Search Results for keywords:"Final Rule"

The U.S. Office of Government Ethics has issued a final rule to adjust the fines for violations of the Ethics in Government Act in 2025, as required by law to keep up with inflation. These changes, effective January 15, 2025, include increasing penalties for activities such as falsifying financial disclosure reports and misuse of public reports. The adjustments ensure that penalties remain a deterrent and are calculated based on changes in the Consumer Price Index. These updates only affect violations occurring after November 2, 2015, that are addressed after the new rule's effective date.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule to adjust civil monetary penalties for inflation, effective January 2, 2025. These adjustments are in line with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 and guidance from the Office of Management and Budget. This rule increases penalty amounts for violations occurring after November 2, 2015, and applies to various DHS components like the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Coast Guard. The updated penalty amounts are designed to maintain their deterrent effect and comply with mandatory legislative requirements.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is adjusting the maximum civil monetary penalties (CMPs) according to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. These adjustments ensure that penalties for violations of the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act (PFCRA) and Restrictions on Lobbying continue to reflect inflation and maintain their deterrent effect. The new penalties are based on the Consumer Price Index and are effective for violations assessed after January 15, 2021. The inflation-adjusted penalties are now set at $11,802 for false claims under the PFCRA and range from $20,720 to $207,314 for lobbying restrictions violations.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation issued a final rule to adjust the maximum civil penalties for certain violations, in line with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 2015. This adjustment is required annually to account for inflation and affects penalties under specific sections of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). For 2025, the penalty amounts have increased to $2,739 under section 4071 and $365 under section 4302. These adjustments apply to penalties assessed after January 8, 2025.

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued a final rule making changes to how cable operators report their royalties, specifically through the Statement of Account form. The changes clarify how different fees, like equipment and broadcast fees, must be reported, remove outdated references, and eliminate certain reporting categories to streamline the process. The rule also requires all payments to be made electronically and introduces measures for closing out statements of account when inquiries are not responded to within a set time frame. These updates aim to improve the clarity and efficiency of royalty reporting for statutory cable, satellite, and digital audio recording licenses.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has issued a rule to remove an outdated contract clause from the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). The clause, 252.239-7006, known as "Tariff Information," required telecommunications contractors to submit certain information, which is no longer deemed necessary. This change is expected to save costs for both the DoD and contractors. The removal simplifies compliance for contractors, including small businesses, as it eliminates a reporting requirement that was previously mandated.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) adopted a final rule to codify the Interagency Statement Clarifying the Role of Supervisory Guidance issued in 2018 along with the Federal Reserve, FDIC, NCUA, and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. This rule emphasizes that supervisory guidance, unlike laws or regulations, does not have legal force and doesn't create legally binding obligations for the public. The rule aims to ensure that the OCC will follow the principles of administrative law and use guidance to support transparency and consistency in the supervision of banks. The final rule takes effect on March 15, 2021, and assures that supervisory guidance will continue to be a valuable tool without being enforceable like laws.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, also known as AmeriCorps, has issued a final rule to update the civil monetary penalties in its regulations in line with inflation, following the guidelines set by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. The penalties related to Restrictions on Lobbying have been adjusted from a range of $24,497 to $244,957 to a new range of $25,133 to $251,321. Similarly, the penalty under the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act has been raised from a maximum of $13,946 to $14,308. These changes take effect immediately as of January 14, 2025, without prior public notice or comment due to the non-discretionary nature of the updates.

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection has adopted a final rule to clarify that supervisory guidance is not legally enforceable like laws or regulations. This rule, grounded in the 2018 Interagency Statement, ensures the Bureau will not take enforcement actions based on such guidance. The guidance serves as a tool to communicate expectations and improve industry understanding, but it does not create binding legal obligations. Some commenters supported the rule for providing clarity, while others expressed concerns about its impact on supervisory discretion.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a final rule to adjust the civil penalties they can impose for regulatory violations, in compliance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. The rule, effective January 11, 2021, adjusts the maximum penalty for certain violations from $1,722 to $1,742, based on the 2021 cost-of-living adjustment multiplier provided by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This adjustment ensures penalties keep pace with inflation. The adjustment is not a significant regulatory action and does not impose new reporting requirements.