Office of the Secretary January 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will hold the fifth public meeting of the Veterans' Advisory Board on Dose Reconstruction (VBDR). The VBDR was established at the recommendation of the National Research Council report, entitled ``Review of the Dose Reconstruction Program of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.'' The report recommended the need to establish an advisory board that will provide suggestions for improvements in dose reconstruction and claim adjudication procedures. The goal of the VBDR is to provide guidance and oversight of the dose reconstruction and claims compensation programs for veterans of U.S.- sponsored atmospheric nuclear weapons tests from 1945-1962; veterans of the 1945-1946 occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan; and veterans who were prisoners of war in those regions at the conclusion of World War II. In addition, the advisory board will assist the VA and DTRA in communicating with the veterans. Radiation dose reconstruction has been carried out by the Department of Defense under the Nuclear Test Personnel Review (NTPR) program since the 1970s. DTRA is the executive agent for the NTPR program which provides participation data and actual or estimated radiation dose information to veterans and the VA. Board members were selected to fulfill the statutory requirements mandated by Congress in Section 601 of Public Law 108-183. The Board was appointed on June 3, 2005, and is comprised of 16 members. Board members were selected to provide expertise in historical dose reconstruction, radiation health matters, risk communications, radiation epidemiology, medicine, quality management, decision analysis and ethics in order to appropriately enable the VBDR to represent and address veterans' concerns. The Board is governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), PL 92-463, which sets forth standards for the formation and conduct of government advisory committees.

This interim final rule establishes the Department of Homeland Security's debt collection regulations to conform to the Debt Collection Act of 1982, as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, the Federal Claims Collection Standards, and other laws applicable to the collection of non-tax debts owed to the Department of Homeland Security. This rule also promulgates regulations governing the offset of the Department of Homeland Security-issued payments to collect debts owed to other Federal agencies.

In accordance with the provisions of 14 CFR 254.6, this final rule revises the minimum limit on domestic baggage liability applicable to air carriers to reflect inflation since July 2004, the year of the most recent revision to the liability limit. Section 254.6 requires that the Department periodically revise the limit to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. The rule adjusts the minimum limit of liability from the current amount of $2,800, set by the Department in 2004, to $3,000, to take into account the changes in consumer prices since the prior revision.

A proposal to extend the collection of information listed below (OMB Control Number 1035-0004) has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). Public comments on this submission are solicited.

The Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee is publishing Civilian Personnel Per Diem Bulletin Number 251. This bulletin lists revisions in the per diem rates prescribed for U.S. Government employees for official travel in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands and Possessions of the United States. AEA changes announced in Bulletin Number 194 remain in effect. Bulletin Number 251 is being published in the Federal Register to assure that travelers are paid per diem at the most current rates.

In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) announces a proposed extension of a previously approved public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

This notice with comment period describes the procedure for implementing Section 6053(b) of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Public Law 109-171 for fiscal year 2008. Section 6053(b) of the Deficit Reduction Act provides for a modification of the Federal Medical Assistance Percentages for any state which has a significant number of evacuees from Hurricane Katrina.

On August 8, 2006, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Office of the Secretary proposed to amend several of their regulations related to Indian trust management (see 71 FR 45173). The rule proposes to address Indian trust management issues in the areas of probate, probate hearings and appeals, tribal probate codes, life estates and future interests in Indian land, the Indian land title of record, and conveyances of trust or restricted land. The proposed rule also includes an ``Application for Consolidation by Sale'' form that is associated with one of these amendments. On November 1, 2006, the BIA and the Office of the Secretary reopened the comment period for an additional 60 days to January 2, 2007 (see 71 FR 64181). This notice reopens the comment period an additional 45 days to March 12, 2007. The BIA and Office of Secretary again are extending the comment period by 45 days to ensure that all interested parties, including tribes and individual Indians, have the opportunity to review the proposed rule and prepare their comments.

The Defense Science Board Task Force on Space Industrial Base will meet in closed session on January 30-31, 2007; at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), 4001 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA. This meeting is to assess the future direction of space requirements and identify the industrial base to meet the Nation's future requirements. The mission of the Defense Science Board is to advise the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics on scientific and technical matters as they affect the perceived needs of the Department of Defense. At these meetings, the Defense Science Board Task Force will: Assess the health of the U.S. space industrial base and determine if there is any adverse impact from export controls, in particular, on the health of lower-tier contractors; anticipate future space requirements and the shape of the space industrial base required to achieve the anticipated capabilities; and recommend improvements to current policies and processes, where applicable, while also identifying policies and processes that can shape the space industrial base to deliver future capabilities. In accordance with Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Pub. L. No. 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. II), it has been determined that these Defense Science Board Task Force meetings concern matters listed in 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(1) and that, accordingly, the meetings will be closed to the public.

The Defense Science Board Task Force on National Guard and Reserves in the GWOT will meet in closed session on February 5-6, 2007; at the Strategic Analysis Inc., 3601 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA. The mission of the Defense Science Board is to advise the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics on scientific and technical matters as they affect the perceived needs of the Department of Defense. At these meetings, the Defense Science Board Task Force will: Assess the consequences for force structure, morale, and mission capability of deployments of members of the National Guard and the Reserves in the course of the global war on terrorism that are lengthy, frequent, or both.In accordance with Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Pub. L. No. 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. II), it has been determined that these Defense Science Board Task Force meetings concern matters listed in 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(1) and that, accordingly, the meetings will be closed to the public.

The Secretary of Homeland Security has determined, pursuant to law, that it is necessary to waive certain laws, regulations and other legal requirements in order to ensure the expeditious construction of physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the international land border of the United States in Arizona. The Secretary's waiver is effective upon publication of this Notice.

As part of its ongoing effort to review and update legacy system of records notices, the Department of Homeland Security is publishing a revision to the previously established Privacy Act system of records notice published by the former Immigration and Naturalization Service for hardcopy and digitized A-Files; and the Central Index System. The Department of Homeland Security is also updating the routine uses that were previously published for this system of records.

This document corrects a proposed rule published November 28, 2006, proposing to amend the regulations governing the selection and functions of Farm Service Agency (FSA) State and county committees in accordance with the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended. A correction is needed because the proposed rule incorrectly stated the duties of the State committees.

The actions that will take place include the approval of minutes from the Board of Regents Meeting held November 13, 2006; acceptance of administrative reports; approval of faculty appointments and promotions; and the awarding of post-baccalaureate masters and doctoral degrees in the biomedical sciences and public health. The President, USU; Dean, USU School of Medicine; and Acting Dean, USU Graduate School of Nursing will also present reports. These actions are necessary for the University to remain an accredited medical school and to pursue our mission, which is to provide trained health care personnel to the uniformed services.

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, as codified at 50 U.S.C. App. 531, prohibits a landlord from evicting a Service member (or the Service member's family) from a residence during a period of military service except by court order. The law as originally passed by Congress applied to dwellings with monthly rents of $2400 or less. The law requires the Department of Defense to adjust this amount annually to reflect inflation, and to publish the new amount in the Federal Register. We have applied the inflation index required by the statute. The maximum monthly rental amount for 50 U.S.C. App. 531(a)(1)(A)(ii) as of January 1, 2007, will be $2720.95.