WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families issued a direct final rule to eliminate the requirement for head start programs to maintain a specific COVID-19 mitigation policy. This action aligns with federal efforts to reduce regulatory burdens following the end of the public health emergency. The agency announced that the rescission removes a mandate from the Head Start Program Performance Standards. Previously, progra more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a proposed rule to prohibit Medicare-participating hospitals from performing sex-rejecting procedures on children. The proposal follows an executive order focused on protecting children and a subsequent review of medical evidence by the Department of Health and Human Services. The rule would revise the federal requirements that Medicare and Medicaid certified hospit more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (TNSFR) -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has issued a proposed rule to establish a regulatory framework for U.S. banks seeking to issue payment stablecoins through subsidiaries. This action implements the application provisions of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act), which became law on July 18, 2025. Under the proposal, an FDIC-supervised institution must obtain agency approval before a subsidiary may operate as a pe more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (TNSFR) -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. issued an interim final rule to reduce the collection rate for a special assessment designed to recover losses from 2023 bank failures. The rule drops the assessment rate for the eighth collection quarter from 3.36 basis points to 2.97 basis points to prevent the agency from collecting more than the $16.7 billion in estimated losses. The adjustment ensures that the 110 large banking organizations subject to the assessment do no more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (TNSFR) -- The Federal Reserve System issued a final rule to decrease the interest rates charged to depository institutions for short-term loans. The amendments lower the primary credit rate by 0.25 percentage points. The primary credit rate at each Federal Reserve Bank is now 3.75 percent, down from 4.00 percent. Following this action, the secondary credit rate automatically dropped from 4.50 percent to 4.25 percent based on an established formula. While the rule was publi more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (TNSFR) -- The Federal Reserve System issued a rule to decrease the interest rate paid on balances maintained at reserve banks by eligible institutions. The rate, known as interest on reserve balances (IORB) fell from 3.9 percent to 3.65 percent. The change was applicable Dec. 11, 2025, following a decision by the Federal Open Market Committee to lower the target range for the federal funds rate to a span of 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 percent. The Federal Reserve System intended for the more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed a rule that would prohibit the use of federal funds for sex-rejecting procedures for minors. The proposal follows an executive order aimed at protecting children from chemical and surgical interventions related to gender transition. If finalized, the rule would require State Medicaid plans to ensure no payments are made for these procedures for individuals under ag more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to clarify nondiscrimination protections under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The proposal seeks to resolve interpretative confusion regarding whether gender dysphoria qualifies as a disability for programs receiving federal financial assistance. Under the proposal, HHS interprets the statutory exclusion of "gender identity disorders not resulting from physical more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (TNSFR) -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a proposed rule to amend its regulations to incorporate the 2018 version of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standard 603. This action aims to align U.S. safety requirements with the most current industry criteria for power, instrumentation and control safety systems at nuclear power generating stations. The proposal would update Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations to replace previous more PR