Agencies and Commissions 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 2286a(b)(5), the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has made a recommendation to the Secretary of Energy concerning the need to address specific deficiencies with, and strengthen regulatory compliance of, the emergency preparedness and response capability at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Pantex Plant that require timely resolution.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') received a petition requesting that the Commission initiate rulemaking under the Consumer Product Safety Act (``CPSA'') to require that manufacturers of floor coverings, floor coverings with coatings, and treated floor coverings label their products' slip resistance in accordance with the applicable American National Standards Institute (``ANSI'') standard. The Commission invites written comments concerning the petition.

The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning the addition of Priority Mail Contract 155 to the competitive product list. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

The Board is adopting a final rule that makes targeted amendments to its capital plan and stress test rules. For bank holding companies with more than $10 billion but less than $50 billion in total consolidated assets and savings and loan holding companies with total consolidated assets of more than $10 billion, the final rule modifies certain mandatory capital action assumptions in the stress test rules and delays the application of the company-run stress test requirements to savings and loan holding companies until January 1, 2017. For bank holding companies that have total consolidated assets of $50 billion or more and state member banks that are subject to the Board's advanced approaches capital requirements, the final rule delays the use of the supplementary leverage ratio for one year and indefinitely defers the use of the advanced approaches risk-based capital framework in the capital plan and stress test rules. For bank holding companies that have total consolidated assets of $50 billion or more, the final rule removes the tier 1 common capital ratio requirement, and modifies certain mandatory capital action assumptions. To reflect other recent rulemakings, the final rule also makes other amendments to the capital plan and stress test rules. All changes in the final rule apply as of January 1, 2016, which is the beginning of the next capital planning and stress test cycle.

Petitions for Reconsideration and Clarification (Petitions) have been filed in the Commission's rulemaking proceeding by: Rick Kaplan, on behalf of the National Association of Broadcasters (two petitions) and D. Cary Mitchell, on behalf of the Blooston Rural Carriers.

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: Application for Survivor Insurance Annuities; OMB 3220-0030. Under Section 2(d) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), monthly survivor annuities are payable to surviving widow(er)s, parents, unmarried children, and in certain cases, divorced spouses, mothers (fathers), remarried widow(er)s, and grandchildren of deceased railroad employees if there are no qualified survivors of the employee immediately eligible for an annuity. The requirements relating to the annuities are prescribed in 20 CFR 216, 217, 218, and 219. To collect the information needed to help determine an applicant's entitlement to, and the amount of, a survivor annuity the RRB uses Forms AA-17, Application for Widow(er)'s Annuity; AA-17b, Applications for Determination of Widow(er)'s Disability; AA-18, Application for Mother's/Father's and Child's Annuity; AA-19, Application for Child's Annuity; AA-19a, Application for Determination of Child's Disability; AA-20, Application for Parent's Annuity, and electronic Forms AA- 17cert, Application Summary and Certification and AA-17sum, Application Summary. The on-line automated survivor annuity application (Forms AA-17, AA-18, AA-19, and AA-20) process obtains information about an applicant's marital history, work history, benefits from other government agencies, and Medicare entitlement for a survivor annuity. An RRB representative interviews the applicant either at a field office (preferred), an itinerant point, or by telephone. During the interview, the RRB representative enters the information obtained into an on-line information system. Upon completion of the interview, the system generates, for the applicant's review, either Form AA-17cert or AA- 17sum, which provides a summary of the information that the applicant provided or verified. Form AA-17cert, Application Summary and Certification, requires a tradition pen and ink ``wet'' signature. Form AA-17sum, Application Summary, documents the alternate signing method called ``Attestation,'' which is an action taken by the RRB representative to confirm and annotate in the RRB records (1) the applicant's intent to file an application; (2) the applicant's affirmation under penalty of perjury that the information provided is correct; and (3) the applicant's agreement to sign the application by proxy. When the RRB representative is unable to contact the applicant in person or by telephone, for example, the applicant lives in another country, a manual version of the appropriate form is used. One response is requested of each respondent. Completion of the forms is required to obtain a benefit. The RRB proposes to remove the paper version of Forms AA-17, AA-18, AA-19, and AA-20 from the information collection due to receiving less than 10 responses a year. No changes are proposed to electronic Forms AA-17cert, AA-17sum, or manual Forms AA-17b and AA-19a.

The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning the addition of Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, & First-Class Package Service Contract 6 to the competitive product list. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

On September 8, 2015, the federal departments and agencies subject to the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (referred to as the ``Common Rule'') published a notice of proposed rulemaking (``NPR'') amending the Common Rule. Separately, on September 24, 2015, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') proposed to adopt the Common Rule NPR by amending the Commission's regulations. The comment period for the Common Rule NPR is being extended; therefore, CPSC is extending the comment period for its proposed rule, accordingly.

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 agencies with mandatory instructions for what to do with records when agencies no longer need them for current Government business. The instructions authorize agencies to preserve records of continuing value in the National Archives of the United States and to destroy, after a specified period, records lacking administrative, legal, research, or other value. NARA publishes notice in the Federal Register for records schedules in which agencies propose to destroy records not previously authorized for disposal or to 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).

The Postal Service gives notice of filing a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to add a domestic shipping services contract to the list of Negotiated Service Agreements in the Mail Classification Schedule's Competitive Products List.

The Postal Service gives notice of filing a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to add a domestic shipping services contract to the list of Negotiated Service Agreements in the Mail Classification Schedule's Competitive Products List.

The consent agreement in this matter settles alleged violations of federal law prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices. The attached Analysis to Aid Public Comment describes both the allegations in the draft complaint and the terms of the consent orderembodied in the consent agreementthat would settle these allegations.

The Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure will hold a two-day meeting. The meeting will be open to public observation but not participation. An agenda and supporting materials will be posted at least 7 days in advance of the meeting at: https://www.uscourts.gov/ rules-policies/records-and-archives-rules-committees/agenda-b ooks.

The Commission hereby gives notice that it has instituted a review pursuant to the Tariff Act of 1930 (``the Act''), as amended, to determine whether revocation of the antidumping duty order on petroleum wax candles from China would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury. Pursuant to the Act, interested parties are requested to respond to this notice by submitting the information specified below to the Commission;\1\ to be assured of consideration, the deadline for responses is December 31, 2015. Comments on the adequacy of responses may be filed with the Commission by February 12, 2016.

The Board invites public comment on a proposed rule that would implement public disclosure requirements regarding the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) of large, internationally active banking organizations and certain smaller, less complex banking organizations. The proposed rule would apply to all depository institution holding companies and covered nonbank companies that are required to calculate the LCR (covered companies). A covered company would be required to publicly disclose on a quarterly basis quantitative information about its LCR calculation, as well as a discussion of certain features of its LCR results. The proposed rule also would amend the LCR Rule to provide a full year for certain companies to come into compliance.