Agencies and Commissions March 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its regulations to incorporate by reference the latest revisions of three regulatory guides approving new, revised, and reaffirmed Code Cases published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. This action allows licensees and applicants to use the Code Cases listed in these regulatory guides as voluntary alternatives to engineering standards for the construction, inservice inspection, and inservice testing of nuclear power plant components. These engineering standards are set forth in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Boiler and Pressure Vessel Codes and American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Operation and Maintenance Codes, which are currently incorporated by reference into the NRC's regulations. Further, this final rule announces the availability of a related regulatory guide, not incorporated by reference into the NRC's regulations, that lists Code Cases that the NRC has not approved for use.

The Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled published a document in the Federal Register of February 28, 2020, concerning a new guidance portal. The document contained certain links and citations that have been updated here.

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

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) invites comment on a proposal to extend for three years, without revision, the Compensation and Salary Surveys (FR 29a and FR 29b; OMB No. 7100-0290).

The Commission hereby gives notice of the scheduling of an expedited review pursuant to the Tariff Act of 1930 (``the Act'') to determine whether revocation of the countervailing duty order on chlorinated isocyanurates from China would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.

NASA hereby gives notice of its intent to grant a partially exclusive patent license in the United States to practice the inventions described and claimed in U.S. Patent Number 8,987,632 B2 titled ``Modification of Surface Energy via Direct Laser Ablative Surface Patterning,'' NASA Case Number LAR-17769-1; and U.S. Patent Number 10,259,077 B2 titled ``Modification of Surface Energy via Direct Laser Ablative Surface Patterning,'' NASA Case Number LAR-17769-2, to Genetoo, Inc., having its principal place of business in Gaithersburg, MD. The fields of use may be limited to for performing laser ablation, on the surface of surgical implants, to enhance specific patterns and to avoid bacteria growth, and/or similar field(s) of use thereto. NASA has not yet made a determination to grant the requested license and may deny the requested license even if no objections are submitted within the comment period.

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has made a Recommendation to the Secretary of Energy concerning the Department of Energy's regulatory framework to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety at defense nuclear facilities. Pursuant to the requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is publishing the Recommendation and associated correspondence with the Department of Energy and requesting comments from interested members of the public.

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC, or Commission) requests comments on a proposed extension of approval of a collection of information from manufacturers and importers of mattresses and mattress pads. The collection of information is set forth in the Standard for the Flammability of Mattresses and Mattress Pads, and the Standard for the Flammability (Open Flame) of Mattress Sets. These regulations establish testing and recordkeeping requirements for manufacturers and importers subject to the standards. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) previously approved the collection of information under control number 3041-0014. OMB's most recent extension of approval will expire on June 30, 2020. The CPSC will consider all comments received in response to this notice, before requesting an extension of approval of this collection of information from OMB.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) requests recommendations for membership on its scientific and technical Federal advisory committees. Recommendations should consist of the name of the submitting individual, the organization or the affiliation providing the member nomination, the name of the recommended individual, the recommended individual's curriculum vita, an expression of the individual's interest in serving, and the following recommended individual's contact information: Employment address, telephone number, fax number, and email address. Self-recommendations are accepted. If you would like to make a membership recommendation for any of the NSF scientific and technical Federal advisory committees, please send your recommendation to the appropriate committee contact person listed in the chart below.

The National Endowment for the Arts, on behalf of the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities, will submit the following public information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95): Application for Domestic Indemnification. Copies of this ICR, with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained at www.reginfo.gov.

The Commission hereby gives notice of the scheduling of full reviews pursuant to the Tariff Act of 1930 (``the Act'') to determine whether revocation of the antidumping duty and countervailing duty orders on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod from Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Moldova, and Trinidad and Tobago would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time. The Commission has determined to exercise its authority to extend the review period by up to 90 days.

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. Type of Information Collection: New Collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number). Title and purpose of information collection: Report of Stock Options and Other Payments; OMB 3220-NEW. The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is directed by 45 U.S.C. 231f(c)(2) to establish a financial interchange (FI) between the railroad retirement and social security systems to place the Social Security Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Funds and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund in the same condition they would have been had railroad employment been covered by the Social Security Act and Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). Each year, the RRB estimates the benefits and expenses that would have been paid by these trust funds, as well as the payroll taxes and income taxes that would have been received by them. To make these estimates, the RRB requires information on all earnings data that are not taxable under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA), but would be taxable under FICA. A recent court ruling, Wisconsin Central Ltd. v. U.S., determined that non-qualified stock options (NQSOs) are not taxable under Section 3231 of RRTA but would be taxable under FICA. Additionally, in Union Pacific Railroad Co. v. U.S., the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals determined whether certain ratification payments were taxable under the RRTA. The RRB requires railroad employer to provide information on the value of NQSOs and any ratification payments from the railroad employer separately from a railroad worker's reported RRTA compensation to determine the payroll taxes due to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and CMS and administer transfer of funds between the RRB, SSA and CMS accordingly. The payroll information collected from the BA-15 is essential for the calculation of payroll taxes and benefits used by the FI. Failure to collect NQSOs and ratification payment information will result in understating the payroll taxes that should have been collected and the benefit amounts that would have been payable under the Social Security Act for FI purposes. Accurate compensation file tabulations are also an integral part of the data needed to estimate future tax revenues and corresponding FI amounts. Without information on NQSOs and ratification payments, the amount of funds to be transferred between the RRB, SSA and CMS cannot be determined. The RRB will use Form BA-15, Report of Stock Options and Other Payments, to request employer information and report identifying information as well as each employee's social security number, name, and compensation information, which will be reported annually in a quarterly breakdown. The RRB plans to receive Form BA-15 by secure Email, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), or via CD-ROM.

The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing for the Commission's consideration concerning a negotiated service agreement. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.