Agencies and Commissions March 7, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The General Services Administration (GSA) has reviewed the per diem rates for certain locations in the States of Alabama, California, Illinois, Missouri, and Texas, using more current lodging industry data, as well as data on where Federal travelers actually stay when visiting these locations. The county information for St. Louis, Missouri has expanded to include the counties of Crawford, Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Warren, and Washington. Queens, New York will have the same per diem rates as Manhattan beginning March 17, 2008. Finally, an analysis of the meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) data reveals that the maximum M&IE rates for the State of Alabama, the city of Mobile, including the county of Mobile; the State of California, the cities of Eureka, Arcata, and McKinleyville, including the county of Humboldt; and the State of Texas, the city of Beaumont, including the county of Jefferson, should be increased and adjusted to provide for the reimbursement of Federal employees' M&IE expenses. The per diem rates prescribed in Bulletin 08-03 may be found at https://www.gsa.gov/perdiem.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is forwarding an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to request a revision to a currently approved collection of information: 3220-0176, Representative Payee Parental Custody Report. Our ICR describes the information we seek to collect from the public. Review and approval by OIRA ensures that we impose appropriate paperwork burdens. The RRB invites comments on the proposed collection of information to determine (1) the practical utility of the collection; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden of the collection; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information that is the subject of collection; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of collections on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments to RRB or OIRA must contain the OMB control number of the ICR. For proper consideration of your comments, it is best if RRB and OIRA receive them within 30 days of publication date. Under section 12 (a) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is authorized to select, make payments to, and to conduct transactions with, a beneficiary's relative or some other person willing to act on behalf of the beneficiary as a representative payee. The RRB is responsible for determining if direct payment to the beneficiary or payment to a representative payee would best serve the beneficiary's interest. Inherent in the RRB's authorization to select a representative payee is the responsibility to monitor the payee to assure that the beneficiary's interests are protected. The RRB utilizes Form G-99d, Parental Custody Report, to obtain information needed to verify that a parent-for-child representative payee still has custody of the child. One response is required from each respondent. The RRB proposes no changes to Form G- 99d. Previous Requests for Comments: The RRB has already published the initial 60-day notice (72 FR 61192-61193 on October 29, 2007) required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That request elicited no comments.

The Committee is proposing to add to the Procurement List a product and services to be furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities, and to delete products and services previously furnished by such agencies. Comments Must Be Received on or Before: April 6, 2008. Address: Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800, 1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia, 22202-3259. For Further Information or To Submit Comments Contact: Kimberly M. Zeich, Telephone: (703) 603-7740, Fax: (703) 603-0655, or e-mail CMTEFedReg@jwod.gov.

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.

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.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), and as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is inviting the general public or other Federal agencies to comment on this proposed continuing information collection. The National Science Foundation (NSF) will publish periodic summaries of the proposed projects. Comments: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Foundation, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Foundation's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Under the paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), and as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is inviting the general public or other Federal agencies to comment on this proposed continuing information collection. The National Science Foundation (NSF) will publish periodic summaries of the proposed projects. Comments: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Foundation, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Foundation's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

On February 12, 2008, the Postal Service published in the Federal Register (73 FR 8076) a notice that, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), it intended to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed construction and operation of a mail processing facility in Aliso Viejo, Orange County, California. The notice invited the public to participate in the project scoping process, to review and comment on the draft EIS, and to attend public meetings. The Postal Service requested written scoping comments by March 9, 2008. The Postal Service is extending the comment period to March 13, 2008.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules revising the procedures applicable to program access complaint proceedings. Certain changes to the rules require Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to become effective. This document announces the effective date of these rules.

Commercial and government automated clearinghouse (ACH) credit transfers processed by the Federal Reserve Banks' (Reserve Banks) FedACH service are currently posted at 8:30 a.m., while commercial and government ACH debit transfers are posted at 11 a.m.\1\ The Board proposes to change the posting time for commercial and government ACH debit transfers that are processed by the Reserve Banks' FedACH service to 8:30 a.m. to coincide with the posting time for commercial and government ACH credit transfers. In line with this change, the Board also intends, in consultation with the U.S. Treasury, to move the posting time for Treasury Tax and Loan (TT&L) investments associated with Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) ACH debit transfers to 8:30 a.m. to maintain the simultaneous posting of ACH transactions and related Treasury transactions.

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) requests comment on proposed changes to its Payments System Risk (PSR) policy that would adopt a new strategy for providing intraday balances and credit to depository institutions and encourage such institutions to collateralize their daylight overdrafts. The Board believes changes to the Federal Reserve's current strategy for providing intraday balances and credit to the banking industry would help loosen liquidity constraints and reduce operational risk. Specifically, the Board proposes to adopt a policy of supplying intraday balances to healthy depository institutions predominantly through explicitly collateralized daylight overdrafts provided at a zero fee. The Board would allow depository institutions to pledge collateral voluntarily to secure daylight overdrafts but would encourage the voluntary pledging of collateral to cover daylight overdrafts by raising the fee for uncollateralized daylight overdrafts to 50 basis points (annual rate) from the current 36 basis points. The Board also proposes to increase the biweekly daylight overdraft fee waiver to $150 from $25 to minimize the effect of the proposed policy changes on institutions that use small amounts of daylight overdrafts (small users). In addition, the proposed policy would involve changes to other elements of the PSR policy dealing with daylight overdrafts, including adjusting net debit caps, streamlining maximum daylight overdraft capacity (max cap) procedures for certain foreign banking organizations (FBOs), eliminating the current deductible for daylight overdraft fees, and increasing the penalty daylight overdraft fee for ineligible institutions to 150 basis points (annual rate) from the current 136 basis points.