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The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has made changes to its regulations for renewing licenses of certain non-power facilities, known as non-power production or utilization facilities (NPUFs). The new rule simplifies the process by removing license terms for many facilities used for research and development, while introducing updated rules to ensure safety is maintained. Key changes require facilities to submit updated safety analysis reports every five years and set a new accident dose criterion of 1 rem total effective dose for facilities that are not testing facilities, to help manage potential risks better. These updates are expected to reduce costs and improve efficiency while maintaining public safety.

The Department of Labor has updated the Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFC Program) to simplify the process of correcting fiduciary breaches under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). These updates add a self-correction feature for common plan issues like late participant contributions, streamline procedures for program participation, and incorporate changes from the SECURE 2.0 Act allowing self-correction for certain participant loan failures. The goal is to make the program more user-friendly for employers and other plan fiduciaries, encouraging compliance with the law and avoiding potential civil penalties.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has proposed a new order for promoting natural grass sod products. This initiative, called the Natural Grass Sod Promotion, Research, and Information Order, aims to support the natural grass sod industry by funding market expansion and research activities through fees collected from sod producers. A key aspect of the proposal is a referendum where natural grass sod producers can vote on whether to adopt this program. If approved, the program will be financed by a small assessment on the sale of sod, with the goal of supporting industry education, promotion, and research efforts.

The Department of Justice has proposed changes to the regulations of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to comply with the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022. The proposal includes adding new definitions and procedures to incorporate local and Tribal firearms prohibitions alongside existing federal and state laws. It also covers enhanced background checks for firearm buyers under 21, introduces denial notifications to law enforcement when a gun sale is denied, and suggests improvements like identifying agencies that can't share certain records due to state laws. The Department seeks public comments on these proposed changes to refine and ensure their effectiveness in preventing prohibited individuals from acquiring firearms.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to update the classification of the West Indian manatee by distinguishing between its two subspecies, listing the Florida manatee as a threatened species and the Antillean manatee as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. This proposal involves removing the West Indian manatee from the list and replacing it with the two subspecies to provide them with distinct protections. The Florida manatee faces threats like habitat loss, watercraft collisions, and climate change, whereas the Antillean manatee is endangered by factors like poaching, low genetic diversity, and ineffective regulatory enforcement in some areas. Public comments are invited on this proposed rule until March 17, 2025.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized rules regarding salamanders to protect U.S. ecosystems from the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). These rules affirm the 2016 interim rule that listed 20 genera of salamanders as injurious and add 16 more genera to the list. The regulation prohibits the import and transport of these genera among certain U.S. jurisdictions, with exceptions for purposes like scientific research. This action aims to prevent the introduction and spread of Bsal, which can have devastating effects on native salamander populations.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has proposed a new rule to allow healthcare practitioners to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine, without needing an in-person exam, through a Special Registration framework. This framework permits three types of special registrations: Telemedicine Prescribing Registration for Schedule III-V drugs, Advanced Telemedicine Prescribing Registration for Schedule II-V drugs for certain specialists, and Telemedicine Platform Registration for online platforms to dispense these drugs. These changes, which aim to expand patient access while safeguarding against drug abuse, also require practitioners to perform additional prescription checks and comply with detailed reporting and recordkeeping. Public comments on this proposal are welcome before final implementation.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule amending its Uniform Administrative Requirements to realign with statutory nondiscrimination provisions stated by Congress, thus significantly altering previous regulations. This rule focuses on requiring recipients of HHS awards to adhere to applicable federal statutory nondiscrimination laws and ensures compliance with relevant Supreme Court decisions. The action also addresses concerns that previous rules might violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) by causing undue burdens on religious organizations. This change aims to provide clarity and stability for grantees, while planning to avoid issues related to RFRA compliance.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a final rule that requires its regulations to be reviewed periodically, with most regulations set to expire automatically every ten years unless reviewed. This is intended to ensure that regulations stay up-to-date and relevant. The final rule also includes processes for public comments and specifies the criteria for reviews, which include assessing whether the regulations significantly impact small entities, and if they are still necessary or need amendments. Certain regulations, such as those mandated by federal law and the annual Medicare payment update rules, are exempt from these reviews.

In this final rule, the Department of Labor revises the way it calculates prevailing wage levels for alien workers in the U.S. to ensure wages align more accurately with those of U.S. workers with similar skills. This change applies to H1-B, H1-B1, and E-3 visa programs as well as certain immigrant visa categories. The rule lowers the previous wage level estimates, transitioning over a phased implementation period, to better protect U.S. worker job opportunities by eliminating financial incentives for using lower-paid foreign labor over similarly capable American workers. The rule also provides steps to ensure a smooth transition to these new wage levels.