Management and Budget Office 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

OMB is updating the civilian position full fringe benefit cost factor used to compute the estimated cost of government performance in public-private competitions conducted pursuant to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76. The civilian position full fringe benefit cost factor is comprised of four separate elements: (1) Insurance and health benefits, (2) standard civilian retirement benefits, (3) Medicare benefits, and (4) miscellaneous fringe benefits. OMB is updating the insurance and health benefits and standard civilian retirement benefits cost elements based on actuarial analyses provided by the Office of Personnel Management. OMB is also updating the annual Federal pay raise assumptions and inflation cost factors used for computing the government's personnel and non-pay costs in Circular A-76 public-private competitions. These annual pay raise assumptions and inflation factors are based on the President's Budget for Fiscal Year 2007. The tax rate tables used in connection with Circular A-76 competitions have also been revised. 2

As part of an ongoing effort to improve the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information collected and disseminated by the Federal Government, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is issuing revised Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Surveys. OMB proposed revised standards and requested public comment on July 14, 2005 (70 FR 40746-40747). The proposed standards were based on recommendations from the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology's (FCSM) Subcommittee on Standards for Statistical Surveys whose charge was to update and revise OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 1, Standards for Statistical Surveys, and OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 2, Publication of Statistics. The guidance, which applies to all Federal agencies subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, is intended to ensure that the results of statistical surveys sponsored by the Federal Government are as reliable and useful as possible. OMB received six public comments on the proposed standards and has made some modifications to the proposed standards and guidelines in response to these comments. OMB is now issuing these Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Surveys as final, and they are available in their entirety along with the public comments and OMB's summary of and response to the public comments on the OMB Web site at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/ statpolicy.html.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has recently submitted to OMB for review the following three proposals for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et. seq).

In accordance with the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 3520), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is publishing a ``list of the compliance assistance resources available to small businesses'' and a list of the points of contacts in agencies ``to act as a liaison between the agency and small business concerns'' with respect to the collection of information and the control of paperwork. This information is posted on the following Web site: https:// www.business.gov/sbpra.

The Federal Activities Inventory Reform (FAIR) Act, Public Law 105-270, requires agencies to develop inventories each year of activities performed by their employees that are not inherently governmentali.e., inventories of commercial activities. The FAIR Act further requires OMB to review the inventories in consultation with the agencies and publish a notice of public availability in the Federal Register after the consultation process is completed. In accordance with the FAIR Act, OMB is publishing this notice to announce the availability of inventories from the agencies listed below. These inventories identify both commercial activities and activities that are inherently governmental. Interested parties who disagree with an agency's initial judgment may challenge the inclusion or the omission of an activity on the list of activities that are not inherently governmental within 30 working days and, if not satisfied with this review, may appeal to a higher level within the agency. This is the second release of inventories for FY 2005. A notice of the first release of FY 2005 inventories was published in the Federal Register on March 14, 2006. See 71 FR 13188-13190. As indicated in OMB's March 2006 notice, the FY 2005 inventory prepared by the Department of Labor (DOL) was released in connection with the first notice of public availability. However, following the initial release of its inventory, DOL made a determination to reclassify certain activities. DOL is making the revisions to its inventory available pursuant to this notice. Since these reclassifications were not made in response to a challenge or appeal, they are considered to be an initial judgment of the agency. The Office of Federal Procurement Policy has made available a FAIR Act User's Guide through its Internet site: https://www.whitehouse.gov/ omb/procurement/fair-index.html. This User's Guide will help interested parties review FY 2005 FAIR Act inventories.

The Office of Management and Budget announces one meeting of the Acquisition Advisory Panel (AAP or ``Panel'') established in accordance with the Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003.

The Office of Management and Budget is issuing this notice to cancel the May 31, 2006 public meeting of the Acquisition Advisory Panel (AAP or ``Panel'') established in accordance with the Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003.

Under 44 U.S.C. 3504(e), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is announcing its final decisions for adoption of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) revisions for 2007 as recommended by the Economic Classification Policy Committee (ECPC) in OMB's notice for solicitation of comments published in Part IV of the March 11, 2005, Federal Register (70 FR 12390-12399). In addition, responding to comments received on the ECPC recommendations, OMB is adopting a classification change for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) that was not part of the ECPC's recommendations. After additional consultation with the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, the agencies participating in the ECPC, and other interested agencies, NAICS 525390, Real Estate Investment Trusts, will be deleted from the classification and portions will be reclassified as follows: (1) Equity REITs will be classified in the Real Estate Subsector in NAICS Industry Group 5311, Lessors of Real Estate, under individual national industries based on the content of the portfolio of real estate operated by a particular REIT; and (2) Mortgage REITs will remain classified in the Finance Sector but will be moved from NAICS 525930 to NAICS 525990, Other Financial Vehicles. More details of this decision are presented in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. In addition to this change, the title of NAICS industry 561422, ``Telemarketing Bureaus'', is changed to ``Telemarketing Bureaus and Other Contact Centers'' to more accurately reflect the content of the industry. There is no content change; the title is simply revised to reflect the actual activities undertaken and the various technologies used. In the March 11, 2005, notice, OMB's Economic Classification Policy Committee recommended a revision of the industry classification system to modify the structure and detail for telecommunications industries based on changes that have occurred and are anticipated to occur in the future. The ECPC also recommended the creation of a new national industry for biotechnology research and development to reflect the growing importance of this activity in the economy. Additional changes were recommended to more adequately align the activities of producers in agriculture; manufacturing; and professional, technical, and scientific services.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is hereby publishing the attached memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies concerning the determination of the maximum benchmark compensation amount that will be allowable under government contracts during contractors FY 2006$546,689. This determination is required under Section 39 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Act (41 U.S.C. 435), as amended. The benchmark compensation amount applies equally to both defense and civilian procurement agencies.

This notice announces the availability of the 2006 Circular A- 133 Compliance Supplement. The notice also offered interested parties an opportunity to comment on the 2006 Circular A-133 Compliance Supplement. The 2006 Supplement adds three additional programs and one existing program added to existing cluster, deleted two programs, updates for program changes, and makes technical corrections. A list of changes to the 2006 Supplement can be found at Appendix V. Due to its length, the 2006 Supplement is not included in this Notice. See ADDRESSES for information about how to obtain a copy. This Notice also offers interested parties an opportunity to comment on the 2006 Supplement.

OMB requests comments on 2006 Draft Report to Congress on the Costs and Benefits of Federal Regulation. The full Draft Report is available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/regpol-reports congress.html, and is divided into three chapters. Chapter I presents estimates of the costs and benefits of Federal regulation and paperwork, with an emphasis on the major regulations issued between October 1, 2004 and September 30, 2005. Chapter II provides an update on OMB's ongoing historical examination of the trends in Federal regulatory activity. Chapter III discusses international developments in regulatory policy.

The Office of Management and Budget announces two meetings of the Acquisition Advisory Panel (AAP or ``Panel'') established in accordance with the Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003.

The Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) Board, Office of Federal Procurement Policy, invites public comments on the staff discussion paper (SDP) regarding CAS 416, ``Accounting for Insurance Costs.'' In particular, this staff discussion paper addresses the use of the term ``catastrophic losses'' in CAS 416-50(b)(1).

As part of an ongoing effort to improve the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information disseminated by the Federal Government to the public, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), has referred to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), for their expert review, new guidance to enhance the quality and objectivity of risk assessments produced by the Federal Government. OMB will also be accepting public comment on this document until June 15, 2006.

The Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) Board is proposing to revise the CAS by providing an exemption for time-and-materials (T&M) and labor-hour (LH) contracts for the acquisition of commercial items.