[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 9 (Friday, January 12, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 2116-2118]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00595]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION

12 CFR Part 622

RIN 3052-AD62


Rules of Practice and Procedure; Adjusting Civil Money Penalties 
for Inflation

AGENCY: Farm Credit Administration.

ACTION: Final rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This regulation implements inflation adjustments to civil 
money penalties (CMPs) that the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) may 
impose or enforce pursuant to the Farm Credit Act of 1971, as amended 
(Farm Credit Act), and pursuant to the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 
1973, as amended by the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994, 
and further amended by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 
2012 (Biggert-Waters Act) (collectively FDPA, as amended).

DATES: This regulation is effective on January 15, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Camp, Accountant, Office of 
Regulatory Policy, Farm Credit Administration, (703) 883-4320, TTY 
(703) 883-4056, or, Heather LoPresti, Senior Counsel, Office of General 
Counsel, Farm Credit Administration, (703) 883-4318, TTY (703) 883-
4056.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Objective

    The objective of this regulation is to adjust the maximum CMPs for 
inflation through a final rulemaking to retain the deterrent effect of 
such penalties.

II. Background

A. Introduction

    The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as 
amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (1996 Act) and 
the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act 
of 2015 (2015 Act) (collectively, 1990 Act, as amended), requires all 
Federal agencies with the authority to enforce CMPs to evaluate and 
adjust, if necessary, those CMPs each year to ensure that they continue 
to maintain their deterrent value and promote compliance with the law. 
Section 3(2) of the 1990 Act, as amended, defines a civil monetary 
penalty \1\ as any penalty, fine, or other sanction that: (1) either is 
for a specific monetary amount as provided by Federal law or has a 
maximum amount provided for by Federal law; (2) is assessed or enforced 
by an agency pursuant to Federal law; and (3) is assessed or enforced 
pursuant to an administrative proceeding or a civil action in the 
Federal courts.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ While the 1990 Act, as amended by the 1996 and 2015 Acts, 
uses the term ``civil monetary penalties'' for these penalties or 
other sanctions, the Farm Credit Act and FCA regulations use the 
term ``civil money penalties.'' Both terms have the same meaning. 
Accordingly, this rule uses the term civil money penalty, and both 
terms may be used interchangeably.
    \2\ See 28 U.S.C. 2461 note.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The FCA imposes and enforces CMPs through the Farm Credit Act \3\ 
and the FDPA, as amended.\4\ FCA's regulations governing CMPs are found 
in 12 CFR parts 622 and 623. Part 622 establishes rules of practice and 
procedure applicable to formal and informal hearings held before the 
FCA, and to formal investigations conducted under the Farm Credit Act. 
Part 623 prescribes rules regarding persons who may practice before the 
FCA and the circumstances under which such persons may be suspended or 
debarred from practice before the FCA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ Public Law 92-181, as amended.
    \4\ 42 U.S.C. 4012a and Public Law 103-325, title V, 108 Stat. 
2160, 2255-87 (September 23, 1994).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. CMPs Issued Under the Farm Credit Act

    Section 5.32(a) of the Farm Credit Act provides that any Farm 
Credit System (System) institution or any officer, director, employee, 
agent, or other person participating in the conduct of the affairs of a 
System institution who violates the terms of an order that has become 
final pursuant to section 5.25 or 5.26 of the Farm Credit Act must pay 
a maximum daily amount of $1,000,\5\ for each day such violation 
continues. This CMP maximum was set by the Farm Credit Amendments Act 
of 1985, which amended the Farm Credit Act. Orders issued by the FCA 
under section 5.25 or 5.26 of the Farm Credit Act include temporary and 
permanent cease-and-desist orders. In addition, section 5.32(h) of the 
Farm Credit Act provides that any directive issued under sections 
4.3(b)(2), 4.3A(e), or 4.14A(i) of the Farm Credit Act ``shall be 
treated'' as a final order issued under section 5.25 of

[[Page 2117]]

the Farm Credit Act for purposes of assessing a CMP.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ The inflation-adjusted CMP in effect on January 15, 2023, 
for a violation of a final order is $2,741 per day, as set forth in 
Sec.  622.61(a)(1) of FCA regulations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 5.32(a) of the Farm Credit Act also states that ``[a]ny 
such institution or person who violates any provision of the [Farm 
Credit] Act or any regulation issued under this Act shall forfeit and 
pay a civil penalty of not more than $500 \6\ per day for each day 
during which such violation continues.'' This CMP maximum was set by 
section 423 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987, which was enacted 
in 1988 and amended the Farm Credit Act. Current inflation-adjusted CMP 
maximums are set forth in existing Sec.  622.61 of FCA regulations.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ The inflation-adjusted CMP in effect on January 15, 2023, 
for a violation of the Farm Credit Act or a regulation issued under 
the Farm Credit Act is $1,240 per day for each violation, as set 
forth in Sec.  622.61(a)(2) of FCA regulations.
    \7\ Prior adjustments were made under the 1990 Act and continue 
to be made each year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The FCA also enforces the FDPA, as amended, which requires FCA to 
assess CMPs for a pattern or practice of committing certain specific 
actions in violation of the National Flood Insurance Program. The FDPA 
states that the maximum CMP for a violation of that Act is 
$2,000.<SUP>8 9</SUP>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \8\ Public Law 112-141, 126 Stat. 405 (July 6, 2012); 42 U.S.C. 
4012a(f)(5).
    \9\ The inflation-adjusted CMP in effect on January 15, 2023, 
for a flood insurance violation is $2,577, as set forth in Sec.  
622.61(b) of FCA regulations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

C. Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 
2015

1. In General
    The 2015 Act required all Federal agencies to adjust the CMPs 
yearly, starting January 15, 2017.
    Under Section 4(b) of the 1990 Act, as amended, annual adjustments 
are to be made no later than January 15.\10\ Section 6 of the 1990 Act, 
as amended, states that any increase to a civil monetary penalty under 
this 1990 Act applies only to civil monetary penalties, including 
instances in which an associated violation predated the annual 
increase, which are assessed after the date the increase takes effect.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \10\ Public Law 114-74, sec. 701(b)(1).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 5(b) of the 1990 Act, as amended, defines the term ``cost-
of-living adjustment'' as the percentage (if any) for each civil 
monetary penalty by which (1) the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 
month of October of the calendar year preceding the adjustment, exceeds 
(2) the CPI for the month of October one year before the month of 
October referred to in (1) of the calendar year in which the amount of 
such civil monetary penalty was last set or adjusted pursuant to 
law.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \11\ The CPI is published by the Department of Labor, Bureau of 
Statistics, and is available at its website: https://www.bls.gov/cpi/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The increase for each CMP adjusted for inflation must be rounded 
using a method prescribed by section 5(a) of the 1990 Act, as amended, 
by the 2015 Act.\12\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \12\ Pursuant to section 5(a)(3) of the 2015 Act, any increase 
determined under the subsection shall be rounded to the nearest $1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Other Adjustments
    If a civil monetary penalty is subject to a cost-of-living 
adjustment under the 1990 Act, as amended, but is adjusted to an amount 
greater than the amount of the adjustment required under the Act within 
the 12 months preceding a required cost-of-living adjustment, the 
agency is not required to make the cost-of-living adjustment to that 
CMP in that calendar year.\13\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \13\ Pursuant to section 4(d) of the 1990 Act, as amended.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. Yearly Adjustments

A. Mathematical Calculations of 2024 Adjustments

    The adjustment requirement affects two provisions of section 
5.32(a) of the Farm Credit Act. For the 2024 yearly adjustments to the 
CMPs set forth by the Farm Credit Act, the calculation required by the 
2023 White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance \14\ is 
based on the percentage by which the CPI for October 2023 exceeds the 
CPI for October 2022. The OMB set forth guidance, as required by the 
2015 Act,\15\ with a multiplier for calculating the new CMP values.\16\ 
The 2023 OMB multiplier for the 2024 CMPs is 1.03241.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \14\ OMB Circular M-24-07, Implementation of Penalty Inflation 
Adjustments for 2024, Pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties 
Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015.
    \15\ 28 U.S.C. 2461 note, section 7(a).
    \16\ OMB Circular M-24-07, Implementation of Penalty Inflation 
Adjustments for 2024, Pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties 
Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The adjustment also affects the CMPs set by the Flood Disaster 
Protection Act of 1973, as amended. The adjustment multiplier is the 
same for all FCA enforced CMPs, set at 1.03241. The maximum CMPs for 
violations were created in 2012 by the Biggert-Waters Act, which 
amended the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973.
1. New Penalty Amount in Sec.  622.61(a)(1)
    The inflation-adjusted CMP currently in effect for violations of a 
final order occurring on or after January 15, 2023, is a maximum daily 
amount of $2,741.\17\ Multiplying the $2,741 CMP by the 2023 OMB 
multiplier, 1.03241, yields a total of $2,829.84. When that number is 
rounded as required by section 5(a) of the 1990 Act, as amended, the 
inflation-adjusted maximum increases to $2,830. Thus, the new CMP 
maximum is $2,830, for violations that occur on or after January 15, 
2024.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \17\ 12 CFR 622.61(a)(1).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. New Penalty Amount in Sec.  622.61(a)(2)
    The inflation-adjusted CMP currently in effect for violations of 
the Farm Credit Act or regulations issued under the Farm Credit Act 
occurring on or after January 15, 2023, is a maximum daily amount of 
$1,240.\18\ Multiplying the $1,240 CMP maximum by the 2023 OMB 
multiplier, 1.03241, yields a total of $1,280.19. When that number is 
rounded as required by section 5(a) of the 1990 Act, as amended the 
inflation-adjusted maximum increases to $1,280. Thus, the new CMP 
maximum is $1,280, for violations that occur on or after January 15, 
2024.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \18\ 12 CFR 622.61(a)(2).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. New Penalty Amounts for Flood Insurance Violations Under Sec.  
622.61(b)
    The existing maximum CMP for a pattern or practice of flood 
insurance violations pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 4012a(f)(5) occurring on or 
after January 15, 2023, is $2,577. Multiplying $2,577 by the 2023 OMB 
multiplier, 1.03241, yields a total of $2,660.52. When that number is 
rounded as required by section 5(a) of the 1990 Act, as amended, the 
new maximum assessment of the CMP for violating 42 U.S.C. 4012a(f)(5) 
is $2,661. Thus, the new CMP maximum is $2,661, for violations that 
occur on or after January 15, 2024.

IV. Notice and Comment Not Required by the Administrative Procedure Act

    Section 4(b)(2) of the 1990 Act, as amended by section 701 of the 
2015 Act (28 U.S.C. 2461 note), provides an exemption from the 
Administrative Procedure Act notice and comment requirements in 5 
U.S.C. 553. Further, these revisions are ministerial, technical, and 
noncontroversial. For these reasons, the FCA has determined to adopt 
this rule in final form.

V. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Pursuant to section 605(b) of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 
U.S.C. 601 et seq.), the FCA hereby certifies that this final rule will 
not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities. Each of the banks in the System, considered together with its 
affiliated associations,

[[Page 2118]]

has assets and annual income in excess of the amounts that would 
qualify them as small entities. Therefore, System institutions are not 
``small entities'' as defined in the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

List of Subjects in 12 CFR Part 622

    Administrative practice and procedure, Crime, Investigations, 
Penalties.
    For the reasons stated in the preamble, part 622 of chapter VI, 
title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations is amended to read as 
follows:

PART 622--RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE

0
1. The authority citation for part 622 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: Secs. 5.9, 5.10, 5.17, 5.25-5.37 of the Farm Credit 
Act (12 U.S.C. 2243, 2244, 2252, 2261-2273); 28 U.S.C. 2461 note; 
and 42 U.S.C. 4012a(f).

0
2. Revise Sec.  622.61 to read as follows:


Sec.  622.61  Adjustment of civil money penalties by the rate of 
inflation under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 
1990, as amended.

    (a) The maximum amount of each civil money penalty within FCA's 
jurisdiction is adjusted in accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties 
Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended (28 U.S.C. 2461 note), as 
follows:
    (1) Amount of civil money penalty imposed under section 5.32 of the 
Act for violation of a final order issued under section 5.25 or 5.26 of 
the Act: The maximum daily amount is $2,830 for violations that occur 
on or after January 15, 2024.
    (2) Amount of civil money penalty for violation of the Act or 
regulations: the maximum daily amount is $1,280 for each violation that 
occurs on or after January 15, 2024.
    (b) The maximum civil money penalty amount assessed under 42 U.S.C. 
4012a(f) is $2,661 for each violation that occurs on or after January 
15, 2024, with no cap on the total amount of penalties that can be 
assessed against any single institution during any calendar year.

    Dated: January 9, 2024.
Ashley Waldron,
Secretary to the Board, Farm Credit Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-00595 Filed 1-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6705-01-P