Agencies and Commissions October 25, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commissioner has determined (1) A 2.3 percent cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (the Act), effective for December 2007; (2) An increase in the Federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) monthly benefit amounts under title XVI of the Act for 2008 to $637 for an eligible individual, $956 for an eligible individual with an eligible spouse, and $319 for an essential person; (3) The student earned income exclusion to be $1,550 per month in 2008 but not more than $6,240 in all of 2008; (4) The dollar fee limit for services performed as a representative payee to be $35 per month ($68 per month in the case of a beneficiary who is disabled and has an alcoholism or drug addiction condition that leaves him or her incapable of managing benefits) in 2008; (5) The dollar limit on the administrative-cost assessment charged to attorneys representing claimants to be $79 in 2008; (6) The national average wage index for 2006 to be $38,651.41; (7) The Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) contribution and benefit base to be $102,000 for remuneration paid in 2008 and self-employment income earned in taxable years beginning in 2008; (8) The monthly exempt amounts under the Social Security retirement earnings test for taxable years ending in calendar year 2008 to be $1,130 and $3,010; (9) The dollar amounts (``bend points'') used in the primary insurance amount benefit formula for workers who become eligible for benefits, or who die before becoming eligible, in 2008 to be $711 and $4,288; (10) The dollar amounts (``bend points'') used in the formula for computing maximum family benefits for workers who become eligible for benefits, or who die before becoming eligible, in 2008 to be $909, $1,312, and $1,711; (11) The amount of taxable earnings a person must have to be credited with a quarter of coverage in 2008 to be $1,050; (12) The ``old-law'' contribution and benefit base to be $75,900 for 2008; (13) The monthly amount deemed to constitute substantial gainful activity for statutorily blind individuals in 2008 to be $1,570, and the corresponding amount for non-blind disabled persons to be $940; (14) The earnings threshold establishing a month as a part of a trial work period to be $670 for 2008; and (15) Coverage thresholds for 2008 to be $1,600 for domestic workers and $1,400 for election workers.

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 of 1995, Public Law 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 (PRA) 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.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its spent fuel storage cask regulations by revising the Holtec International (Holtec) HI-STORM 100 cask system listing within the ``List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks'' to include Amendment No. 4 to Certificate of Compliance (CoC) Number 1014. Amendment No. 4 would modify the CoC by including changes to add site-specific options to the CoC to permit use of a modified HI-STORM 100 cask system at the Indian Point Unit 1 (IP1) Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI). These options include the shortening of the HI-STORM 100S Version B, Multi-Purpose Canister (MPC)-32 and MPC-32F and the HI-TRAC 100D Canister to accommodate site-specific restrictions. Additional changes address the Technical Specification (TS) definition of transport operations and associated language in the safety analysis report (SAR); the soluble boron requirements for Array/Class 14x14E IP1 fuel; the helium gas backfill requirements for Array/Class 14x14E IP1 fuel; the addition of a fifth damaged fuel container design under the TS definition for damaged fuel container; addition of separate burnup, cooling time, and decay heat limits for Array/Class 14x14 IP1 fuel for loading in an MPC-32 and MPC-32F; addition of antimony-beryllium secondary sources as approved contents; the loading of all IP1 fuel assemblies in damaged fuel containers; the preclusion of loading of IP1 fuel debris in the MPC-32 or MPC-32F; the reduction of the maximum enrichment for Array/Class 14x14E IP1 fuel from 5.0 to 4.5 weight percent uranium-235; changes to licensing drawings to differentiate the IP1 MPC-32 and MPC-32F from the previously approved MPC-32 and MPC-32F; and other editorial changes, including replacing all references to U.S. Tool and Die with Holtec Manufacturing Division.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (``TVA'') is publishing as a final rule a regulation governing access to TVA information and records in connection with legal proceedings in which neither the United States nor TVA is a party. This final rule establishes guidelines for use in determining whether TVA employees will provide testimony or records relating to their official duties. It also establishes procedures for requesters to follow when making demands on or requests to a TVA employee for official documents or to provide testimony. This final rule standardizes TVA's past practices, promotes uniformity in decisions, conserves the ability of TVA to conduct official business, preserves its employee resources, protects confidential information, provides guidance to requestors, minimizes involvement in matters unrelated to TVA's mission and programs, avoids wasteful allocation of agency resources, and avoids spending public time and money for private purpose.