Agencies and Commissions April 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Copyright Royalty Judges solicit comments on a motion of Allocation Phase claimants for partial distribution of 2015 satellite royalty funds.

This workshop will focus on spectrum sharing radio receiver systems and will provide a forum for information exchange and the identification of relevant research and development opportunities.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is forwarding an Information Collection Request (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: RUIA Investigations and Continuing Entitlement; OMB 3220-0025. Under Section 1(k) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA), unemployment and sickness benefits are not payable for any day remuneration is payable or accrues to the claimant. Also Section 4(a-1) of the RUIA provides that unemployment or sickness benefits are not payable for any day the claimant receives the same benefits under any law other than the RUIA. Under Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) regulation 20 CFR 322.4(a), a claimant's certification or statement on an RRB-provided claim form, that he or she did not work on any day claimed and did not receive income such as vacation pay or pay for time lost, shall constitute sufficient evidence unless there is conflicting evidence. Further, under 20 CFR 322.4(b), when there is a question raised as to whether or not remuneration is payable or has accrued to a claimant with respect to a claimed day(s), an investigation shall be made with a view to obtaining information sufficient for a finding. The RRB utilizes the following three forms to obtain information from railroad employers, nonrailroad employers, and claimants, that is needed to determine whether a claimed day(s) of unemployment or sickness were improperly or fraudulently claimed: Form ID-5i, Request for Employment Information; Form ID-5R (SUP), Report of Employees Paid RUIA Benefits for Every Day in Month Reported as Month of Creditable Service; and Form UI-48, Statement Regarding Benefits Claimed for Days Worked. Completion is voluntary. One response is requested of each respondent. To qualify for unemployment or sickness benefits payable under Section 2 of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA), a railroad employee must have certain qualifying earnings in the applicable base year. In addition, to qualify for extended or accelerated benefits under Section 2 of the RUIA, a railroad employee who has exhausted his or her rights to normal benefits must have at least 10 years of railroad service (under certain conditions, military service may be credited as months of railroad service). Accelerated benefits are unemployment or sickness benefits that are payable to a railroad employee before the regular July 1 beginning date of a benefit year if an employee has 10 or more years of service and is not qualified for benefits in the current benefit year. During the RUIA claims review process, the RRB may determine that unemployment or sickness benefits cannot be awarded because RRB records show insufficient qualifying service and/or compensation. When this occurs, the RRB allows the claimant the opportunity to provide additional information if they believe that the RRB service and compensation records are incorrect. Depending on the circumstances, the RRB provides the following forms to obtain information needed to determine if a claimant has sufficient service or compensation to qualify for unemployment or sickness benefits. Form UI-9, Statement of Employment and Wages; Form UI-44, Claim for Credit for Military Service; Form ID-4U, Advising of Service/Earnings Requirements for Unemployment Benefits; and Form ID- 4X, Advising of Service/Earnings Requirements for Sickness Benefits. Completion of these forms is required to obtain or retain a benefit. One response is required of each respondent. Previous Requests for Comments: The RRB has already published the initial 60-day notice (82 FR 9249 on February 3, 2017) required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That request elicited no comments.

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.

In this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) seeks comment on the federal need for the international services reporting requirements set forth in the Commission's rules. Those reporting requirements are the annual Traffic and Revenue Reports and the Circuit Capacity Reports. The Commission believes these reports are no longer necessary in their current form. The Commission proposes to eliminate the annual Traffic and Revenue Reports altogether, and seeks comment on whether there are ways to further streamline the Circuit Capacity Reports.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment drafts of NUREG-1122, Revision 3, ``Knowledge and Abilities Catalog for Nuclear Power Plant Operators: Pressurized Water Reactors;'' and NUREG-1123, Revision 3, ``Knowledge and Abilities Catalog for Nuclear Power Plant Operators: Boiling Water Reactors.''

This action adds products and service to the Procurement List that will be furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities.

It is the policy of the Commission to publish settlements which it provisionally accepts under the Consumer Product Safety Act in the Federal Register in accordance with the terms of the Consumer Product Safety Commission's regulations. Published below is a provisionally-accepted Settlement Agreement with The Middleby Corporation and Viking Range LLC, containing a civil penalty in the amount of four million, six hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($4,650,000), within thirty (30) days of service of the Commission's final Order accepting the Settlement Agreement.

The TVA Regional Energy Resource Council (RERC) will hold a meeting on Tuesday, May 2 and Wednesday, May 3, 2017, regarding regional energy related issues in the Tennessee Valley. The RERC was established to advise TVA on its energy resource activities and the priorities among competing objectives and values. Notice of this meeting is given under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App.2. The meeting agenda includes the following: