's Part 4 regulations. Currently, these notices are filed in paper form with NFA. The Commission is proposing to amend the regulations that require filing of a notice to require that such notice be filed electronically with NFA. The Commission is further proposing that the submission of a notice through NFA's electronic exemption filing system by a person duly authorized to bind the submitter be permitted in lieu of the manual signature currently required by each of these regulations. In addition, the Commission also is proposing technical amendments that would remove the procedure for making filings with the Commission required by Part 4, and revise other sections of Part 4 to refer to filings made with NFA rather than the Commission. Amendments to Commission regulations adopted in 2002 no longer require that any filings under Part 4 be submitted to the Commission; therefore, the regulation specifying the procedure for filing with the Commission is no longer necessary. Further, two sections of Part 4 that refer to filings made with the Commission inadvertently were not amended in 2002 to include corresponding changes indicating that such filings would henceforth be made with NFA.

The Federal Housing Finance Board (Finance Board) is announcing the Federal Home Loan Bank (Bank) members it has selected for the 2006-07 third quarter review cycle under the Finance Board's community support requirements regulation. This notice also prescribes the deadline by which Bank members selected for review must submit Community Support Statements to the Finance Board.

The American Institute in Taiwan has concluded a number of agreements with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (formerly the Coordination Council for North American Affairs) in order to maintain cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations between the American people and the people of Taiwan. The Director of the Federal Register is publishing the list of these agreements on behalf of the American Institute in Taiwan in the public interest.