New regs for Wednesday: FOIA process

{mosads}The changes, which have been in the works since September, will transfer responsibilities within the commission’s field offices. District directors, not regional attorneys, would be responsible for FOIA processing under the new rule. 

Financial:
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is proposing two alternatives for regulations on money market mutual funds. The 698-page proposal is intended to increase the transparency of the funds’ risks and manage the possible spread of losses.

One proposal would require funds to sell and redeem shares based on current market values, while the other would make the funds pay a fee if their levels of liquidity, or amount available for investment and spending, fall too low.

According to the SEC, the agency could adopt either option, or a combination of both.

Telephone numbers:

Companies that operate Internet phone services, called voice-over-IP, should be able to obtain telephone numbers straight from the plan that numbers phone lines for North America, according to a proposal from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The change “will help speed the delivery of innovative services to consumers and businesses, while preserving the integrity of the network and appropriate oversight of telephone number assignments,” the agency asserts in its proposal. 

Experimental radio:

The FCC is changing its rules on experimental radio licenses to prohibit the transfer of some licenses. Transfer of program, medical testing and compliance testing experimental licenses will be prohibited under the commission’s new rule, though conventional licenses can be transferred with the commission’s approval. 

Medical devices:

The Food and Drug Administration wants to change the way it classifies medical devices for hearts and to detect tuberculosis.

The agency’s reclassification of balloons placed inside a patient’s heart, used for complications of heart failure and other heart ailments, would make developers of the devices file an application or go through a specific protocol before introducing new products to the market. 

Another proposal would loosen the FDA’s control on devices used to diagnose a type of tuberculosis in vitro by reclassifying the devices from class III, the most restrictive of the agency’s categories, to class II. 

Fur:

The Federal Trade Commission is proposing changes to its rules on guaranties on fur products. 

Fishing:

The National Marine Fisheries Service is closing commercial fishing for greater amberjack in the Gulf of Mexico on July 1, when the commercial quota is expected to be reached. 

The agency is also setting quota specifications for Atlantic bluefin tuna for the rest of 2013. 

Education funding:

The Education Department is announcing a priority for a rehabilitation engineering research on technologies to support aging for people with disabilities. 

Insecticides: 
The Environmental Protection Agency is setting a limit for residues of the insecticide acetamiprid on meat, fruits and corn. 

Railroads and air carriers:

The Federal Railroad Administration wants to eliminate a requirement that rail carriers file a report with the agency on signal systems every five years. 

The General Services Administration is also proposing to create an online information resource for the public to learn about international agreements on transporting cargo via airplanes.