Economic Development Administration 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Economic Development Administration (``EDA''), U.S. Department of Commerce (``DOC''), is issuing this final rule amending the agency's regulations implementing the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended (``PWEDA''). The changes incorporate current best practices and strengthen EDA's efforts to evaluate, monitor, and improve performance within the agency's Revolving Loan Fund (``RLF'') program by establishing the Risk Analysis System, a risk-based management framework, to evaluate and manage the RLF program. To make RLF awards more efficient for Recipients to administer and EDA to monitor, EDA is also reorganizing the RLF regulations and making changes to improve readability and clarify those requirements that apply to the distinct phases of an RLF award. In addition, EDA is updating other parts of its regulations, including revising definitions, replacing references to superseded regulations to reflect the promulgation of the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (``Uniform Guidance''), streamlining the provisions that outline EDA's application process, and clarifying EDA's property management regulations.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has received petitions for certification of eligibility to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance from the firms listed below. Accordingly, EDA has initiated investigations to determine whether increased imports into the United States of articles like or directly competitive with those produced by each of the firms contributed importantly to the total or partial separation of the firms' workers, or threat thereof, and to a decrease in sales or production of each petitioning firm.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has received petitions for certification of eligibility to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance from the firms listed below. Accordingly, EDA has initiated investigations to determine whether increased imports into the United States of articles like or directly competitive with those produced by each of these firms contributed importantly to the total or partial separation of the firm's workers, or threat thereof, and to a decrease in sales or production of each petitioning firm.

Through this final rule, the Economic Development Administration (``EDA''), U.S. Department of Commerce, eliminates the regulations implementing the Community Trade Adjustment Assistance (``CTAA'') Program. Established in 2009 under the Trade Act of 1974, the CTAA Program was subsequently eliminated by Congress in 2011. Implementing regulations for this now-defunct Program are thus unnecessary. This final rule is a ``deregulatory action'' pursuant to the April 5, 2017, Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') guidance memorandum implementing Executive Order 13771.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has received petitions for certification of eligibility to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance from the firms listed below. Accordingly, EDA has initiated investigations to determine whether increased imports into the United States of articles like or directly competitive with those produced by each of these firms contributed importantly to the total or partial separation of the firm's workers, or threat thereof, and to a decrease in sales or production of each petitioning firm.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has received petitions for certification of eligibility to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance from the firms listed below. Accordingly, EDA has initiated investigations to determine whether increased imports into the United States of articles like or directly competitive with those produced by each of these firms contributed importantly to the total or partial separation of the firm's workers, or threat thereof, and to a decrease in sales or production of each petitioning firm.

Pursuant to section 251 of the Trade Act 1974, as amended, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) has received petitions for certification of eligibility to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance from the firms listed below. Accordingly, EDA has initiated investigations to determine whether increased imports into the United States of articles like or directly competitive with those produced by each of these firms contributed importantly to the total or partial separation of the firm's workers, or threat thereof, and to a decrease in sales or production of each petitioning firm.

The Economic Development Administration, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on a proposed extension of an information collection request currently approved through December 31, 2017, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE) will hold a public meeting on Thursday, February 2, 2017, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) and Friday, February 3, 2017, from 8:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET. During this time, members will further develop their policy proposals and work plan for their two-year term. Topics to be covered include increasing access to capital in underserved markets, inclusive entrepreneurship practices, improving entrepreneurship education in schools and career development programs, and better aligning federal innovation and entrepreneurship programing.

The Economic Development Administration (``EDA'' or ``the Agency''), U.S. Department of Commerce (``DOC''), is issuing a Final Rule implementing the Regional Innovation Program as authorized by section 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, as amended (``Stevenson-Wydler'' or the ``Act''). Through the Regional Innovation Strategies Program (``RIS Program''), the centerpiece of the Regional Innovation Program, EDA currently awards grants for capacity- building programs that provide proof-of-concept and commercialization assistance to innovators and entrepreneurs and for operational support for organizations that provide essential early-stage funding to startup companies. This Final Rule lays out the overarching regulatory framework for the Regional Innovation Program and specifically focuses on outlining the structure of the RIS Program. On September 21, 2016, EDA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (``NPRM'') and received two public comments, one non-germane and one substantive. The Final Rule responds to the substantive comment by making two clarifying edits and one conforming edit to the section regarding eligible RIS Program project activities. EDA also made one technical correction, unrelated to the substantive comment, to the general terms and conditions section relating to the RIS Program.