Federal Transit Administration April 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This final rule makes minor technical corrections to the OST, FAA, FTA, and PHMSA regulations governing drug testing for safety- sensitive employees to ensure consistency with the recent amendments made to the Department of Transportation's regulation, ``Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs,'' which added requirements to test for oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone to DOT-regulated drug testing programs. The changes to the Department's regulation make it necessary to refer to these substances, as well as the previously covered drugs morphine, 6- acetylmorphine, and codeine, by the more inclusive term ``opioids,'' rather than ``opiates.'' This rule amends the term in the FAA, FTA, and PHMSA regulations to ensure that all DOT drug testing rules are consistent with one another and with the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs. In addition, this rule makes a conforming amendment to include the term ``opioids'' in the wording of the Department's annual information collection requirement and clarifications to section 40.26 and Appendix H regarding the requirement for employers to follow the Department's instructions for the annual information collection.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has placed in the docket and on its website proposed changes to an existing Circular (7050.1A) on joint development projects using FTA funds or FTA-funded property. The purpose of these proposed changes is to increase flexibility for project sponsors to pursue joint development projects, reduce FTA oversight of joint development agreements negotiated between project sponsors and their partners, streamline FTA's project eligibility review process, and clarify prior guidance in FTA Circular 7050.1A: FTA Guidance on Joint Development. If proposed changes are approved, the revised document will be renumbered as Circular 7050.1B: FTA Guidance on Joint Development. By this notice, FTA seeks public comment on proposed changes, which are at pages III-6, VI-1, VI-2, VI- 4, VI-5, and VI-6 of the Circular.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the extension of a currently approved information collection: Transit Research, Development, Demonstration and Training Projects.