Office of the Secretary January 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Defense (DoD) is publishing this notice to announce that the following Federal Advisory Committee meeting of the Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council will take place. This meeting is not a Town Hall meeting but is open to the public for the purpose of observing Council proceedings, guest speaker presentations, and Council deliberations.

The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text of an arms sales notification.

The Department of Defense is issuing this final rule to adjust each of its statutory civil monetary penalties (CMP) to account for inflation. The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 and the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (the 2015 Act), requires the head of each agency to adjust for inflation its CMP levels in effect as of November 2, 2015, under a revised methodology that was effective for 2016 and for each year thereafter.

This document contains a correction to the withdrawal published on January 4, 2018, titled, Withdrawal of Certain Proposed Rules and Other Proposed Actions. The document incorrectly stated that the proposed rule published on July 15, 2016, under the title Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information; Beef Promotion and Research; Amendments To Allow Redirection of State Assessments to the National Program; Technical Amendments (Soybean Promotion) is not considered a candidate for final action at this time. This document corrects that statement and makes it known that this rulemaking remains under review.

This notice provides an update of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines to account for last calendar year's increase in prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text of an arms sales notification.

The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text of an arms sales notification.

The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text of an arms sales notification.

The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text of an arms sales notification.

This final rule removes DoD's regulation concerning the signing of EUCs required by foreign governments for foreign defense items purchased by the United States. DoD has determined that this part does not place a burden on the public as it deals with matters internal to DoD. DoD signs end use certificates (following internal coordination and approval) at the behest of a foreign country, when DoD is buying products from that country. Therefore, this part is unnecessary and can be removed from the CFR.

The Regulatory and Deregulatory Agenda is a semiannual summary of all current and projected rulemakings, reviews of existing regulations, and completed actions of the Department. The intent of the Agenda is to provide the public with information about the Department of Transportation's regulatory activity planned for the next 12 months. It is expected that this information will enable the public to more effectively participate in the Department's regulatory process. The public is also invited to submit comments on any aspect of this Agenda.

The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 and Executive Order (E.O.) 12866 require the semiannual issuance of an inventory of rulemaking actions under development throughout the Department, offering for public review summarized information about forthcoming regulatory actions.

This regulatory agenda is a semiannual summary of projected regulations, existing regulations, and completed actions of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its components. This agenda provides the public with information about DHS's regulatory and deregulatory activity. DHS expects that this information will enable the public to be more aware of, and effectively participate in, the Department's regulatory and deregulatory activity. DHS invites the public to submit comments on any aspect of this agenda.

This agenda provides summary descriptions of the significant and not significant regulatory and deregulatory actions being developed in agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in conformance with Executive Orders (E.O.) 12866 ``Regulatory Planning and Review,'' 13771 ``Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs,'' 13777 ``Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda,'' and 13563 ``Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review.'' The agenda also describes regulations affecting small entities as required by section 602 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, Public Law 96-354. This agenda also identifies regulatory actions that are being reviewed in compliance with section 610(c) of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. We invite public comment on those actions as well as any regulation consistent with E.O. 13563. USDA has attempted to list all regulations and regulatory reviews pending at the time of publication except for minor and routine or repetitive actions, but some may have been inadvertently missed. There is no legal significance to the omission of an item from this listing. Also, the dates shown for the steps of each action are estimated and are not commitments to act on or by the date shown. USDA's complete regulatory agenda is available online at www.reginfo.gov. Because publication in the Federal Register is mandated for the regulatory flexibility agendas required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 602), USDA's printed agenda entries include only: (1) Rules that are likely to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities; and (2) Rules identified for periodic review under section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. For this edition of the USDA regulatory agenda, the most important regulatory and deregulatory actions are summarized in a Statement of Regulatory Priorities that is included in the Regulatory Plan, which appears in both the online regulatory agenda and in part II of the Federal Register that includes the abbreviated regulatory agenda.

At the request of the Office of Management (OMB) and Budget, the Department of Labor (DOL) is extending the comment period for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Consumer Expenditure Surveys: Quarterly Interview and Diary.'' The ICR is under OMB review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is publishing this notice to announce that it is renewing the charter for the Secretary of the Navy Advisory Panel (``the Panel'').

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: 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; the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 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.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing that it has withdrawn certain advance notice of proposed rulemakings (ANPRM) and proposed rules that were either published in the Federal Register more than 4 years ago without subsequent action or determined to no longer be candidates for final action. USDA is taking this action to reduce its regulatory backlog and focus its resources on higher priority actions. The Department's actions are part of an overall regulatory reform strategy to reduce regulatory burden on the public and to ensure the Spring and Fall 2017 Unified Agendas of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions provided the public accurate information about rulemakings the Department intends to undertake.

This final rule makes changes to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) regulations governing the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records. These changes are intended to better align the regulations with advances in the U.S. health care delivery system while retaining important privacy protections for individuals seeking treatment for substance use disorders. This final rule addresses the prohibition on re-disclosure notice by including an option for an abbreviated notice. This final rule also addresses the circumstances under which lawful holders and their legal representatives, contractors, and subcontractors may use and disclose patient identifying information for purposes of payment, health care operations, and audits and evaluations. Finally, this final rule is making minor technical corrections to ensure accuracy and clarity in SAMHSA's regulations.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Construction Standards on Posting Emergency Telephone Numbers and Floor Load Limits,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Steel Erection Standard'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 Section 408(a) Prohibited Transaction Provisions Exemption Application Procedure,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.