Department of Justice December 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice establishes, on an interim basis, the Assessment of Annual Needs for the List I chemicals ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine. DEA seeks comment regarding the Assessment of Annual Needs for those List I chemicals. The Assessment of Annual Needs for these chemicals will be proposed to be revised, pursuant to DEA regulations, during calendar year 2009. After consideration of the comments received, DEA will finalize the assessment for those chemicals, prior to proposing the revision of the assessment for those chemicals during calendar year 2009.

To comply with the requirement of the Controlled Substances Act that fees be set at a level to ensure the recovery of the full costs of operating the various aspects of the Diversion Control Program, this Final Rule establishes an annual self-certification fee for certain ``regulated sellers,'' that is, persons and entities selling scheduled listed chemical products at retail locations who are required to self-certify with DEA relative to compliance with certain requirements of the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 (CMEA). This Final Rule establishes the annual self-certification fee for regulated sellers who are not DEA pharmacy registrants.

This final rule adopts, in part, the proposed changes to the rules and procedures concerning the standards of representation and professional conduct for practitioners who appear before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which includes the immigration judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals (Board). It also clarifies who is authorized to represent and appear on behalf of individuals in proceedings before the Board and the immigration judges. Current regulations set forth who may represent individuals in proceedings before EOIR and also set forth the rules and procedures for imposing disciplinary sanctions against practitioners who engage in criminal, unethical, or unprofessional conduct, or in frivolous behavior before EOIR. The final rule increases the number of grounds for discipline, improves the clarity and uniformity of the existing rules, and incorporates miscellaneous technical and procedural changes. The changes herein are based upon the Attorney General's initiative for improving the adjudicatory processes for the immigration judges and the Board, as well as EOIR's operational experience in administering the disciplinary program since the current process was established in 2000.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) of the U.S. Department of Justice published the proposed rule for the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) Program on July 10, 2008, 73 FR 39632. During the comment period, OJP received comments on its proposed rule from numerous parties. After further review of the proposed rule and careful consideration and analysis of all comments, OJP has made amendments that are incorporated into this final rule, which is intended (insofar as consistent with law) to be effective and applicable to all claims from and after the effective date hereof, whether pending (in any stage) as of that date or subsequently filed.