Notice2022-19317
Comment Period Extension and Hearing Notice for Proposed Amendment to Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption 84-14 (the QPAM Exemption)
Primary source
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Published
September 7, 2022
Issuing agencies
Labor DepartmentEmployee Benefits Security Administration
Abstract
The Department of Labor (the Department) is extending the comment period for a proposed amendment to prohibited transaction class exemption 84-14 (the Proposed QPAM Amendment). Additionally, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) will hold a virtual public hearing regarding the Proposed QPAM Amendment. EBSA welcomes comments and requests to testify at the hearing from the general public. As discussed in the DATES section below, the Department also will reopen the comment period for the Proposed QPAM Amendment in connection with the hearing.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 172 (Wednesday, September 7, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 172 (Wednesday, September 7, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54715-54716]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19317]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employee Benefits Security Administration
[Application No. D-12022]
Z-RIN 1210 ZA07
Comment Period Extension and Hearing Notice for Proposed
Amendment to Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption 84-14 (the QPAM
Exemption)
AGENCY: Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of
Labor.
ACTION: Notice of extension of comment period; hearing notice and
subsequent reopening of comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (the Department) is extending the
comment period for a proposed amendment to prohibited transaction class
exemption 84-14 (the Proposed QPAM Amendment). Additionally, the
Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
will hold a virtual public hearing regarding the Proposed QPAM
Amendment. EBSA welcomes comments and requests to testify at the
hearing from the general public. As discussed in the DATES section
below, the Department also will reopen the comment period for the
Proposed QPAM Amendment in connection with the hearing.
DATES: Written comments on the Proposed QPAM Amendment and requests to
testify at the hearing must be submitted to the Department on or before
October 11, 2022. The public hearing will be held on November 17, 2022,
and November 18, 2022 (if necessary), via WebEx beginning at 9 a.m.
EST. The Department will reopen the comment period for the Proposed
QPAM Amendment for a supplemental comment period beginning on the
hearing date (November 17, 2022) and publish a Federal Register notice
announcing that the hearing transcript is available on EBSA's web page
and when the supplemental comment period ends.
ADDRESSES: Please submit all written comments and requests to testify
at the hearing to the Office of Exemption Determinations through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> using Docket ID
number: EBSA-2022-0008. Instructions are provided at the end of this
notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Scott Hesse, Office of Exemption
Determinations, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S.
Department of Labor. Telephone: (202) 693-8546 (this is not a toll-free
number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Department published the Proposed QPAM Amendment on July 27,
2022, with a 60-day comment period that is scheduled to expire on
September 26, 2022. Since the publication of the Proposed QPAM
Amendment, the Department received a request from interested persons
for the Department to extend its comment period for at least an
additional 60 days. After carefully considering the extension request,
the Department has decided that it is appropriate to extend the initial
comment period for an additional 15 days until October 11, 2022 (a
total of 75 days) to provide interested parties with additional time to
prepare and submit comments, as well as to provide a supplemental
comment period following a public hearing.
Hearing and Supplementary Comment Period
On its own motion, the Department also has decided to hold a
virtual public hearing to provide an opportunity for all interested
parties to testify on material information and issues regarding the
Proposed QPAM Amendment. The hearing will be held via WebEx on November
17, 2022, and November 18, 2022 (if necessary), beginning at 9 a.m. EDT
and will be transcribed. Registration information to access and view
the hearing will be available on EBSA's website: <a href="http://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa">www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa</a>.
The Department will reopen the comment period on the Proposed QPAM
[[Page 54716]]
amendment for a supplemental comment period beginning on the hearing
date (November 17, 2022) and closing approximately 14 days after the
Department publishes the hearing transcript on EBSA's web page. The
Department will publish a Federal Register notice announcing that the
hearing transcript is available on EBSA's web page and when the
supplemental comment period will close. Due to the time required to
process and publish the hearing transcript, the supplemental comment
period should provide interested parties with at least 30 additional
days to comment on the Proposed QPAM Amendment.
Requests To Testify at the Hearing
Individuals and organizations interested in testifying at the
public hearing must submit a written request to testify and a summary
of their testimony by October 11, 2022. Requests to testify must
include:
(1) the name, title, organization, address, email address, and
telephone number of the individual who would testify;
(2) if applicable, the name of the organization(s) whose views
would be represented;
(3) the date of the requestor's written comment on the Rule (if
applicable); and
(4) a concise summary of the testimony that would be presented.
Any requestors with disabilities requiring special accommodations
for their testimony should contact Erin Scott Hesse at (202) 693-8546
after submitting their request (this is not a toll-free number).
The Department will organize the hearing into several moderated
panels. Each individual or organization will be given 10 minutes to
testify and should be prepared to answer questions regarding the
testimony. EBSA will post an agenda containing the panel compositions
and presentation times on <a href="http://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa">www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa</a> no later than
November 15, 2022.
EBSA may limit the number of presenters based on how many testimony
requests it receives. In that event, EBSA will ensure that the broadest
array of viewpoints on all aspects of the Proposed QPAM Amendment is
represented and will include in the public record all testimony
summaries it receives.
Instructions for Submitting Comments and Requests To Testify
All written comments and requests to testify at the hearing should
be sent to the Office of Exemption Determinations through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> using Docket ID number: EBSA-
2022-0008 on or before October 11, 2022. Individuals and Organizations
are encouraged to submit all comments and requests to testify
electronically and not to follow such submission with paper copies.
Comments and requests to testify will also be available to the public,
without charge, online at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, at Docket ID number:
EBSA-2022-0008 and <a href="http://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa">www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa</a>. They also will be
available for public inspection in the Public Disclosure Room of the
Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor,
Room N-1513, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210; however,
the Public Disclosure Room may be closed for all or a portion of the
comment period due to circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic
caused by the novel coronavirus.
Warning to Commenters and Requestors: All comments, requests to
testify, and testimony summaries will be included in the public record
without change and will be made available online at
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, including any personal information provided,
unless the comment, request to testify, or testimony summary includes
information claimed to be confidential or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. If you submit a comment, request
to testify, or testimony summary, the Employee Benefits Security
Administration (EBSA) recommends that you include your name and other
contact information, but DO NOT submit information that you consider to
be confidential, or otherwise protected (such as Social Security number
or an unlisted phone number), or confidential business information that
you do not want publicly disclosed on your comment, request to testify,
or testimony summary. However, if EBSA cannot read your comment,
request to testify, or testimony summary due to technical difficulties
and cannot contact you for clarification, EBSA might not be able to
consider your comment or schedule you to testify. Additionally, the
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> website is an ``anonymous access'' system, which
means EBSA will not know your identity or contact information unless
you provide it. If you send an email directly to EBSA without going
through <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, your email address will be automatically
captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the
public record and made available on the internet.
Customer Service Information: Individuals interested in obtaining
information from the Department concerning ERISA and employee benefit
plans may call the Employee Benefits Security Administration's Toll-
Free Hotline, at 1-866-444-3272 or visit EBSA's website (<a href="http://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa">www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa</a>).
Signed at Washington, DC, this 1st day of September, 2022.
Ali Khawar,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Employee Benefits Security Administration,
U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2022-19317 Filed 9-6-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-29-P
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