Executive Office of the President 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Management and Budget is publishing the attached memorandum to the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies announcing that the ``benchmark compensation amount'' for certain executives and contractor employees in terms of costs allowable under Federal Government covered contracts during the contractor's fiscal years 2013 and 2014 is $980,796 and $1,144,888, respectively. These statutory formula cap determinations are required under Section 39 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act, as amended (41 U.S.C. 1127). These benchmark compensation amounts apply to both defense and civilian agencies for their respective applicable periods, but only for contracts awarded before June 24, 2014.

By virtue of the authority vested in the President by section 2(a) of Public Law 87-603 (76 Stat. 593; 42 U.S.C. 2652), and delegated to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by the President through Executive Order No. 11541 of July 1, 1970, the rates referenced below are hereby established. These rates are for use in connection with the recovery from tortiously liable third persons for the cost of outpatient medical, dental and cosmetic surgery services furnished by military treatment facilities through the Department of Defense. They are the same rates as the outpatient medical, dental and cosmetic surgery services reimbursement rates that were set on July 1, 2015 for billing medical insurers, but require a different approval authority for the purpose of billing for tort liability. The rates were established in accordance with the requirements of OMB Circular A-25, requiring reimbursement of the full cost of all services provided. The CY 2015 outpatient medical, dental and cosmetic surgery rates referenced are effective upon publication of this notice in the Federal Register and will remain in effect until further notice. Previously published inpatient rates remain in effect until further notice. Pharmacy rates are updated periodically. A full disclosure of the rates is posted at Health.mil Web site in the Defense Health Agency Uniform Business Office section (https://health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/ Business-Support/Uniform-Business-Office).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is seeking public comment on a draft memorandum titled, ``Data Center Optimization Initiative''.

The Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy designated 14 additional counties as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) pursuant to 21 U.S.C. 1706. The new counties are (1) Blount County, Tennessee and Carroll and Grayson Counties (including the Independent City of Galax) in Virginia as part of the Appalachia HIDTA; (2) Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties in Florida as part of the Gulf Coast HIDTA; (3) Muskegon County, Michigan as part of the Michigan HIDTA; (4) Bristol County, Massachusetts as part of the New England HIDTA; (5) Broome and Ulster Counties in New York as part of the New York/New Jersey HIDTA; (6) Linn County, Oregon as part of the Oregon- Idaho HIDTA; (7) McIntosh and Pittsburg Counties in Oklahoma as part of the Texoma HIDTA; (8) Carroll County, Maryland and Jefferson County, West Virginia as part of the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has revised Circular A-119, ``Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities,'' in light of changes that have taken place in the world of regulation, standards, and conformity assessment since the Circular was last revised in 1998. The revised Circular is available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/ inforeg_infopoltech.

This report is being published as required by the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Act of 2010, 2 U.S.C. 931 et seq. The Act requires that OMB issue (1) an annual report as specified in 2 U.S.C. 934(a) and (2) a sequestration order, if necessary.