Agencies and Commissions April 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to Sections 254(a)(11)(A) and 255(b) of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), Public Law 107-252, as amended by Section 622 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) hereby causes to be published in the Federal Register this notice in reference to the changes made to the HAVA State plan previously submitted by Virginia. The revised State plan will be posted on the EAC Web site.

This document is issued under the joint authority of DOD, GSA, and NASA. This Small Entity Compliance Guide has been prepared in accordance with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. It consists of a summary of the rule appearing in Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-58, which amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). An asterisk (*) next to a rule indicates that a regulatory flexibility analysis has been prepared. Interested parties may obtain further information regarding this rule by referring to FAC 2005-58, which precedes this document. These documents are also available via the Internet at https:// www.regulations.gov.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are adopting as final, without change, an interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a section of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. This section requires the head of an agency to execute and make public prior to award, the justification for an 8(a) sole-source contract in an amount exceeding $20 million.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement changes due to the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act that require contractors to report the biobased products purchased under service and construction contracts. This reporting will enable agencies to monitor compliance with the Federal preference for purchasing biobased products.

On April 10, 2012, the Board published in the Federal Register a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comment that would establish the criteria for determining whether a company is ``predominantly engaged in financial activities'' for purposes of Title I of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. That Federal Register notice omitted the instructions for submitting comments. This document corrects that omission.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has determined not to review the presiding administrative law judge's (``ALJ'') initial determination (``ID'') (Order No. 16) granting complainant's motion for summary determination of violation of Section 337 in the above captioned investigation.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announces a meeting of the Planetary Science Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC). This Subcommittee reports to the Science Committee of the NAC. The meeting will be held for the purpose of soliciting, from the scientific community and other persons, scientific and technical information relevant to program planning.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve a previously approved information collection requirement for Reporting Executive Compensation and First-tier Subcontract Awards. An initial notice soliciting public comments on the information collection was published in the Federal Register at 75 FR 39414, on July 8, 2010, as part of an interim rule under FAR case 2008-039. The public comments received on only the information collection are addressed in this notice under, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. Comments on the rest of the interim rule will be addressed with the issuance of the final rule. Public comments are particularly invited on: whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways in which we can minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through the use of appropriate technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

In this document, the Commission proposes and/or seeks comments on service, technical, assignment, and licensing rules for flexible terrestrial use of spectrum currently assigned to the Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) in the 2 GHz band. These proposed rules are designed to increase the Nation's supply of spectrum for mobile broadband, provide for flexible use of this spectrum, encourage innovation and investment in mobile broadband, and provide a stable regulatory environment in which broadband deployment could develop. This proposal would carry out a recommendation in the National Broadband Plan that the Commission enable the provision of stand-alone terrestrial services in this spectrum. With this proceeding we intend to fulfill the Commission's previously stated plan to create a solid and lasting foundation for the provision of terrestrial services in the 2 GHz band. The Commission also seeks comment on an alternative band plan involving additional spectrum at 1695-1710 MHz that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has proposed to reallocate from Federal to commercial use.

This final rule amends the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's administrative review regulation to make it applicable to assessments of penalties for failure to timely provide certain notices or other material information. Under the rule, such assessments will be subject to reconsideration in accordance with the provisions of the regulation.

Notice is hereby given of the following hearing of the U.S.- China Economic and Security Review Commission. Name: Dennis Shea, Chairman of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The Commission is mandated by Congress to investigate, assess, and report to Congress annually on ``the national security implications of the economic relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China''. Pursuant to this mandate, the Commission will hold a public hearing in Washington, DC, on April 19, 2012, to address the ``China-Europe Relationship and Transatlantic Implications''. Background: This is the fourth public hearing the Commission will hold during its 2012 report cycle to collect input from academic, industry, and government experts on national security implications of the U.S. bilateral trade and economic relationship with China. The April 19 hearing will examine the economic, security, and foreign policy aspects of the China-Europe relationship, and their implications for the United States. The hearing will be co-chaired by Commissioners Carolyn Bartholomew and Daniel Blumenthal. Any interested party may file a written statement by April 18, 2012, by mailing to the contact below. A portion of each panel will include a question and answer period between the Commissioners and the witnesses. Date and Time: Thursday April 19, 2012, 8 a.m.-4:15 p.m. Eastern Time. A detailed agenda for the hearing will be posted to the Commission's Web site at www.uscc.gov as soon as available. Please check the Web site for possible changes to the hearing schedule. Reservations are not required to attend the hearing.

Pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), as amended, notice is hereby given that five meetings of the Arts Advisory Panel to the National Council on the Arts will be held at the Nancy Hanks Center, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20506 as follows (ending time is approximate): Arts Education (application review): This meeting will be held by teleconference from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. EDT, and will be closed.