Action
Final rule; technical amendment.
Summary
The FAA is amending the procedural regulations governing the assessment of civil penalties against persons other than individuals acting as pilots, flight engineers, mechanics or repairmen. The rules establish a clear separation of functions between those agency employees who prosecute civil penalty actions and those who advise the Administrator, acting as FAA decisionmaker, about appeals of decisions by Department of Transportation (DOT) administrative law judges (ALJs). Recent organizational changes in the Office of the Chief Counsel necessitate updating these regulations so they accurately reflect the Office's current structure and division of functions. We are also amending the rules to provide the FAA Civil Penalty Hearing Docket's new address, new instructions on filing of documents, and information about the availability of documents and FAA decisions via the Internet. We are amending the procedural rule governing appeals from initial decisions regarding applications for fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) to reinsert language that was inadvertently omitted during a previous revision.