Agencies and Commissions May 23, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is soliciting comments on proposed amendments to the SBIR/STTR Phase I to Phase II transition rate benchmark Table, which was originally published in the Federal Register on October 16, 2012. The Table will be amended to change the transition benchmark rate for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from the current rate of 0.45 to 0.25, and to change the length of the time period used to calculate the transition rate for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Education (ED) from the current length of 10 years to 5 years.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the Federal Communications Commission invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s). Comments are requested concerning: 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; the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimate; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; 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; and ways to further reduce the information burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees. The FCC may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 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 OMB control number.

The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning the addition of Express Mail Contract 15 to the competitive product list. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the OCC, the Board, and the FDIC (the ``agencies'') may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. On February 21, 2013, the agencies, under the auspices of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), requested public comment for 60 days on a proposal to extend, with revision, the Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Report), which are currently approved collections of information. After considering the comments received on the proposal, the FFIEC and the agencies would proceed with the following proposed revisions effective June 30, 2013: (1) A scope revision to an item in the equity capital reconciliation; and (2) reporting changes for large and highly complex institutions for deposit insurance assessment purposes. Certain modifications have been made to the assessment reporting changes in response to comments received. The FFIEC and the agencies are continuing to evaluate the other Call Report changes proposed in February 2013 in light of the comments received and would not implement these changes as of June 30, 2013 (and, in one case, as of December 31, 2013), as had been proposed. The FFIEC's and the agencies' decisions regarding these additional proposed data items would be the subject of a separate Federal Register notice.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC'' or ``Commission'') is publishing for public comment proposed rules and interpretive guidance to address the application of the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (``Exchange Act''), that were added by Subtitle B of Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (``Dodd-Frank Act''), to cross-border security-based swap activities. Our proposed rules and interpretive guidance address the application of Subtitle B of Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act with respect to each of the major registration categories covered by Title VII relating to market intermediaries, participants, and infrastructures for security-based swaps, and certain transaction-related requirements under Title VII in connection with reporting and dissemination, clearing, and trade execution for security-based swaps. In this connection, we are re- proposing Regulation SBSR and certain rules and forms relating to the registration of security-based swap dealers and major security-based swap participants. The proposal also contains a proposed rule providing an exception from the aggregation requirement, in the context of the security-based swap dealer definition, for affiliated groups with a registered security-based swap dealer. Moreover, the proposal addresses the sharing of information and preservation of confidentiality with respect to data collected and maintained by SDRs. In addition, the Commission is proposing rules and interpretive guidance addressing the policy and procedural framework under which the Commission would consider permitting compliance with comparable regulatory requirements in a foreign jurisdiction to substitute for compliance with requirements of the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, relating to security-based swaps (i.e., ``substituted compliance''). Finally, the Commission is setting forth our view of the scope of our authority, with respect to enforcement proceedings, under Section 929P of the Dodd-Frank Act.