General Services Administration September 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing an interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a statutory pilot program enhancing whistleblower protections for contractor employees.

This document is issued under the joint authority of DOD, GSA, and NASA. This Small Entity Compliance Guide has been prepared in accordance with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. It consists of a summary of the rules appearing in Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-70, which amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). An asterisk (*) next to a rule indicates that a regulatory flexibility analysis has been prepared. Interested parties may obtain further information regarding these rules by referring to FAC 2005-70, which precedes this document. These documents are also available via the Internet at https:// www.regulations.gov.

DoD, GSA, and NASA are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to strengthen protections against trafficking in persons in Federal contracts. These changes are intended to implement E.O. 13627 and Title XVII of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an information collection requirement regarding the Modifications (Federal Supply Schedule) clause.

Notice of this meeting and these conference calls is being provided according to the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 10(a)(2). This notice provides the agenda and schedule for the November 12, 2013, meeting of the Green Building Advisory Committee Meeting (the Committee) and the schedule for a series of conference calls, supplemented by Web meetings, for two task groups of the Committee. The meeting is open to the public and the site is accessible to individuals with disabilities. The conference calls are open for the public to listen in. Interested individuals must register to attend as instructed below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the Regulatory Secretariat will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve a new information collection requirement regarding the DigitalGov Web site Customer Satisfaction Survey.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a previously approved information collection requirement regarding Information Regarding Responsibility Matters. A notice was published in the Federal Register at 78 FR 18593, on March 27, 2013. One comment was received.

The General Services Administration's (GSA) Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 per diem review has resulted in lodging and meal allowance changes for certain locations within the Continental United States (CONUS) to provide for reimbursement of Federal employees' expenses covered by per diem. The standard lodging per diem rate will increase to $83. The meals and incidental expense tiers remain unchanged for FY 2014 and range from $46-$71. GSA identified two new non-standard areas (NSAs): Big Spring, TX (Howard County); and Pearsall, TX (Frio, La Salle, and Medina Counties). The City of Hershey, PA, is now a separate NSA from Harrisburg, PA. In addition, Pasco, WA (Franklin County) and Richland, WA (Benton County) have been merged into a single NSA. Finally, Hendry County, FL is now included with the Palm Beach County, FL NSA. The CONUS per diem rates prescribed in Bulletin 14-01 may be found at www.gsa.gov/perdiem. GSA bases the lodging rates on the average daily rate that the lodging industry reports to an independent organization. If a lodging rate or a per diem rate is insufficient to meet necessary expenses in any given location, Federal executive agencies can request that GSA review that location. Please review numbers five and six of GSA's per diem Frequently Asked Questions at (www.gsa.gov/perdiemfaqs) for more information on the special review process. In addition, the Federal Travel Regulation allows for actual expense reimbursement as provided in Sec. Sec. 301-11.300 through 301- 11.306.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat, will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a previously approved information collection requirement concerning the American Recovery and Reinvestment ActReporting RequirementsOne Time-Reporting, Compensation Requirements.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, Regulatory Secretariat, will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a previously approved information collection requirement concerning the American Recovery and Reinvestment ActReporting RequirementsOne Time Reporting Requirements for Prime Contractors.