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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 99695-99696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28864]

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Rules and Regulations
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents 
having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed 
to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published 
under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.

The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 238 / Wednesday, December 11, 2024 / 
Rules and Regulations

[[Page 99695]]

U.S. AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA

2 CFR Chapter XIX

22 CFR Part 518

[3112-AA05]

Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit 
Requirements for Federal Awards

AGENCY: U.S. Agency for Global Media

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM or 
the Agency) adopts the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost 
Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform 
Guidance) initially set forth as guidance by the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) and published by OMB on December 26, 2013, and updated 
on April 4, 2024. This rule is necessary in order to incorporate into 
regulation and thus bring into effect the Uniform Guidance as required 
by OMB. Implementation of this guidance will reduce administrative 
burden and risk of waste, fraud, and abuse related to the Federal 
financial assistance awarded each year by the Agency. To avoid 
confusion, we additionally supersede existing agency regulations 
related to this same subject matter.

DATES: This regulation is effective December 11, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, please 
contact Trina Mixson, Acting Chief Financial Officer, Office of the 
Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Agency for Global Media, 330 Independence 
Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20237; 202-322-9320; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Discussion

    USAGM is an independent establishment of the federal government 
that exercises authority over non-military United States government 
broadcasting. USAGM oversees two federal entities--Voice of America and 
the Office of Cuba Broadcasting--and five grantee non-profit 
organizations--Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the 
Middle East Broadcasting Networks, the Open Technology Fund, and the 
Frontline Media Fund. Its broadcasting networks reach a cumulative 
weekly worldwide audience of more than 400 million people.
    On December 19, 2014, OMB and more than 30 other federal agencies 
issued an interim final rule that implemented the final guidance on 
Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit 
Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance). In that interim 
final rule, Federal awarding agencies joined together to implement the 
Uniform Guidance in their respective chapters of title 2 of the CFR, 
and, where approved by the OMB, implemented any exceptions to the 
Uniform Guidance by including the relevant language in their 
regulations. The intent of this effort was to simultaneously reduce 
administrative burden and the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse while 
delivering better performance. Implementation of the Uniform Guidance 
became effective on December 26, 2014 (79 FR 75867, December 19, 2014).
    On April 4, 2024, OMB revised that guidance to incorporate recent 
OMB policy priorities related to Federal financing assistance and to 
reduce agency and recipient burden. The updated guidance seeks to 
improve Federal financial assistance management, transparency, and 
oversight through more accessible and readily comprehensible guidance 
and clarifies sections of the prior version of the guidance.
    Although USAGM's predecessor agency, the Broadcasting Board of 
Governors, did not implement the guidance when initially codified in 
2014, for the past several years USAGM has incorporated the guidance in 
its Federal financial assistance agreements. USAGM now takes the 
opportunity of the recent updates to join the more than 30 federal 
agencies that have already done so. USAGM does so to bring its federal 
assistance processes in line with best practices suggested by OMB, 
streamline its financial assistance processes, and increase 
transparency. To avoid confusion, the agency additionally supersedes 
existing agency regulations relating to the same subject matter.

II. Justification To Issue Final Rule

    Under the Administrative Procedure Act, a federal agency may issue 
a final rule without first issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking 
(NPRM) in several circumstances. Two apply to this rule. First, an 
agency need not issue a proposed rulemaking to a matter relating to 
agency management or personnel or to public property, loans, grants, 
benefits, or contracts. This rule qualifies as a rule of agency 
procedure and practice related to the issuance and monitoring of 
federal awards. The Administrative Procedure Act therefore excepts this 
rule from traditional notice and comment periods.
    Second, an agency must first find that issuing an NPRM would be 
impractical, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest. As stated 
above, this rule incorporates--in full and without change--the Uniform 
Guidance developed by OMB. OMB initially issued the guidance only after 
considering public comment received following both an Advanced Notice 
of Public Guidance (available at www.regulations.gov under docket 
number OMB-2012-0002) and Notice of Proposed Guidance (available at 
www.regulations.gov under docket number OMB-2013-0001). Combined, those 
two dockets received more than 650 total comments. The public enjoyed 
similar opportunity to comment on the guidance more recently. OMB 
provided multiple opportunities for public comment when issuing the 
2024 revisions to that guidance, including a Request for Information 
(available at www.regulations.gov under docket number OMB-2023-0007) 
and Notice of Proposed Guidance (available at www.regulations.gov under 
docket number OMB-2023-0017). Combined, those two dockets received more 
than 1150 total comments. Any NPRM issued by USAGM would be redundant 
of previous efforts by OMB, and is therefore unnecessary.

III. Procedural Matters

a. Paperwork Reduction Act

    The Paperwork Reduction Act requires that agencies obtain OMB

[[Page 99696]]

approval before conducting a collection of information from the public. 
Any information collected under the regulations proposed does not to 
constitute a collection of information for the purposes of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

b. Executive Order 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review), Executive 
Order 13563 (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review), and Executive 
Order 14094 (Modernizing Regulatory Review)

    Executive Orders 12866, 13563, and 14094 direct agencies to assess 
all costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives, and, if 
regulation is necessary, to select regulatory approaches that maximize 
net benefits (including potential economic, environmental, public 
health and safety effects, distributive impacts, and equity). OMB's 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) designated the 
implementation of the Uniform Guidance by OMB and more than 25 other 
agencies to be not significant in 2014. USAGM similar concludes that 
its implementation is not significant and therefore is not subject to 
mandatory prior review by the OIRA pursuant to Executive Orders 12866, 
13563, or 14094.

c. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

    The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act requires that agencies prepare a 
budgetary impact statement before promulgating a rule that may result 
in the expenditure by State, local, and tribal governments, or by the 
private sector, of $100 million or more in any one year. Upon first 
implementing the Uniform Guidance, OMB determined that its joint 
interim final rule will not result in expenditures by State, local, and 
tribal governments, or by the private sector, of $100 million or more 
in any one year. USAGM concurs. Therefore, no actions are necessary 
under the provisions of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, 2 
U.S.C. 1532.

d. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Regulatory Flexibility Act requires an agency issuing a final 
rule to provide a final regulatory flexibility analysis or to certify 
that the rule will not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities. In accordance with the RFA, USAGM 
certifies that this rule will not have a significant economic impact on 
a substantial number of small entities, and thus no regulatory 
flexibility analysis is required under 5 U.S.C. 603.

e. Executive Order 13132 (Federalism Assessment)

    Executive Order 13132 limits an agency's ability to promulgate 
rules that have federalism implications, impose substantial compliance 
costs on state and local governments, or pre-empt state and local law. 
This proposed rule will not have sufficient federalism implications to 
warrant the preparation of a federalism assessment pursuant to 
Executive Order 13132.

List of Subjects in 2 CFR Part 1900

    Accounting, Administrative practice and procedure, Grant programs, 
Grants administration, Loan programs, Nonprofit organizations, 
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, and under the authority 
of 5 U.S.C. 301 and 2 CFR part 200, the U.S. Agency for Global Media 
adds chapter XIX to 2 CFR subtitle B, consisting of parts 1900 through 
1999, and removes 22 CFR part 518 as follows:

Title 2--Grants and Agreements

Subtitle B--Federal Agency Regulations for Grants and Agreements

CHAPTER XIX--U.S. AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA

PART 1900--UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, COST PRINCIPLES, 
AND AUDIT REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL AWARDS

Sec.
1900.1 Adoption of 2 CFR part 200.
1900.2 [Reserved]

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 301; 2 CFR part 200

PART 1900--UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, COST PRINCIPLES, 
AND AUDIT REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL AWARDS

Sec.  1900.1   Adoption of 2 CFR Part 200.

    The United States Agency for Global Media adopts the Uniform 
Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements 
for Federal Awards set forth at 2 CFR part 200. Thus, this part gives 
regulatory effect to the terms of 2 CFR part 200 (as effective October 
1, 2024).

Sec.  1900.2  [Reserved]

PARTS 1901-1999 [Reserved]

    Dated: December 4, 2024.
Amanda Bennett,
Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Agency for Global Media.
[FR Doc. 2024-28864 Filed 12-10-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8610-01-P
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