Reg Watch

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a final rule under review regarding interstate quarantine of communicable diseases. The economically significant rule would require some interstate flights to keep lists of passengers and employees to send to the agency, if requested. The rule, which has taken nearly six years to reach the final stage in the regulation process, also emphasizes the need for “explicit due process provisions for persons subject to quarantine.” People can be quarantined in order to halt the spread of prelisted diseases like cholera. Only nine diseases are currently listed as reason for quarantining someone.

Public comment periods are closing soon for the following proposed rules:

{mosads}• The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has proposed a rule that would change affirmative action practices for certain protected veterans. The new regulation would require government contractors and subcontractors to post job listings in certain “employment service delivery systems.” The rule also calls for increased outreach and recruitment and benchmarks for hiring. The rule, which would increase data collection and secure the opportunity for protected veterans to self-identify during the application process, is open for comment through June 27.

• The Bureau of Land Management is proposing a rule that would promote “environmentally-responsible renewable energy on public lands.” The rule would allow the bureau to “temporarily remove lands included in a renewable energy [Right-Of-Way] application and lands offered for wind or solar energy lease from land appropriations like mining claims.” The comment period for the rule closes June 26.

• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has created a proposed rule to better monitor regional electric power reliability by creating additional access to existing data for commission staff. The rule would allow commission employees access to e-Tag data from its certified electric reliability association, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. The comment period is open through June 27.

• The Foreign Trade Zones Board has proposed a rule that would loosen current requirements for U.S. businesses to export products through the U.S. Foreign Trade Zone Program. The new monitoring system of these “restricted-access sites in or near U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ports of entry” would require companies to report trade zone activity at the end of the year, instead of receiving prior approval from the Foreign Trade Zone Board before exporting products. The proposed rule is intended to make U.S. businesses more competitive in the foreign markets and boost job growth, in line with President Obama’s National Export Initiative. The comment period for this proposed rule ends June 27.