WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has published a proposed rule to revise regulations for the Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D) and Medicare cost plan programs. The proposal primarily works to codify changes mandated by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), transforming the structure of the Part D benefit for Calendar Year (CY) 2025 and beyond. A key revision is   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (TNSFR) -- The Library of Congress Copyright Royalty Board has issued a final rule to implement a cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 2.9% to the royalty rates paid by satellite carriers. These rates cover the compulsory license for the distant retransmission of television programming as outlined in the Copyright Act. The Copyright Royalty Judges determined the 2.9% COLA based on the change in the Consumer Price Index (for all consumers and for all items) from Oct. 2024 to S  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (TNSFR) -- The Library of Congress Copyright Royalty Board adjusted the royalty rates for the statutory license covering the creation and distribution of phonorecords of nondramatic musical works. This adjustment, known as a cost of living adjustment (COLA), applies specifically to physical phonorecords and Permanent Downloads. The action is mandated by section 115 of the Copyright Act, title 17 of the U.S. Code, which establishes a statutory license for making and distributi  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (TNSFR) -- The Library of Congress Copyright Royalty Board announced a cost of living adjustment (COLA) to the royalty rate paid by noncommercial radio stations. This adjustment applies to stations at colleges, universities, and other educational institutions not affiliated with National Public Radio. These stations must pay the rate for the use in 2026 of published nondramatic musical compositions in the repertories of SESAC Performing Rights LLC, Nashville, Tennessee, and   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of War (formerly the U.S. Department of Defense) Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness issued an interim final rule amending its policies for identification cards. This action removes the procedures that allowed retirees, dependents and contractor employees to request a modification to their "gender marker" within the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). This immediate change is effective Dec.   more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved a state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by Montana. The SIP revision addresses requirements under the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the EPA's Regional Haze Rule (RHR) for the program's second implementation period. The RHR requires state and federal agencies to cooperate to improve visibility in 156 national parks and wilderness areas by reducing visibility impairing pollutants such as fine and coarse pa  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed to extend a compliance deadline for the closure of certain coal combustion residuals (CCR) surface impoundments. The proposal grants a three-year extension for owners and operators to complete the closure of unlined CCR surface impoundments larger than 40 acres, shifting the deadline from Oct. 17, 2028, to Oct. 17, 2031. This extension aims to promote electric grid reliability by allowing a subset of coal-fired po  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed to approve revisions to the Missouri state implementation plan (SIP) and operating permits program pertaining to the reporting of emission data, process information and emission fees. The proposal addresses amendments submitted by the state on March 19, 2025, to rule 10-6.110, which aims to provide procedures for establishing emission fees and reporting air pollution information for state air resource planning. Th  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed to approve a state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by Connecticut. This action addresses amendments to Connecticut's New Source Review (NSR) permit program, which are intended to clarify the applicability of permit requirements for stationary sources located in areas that do not meet federal air quality standards. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) submitted the  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency withdrew a rule that would have extended the initial notification date for its Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category. EPA stated that it received adverse comment on the direct final rule, which required the agency to issue a withdrawal to prevent the rule from taking effect. The direct final rule had stipulated that if any adverse comment was received by  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency withdrew a direct final rule concerning its acquisition regulation on "Special Contracting Methods; Options; Contracts." This action follows the receipt of adverse comments on the rule. The rule, which was published on Sept. 22, 2025, would not take effect because the EPA received adverse comment by the stated deadline of Oct. 31, 2025. The rule had previously stated that if adverse comment was received, the direct final r  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (TNSFR) -- The Federal Communications Commission proposed rule revisions to free towers and other wireless infrastructure from unlawful regulatory burdens imposed at the state and local level. This action seeks to advance FCC's Build America Agenda and answers the call to expedite, eliminate, and simplify permitting burdens that inhibit economic development. The proceeding builds on FCC's prior efforts to streamline infrastructure rules, which helped spur investment and netwo  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration withdrew a proposed rule that would have established standardized testing methods for detecting and identifying asbestos in talc-containing cosmetic products. FDA stated that the comments warrant further consideration and assessment before issuing final regulations. The proposed rule was part of the FDA's implementation of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA), wh  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (TNSFR) -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has announced a delay in the compliance date for specific requirements related to its rules on the official sign and advertisement of membership for insured depository institutions (IDIs). The compliance date for the display of the official digital sign on IDIs' digital deposit-taking channels and automated teller machines (ATMs) and like devices is postponed from March 1, 2026, to Jan. 1, 2027. This action by the agency   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (TNSFR) -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Federal Reserve System and the Department of the Treasury Office of the Comptroller of the Currency adopted a final rule that modifies the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio (eSLR) standards. The modifications apply to U.S. bank holding companies identified as global systemically important bank holding companies (GSIBs) and their subsidiary depository institutions. The primary objective of this modification is to ensure   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (TNSFR) -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Federal Reserve System and the Department of the Treasury Office of the Comptroller of the Currency proposed to amend the Community Bank Leverage Ratio (CBLR) framework, a simplified measure of capital adequacy. The proposal aims to reduce the required leverage ratio and lengthen the grace period for community banking organizations, thereby providing more meaningful regulatory relief. The agencies are proposing to lower the  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture Federal Crop Insurance Corp. issued a final rule to amend its regulations, implementing provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and updating several crop insurance policies. The rule introduces several improvements and clarifications to the crop insurance program, effective for the 2026 and succeeding crop years for certain policies. Changes include expanding benefits for beginning farmers or ranchers by increasing their eli  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement issued a direct final rule to amend Federal regulations regarding the funding of abandoned mine land reclamation projects. The action rescinds regulatory language that required compliance with regulations when funding reclamation projects using prior balance replacement funds. These funds were moneys from the U.S. Treasury's General Fund that replaced State or Tribal share fun  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement issued a direct final rule to remove regulatory language requiring surface drainage to pass through a siltation structure before leaving a permit area. The department is taking this action to delete obsolete paragraphs that were struck down by a court over forty years ago. The paragraphs in 30 CFR 816.46 and 30 CFR 817.46 mandated that all surface drainage from the disturbed   more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement issued a direct final rule to lift the suspension and remove regulations relating to underground mine-caused damage. This action removes paragraphs that established a rebuttable presumption of causation for damage to any non-commercial building or occupied residential dwelling resulting from earth movement within a specified angle of draw from underground mine workings. The p  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement issued a direct final rule to revise federal regulations by removing language identifying obsolete funds for distribution to eligible states and tribes. The rule removes references to "prior balance replacement funds" from 30 CFR Part 875, which prohibits certified and uncertified States and Tribes from expending moneys for reclamation under the Surface Mining Control and Recl  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement issued a direct final rule to eliminate a regulation regarding performance standards for surface mining operations. The action revises federal regulations to rescind an obsolete rule that the Secretary of the Interior suspended in 1992, rendering it inoperative for 33 years. The rule in question, found at 30 CFR 816.101, prescribed time and distance standards for the completi  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement revised federal regulations by issuing a direct final rule to rescind fee rates for coal production that expired in 2021. The rule removes obsolete regulatory language related to fees for coal produced for sale, transfer, or use from Oct. 1, 2012, through Sept. 30, 2021. Rates for the period beginning Oct. 1, 2021, and extending through Sept. 30, 2034, are already in effect.   more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement took action to remove an inoperative regulation from the Code of Federal Regulations. The department is issuing a direct final rule to rescind obsolete regulations at 30 CFR 700.11(b) concerning the applicability of the Federal regulations implementing the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. The rescission targets a provision that, as enacted in 1977, exempted  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service adopted final regulations that finalize a user fee reduction for authorized persons requesting an estate tax closing letter. This final rule maintains the reduction of the user fee for the issuance of IRS Letter 627, which is also referred to as an estate tax closing letter, from $67 to $56. These regulations are effective on Dec. 31, 2025. The regulations adopt the text of the interim final rule and pro  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed to delay the compliance date and implement a phase-in period for updated event data recorder (EDR) requirements in response to petitions for reconsideration. The department published a final rule on Dec. 18, 2024, that increased the EDR pre-crash data capture requirements from 5 seconds at 2 Hz to 20 seconds at 10 Hz, as mandated by the Fixing America's Surface Transporta  more