Federal Register Roundup: FDIC Disclosure Rules, FMCS Arbitration, Passport Expansion, ITAR, and Alaska Fishery Closure

FDIC Extends Comment Period on Confidential Information Disclosure Overhaul

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is extending the public comment period on a proposed rule that would significantly revise its regulations governing the disclosure of confidential information. The proposal, originally published in the Federal Register on June 30, 2026, at 91 FR 39726, would update, clarify, and supplement FDIC rules across 12 CFR parts 303, 306, 309, 327, and 337. According to the document, the proposal would enhance the ability of insured depository institutions to share confidential supervisory information with affiliates and certain other entities for appropriate business purposes without seeking prior FDIC authorization. The proposal would also significantly simplify and clarify the requirements for the FDIC's discretionary disclosure of confidential information, update and simplify the FDIC's rules regarding disclosures required under the Freedom of Information Act, and clarify how and when FDIC information may be disclosed in connection with legal proceedings and as a result of service of process made upon the FDIC and its directors, officers, and employees. The FDIC received requests to extend the original August 31, 2026, comment deadline and, after reviewing those requests, determined it was appropriate to grant them. The new deadline is October 5, 2026.

FMCS Amends Arbitration Panel Rules, Citing Executive Orders and Legal Constraints

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is issuing an interim final rule, effective August 28, 2026, amending its arbitration services regulations at 29 CFR part 1404. The rule clarifies the circumstances in which the FMCS Office of Arbitration may decline to issue an arbitration panel, make a direct appointment, or provide related arbitration services. The document states that the current regulation's language — that a panel request "whether joint or unilateral, will be honored" — could be misread as requiring FMCS to provide panels even where doing so would be inconsistent with law, a court order, or FMCS's statutory or regulatory authority, and that this was not the intended effect of the regulation. The interim final rule preserves FMCS's existing role as an administrative provider of arbitration panels and appointments but makes clear that FMCS is not required to issue a panel, make a direct appointment, or provide related arbitration services where doing so would be inconsistent with applicable law, a court order, or FMCS's statutory or regulatory authority. The document notes that recent executive orders — specifically Executive Order 14251, which excluded identified agencies and subdivisions from coverage under chapter 71 of title 5 based on the President's national security determinations — have increased the likelihood that FMCS will receive requests for arbitration panels in circumstances where one party asserts that participation is prohibited by law or court order. The rule clarifies that where a request presents a threshold question about FMCS's authority to provide the requested service, FMCS may seek information from the parties and may decline the request, hold it in abeyance, or take another administratively appropriate action. The document specifies that FMCS's action on such a threshold question does not adjudicate the parties' underlying contractual, statutory, or arbitrability dispute. Due to a technical error, FMCS reposted the interim final rule and extended the comment deadline to 30 days from the date of publication.

State Department Proposes Expanding Online Passport Renewal to Americans Abroad

The Department of State is proposing to amend 22 CFR 51.21 to expand its Online Passport Renewal platform — first introduced in 2022 — to qualified applicants located in foreign countries. The proposal would also remove the requirement that an applicant's most recently issued passport must have a year or less of remaining validity to qualify for online renewal. The document states that at the time of OPR's initial launch, systems and technology were still largely in development and the first release was intentionally limited, but that the Department has always intended to make OPR more widely available, including to eligible persons located abroad. According to the document, the online process allows applicants to bypass the logistical challenge of securing appointments, and by enabling eligible persons overseas to submit applications, pay fees, and upload photos entirely online, the traditional requirement for two in-person visits to a consular post would be eliminated. The document further states that this digital transition removes the necessity of transferring physical applications to a domestic passport agency for adjudication, which will significantly accelerate processing times. OPR will be deployed overseas in phases, and the Department states it will maintain an updated list at travel.state.gov/renewonline specifying the countries in which customers are eligible to use OPR. The proposal also makes two minor technical corrections to 22 CFR 51.8(b), changing "on-line" to "online" for consistency. The Department notes that if finalized, the rule is likely to be economically significant within the meaning of section 3(f)(1) of Executive Order 12866, since the beneficial impact is likely to exceed $100 million. Public comments are due October 27, 2026.

State Department Removes Survivability-Enhanced Civil Aircraft from U.S. Munitions List

The Department of State is amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations to remove from the U.S. Munitions List certain civil aircraft that have been modified to incorporate aircraft survivability equipment, effective October 13, 2026. The rule also excludes from the ITAR certain activities that would otherwise meet the definition of reexport or temporary import of ASE incorporated into such aircraft. The document defines ASE, for purposes of this rule, as directed infrared countermeasures and infrared or ultraviolet missile warning systems necessary for the operation of DIRCM — systems designed to reduce an aircraft's susceptibility and vulnerability to manufactured threats by detecting, alerting on, and mitigating threats, including man-portable air defense systems and other guided weapons. The document explains that survivability-enhanced aircraft are currently described in USML Category VIII(a)(8), as aircraft specially designed to incorporate a defense article for the purpose of performing an electronic warfare function, because ASE is described in USML Category XI(a)(4). The document notes that aircraft modified to facilitate incorporation of ASE are currently captured in Category VIII(a)(8) even when the ASE is not physically present in the aircraft. The Department states that it determined, informed by interagency consultations, that the articles and services this rule removes from the USML no longer warrant ITAR control. The Department maintains the USML such that it comprises those defense articles or defense services that provide a critical military or intelligence advantage or, in the case of weapons, have an inherently military function. To implement the change, the Department is amending USML Category VIII(a)(8), adding corresponding definitions to 22 CFR 121.0, and adding two new entries to 22 CFR 120.54 to expand the definition of activities that are not exports, reexports, retransfers, or temporary imports. The rule does not modify the U.S. Munitions Import List at 27 CFR 447.21. Comments are invited on this interim final rule.

NMFS Closes Pacific Ocean Perch Directed Fishery in Central Aleutian District

The National Marine Fisheries Service issued a temporary closure prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Central Aleutian district of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area by vessels participating in the BSAI trawl limited access sector fishery, effective 1200 hours Alaska local time on August 27, 2026, through 2400 hours Alaska local time on December 31, 2026. The document states that the 2026 total allowable catch of Pacific ocean perch in the Central Aleutian district allocated to vessels participating in the BSAI trawl limited access sector fishery was established as a directed fishing allowance of 480 metric tons by the final 2026 and 2027 harvest specifications for groundfish in the BSAI, published at 91 FR 11750 on March 10, 2026. The Regional Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS, determined that this directed fishing allowance has been or will be reached. NMFS states that it waived prior notice and public comment because the most recent, relevant data on Pacific ocean perch harvest in the Central Aleutian district only became available as of August 25, 2026, and prior notice would prevent NMFS from responding to the most recent fisheries data in a timely fashion. The document notes that while the closure is in effect, maximum retainable amounts under 50 CFR 679.20(e) and (f) apply at any time during a trip.

What to Watch

• October 5, 2026 — Deadline for public comments on the FDIC's proposed overhaul of confidential information disclosure regulations (12 CFR 303, 306, 309, 327, 337).
• October 13, 2026 — Effective date of State Department interim final rule removing survivability-enhanced civil aircraft from the U.S. Munitions List (22 CFR 120, 121).
• October 27, 2026 — Deadline for public comments on State Department's proposed expansion of online passport renewal to Americans abroad (22 CFR 51).
• 30 days from publication — Deadline for public comments on FMCS interim final rule on arbitration panel requests (29 CFR 1404).
• December 31, 2026 — Expiration of NMFS closure of Pacific ocean perch directed fishing in the Central Aleutian district (50 CFR 679).

Related

• Civic AI hub
• Five Federal Agencies Seek Public Comment on Information Collection Renewals Across Agriculture, Environment, and Marine Science
• NCUA Bans Reputation Risk in Supervision; FDA Files Flour Irradiation Petition
• Education Dept. Extends Funding for 43 American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Projects Through Sept. 2027