Federal Register Round-Up: Five Agency Actions Span Immigration, Fisheries, and Regulatory Priorities

DHS Corrects Dropped 30-Day EAD Processing Deadline

The Department of Homeland Security issued a correcting amendment, effective July 21, 2026, to an interim final rule (IFR) originally published April 29, 2026, that codified immigration fees and procedures required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1). The correction is applicable as of May 29, 2026 — the original IFR's effective date — meaning DHS will apply the corrected text to applications pending on, or filed on or after, that date.

The IFR had revised and reformatted regulatory text at 8 CFR 208.7(a)(1), and in doing so inadvertently removed the 30-day processing timeframe for initial employment authorization document (EAD) applications filed under 8 CFR 274a.12(c)(8) by asylum seekers. The correction restores the requirement that USCIS grant or deny such an application within 30 days of filing, while maintaining the existing rule that no employment authorization may be issued prior to the expiration of the 180-day period following the filing of the asylum application filed on or after April 1, 1997. The document notes that a separate February 23, 2026 proposed rulemaking had proposed extending that 30-day timeframe to 180 days, but states that neither the IFR error nor this correction are related to that separate regulatory change under consideration.

The correction also adds the word "rejected" to 8 CFR 208.7(a)(1)(v), so that the regulation expressly covers both denials and rejections of asylum applications — aligning employment authorization consequences with the new Annual Asylum Fee (AAF) rejection mechanism established by the IFR and with 8 U.S.C. 1810(b). The agency states it has continued to prioritize adjudicative resources for initial (c)(8)-based EAD applications accordingly, and asserts there will not be a gap in application of the 30-day processing timeline.

NMFS Transfers Summer Flounder Quota From North Carolina to Massachusetts

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced a temporary rule, effective July 20, 2026 through December 31, 2026, transferring 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) of commercial summer flounder quota from North Carolina to Massachusetts for the 2026 fishing year. The transfer was requested to repay landings made by an out-of-state permitted vessel under a safe harbor agreement.

The transfer mechanism is established under the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP), as implemented by the final rule published December 17, 1993 (58 FR 65936), and operates under 50 CFR 648.102(c)(2), which allows two or more states, under mutual agreement and with the concurrence of the NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator, to transfer or combine summer flounder commercial quota. The Regional Administrator must evaluate three criteria: that the transfer would not preclude the overall annual quota from being fully harvested; that it addresses an unforeseen variation or contingency in the fishery; and that it is consistent with the objectives of the FMP and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. NMFS states the Regional Administrator determined all three criteria have been met. The revised 2026 quotas are: North Carolina, 2,902,006 lb (1,316,328 kg); and Massachusetts, 1,046,297 lb (474,592 kg).

SBA Seeks Comments on Updating SBIC Model Limited Partnership Agreement

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is soliciting public comments on updating the SBA Model Form of Limited Partnership Agreement (the "Model," currently Version 3.0) used by the SBIC program. Comments must be received on or before September 21, 2026. SBA states it intends to revise the Model to more closely align with customary provisions generally found in private funds, while maintaining regulatory and policy provisions necessary to minimize the risk of loss in the SBIC program and ensure consistency with updated SBA regulations and policies.

SBICs are privately owned and managed investment funds, licensed and regulated by SBA, that use private capital raised from investors and SBA-guaranteed leverage to make equity and debt investments in qualifying small businesses. The SBIC program was established under the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, and the SBIC Act requires SBA's written approval of an SBIC applicant's organizational documents. SBA notes that a substantial majority of applicants are formed as limited partnerships. The original Model was developed in 2000 and last updated in 2016 to include provisions required by 13 CFR part 107 and other SBA policy requirements. SBA states that since 2016, new regulations have been promulgated within the SBIC program and changes to common market terms and conditions have occurred within the private equity and venture capital industry. The agency specifically welcomes recommendations for change with supporting rationale, and states it will publish a notice in the Federal Register and post a final revised version on its website once the Model is finalized.

CMS Proposes Revisions to Two Information Collections

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a notice under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 seeking public comment, due by September 21, 2026, on two proposed revisions to currently approved information collections.

The first involves the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS), Form CMS-R-284 (OMB control number 0938-0345). CMS states this dataset provides the only national-level information on Medicaid and CHIP enrollees, beneficiaries, expenditures, and utilization, and is also the basis for the Department's actuarial forecasts and cost-sharing legislative analyses to Congress. The proposed revision is driven in part by Section 71109 of the Working Families Tax Cut legislation (Pub. L. 119-21), which amended the Social Security Act to restrict, with limited exceptions, Federal Financial Participation for Medicaid and CHIP to specified groups beginning October 1, 2026 — including U.S. citizens and nationals, Lawful Permanent Residents, Cuban/Haitian entrants, and Compact of Free Association migrants. To support compliance and oversight, CMS proposes adding new valid values to the IMMIGRATION-STATUS and ELIGIBILITY-TERMINATION-REASON data elements. The collection covers 54 respondents, generating 648 total annual responses and 15,390 total annual hours.

The second collection involves the In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH CAHPS) Survey Mode Experiment, which supports the national implementation of the ICH CAHPS Survey through CMS-approved third-party vendors using mail-only, telephone-only, or mixed modes of administration.

CPSC Opens Comment Period on FY 2027–2028 Agenda and Priorities

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is seeking public comment, due by 5 p.m. EDT on August 12, 2026, on its agenda and priorities for fiscal year 2027 (beginning October 1, 2026) and fiscal year 2028 (beginning October 1, 2027). The notice states the Commission is preparing its FY 2027 Operating Plan and FY 2028 Congressional Budget Request. Section 4(j) of the Consumer Product Safety Act requires the Commission to establish an agenda and, to the extent feasible, select priorities at least 30 days before the beginning of each fiscal year, and to provide an opportunity for public comment before doing so. The Commission states that proposed priorities should be aligned with the agency's Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2026–2030.

What to Watch

• August 12, 2026 — Deadline for public comments to the CPSC on its FY 2027–2028 agenda and priorities.
• September 21, 2026 — Deadline for public comments to SBA on updating the SBIC Model Form of Limited Partnership Agreement.
• September 21, 2026 — Deadline for public comments to CMS on proposed revisions to T-MSIS and the ICH CAHPS Survey Mode Experiment collections.
• October 1, 2026 — Effective date of statutory FFP eligibility restrictions under Pub. L. 119-21, which drive T-MSIS data element updates.

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