Department of Health and Human Services May 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending its bottled water regulations to require that bottled water manufacturers test source water for total coliform, as is required for finished bottled water products, and to require, if any coliform organisms are detected in source water, that bottled water manufacturers determine whether any of the coliform organisms are Escherichia coli (E. coli), an indicator of fecal contamination. FDA also is amending its bottled water regulations to require, if any coliform organisms are detected in finished bottled water products, that bottled water manufacturers determine whether any of the coliform organisms are E. coli. FDA also is amending the adulteration provision of the bottled water standard to reflect the possibility of adulteration caused by the presence of filth. Bottled water containing E. coli will be considered adulterated, and source water containing E. coli will not be considered to be of a safe, sanitary quality and will be prohibited from use in the production of bottled water. FDA is also amending its bottled water regulations to require that, before a bottler can use source water from a source that has tested positive for E. coli, the bottler must take appropriate measures to rectify or eliminate the cause of E. coli contamination of that source, and that the bottler must keep records of such actions. Existing regulatory provisions require bottled water manufacturers to keep records of new testing required by this rule. This final rule will ensure that FDA's standards for the minimum quality of bottled water, as affected by fecal contamination, will be no less protective of the public health than those set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for public drinking water.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), additional funds are available to expand the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) through its programs to provide access to, and improve quality of, primary health care for millions of underserved Americans. The HRSA is therefore announcing an approximate 16-month funding cycle for new NHSC Loan Repayment applications and awards. During this 16-month cycle, the NHSC Loan Repayment Program will accept applications for loan repayment awards until all funds are expended. The policies described in this notice will be effective for all NHSC loan repayment awards made using ARRA funding from June 2009, to September 30, 2010, and all NHSC loan repayment awards made using fiscal year (FY) 2010 funding (if funding is appropriated) from October 1, 2009, to September 30, 2010. Provisions regarding assignment of NHSC Scholarship Program participants for the upcoming program year will be announced through a subsequent Notice.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that a proposed collection of information has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.