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The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a proposed exemption allowing certain asset managers affiliated with the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) to continue managing retirement plans, despite a conviction against RBC's Bahamas division for aiding tax fraud in France. The exemption, if granted, would last from March 2025 to March 2030, provided RBC meets specific protective conditions. The decision is driven by the need to avoid disruptions and additional costs for retirement plan clients, as well as to maintain fair investment practices. Public comments on this proposal are invited before March 2025.

The Department of Education announced an opportunity for public agencies and private non-profits to apply for grants to operate Equity Assistance Centers. These centers will provide technical help to schools on developing desegregation plans, ensuring all students have a safe and equitable learning environment, and addressing issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The department plans to fund four centers, one in each geographic region outlined, and encourages applications from entities that have not received similar grants recently. Applying organizations must follow specific guidelines and should aim to improve knowledge, change policies, and enhance the capacity to support equal educational opportunities.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a final rule regarding the "NIH Police Records" system, which contains law enforcement records maintained by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Police Division. This rule establishes exemptions from certain requirements of the Privacy Act, allowing the NIH to withhold access to specific investigatory records to protect law enforcement procedures and sources. The exemptions apply to both criminal and non-criminal investigatory materials to prevent interference with ongoing investigations and safeguard the integrity of investigatory techniques. The rule is set to become effective on February 18, 2025, and it has been determined that it will not have significant economic impacts on small entities or impose significant expenses on state or local governments.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released an interim final rule to manage the handling of retaliation complaints under the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (AMLA), as part of anti-retaliation efforts. This rule outlines procedures for filing complaints, the investigation process, and the resolution, including possible appeals and judicial review, in cases of alleged retaliation against whistleblowers. The interim final rule is effective from January 14, 2025, and comments are invited until March 17, 2025, to refine these guidelines. The document ensures whistleblowers are protected when they report actions they reasonably believe to be violations of law, though it excludes employees of federally insured banks and credit unions, which are protected under different statutes.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve West Virginia's plan to address visibility issues caused by air pollution in national parks and wilderness areas, known as Class I areas. This decision reverses a previous proposal to disapprove the state's plan. The approval is based on West Virginia's measures to control emissions and the conclusion that no further actions are needed to improve visibility during the specified period. The EPA's decision reflects a change in their policy, suggesting that if current air conditions are below a certain improvement mark, states are meeting progress requirements.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is introducing a new system of records called "Military Corrections and Parole Board Records." This system will track information related to military personnel who are confined due to violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including details about their confinement, health, and parole decisions. DoD proposes to exempt portions of these records from certain parts of the Privacy Act for reasons related to national security and law enforcement. Public comments on this proposal are being sought until February 21, 2025.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a new rule that updates previous airworthiness directives for certain Dassault Aviation FALCON 2000EX airplanes. This new rule, effective March 30, 2021, builds upon a directive from 2020 and requires further amendments to maintenance and inspection programs to include additional safety limitations as specified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The purpose is to ensure these airplanes maintain structural integrity during operation. Compliance with these new requirements is mandatory for operators to address potentially unsafe conditions in the aircraft.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a proposed agreement involving 231 parties related to the Pure Earth Recycling Superfund Site in New Jersey. Under this agreement, these parties will pay the government over $1.4 million for previous cleanup costs at the site. The EPA is inviting the public to submit comments on this proposal by March 31, 2025. The agency will review all feedback and may adjust or retract the settlement if necessary.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service of the USDA released a correction to a previous notice about the Rural Energy for America Program. The original notice contained mistakes regarding the points given for the size of the funding request and for applicants who hadn’t received grants or loan commitments in the past two years. The corrections specify that applicants who haven’t recently received funding can earn 5 extra points. Additionally, smaller grant requests can qualify for 10 extra points, with a total maximum score possible of 100 points for those applications.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the US Department of Agriculture has issued a proposed rule recommending changes to pricing in 11 Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs). These proposed amendments update existing formulas for milk composition, surveyed commodity products, and milk pricing categories, among others, to better reflect current market conditions. The changes are aimed at improving the fairness and accuracy of milk pricing across different regions and market classes. The AMS will seek approval from milk producers before implementing any new rules, with the possibility of terminating the order if it doesn't receive enough support.