Department of Homeland Security October 28, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Comments are requested on the proposed Base (1% annual-chance) Flood Elevations (BFEs) and proposed BFE modifications for the communities listed in the table below. The purpose of this proposed rule is to seek general information and comment regarding the proposed regulatory flood elevations for the reach described by the downstream and upstream locations in the table below. The BFEs and modified BFEs are a part of the floodplain management measures that the community is required either to adopt or to show evidence of having in effect in order to qualify or remain qualified for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). In addition, these elevations, once finalized, will be used by insurance agents and others to calculate appropriate flood insurance premium rates for new buildings and the contents in those buildings.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 and as part of the Department of Homeland Security's biennial review of system of record notices, the Department of Homeland Security proposes to update and reissue a current Department of Homeland Security system of records titled, ``Department of Homeland Security/United States Secret Service003 Non-Criminal Investigation Information System.'' As a result of biennial review of this system, records have been updated within the categories of individuals covered in this system and categories of records in this system in order to further define and narrow categories. One routine use was revised to further define the purposes of disclosure, and retention and disposal procedures were updated to reflect current retention practices. The notification procedures were updated to clarify the reason for exemption and the method for access. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security previously published a Final Rule in the Federal Register to exempt this system of records from certain provisions of the Privacy Act. The current updates to this system of records do not impact the nature of the exemptions claimed; the exemptions continue to apply to this updated system. This updated system will be included in the Department of Homeland Security's inventory of record systems.

This document proposes to amend provisions in Customs and Border Protection (CPB) regulations to increase the informal entry limit from $2,000 to $2,500. Section 662 of the Customs Modernization provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act raised the statutory limit by which the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to prescribe rules and regulations for the declaration and entry of, among other things, imported merchandise when the aggregate value of the shipment does not exceed an amount specified, but not greater than $2,500. The current limit of $2000 was established in 1998 and while that dollar amount has been unchanged, inflation over the intervening years has reduced the value of that amount in real terms. Consequently, CBP proposes to raise the current informal entry amount to its maximum statutory limit in response to inflation that has occurred and thereby to reduce the administrative burden on importers and other entry filers. Moreover, CBP proposes to remove the language requiring formal entry for certain articles, because with the elimination of absolute quotas under the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, CBP no longer needs to require formal entries for these articles. This document also makes non-substantive editorial and nomenclature changes.