Federal Regulatory Agencies
Here's a look at documents from federal regulatory agencies
Featured Stories
NRC Unveils First New Reactor Licensing Process in Decades to Speed Deployment While Maintaining Safety
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following news release:
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NRC Unveils First New Reactor Licensing Process in Decades to Speed Deployment While Maintaining Safety
ROCKVILLE, Md. --The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a new licensing pathway that accelerates safe, innovative reactor deployment and reinforces U.S. energy leadership, marking the first new reactor licensing framework in decades. The rule, known as Part 53, is designed to provide optionality and make licensing advanced nuclear reactors faster, simpler, and more cost-effective while
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WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following news release:
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NRC Unveils First New Reactor Licensing Process in Decades to Speed Deployment While Maintaining Safety
ROCKVILLE, Md. --The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a new licensing pathway that accelerates safe, innovative reactor deployment and reinforces U.S. energy leadership, marking the first new reactor licensing framework in decades. The rule, known as Part 53, is designed to provide optionality and make licensing advanced nuclear reactors faster, simpler, and more cost-effective whilecontinuing to prioritize safety.
Part 53 introduces technology-inclusive safety standards, increased flexibility for reactor design and operation based on risk analyses, graded security requirements, and innovative features to accelerate reactor deployment. The improvements are expected to reduce unnecessary duplication in reviews, allow developers to complete licensing in stages, establish clearer, more predictable pathways to approval, and could significantly reduce the time and cost required to bring new reactors online.
"This final rule is a major NRC action that provides a clear risk-informed, technologyinclusive licensing framework to enable new nuclear to safely move faster from concept to construction," NRC Chairman Ho K. Nieh said. "It is another example of how the NRC is delivering on its mission by keeping safety at the forefront while aligning to the evolving nuclear energy landscape."
The Commission directed the staff to finalize the rule and supporting guidance, which can be used for any type of reactor. Part 53 fills a long-standing gap: existing regulations in Part 50 were built around light-water reactor technology, while many new designs use different approaches. Under Part 53, applicants will no longer need to seek exemptions from light water reactor based requirements.
Part 53 is part of a broader national effort to modernize how the United States regulates nuclear energy, supported by laws like the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act of 2019. The NRC completed Part 53 almost two years ahead of the deadline required by NEIMA. The new framework sets the stage for several upcoming rules in the next few months under Executive Order 14300, which will revolutionize reactor licensing.
This is the first new set of regulations to address initial reactor licensing since 1989, when the NRC created Part 52, and the first major update to reactor licensing standards since 1956, when the Atomic Energy Commission issued Part 50. P T bA#y P T bA#y P T 3bA#y P1TB4bA#y1 P T 5bA#y P1TB6bA#y1 P T 7bA#y P T 8bA#y P T 9bA#y The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was created as an expert, technical agency to protect public health, safety, and security, and regulate the civilian use of nuclear materials, including enabling the deployment of nuclear power for the benefit of society. Among other responsibilities, the agency issues licenses, conducts inspections, initiates and enforces regulations, and plans for incident response. The NRC is collaborating with interagency partners to implement reforms outlined in new Executive Orders and the ADVANCE Act to streamline agency activities and enhance efficiency.
Part 53 offers a comprehensive new approach to license advanced reactors, including non-light-water reactors, across their life cycles. It provides designers and operators with more flexibility in how they build and run their plants while continuing to ensure safety. The rule builds on years of research and collaboration with the Department of Energy, industry, and the public, including extensive public meetings and comments on the proposed rule published Oct. 31, 2024.
Part 53 will take effect 30 days after it appears in the Federal Register in the coming weeks. The NRC is also publishing nine guidance documents, with additional guidance to follow.
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Original text here: https://www.nrc.gov/sites/default/files/cdn/doc-collection-news/2026/26-035.pdf
USITC Makes Determinations in Five-Year (Sunset) Reviews Concerning Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar from Mexico and Turkey
WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The U.S. International Trade Commission issued the following news release:
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USITC Makes Determinations in Five-Year (Sunset) Reviews Concerning Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar from Mexico and Turkey
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Bulletin 26-024
Contact: Jennifer Andberg, 202-205-1819
The U.S. International Trade Commission has made affirmative determinations in its expedited five-year (sunset) reviews concerning Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar from Mexico and Turkey.
Note to users: This bulletin will be replaced by the news release when the release is available. News releases are generally
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WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The U.S. International Trade Commission issued the following news release:
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USITC Makes Determinations in Five-Year (Sunset) Reviews Concerning Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar from Mexico and Turkey
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Bulletin 26-024
Contact: Jennifer Andberg, 202-205-1819
The U.S. International Trade Commission has made affirmative determinations in its expedited five-year (sunset) reviews concerning Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar from Mexico and Turkey.
Note to users: This bulletin will be replaced by the news release when the release is available. News releases are generallyissued approximately three hours after a Commission vote.
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Original text here: https://www.usitc.gov/press_room/news_release/2026/er0325_68336.htm
SEC Obtains Final Consent Judgments as to Ex-Ozy Media Executives
WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release (No. 1:23-cv-01424; E.D.N.Y. filed Feb. 23, 2023) involving Ozy Media Inc.:
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On March 18, 2026, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered final judgments as to former COO of Ozy Media, Inc., Samir Rao, and its former Chief of Staff Suzee Han, resolving the Commission's litigation against them.
The SEC's complaint, filed on February 23, 2023, alleged that four defendants raised approximately $50 million from investors through repeated misrepresentations
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WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release (No. 1:23-cv-01424; E.D.N.Y. filed Feb. 23, 2023) involving Ozy Media Inc.:
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On March 18, 2026, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered final judgments as to former COO of Ozy Media, Inc., Samir Rao, and its former Chief of Staff Suzee Han, resolving the Commission's litigation against them.
The SEC's complaint, filed on February 23, 2023, alleged that four defendants raised approximately $50 million from investors through repeated misrepresentationsconcerning Ozy Media's financial condition, business relationships, and fundraising efforts. As alleged, Rao provided prospective investors with false financial information that vastly inflated Ozy Media's annual revenue by at least 100 percent annually from 2018 through 2020 and Han helped to prepare and disseminate these false statements to investors.
The final judgments permanently enjoin Rao and Han from violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The final judgment as to Rao also imposes a three-year bar prohibiting him from acting as an officer or director of any public company, modified from the ten-year bar that had been previously imposed on March 14, 2023.
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Resources
* SEC Complaint (https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2026/comp26506.pdf)
* Final Judgment - Samir Rao (https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/litreleases/2026/judg26506-samir-rao.pdf)
* Final Judgment - Suzee Han (https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/litreleases/2026/judg26506-suzee-han.pdf)
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Original text here: https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26506
SEC Obtains Final Consent Judgment as to Investment Adviser to Five Private Venture Capital Funds
WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release (No. 8:19-cv-01559-SPG-JDE; C.D. Cal. filed Aug. 13, 2019) involving an investment adviser to five private venture capital funds:
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On March 10, 2026, the United States District Court for the Central District of California entered a final judgment as to Defendant Stuart Frost, whom the SEC previously charged with violations of the antifraud provisions of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
The SEC's complaint, filed on August 13, 2019, alleged that from 2012 through 2016, Frost defrauded
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WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release (No. 8:19-cv-01559-SPG-JDE; C.D. Cal. filed Aug. 13, 2019) involving an investment adviser to five private venture capital funds:
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On March 10, 2026, the United States District Court for the Central District of California entered a final judgment as to Defendant Stuart Frost, whom the SEC previously charged with violations of the antifraud provisions of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
The SEC's complaint, filed on August 13, 2019, alleged that from 2012 through 2016, Frost defraudedfive private venture capital funds and the funds' investors of over $14 million by charging undisclosed and excessive incubator fees to start-up companies in which the funds invested, in breach of his fiduciary duties to his clients.
Frost consented to the entry of a final judgment, which permanently enjoins him from violating Sections 206(1), 206(2), and 206(4) of the Advisers Act and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder, and orders him to pay a $150,000 civil penalty.
The SEC's litigation was handled by Donald Searles and Charles Canter and supervised by Stephen Kam, all of the SEC's Los Angeles Regional Office.
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Resources
* SEC Complaint (https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2026/comp26505.pdf)
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Original text here: https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26505
Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Seek Public Comment on the Premerger Notification and Report Form
WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Federal Trade Commission issued the following news release:
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Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Seek Public Comment on the Premerger Notification and Report Form
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Today, the Federal Trade Commission (Commission) and the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division (DOJ) (together, the Agencies) launched a joint public inquiry regarding the effectiveness of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act's (HSR Act) premerger reporting requirements. The joint public inquiry requests public comment on the effectiveness of the updated version of
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WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Federal Trade Commission issued the following news release:
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Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Seek Public Comment on the Premerger Notification and Report Form
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Today, the Federal Trade Commission (Commission) and the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division (DOJ) (together, the Agencies) launched a joint public inquiry regarding the effectiveness of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act's (HSR Act) premerger reporting requirements. The joint public inquiry requests public comment on the effectiveness of the updated version ofthe HSR form, which took effect in February 2025 (Updated Form).
The Updated Form was in place for over a year. In February 2026, a federal district court vacated the Updated Form; earlier this month, a U.S. Court of Appeals denied the Commission's motion for a stay pending appeal. As a result, the Agencies are now accepting HSR filings using the same Form and Instructions that were in place before the Updated Form took effect. The Agencies will also continue to accept HSR filings made pursuant to the Updated Form and Instructions should filers voluntarily submit them.
The Commission continues to believe that the prior, nearly 50-year-old form is insufficient to review modern mergers and acquisitions. Regardless of the outcome of the litigation challenging the Updated Form, the FTC is considering engaging in a new rulemaking process.
Through the joint request for information, the FTC and DOJ seek to understand whether the requirements of the Updated Form effectively fulfill their intended purpose to:
* Enable the Agencies to identify potentially anticompetitive mergers more efficiently; and
* Allow the Agencies to more quickly determine whether a deal would require the issuance of Second Requests to conduct an in-depth antitrust investigation.
Under the HSR Act, parties to certain mergers and acquisitions are required to submit premerger notification forms that disclose certain information about their proposed deal and business operations. The Agencies use this information to conduct a premerger assessment in the short time allowed under the HSR Act, typically 30 days.
In the joint request for information, the Agencies want to ensure that the requirements of the Updated Form do not impose burdens on filers that outweigh the usefulness of the information provided to the FTC and DOJ. As elaborated in more detail in the RFI, the Agencies are also evaluating whether additional modifications to the Updated Form may be warranted to address developments affecting the HSR review process that have emerged over the past year.
The Agencies seek to gather feedback from the public on the implementation, effects, and potential areas for further refinement of the Updated Form. The Agencies ultimately seek to reduce the burden for non-problematic transactions while also making necessary updates informed by lessons learned from experience with the Updated Form.
Comments can be submitted at Regulations.gov and must be received no later than May 26, 2026. The information will be used by the Agencies to inform future actions related to the premerger notification and report form.
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Original text here: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/03/federal-trade-commission-department-justice-seek-public-comment-premerger-notification-report-form
FTC Testifies before the Joint Economic Committee on Agency's Efforts to Combat Fraud
WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Federal Trade Commission issued the following news release:
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FTC Testifies before the Joint Economic Committee on Agency's Efforts to Combat Fraud
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The Federal Trade Commission testified today before the Joint Economic Committee about the agency's ongoing work to combat fraud and protect consumers from scammers and other bad actors.
Testifying on behalf of the Commission, Lois Greisman, Associate Director of the FTC's Division of Marketing Practices, said that fighting fraud is the core of the FTC's consumer protection mission. The agency fulfills this mission
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WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Federal Trade Commission issued the following news release:
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FTC Testifies before the Joint Economic Committee on Agency's Efforts to Combat Fraud
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The Federal Trade Commission testified today before the Joint Economic Committee about the agency's ongoing work to combat fraud and protect consumers from scammers and other bad actors.
Testifying on behalf of the Commission, Lois Greisman, Associate Director of the FTC's Division of Marketing Practices, said that fighting fraud is the core of the FTC's consumer protection mission. The agency fulfills this missionby pursuing aggressive law enforcement actions against those that perpetrate or facilitate fraud and through consumer education and outreach.
In Fiscal Year 2025, the FTC brought 40 law enforcement actions involving fraudulent schemes such as business opportunities, investment or other money-making schemes, unlawful robocalls, technical support scams, government or business impersonation frauds, and unfair or deceptive fees, among other consumer protection concerns, according to the testimony. Through this work the FTC obtained more than $1.8 billion in redress for consumers affected by deceptive and unfair business practices.
The FTC is assisted in its work by the reports filed by consumers about the problems they experience in the marketplace. The FTC receives those reports via its Consumer Sentinel Network, which collects reports directly from consumers and from data contributors. In 2025, the FTC received 3 million fraud reports from consumers, who reported $15.9 billion in losses-a substantial increase from the previous year when consumers submitted 2.6 million fraud reports and reported fraud losses of over $12 billion, according to the testimony.
Imposter scams was the most frequently reported fraud, as it has been since 2020, according to the testimony. The agency received more than 1 million reports about imposter scams, with consumers reporting more than $3.5 billion in losses. Consumers, however, reported losing the most money ($7.9 billion) to investment scams in 2025.
The testimony also detailed the agency's work to track down foreign-based fraudsters by collaborating with our international counterparts and by targeting U.S. based companies that unlawfully facilitate fraudulent schemes. For example, last year the FTC filed a law enforcement settlement against Paddle, a U.K. payment processor operating in the United States through its U.S. subsidiary to collect payments on behalf of alleged tech-support scammers operating in Cyprus.
In addition to its law enforcement actions, the FTC works to prevent fraud by arming consumers with the information they need to protect themselves, through effective consumer education and outreach. The FTC issues numerous consumer blogs, alerts, videos, social media posts, webinars, and more to alert consumers to emerging fraud trends.
The Commission vote to approve the testimony was 2-0.
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Original text here: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/03/ftc-testifies-joint-economic-committee-agencys-efforts-combat-fraud
CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig: Town Hall Remarks, Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued the following remarks on March 23, 2026, by Chairman Michael S. Selig at a town hall event:
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Prepared Remarks for Delivery
Good morning, everyone.
Thank you for being here today.
I want to start by saying how truly honored and eager I am to be working with all of you.
Many years ago, I served at the CFTC as a law clerk for Chairman Giancarlo, so there are a number of faces here that I still recognize.
What I learned then is what I know now: this Commission is full of incredibly talented, dedicated people.
It was
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WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued the following remarks on March 23, 2026, by Chairman Michael S. Selig at a town hall event:
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Prepared Remarks for Delivery
Good morning, everyone.
Thank you for being here today.
I want to start by saying how truly honored and eager I am to be working with all of you.
Many years ago, I served at the CFTC as a law clerk for Chairman Giancarlo, so there are a number of faces here that I still recognize.
What I learned then is what I know now: this Commission is full of incredibly talented, dedicated people.
It wasa great place to work then, and I'm committed to making it an even better place to work now, because we have some great challenges in front of us in the next several months.
As many of you know, the CFTC began its long-overdue harmonization effort with the SEC.[1] This is a big lift for a lot of people, but worth the time, because it will pay dividends for the agency well into the future.[2]
I also gave a speech earlier this month in Florida where I talked about my priorities as Chairman, such as reevaluating some of the Dodd-Frank Act rulemakings and subsequent no-action letters to ensure our policies are not over-regulating intermediaries and market participants.
Farmers, ranchers, energy producers, and small businesses all depend on intermediaries and market participants for risk-management. They use these third-parties to share market risk, which helps them survive floods, droughts or other threats that can destroy their livelihoods.
We can't allow unnecessary regulations to increase their costs and undermine their futures.
While I am a firm believer in regulation, it's critically important that we not suffocate the real-world economy. I believe in the minimum effective dose of regulation. No more and no less.
This is important because the job we do as regulators is vital to our nation's economic health, and history has shown that we can deliver when challenges arise.
We've handled everything from the transition to electronic trading, to the shock of the Global Financial Crisis, to handling challenges associated with Covid.
Today, we're seeing new areas of responsibility, such as AI, crypto, and prediction markets. These areas are growing every day.
With new opportunities comes new responsibilities. The CFTC has a mandate to lead and set the global standard for how transparent, efficient, and resilient markets can be in the 21st century.
Everyone, from market participants to policymakers to the public, is watching what we do. And that's exciting.
It means our work matters more than ever. People are eager to understand the role we play in protecting markets while unleashing responsible innovation.
This is a sign that we're relevant, impactful, and, in my opinion, right where we need to be.
There has never been a better time to be at the CFTC. We're in the spotlight like never before.
And while there will always be challenges, this is our time to shine. This is our chance to combine original thinking with steady execution and leave a real mark.
Personally, I'm thrilled to be here with you.
Let's make this the most monumental chapter yet in the CFTC story.
And let's do it together.
Thank you!
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[1] The CFTC-SEC Harmonization Initiative is a collaboration between the CFTC and SEC to focus on strengthening the regulatory framework of U.S. financial markets by coordinating seamlessly, reducing duplicative regulation, and providing markets with the clarity they deserve. See https://www.cftc.gov/harmonization. On March 11, 2026, the CFTC and SEC announced a historic memorandum of understanding (MOU) to achieve the goals of closer harmonization in areas of common regulatory interest. The MOU reflects both agencies' commitment to provide fair notice to market participants, respect individual liberty, and foster lawful innovation with the minimum effective dose of regulation to enhance U.S. competitiveness in finance. See CFTC Press Release No. 9192-26, CFTC and SEC Announce Historic Memorandum of Understanding Between Agencies (Mar. 11, 2026), available at https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/9192-26.
[2] Michael S. Selig, Chairman: FIA Global Cleared Markets Conference (Mar. 9, 2026), available at https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/SpeechesTestimony/opaselig2.
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Original text here: https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/SpeechesTestimony/opaselig4
