Agencies and Commissions May 21, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Communications Commission published in the Federal Register of May 24, 2012, a document reconsidering and clarifying certain aspects of the USF/ICC Transformation Order in response to various petitions for reconsideration and/or clarification. In that document, a filing deadline was inadvertently omitted.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on a generic clearance to conduct national awareness surveys regarding the CPSC and CPSC activities.

Summary of Application: Applicants request an order that permits: (a) actively-managed series of certain open-end management investment companies to issue shares (``Shares'') redeemable in large aggregations only (``Creation Units''); (b) secondary market transactions in Shares to occur at negotiated market prices; (c) certain series to pay redemption proceeds, under certain circumstances, more than seven days from the tender of Shares for redemption; (d) certain affiliated persons of the series to deposit securities into, and receive securities from, the series in connection with the purchase and redemption of Creation Units; and (e) certain registered management investment companies and unit investment trusts outside of the same group of investment companies as the series to acquire Shares.

As required by the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the RRB is issuing a public notice in the Federal Register of its intent to renew an ongoing computer matching program. In this match, we provide certain Medicare and benefit rate information to state agencies allowing them to review and if necessary, adjust amounts of benefits in their public assistance programs as well as to coordinate Medicare/Medicaid payments for public assistance recipients. The purpose of this notice is to advise individuals receiving benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act that the RRB plans to share this computer matching data with state agencies.

The Commission is noticing a recently-filed Postal Service notice announcing a proposal to include, for no additional charge, insurance up to $100 on most Priority Mail pieces. This notice addresses procedural steps associated with this filing.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has determined not to review an initial determination (``ID'') (Order No. 20) of the presiding administrative law judge (``ALJ'') denying respondent's motion for sanctions and granting complainants' motion to terminate the above-referenced investigation in its entirety. The investigation is terminated in its entirety.

This final rule is another step in our continual efforts to handle workloads more effectively and efficiently. We are publishing final rules for portions of the rules we proposed in October 2007 that relate to persons, other than the claimant or any other party to the hearing, appearing by telephone. We are also clarifying that the administrative law judge (ALJ) will allow the claimant or any other party to a hearing to appear by telephone under certain circumstances when the claimant or other party requests to make his or her appearance in that manner. We expect that these final rules will make the hearings process more efficient and help us continue to reduce the hearings backlog. In addition, we made some minor editorial changes to our regulations that do not have any effect on the rights of claimants or any other parties.