Agencies and Commissions February 24, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action adds a service to the Procurement List that will be provided by nonprofit agency employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is publishing this notice to comply with requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), which requires agencies to submit proposed reporting and recordkeeping requirements to OMB for review and approval, and to publish a notice in the Federal Register notifying the public that the agency has made such a submission. This notice also allows an additional 30 days for public comments.

The Committee is proposing to delete products from the Procurement List that was previously furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-2004, ``Emergency Planning for Research and Test Reactors and Other Non-Power Production and Utilization Facilities.'' This DG is proposed Revision 2 of Regulatory Guide (RG) 2.6, ``Emergency Planning for Research and Test Reactors.'' The NRC proposes to revise the RG by updating it to approve the use of the most current version of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/American Nuclear Society (ANS) standard ANSI/ANS- 15.16-2015, ``Emergency Planning for Research Reactors.'' The proposed revision provides licensees and applicants with a method that the NRC staff considers acceptable for use in complying with the regulations on the content of emergency plans for research and test reactors and other non-power production and utilization facilities.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is forwarding 4 Information Collection Requests (ICR) to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Our ICR describes the information we seek to collect from the public. Review and approval by OIRA ensures that we impose appropriate paperwork burdens. The RRB invites comments on the proposed collections of information to determine (1) the practical utility of the collections; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden of the collections; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information that is the subject of collection; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of collections on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments to the RRB or OIRA must contain the OMB control number of the ICR. For proper consideration of your comments, it is best if the RRB and OIRA receive them within 30 days of the publication date. 1. Title and purpose of information collection: Placement Service; OMB 3220-0057. Section 12(i) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA), authorizes the RRB to establish, maintain, and operate free employment offices to provide claimants for unemployment benefits with job placement opportunities. Section 704(d) of the Regional Railroad Reorganization Act of 1973, as amended, and as extended by the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, required the RRB to maintain and distribute a list of railroad job vacancies, by class and craft, based on information furnished by rail carriers to the RRB. Although the requirement under the law expired effective August 13, 1987, the RRB has continued to obtain this information in keeping with its employment service responsibilities under Section 12(k) of the RUIA. Application procedures for the job placement program are prescribed in 20 CFR 325. The procedures pertaining to the RRB's obtaining and distributing job vacancy reports furnished by rail carriers are described in 20 CFR 346.1. The RRB currently utilizes four forms to obtain information needed to carry out its job placement responsibilities. Form ES-2, Central Register Notification, is used by the RRB to obtain information needed to update a computerized central register of separated and furloughed railroad employees available for employment in the railroad industry. Forms ES-21, Referral to State Employment Service, and ES-21c, Report of State Employment Service Office, are used by the RRB to provide placement assistance for unemployed railroad employees through arrangements with State Employment Service offices. Form UI-35, Field Office Record of Claimant Interview, is used primarily by the RRB to conduct in-person interviews of claimants for unemployment benefits. Completion of these forms is required to obtain or maintain a benefit. In addition, the RRB also collects Railroad Job Vacancies information received voluntarily from railroad employers. Previous Requests for Comments: The RRB has already published the initial 60-day notice (81 FR 89521 on December 12, 2016) required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That request elicited no comments.

The Board of Governors (Board) is publishing a final rule that applies an inflation adjustment to the $10 billion total consolidated asset threshold in Regulation I, which implements the provision of the ``Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act'' (FAST Act) that sets the dividend rate that member banks with more than $10 billion in total consolidated assets earn on their Federal Reserve Bank (Reserve Bank) stock. The FAST Act requires that the Board annually adjust the $10 billion total consolidated asset threshold to reflect the change in the Gross Domestic Product Price Index, published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Based on the change in the Gross Domestic Product Price Index as of September 29, 2016, the total consolidated asset threshold will be $10,122,000,000 through December 31, 2017.

The National Labor Relations Board amends its procedural Rules and Regulations to: Reflect modern technology, such as E-Filing, and eliminate references to telegraphs, carbon copies, and the requirements for hard copy submissions and multiple copies; use more plain language and eliminate legalistic terms such as ``therefrom,'' ``thereupon,'' ``therein,'' ``herein,'' and ``said;'' reorganize the Rules and add headings so that the subject matter is easier to find; incorporate current practices that had not been included in the published Rules, such as the Board's Alternative Dispute Resolution Program; and update and streamline procedural provisions of the FOIA regulations. The amendments also clarify the means by which documents are filed and service is made by the parties and the Board. They also promote the parties' use of E-Filing, which will facilitate sharing documents with the public. These revisions are procedural rather than substantive.