16 CFR Chapter I - FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

The Federal Trade Commission (the “Commission”) is amending its Telemarketing Sales Rule (“TSR”) by updating the fees charged to entities accessing the National Do Not Call Registry (the “Registry”) as required by the Do-Not-Call Registry Fee Extension Act of 2007.

The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”) adopts revised Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries (“Jewelry Guides” or “Guides”). This document summarizes the Commission's revisions to the previous Guides and includes the final Guides as revised. Readers can find the Commission's complete analysis in the Statement of Basis and Purpose (“SBP”) on the FTC's website at https://www.ftc.gov/public-statements/2018/07/statement-basis-purpose-final-revisions-jewelry-guides.

The Commission is amending the Hart-Scott-Rodino (“HSR”) Premerger Notification Rules (the “Rules”) that require the parties to certain mergers and acquisitions to file reports with the Federal Trade Commission (“the Commission” or “FTC”) and the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (“the Assistant Attorney General” or “DOJ”) (together the “Antitrust Agencies” or “Agencies”) and to wait a specified period of time before consummating such transactions. The Commission is amending the Rules to make them clearer and easier to apply. The Commission is also amending the Rules to allow for the use of email in certain circumstances. Finally, the Commission is adding updated Instructions to the Premerger Notification and Report Form which include amendments for clarity and to make several non-substantive changes.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (Commission, or CPSC) is amending its regulation, Safety Standard for Automatic Residential Garage Door Operators, to reflect changes made by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL), in the entrapment protection provisions in UL's standard UL 325, Standard for Safety: Door, Drapery, Gate, Louver, and Window Operators and Systems, Seventh Edition.

Pursuant to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is issuing this final rule establishing a safety standard for booster seats. The Commission is also amending its regulations regarding third party conformity assessment bodies to include the safety standard for booster seats in the list of notices of requirements (NORs).

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) requires the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to adopt consumer product safety standards for durable infant or toddler products. To comply with the CPSIA, the Commission is issuing a safety standard for baby changing products. This rule incorporates by reference ASTM F2388-18, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Baby Changing Products for Domestic Use (ASTM F2388-18). In addition, this rule amends the regulations regarding third party conformity assessment bodies to include the safety standard for baby changing products in the list of Notices of Requirements (NORs).

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is issuing a final rule determining that certain untreated and unfinished engineered wood products (EWPs), specifically, particleboard, hardwood plywood, and medium-density fiberboard, made from virgin wood or pre-consumer wood waste do not contain lead, the ASTM F963 elements, or specified phthalates that exceed the limits set forth under the CPSC's statutes for children's products, children's toys, and child care articles. Based on these determinations, the specified EWPs would not be required to have third party testing for compliance with the requirements for lead, ASTM F963 elements, or phthalates for children's products, children's toys, and child care articles.

In accordance with section 104(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), also known as the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in December 2010, published a consumer product safety standard for non-full-size baby cribs (NFS cribs). The standard incorporated by reference the applicable ASTM voluntary standard, with several modifications. The CPSIA sets forth a process for updating standards that the Commission has issued under the authority of section 104(b) of the CPSIA. In accordance with that process, we are publishing this direct final rule, revising the CPSC's standard for NFS cribs to incorporate by reference a more recent version of the applicable ASTM standard.

In a final rule published on January 19, 2017, federal departments and agencies made revisions to the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (hereafter the “2018 Requirements”). The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) adopted the same regulatory changes in a separate final rule published on September 18, 2017. The 2018 Requirements were scheduled to become effective on January 19, 2018, with a general compliance date of January 19, 2018 (with the exception of the revisions to the cooperative research provision). The departments and agencies listed in this document have also published an interim final rule delaying the effective date and general compliance date for the 2018 Requirements for six months, to cover the time period of January 19, 2018 until July 19, 2018. As per the interim final rule, the effective date of the 2018 Requirements is now July 19, 2018. The departments and agencies listed in this document propose delaying the general compliance date for the 2018 Requirements for an additional six months, for the time period of July 19, 2018 until January 21, 2019. This proposed rule is intended to provide additional time to regulated entities for the preparations necessary to implement the 2018 Requirements. This proposed rule, if finalized, would require regulated entities to continue to comply with the requirements of the current Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (hereafter the “pre-2018 Requirements”) until January 21, 2019. This proposal also takes comment on whether to permit institutions to implement, for certain research studies, the following provisions in the 2018 Requirements during the period from July 19, 2018, until January 21, 2019, that the general compliance date is delayed. Those three provisions, intended to reduce burdens on regulated entities, are the 2018 Requirements' definition of “research,” which deems certain activities not to be research, the allowance for no annual continuing review of certain categories of research, and the elimination of the requirement that institutional review boards (IRBs) review grant applications related to the research. The way that this option is proposed, regulated entities would be required to comply with all pre-2018 Requirements during the period that the general compliance date is delayed, except for provisions substituted by the three burden-reducing provisions of the 2018 Requirements. As described in section III, below, this flexibility is proposed only for studies for which an institution makes a choice to transition to comply with the 2018 Requirements, beginning on July 19, 2018. In order to clearly describe this proposed flexibility, including how it would impact institutions choosing to transition research to comply with the 2018 Requirements, this document proposes a redrafted transition provision.

The Federal Trade Commission (“Commission”) seeks comment on the proposed repeal of its Trade Regulation Rule Concerning the Deceptive Advertising as to Sizes of Viewable Pictures Shown by Television Receiving Sets (“Picture Tube Rule” or “Rule”). This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPR”) provides background on the Picture Tube Rule and this proceeding, discusses public comments received by the Commission in response to its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“ANPR”), and solicits further comment on the proposed repeal of the Rule.

The Federal Trade Commission is publishing a rule that delegates certain limited functions where the Commission is unable to act because it lacks a quorum. The functions delegated are those in which no party or intervenor has a right to petition the agency for discretionary review or in which a party or intervenor has waived such a right. In matters in which at least one Commissioner determines to participate, the delegation is made to the participating Commissioner or to the body of Commissioners who are participating. In matters in which no Commissioner is participating, the General Counsel has authority to carry out the delegated functions. This delegation is not intended to alter or affect existing delegations to Commission staff.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (Commission or CPSC) will be holding a meeting to provide interested parties with an opportunity to present oral comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) the Commission issued regarding amendments to the fireworks regulations. Any oral comments will be part of the rulemaking record.

This final rule updates the notice of requirements (NOR) for the accreditation of third party laboratories to assess conformity with the prohibitions of children's toys and child care articles containing specified phthalates. The NOR provides the criteria and process for Commission acceptance of accreditation under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). This rule makes the NOR consistent with the regulated phthalates in children's toys and child care articles in the phthalates final rule published in the Federal Register on October 27, 2017.

On August 30, 2017, the Commission issued a final rule determining that certain plastics and additives would not contain the phthalates that the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) prohibits from use in children's toys and child care articles. Subsequently, the Commission issued a final rule that removes some phthalates from the statutory prohibition and adds others. This direct final rule revises the determinations rule to cover the phthalates that the phthalates final rule prohibits from use in children's toys and child care articles.

The Commission amends the Rules and Regulations Under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act (“Textile Rules”) to delete the requirement that an owner of a registered word trademark, used as a house mark, furnish the FTC with a copy of the mark's registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) before using the mark on labels.

The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”) requests public comment on the overall costs, benefits, and regulatory and economic impact of its rule specifying Test Procedures and Labeling Standards for Recycled Oil (“Recycled Oil Rule” or “Rule”), as part of the Commission's systematic review of all current FTC rules and guides.