Agencies and Commissions March 17, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Communications Commission extends the deadline for filing reply comments on the Commission's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), in this proceeding, which was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, January 15, 2014. Interested parties now will have until May 16, 2014, to file reply comments, as opposed to the March 17, 2014, deadline set forth in the NPRM.

Pursuant to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), notice is hereby given that nineteen meetings of the Humanities Panel will be held during April 2014 as follows. The purpose of the meetings is for panel review, discussion, evaluation, and recommendation of applications for financial assistance under the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 951-960, as amended).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received a request for an alternate decommissioning schedule from the Department of the Navy (Navy) for its Naval Postgraduate School (PGS) site, located in Monterey, California, permitted under the Navy's Master Materials License (MML) No. 45-23645-01NA. Approval of the request would extend the time period for the Navy to submit a decommissioning plan and initiate decommissioning activities at the PGS site.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received a request for an alternate decommissioning schedule from the Department of the Navy (Navy) for its Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division China Lake (China Lake) site, located in China Lake, California, permitted under the Navy's Master Materials License (MML) No. 45-23645-01NA. Approval of the request would extend the time period for the Navy to submit a decommissioning plan and initiate decommissioning activities at China Lake.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection. 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 collection burden on 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 control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the PRA that does not display a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

The National Mediation Board (NMB) invites comments on its proposal to revise a previously-approved information collection request as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. In December of 2012, in response to amendments to the Railway Labor Act, the NMB published a Final Rule changing the showing of interest requirements for organizations seeking a representation election. As a result, the NMB is revising the Application for Investigation of Representation Dispute to reflect that all applicants must submit the same showing of interest. In addition, the NMB is revising the application by requiring applicants to attest that all of the information submitted is true to the best of the signer's knowledge. The revised application will also only provide space for one craft or class per application, thereby requiring a separate application for each craft or class.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) publishes notice at least once monthly of certain Federal agency requests for records disposition authority (records schedules). Once approved by NARA, records schedules provide mandatory instructions on what happens to records when no longer needed for current Government business. They authorize the preservation of records of continuing value in the National Archives of the United States and the destruction, after a specified period, of records lacking administrative, legal, research, or other value. Notice is published for records schedules in which agencies propose to destroy records not previously authorized for disposal or reduce the retention period of records already authorized for disposal. NARA invites public comments on such records schedules, as required by 44 U.S.C. 3303a(a).

This proposed rule would amend certain existing regulations for the Microloan Program. The Microloan Program assists women, low income, veteran, and minority entrepreneurs, and others capable of operating a small business that are in need of small amounts of financial assistance. Specifically, this proposed rule would allow any Microloan Program Intermediary to make microloans (loans of $50,000 or less) to businesses with an Associate who is on probation or parole, except in limited circumstances; it would increase the minimum number of loans that microloan Intermediaries must make annually; and it would remove the requirement that the Microloan Revolving Fund (MRF) and the Loan Loss Reserve Fund (LLRF) be held in interest-bearing Deposit Accounts. In addition, the proposed rule includes technical amendments that would conform the regulations to current statutory authority.