New regs for Monday: Animal groups want new protections

{mosads}“The petitioners contend that the existing handling regulations are difficult to enforce, subjective, and inconsistently applied,” the agency said in its notice.

Financial:

Three financial regulators are proposing a set of principles to guide implementation of stress tests called for by the Dodd-Frank Act. 

The guidance discusses methods and expectations for the tests.

Air quality:

The Environmental Protection Agency is issuing a list of places in the country that do not meet air quality current standards for sulfur dioxide. 

Food labels:

The Food and Drug Administration has finalized a rule for labeling foods as “gluten free.”

The agency is allowing companies with products that contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten to advertise that fact on the package, if they so choose.

Tort law:

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is issuing a rule with procedures for filing and processing claims if someone feels they have been harmed by the agency’s wrongful action or negligence. 

Workplace safety:

Federal agencies will have to submit their workplace injury records to the Bureau of Labor Statistics each year, thanks to a new rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Agencies already compile and maintain the records for their own purposes, but they will now be used to aggregate information about workers who become sick or injured throughout the federal government. 

Freedom of Information Act:

The National Archives and Records Administration wants to change its rules regarding the Freedom of Information Act.

The new proposal includes updates from federal laws passed in recent years as well as more specific procedural regulations for the agency to follow when responding to requests. 

Weapons trade:

The State Department is updating its rules on arms trafficking with regard to Libya. The new rule implements a United Nations Security Council resolution that extends the international support mission to the country. 

Superfund:

The EPA is deleting a Superfund cleanup site in Oklahoma from its national list and asking for comments from the public. 

Broadband:

The White House budget office has approved a Federal Communications Commission proposal to collect information as part of an initiative to bring broadband access to rural Americans. 

Crop insurance:

The Agriculture Department is proposing to update its crop insurance program for cotton.