New regs for Wednesday: Emergency housing, wood bison, corporate tax

Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for emergency housing in the wake of a natural disaster, reintroduce of wood bison into Alaska, and tax guidelines for corporate reorganizations.

Here’s what is happening:

Housing: The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) is moving forward with new rules to protect people with disabilities who lose their homes during a natural disaster.

The federal government often provides temporary emergency housing for people after a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina, but because the homes are intended to be deployed quickly, they are small and often present difficulties for people with disabilities.

Therefore, the Access Board is issuing new regulations to make sure that at least 10 percent of these homes are prepared to house people with disabilities.

The rule goes into effect in 30 days.

Privacy: The Department of Defense is moving forward with a rule to protect classified information from privacy disclosures, it announced Tuesday.

The new rules would exempt the Defense Department’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) from providing certain counterintelligence records under a number of provisions from the Privacy Act. 

The exempted documents could include anything from national security investigation records to law enforcement activity and encounter records.

“This will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of DOD’s program by ensuring the integrity of the security and counterintelligence records by the NGA and the Department of Defense,” it wrote. 

The rule goes into effect in 70 days.

Wood bison: The Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service is working with Alaska officials to reintroduce the wood bison to the region. 

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is leading the charge in coordination with federal officials. They plan to reintroduce the wood bison to its historical range in central Alaska, including the Yukon Flats, Minto Flats, and the lower Innoko and Yukon River area.

Wood bison are listed as a threatened species. They are larger than traditional bison, which males weighing as much as one ton.

“The rule will also allow for future regulated hunting based on sustained yield principles, once the herds are deemed sufficiently resilient to support such,” the agency wrote.

The rule goes into effect in 30 days.

Tax: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is considering a rule that would apply to corporate reorganizations.

The proposed rule would redefine the “acquiring corporation” in cases corporate reorganizations.

The public has 30 days to comment.

Potatoes: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is moving forward with new rules for handling Irish potatoes.

The move temporarily exempts yellow fleshed and white skin potatoes grown in Washington state from minimum quality, maturity, pack, marking, and inspection requirements for the 2014-15 farming season.. 

“This rule is expected to reduce overall industry expenses and increase net returns to producers and handlers,” the agency wrote.