Agencies and Commissions February 14, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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. 1. Title and Purpose of information collection: Financial Disclosure Statement: OMB 3220-0127. Under Section 10 of the Railroad Retirement Act and Section 2(d) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, the RRB may recover overpayments of annuities, pensions, death benefits, unemployment benefits, and sickness benefits that were made erroneously. An overpayment may be waived if the beneficiary was not at fault in causing the overpayment and recovery would cause financial hardship. The regulations for the recovery and waiver of erroneous payments are contained in 20 CFR part 255 and CFR part 340. The RRB utilizes Form DR-423, Financial Disclosure Statement, to obtain information about the overpaid beneficiary's income, debts, and expenses if that person indicates that (s)he cannot make restitution for the overpayment. The information is used to determine if the overpayment should be waived as wholly or partially uncollectible. If waiver is denied, the information is used to determine the size and frequency of installment payments. The beneficiary is made aware of the overpayment by letter and is offered a variety of methods for recovery. One response is requested of each respondent. Completion is voluntary. However, failure to provide the requested information may result in a denial of the waiver request. The RRB is proposing revisions to Form DR-423 for clarification purposes that include the addition of items related to employment, income, monthly household expenses, and summaries of debts and assets. The new items are intended to provide a more accurate view of each respondent's financial circumstance. Non-burden impacting formatting and editorial changes are also proposed.

As mandated by provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (``FECA'' or ``the Act''), the Federal Election Commission (``FEC'' or ``the Commission'') is adjusting certain contribution and expenditure limits and the lobbyist bundling disclosure threshold set forth in the Act, to index the amounts for inflation. Additional details appear in the supplemental information that follows.

This document corrects a notice appearing in the Federal Register on January 7, 2011, that announces the availability of draft implementation guidance for public comment. This action is necessary to correct the ADAMS Accession Number for the draft Part 40 implementation guidance.

The Board is adopting a final rule to implement the conformance period during which banking entities and nonbank financial companies supervised by the Board must bring their activities and investments into compliance with the prohibitions and restrictions on proprietary trading and relationships with hedge funds and private equity funds imposed by section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (``Dodd-Frank Act''). Section 619 is commonly referred to as the ``Volcker Rule.'' The final rule is similar to the proposal issued for comment in November 2010. The Board, however, has incorporated a number of changes to the final rule to address issues raised by public commenters, to reduce potential regulatory burdens, and to clarify application of the rule.

The SBA is issuing this notice to announce the location, date, time, and agenda for the second public meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development. The meeting will be open to the public.