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. Prices of

new books are listed in the first FEDERAL

REGISTER issue of each week.

Rules and Regulations Federal Register

66061

Vol. 60, No. 245

Thursday, December 21, 1995

FEDERAL RETIREMENT THRIFT

INVESTMENT BOARD

5 CFR Part 1653

Legal Process for the Enforcement of

a Participant’s Legal Obligations To

Provide Child Support or Make

Alimony Payments

AGENCY: Federal Retirement Thrift

Investment Board.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: The Executive Director of the

Federal Retirement Thrift Investment

Board (Board) is adopting as a final rule

without change an interim regulation

which explains the Board’s procedures

for responding to legal process for the

enforcement of a participant’s legal

obligations to provide child support or

make alimony payments.

EFFECTIVE DATE: These final rules are

effective December 21, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patrick J. Forrest (202) 942–1662,

Federal Retirement Thrift Investment

Board, 1250 H Street, NW., Suite 400,

Washington, DC 20005.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Board

administers the Thrift Savings Plan

(TSP), which was established by the

Federal Employees’ Retirement System

Act of 1986 (FERSA), Public Law 99–

335, 101 Stat. 514 (1986), which has

been codified, as amended, largely at 5

U.S.C. 8401–8479 (1994). The TSP is a

tax-deferred retirement savings plan for

Federal employees that is similar to

cash or deferred arrangements

established under section 401(k) of the

Internal Revenue Code. Sums in a TSP

participant’s account are held in trust

for that participant. 5 U.S.C. 8437(g).

FERSA provides that payments from

the TSP that would otherwise be made

to any participant ‘‘shall be subject to

legal process for the enforcement of the

individual’s legal obligations to provide

child support or make alimony

payments as provided in section 459 of

the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 659).’’

5 U.S.C. 8437(e)(3).

These regulations address only legal

process for the enforcement of a

participant’s legal obligations to provide

child support or make alimony

payments. The Board also must honor a

court decree of divorce, annulment, or

legal separation or a court order or

court-approved property settlement

agreement incident to such decree that

expressly awards a portion of a

participant’s TSP account to a spouse,

former spouse, child or other dependent

of the participant, or to the attorney for

the spouse, former spouse, child or

other dependent of the participant for

attorney fees. 5 U.S.C. 8467 and 8435(c).

The Board refers to these documents as

‘‘retirement benefits court orders,’’ and

regulations governing them can be

found at 60 FR 13604 (1995) (to be

codified at 5 CFR part 1653, subpart A).

On August 31, 1995, the Board

published an interim rule with request

for comment in the Federal Register (60

FR 45624) relating to the Board’s

procedures for responding to legal

process for the enforcement of

participant’s legal obligations to provide

child support or make alimony

payments. The Board received no

comments on the interim rule.

Therefore, we are adopting the

provisions of the interim rule as a final

rule without change.

Federal Retirement Thrift Investment

Board.

Roger W. Mehle,

Executive Director.

Accordingly, the interim rule

amending 5 CFR part 1653, which was

published at 60 FR 45624 on August 31,

1995, is adopted as a final rule without

change.

[FR Doc. 95–31016 Filed 12–20–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6760–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Research Service

7 CFR Part 510

Availability of Information

AGENCY: Agricultural Research Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: This document amends

regulations of the Agricultural Research

Service (ARS) regarding the availability

of information to the public in

accordance with the Freedom of

Information Act (FOIA) to inform the

public of the change in location and title

of the FOIA Coordinator for ARS and to

make technical corrections in the

regulations.

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 21, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Stasia A.M. Hutchison, FOIA

Coordinator, Agricultural Research

Service, USDA, 6303 Ivy Lane, Room

456, Greenbelt, MD 20770, (301) 344–

2207.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FOIA

requires agencies to publish in the

Federal Register regulations describing

how the public may obtain information

from the agency (5 U.S.C. 552(a)(1)).

Part 510 of Title 7, Code of Federal

Regulations, is issued in accordance

with the regulations of the Secretary of

Agriculture at 7 CFR Part 1, Subpart A,

implementing FOIA.

Pursuant to an internal reorganization

of the Department of Agriculture

(USDA), the National Agricultural

Library (NAL) has been integrated as a

subordinate unit within the Agricultural

Research Service (ARS), USDA, and the

Human Nutrition Information Service

(HNIS) has been abolished and the

research functions formerly

administered by HNIS have been

delegated to the Administrator, ARS.

Requests for information relating to

NAL or HNIS may be directed to the

ARS FOIA Coordinator pursuant to the

Part.

Former Sections 510.2, Public

inspection and copying, and 510.3,

Index, have been merged into one new

Section 510.2, Public inspection,

copying, and indexing. A new Section

510.4, Denials, has been added to clarify

the procedures when requested

documents are denied by the FOIA

Coordinator. This document also

amends Part 510 to inform the public of

the change in the location and title of

the FOIA Coordinator for ARS.

This rule relates to internal agency

management. Therefore, pursuant to 5

U.S.C. 553, notice of proposed

rulemaking and opportunity for

comment are not required, and this may

be made effective less than 30 days after

publication in the Federal Register.

Further, since this rule relates to