Agencies and Commissions December 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Copyright Office is undertaking an effort to provide additional guidance regarding the determination of a work's publication status for registration purposes. To aid this effort, the Office is seeking public input on this topic, including feedback regarding issues that require clarification generally, as well specific suggestions about how the Office may consider amending its regulations and, as appropriate, effectively advise Congress regarding possible changes to the Copyright Act. Based on this feedback, the Office may solicit further written comments and/or schedule public meetings before moving to a rulemaking process.

We are proposing to amend certain procedural requirements and the provision relating to resubmitted proposals under the shareholder- proposal rule. The proposed amendments to the procedural requirements would replace the current ownership requirements with a tiered approach that would provide three options for demonstrating an ownership stake through a combination of amount of securities owned and length of time held; require certain documentation to be provided when a proposal is submitted on behalf of a shareholder-proponent; require shareholder- proponents to state when they would be able to meet with the company in person or via teleconference to engage with the company with respect to the proposal; and provide that a person may submit no more than one proposal, directly or indirectly, for the same shareholders' meeting. The proposed amendments to the resubmission thresholds would raise the current resubmission thresholds of 3, 6, and 10 percent to 5, 15, and 25 percent, respectively; and add a new provision that would allow companies to exclude proposals under certain circumstances where shareholder support for the matter has declined.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following new information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Comments are requested concerning (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the sustaining USAID-funded programming beyond USAID funding; (2) the accuracy of USAID's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or 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 OMB 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 OMB control number.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) adopts an Order that closes Lockbox 979095 and modifies the relevant rule provisions of filing and making fee payments in lieu of closing the lockbox.

NCTAThe Internet & Television Association (NCTA) has filed with the Commission a Petition for Clarification of the Media Bureau's Order Denying Motion for Stay of the Commission's Third Report and Order in the proceeding referenced above. In this document, the Media Bureau gives public notice of that Petition and seeks comment on it.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish a notice of permit applications received to conduct activities regulated under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. NSF has published regulations under the Antarctic Conservation Act in the Code of Federal Regulations. This is the required notice of permit applications received.

The consent agreement in this matter settles alleged violations of federal law prohibiting unfair methods of competition. The attached Analysis of Agreement Containing Consent Orders to Aid Public Comment describes both the allegations in the complaint and the terms of the consent ordersembodied in the consent agreementthat would settle these allegations.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on Thursday, November 14, 2019, regarding Prohibitions and Restrictions on Proprietary Trading and Certain Interests in, and Relationships With, Hedge Funds and Private Equity Funds. These corrections are necessary to standardize the language in the FDIC regulations with the other agencies' regulations.

The Commission is noticing a recently filed Postal Service motion to effectuate the transfer of Inbound Letter Post Small Packets and Bulky Letters to the Competitive product list on January 1, 2020. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

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.

Pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is publishing this regular biweekly notice. The Act requires the Commission to publish notice of any amendments issued, or proposed to be issued, and grants the Commission the authority to issue and make immediately effective any amendment to an operating license or combined license, as applicable, upon a determination by the Commission that such amendment involves no significant hazards consideration, notwithstanding the pendency before the Commission of a request for a hearing from any person. This biweekly notice includes all notices of amendments issued, or proposed to be issued, from November 5, 2019 to November 18, 2019. The last biweekly notice was published on November 19, 2019.

The Postal Service is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM[supreg]), to incorporate minor changes.

The Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) is providing notice of termination of temporary waiver relief of appraiser credentialing requirements for appraisals of federally related transactions (FRTs) under $500,000 for 1-to-4 family residential real estate transactions throughout the State of North Dakota which was granted by Order for a period of one year pursuant to section 1119(b) of Title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, as amended (Title XI) and the rules promulgated thereunder. The Order provided that the temporary waiver for residential real estate transactions would terminate 60 days after the effective date of a final rule issued by the federal banking agencies increasing the appraisal exemption threshold limit for residential real estate transactions. The federal banking agencies issued a final rule that increased the appraisal exemption threshold for residential real estate transactions with an effective date of October 9, 2019. The Order specified that the temporary waiver for residential real estate transactions will terminate 60 days after the effective date of that rule, which will occur on December 8, 2019.

The Chairman of the FDIC is establishing the FDIC Advisory Committee of State Regulators (the ACSR). The ASCR will provide advice and recommendations to the FDIC on a broad range of policy issues regarding the regulation of state-chartered financial institutions throughout the United States, including its territories. The ACSR will provide a forum where state regulators and the FDIC can discuss a variety of current and emerging issues that have potential implications regarding the regulation and supervision of state-chartered financial institutions. The ACSR is intended to facilitate regular discussion of: Safety and soundness and consumer protection issues; the creation of new banks; the protection of our nation's financial system from risks such as cyber-attacks or money laundering; and other timely issues. The ACSR will serve solely in an advisory capacity and will have no final decision-making authority, nor will it have access to or discuss any non-public, confidential or institution-specific information. The Chairman certifies that the establishment of the ACSR is in the public interest in connection with the performance of duties imposed on the FDIC by law. ACSR members will not receive any compensation for their services other than reimbursement for reasonable travel expenses incurred to attend ACSR meetings.

The Securities and Exchange Commission Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee, established pursuant to Section 40 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as added by the SEC Small Business Advocate Act of 2016, is providing notice that it will hold a public telephone meeting. The public is invited to submit written statements to the Committee.