30590 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2018 / Proposed Rules 

provision, who are appointed for 15- 

year terms, OPM estimates the number 

of affected employees is de minimus. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 

(Pub. L. 96–354) (RFA) establishes ‘‘as a 

principle of regulatory issuance that 

agencies shall endeavor, consistent with 

the objectives of the rule and of 

applicable statutes, to fit regulatory and 

informational requirements to the scale 

of the businesses, organizations, and 

governmental jurisdictions subject to 

regulation.’’ To achieve this principle, 

agencies are required to solicit and 

consider flexible regulatory proposals 

and to explain the rationale for their 

actions to assure that such proposals are 

given serious consideration.’’ The RFA 

covers a wide range of small entities, 

including small businesses, not-forprofit organizations, and small 

governmental jurisdictions. 

Agencies must perform a review to 

determine whether a rule will have a 

significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities. If 

the agency determines that it will, the 

agency must prepare a regulatory 

flexibility analysis as described in the 

RFA. I certify that this regulation will 

not have a significant economic impact 

on a substantial number of small entities 

because the regulation only affects a 

small number of Federal employees and 

annuitants. 

Executive Order 12866, Regulatory 

Review 

This proposed rule has been reviewed 

by the Office of Management and 

Budget in accordance with Executive 

Orders 13563 and 12866. 

Executive Order 13771, Reducing 

Regulation and Controlling Regulatory 

Costs 

This proposed rule is not expected to 

be an E.O. 13771 regulatory action 

because this proposed rule is not 

significant under Executive Order 

12866. The proposed rule makes 

minimal changes to coverage for certain 

judges, and clarifies that annual basic 

pay for FEGLI includes any type of pay 

treated as basic pay for purposes of the 

retirement systems established under 5 

U.S.C. chapters 83 and 84 consistent 

with applicable law or OPM regulation. 

This proposed rule is not subject to 

the requirements of E.O. 13771 (82 FR 

9339, February 3, 2017) because it is 

related to agency organization, 

management, or personnel and affects 

only a small number of federal 

employees and annuitants. 

Federalism 

We have examined this rule in 

accordance with Executive Order 13132, 

Federalism, and have determined that 

this rule will not have any negative 

impact on the rights, roles and 

responsibilities of State, local, or tribal 

governments. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(44 U.S.C. chapter 3507(d); see 5 CFR 

part 1320) requires that the U.S. Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) 

approve all collections of information 

by a Federal agency from the public 

before they can be implemented. 

Respondents are not required to respond 

to any collection of information unless 

it displays a current valid OMB control 

number. OPM is not proposing any 

additional collections in this rule. This 

rule does not affect any existing 

collections. 

List of Subjects in 5 CFR Part 870 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Government employees, 

Hostages, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Life 

Insurance, Retirement. 

Office of Personnel Management. 

Jeff T.H. Pon, 

Director. 

For the reasons stated in the 

preamble, OPM is proposing to amend 

part 870 of title 5 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations as follows: 

PART 870—FEDERAL EMPLOYEES’ 

GROUP LIFE INSURANCE PROGRAM 

■ 1. The authority citation for Part 870 

continues to read: 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 8716; Subpart J also 

issued under section 599C of Pub. L. 101– 

513, 104 Stat. 2064, as amended; Sec. 

870.302(a)(3)(ii) also issued under section 

153 of Pub. L. 104–134, 110 Stat. 1321; Sec. 

870.302(a)(3) also issued under sections 

11202(f), 11232(e), and 11246(b) and (c) of 

Pub. L. 105–33, 111 Stat. 251, and section 

7(e) of Pub. L. 105–274, 112 Stat. 2419; Sec. 

870.302(a)(3) also issued under section 145 of 

Pub. L. 106–522, 114 Stat. 2472; Secs. 

870.302(b)(8), 870.601(a), and 870.602(b) also 

issued under Pub. L. 110–279, 122 Stat. 2604; 

Subpart E also issued under 5 U.S.C. 8702(c); 

Sec. 870.601(d)(3) also issued under 5 U.S.C. 

8706(d); Sec. 870.703(e)(1) also issued under 

section 502 of Pub. L. 110–177, 121 Stat. 

Start Printed Page 773662542; Sec. 870.705 

also issued under 5 U.S.C. 8714b(c) and 

8714c(c); Public Law 104–106, 110 Stat. 521. 

■ 2. Amend § 870.101 by revising the 

definition of Employing Office, to read 

as follows: 

§ 870.101 Definitions. 

Employing Office 

* * * * * 

(4) The United States Court of 

Appeals for Veterans Claims is the 

employing office for judges of the 

United States Court of Appeals for 

Veterans Claims. 

* * * * * 

■ 3. Amend § 870.204 by revising 

paragraph (a) to read as follows: 

§ 870.204 Annual rates of pay. 

(a)(1) An employee’s annual pay is the 

annual basic pay of the position as fixed 

by law or regulation, except as 

otherwise provided by specific 

provision of law or OPM regulation. 

Annual pay for this purpose includes 

the following: 

(i) Any pay of a type that is treated as 

basic pay for purposes of the retirement 

systems established under 5 U.S.C. 

chapters 83 and 84, consistent with 5 

U.S.C. 8331(3); 

(ii) Any geographic-based pay 

supplement that is equivalent to a 

locality-based comparability payment 

under 5 U.S.C. 5304; and 

(iii) Any special pay supplement for 

a defined subcategory of employees that 

is equivalent to a special rate 

supplement under 5 U.S.C. 5305. 

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(1) 

of this section, annual basic pay does 

not include the following: 

(i) Bonuses, allowances, overtime pay, 

or any other pay to a covered civilian 

employee given in addition to the base 

pay of the position, except as otherwise 

provided by specific provision of law or 

OPM regulation. 

(ii) Physicians comparability 

allowances under 5 U.S.C. 5948. 

* * * * * 

■ 4. Amend § 870.703 by adding 

paragraph (e)(1)(vii) to read as follows: 

§ 870.703 Election of Basic insurance. 

* * * * * 

(e) * * * 

(1) * * * 

(vii) 38 U.S.C. 7296. 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. 2018–14032 Filed 6–28–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6325–63–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

7 CFR Part 810 

[Doc. No. AMS–FGIS–18–0053] 

United States Standards for Canola 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Request for information. 

SUMMARY: The United States Department 

of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2018 / Proposed Rules 30591 

Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking 

comments from the public regarding the 

United States (U.S.) Standards for 

Canola under the United States Grain 

Standards Act (USGSA). To ensure that 

standards and official grading practices 

remain relevant, AMS invites interested 

parties to comment on whether the 

current canola standards and grading 

practices need to be changed. 

DATES: We will consider comments we 

receive by August 28, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments or notice 

of intent to submit comments by any of 

the following methods: 

• Postal Mail: Please send your 

comment addressed to Kendra Kline, 

AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Room 2043–S, Washington, 

DC 20250–3614. 

• Hand Delivery or Courier: Kendra 

Kline, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Room 2043–S, Washington, 

DC 20250–3614. 

• Internet: Go to http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line 

instructions for submitting comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Patrick McCluskey, USDA AMS; 

Telephone: (816) 659–8403; Email: 

Patrick.J.McCluskey@ams.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4 

of the USGSA (7 U.S.C. 76(a)) grants the 

Secretary of Agriculture the authority to 

establish standards for canola and other 

grains regarding kind, class, quality, and 

condition. The canola standards were 

established by USDA on February 28, 

1992 (57 FR 3271) and appear in the 

USGSA regulations at 7 CFR 810.301– 

810.306. The standards facilitate canola 

marketing and define U.S. canola 

quality in the domestic and global 

marketplace. The standards define 

commonly used industry terms; contain 

basic principles governing the 

application of standards, such as the 

type of sample used for a particular 

quality analysis; the basis of 

determination; and specify grades and 

grade requirements. Official procedures 

for determining grading factors are 

provided in Grain Inspection Handbook, 

Book II, Chapter 3, ‘‘Canola’’. The 

Handbook also includes standardized 

procedures for additional quality 

attributes not used to determine grade, 

such as dockage and moisture content. 

Together, the grading standards and 

official procedures allow buyers and 

sellers to communicate quality 

requirements, compare canola quality 

using equivalent forms of measurement, 

and assist in price discovery. 

The realignment of offices within the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

authorized by the Secretary’s 

Memorandum dated November 14, 

2017, ‘‘Improving Customer Service and 

Efficiency’’, eliminates the Grain 

Inspection, Packers and Stockyards 

Administration (GIPSA) as a standalone 

agency. Federal Grain Inspection 

Service (FGIS) activities, formerly part 

of GIPSA, are now organized under 

AMS. FGIS grading and inspection 

services are provided through a network 

of federal, state, and private laboratories 

that conduct tests to determine the 

quality and condition of canola. These 

tests are conducted in accordance with 

applicable standards using approved 

methodologies and can be applied at 

any point in the marketing chain. 

Furthermore the tests yield rapid, 

reliable, and consistent results. In 

addition, FGIS-issued certificates 

describing the quality and condition of 

graded canola are accepted as prima 

facie evidence in all Federal courts. U.S. 

Standards for Canola and the affiliated 

grading and testing services offered by 

FGIS verify that a seller’s canola meet 

specified requirements, and ensure that 

customers receive the quality of canola 

they purchased. 

In order for U.S. standards and 

grading procedures for canola to remain 

relevant, AMS is issuing this request for 

information to invite interested parties 

to submit comments, ideas, and 

suggestions on all aspects of the U.S. 

Standards for Canola and official 

procedures. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 71–87k. 

Dated: June 26, 2018. 

Greg Ibach, 

Under Secretary, Marketing and Regulatory 

Programs. 

[FR Doc. 2018–14016 Filed 6–28–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

7 CFR Part 810 

[Doc. No. AMS–FGIS–18–0052] 

United States Standards for Corn 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Request for information. 

SUMMARY: The United States Department 

of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural 

Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking 

comments from the public regarding the 

United States (U.S.) Standards for Corn 

under the United States Grain Standards 

Act (USGSA). To ensure that standards 

and official grading practices remain 

relevant, AMS invites interested parties 

to comment on whether the current corn 

standards and grading practices need to 

be changed. 

DATES: We will consider comments we 

receive by August 28, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments or notice 

of intent to submit comments by any of 

the following methods: 

• Postal Mail: Please send your 

comment addressed to Kendra Kline, 

AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Room 2043–S, Washington, 

DC 20250–3614. 

• Hand Delivery or Courier: Kendra 

Kline, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Room 2043–S, Washington, 

DC 20250–3614. 

• Internet: Go to http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line 

instructions for submitting comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Patrick McCluskey, USDA AMS; 

Telephone: (816) 659–8403; Email: 

Patrick.J.McCluskey@ams.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4 

of the USGSA (7 U.S.C. 76(a)) grants the 

Secretary of Agriculture the authority to 

establish standards for corn and other 

grains regarding kind, class, quality, and 

condition. The corn standards, 

established by USDA on December 1, 

1916, were last revised in 1995 (60 FR 

61194) and appear in the USGSA 

regulations at 7 CFR 810.401–810.405. 

The standards facilitate corn marketing 

and define U.S. corn quality in the 

domestic and global marketplace. The 

standards define commonly used 

industry terms; contain basic principles 

governing the application of standards, 

such as the type of sample used for a 

particular quality analysis; the basis of 

determination; and specify grades and 

grade requirements. Official procedures 

for determining grading factors are 

provided in Grain Inspection Handbook, 

Book II, Chapter 4, ‘‘Corn’’. The 

Handbook also includes standardized 

procedures for additional quality 

attributes not used to determine grade, 

such as stress crack analysis and 

moisture content. Together, the grading 

standards and official procedures allow 

buyers and sellers to communicate 

quality requirements, compare corn 

quality using equivalent forms of 

measurement, and assist in price 

discovery. 

The realignment of offices within the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

authorized by the Secretary’s 

Memorandum dated November 14, 

2017, ‘‘Improving Customer Service and 

Efficiency’’, eliminates the Grain 

Inspection, Packers and Stockyards 

Administration (GIPSA) as a standalone 

agency. Federal Grain Inspection 

Service (FGIS) activities, formerly part 

of GIPSA, are now organized under 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with PROPOSALS