[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 242 (Tuesday, December 21, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72284-72285]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-27621]



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NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

National Endowment for the Humanities


Civil Penalty Adjustments for 2022

AGENCY: National Endowment for the Humanities; National Foundation on 
the Arts and the Humanities.

ACTION: Notice of civil penalty adjustments for 2022.

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SUMMARY: The National Endowment for the Humanities is giving notice of 
the adjusted maximum and minimum civil monetary penalties that it may 
impose, pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment 
Act of 1990, as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation 
Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, for violations of its New 
Restrictions on Lobbying and Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act 
regulations. The updated penalty amounts are adjusted for inflation and 
are effective from January 15, 2022, through January 14, 2023.

DATES: The updated civil penalties in this notice are applicable to 
penalties assessed on or after January 15, 2022, if the associated 
violations occurred after November 2, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Voyatzis, Deputy General 
Counsel, Office of the General Counsel, National Endowment for the 
Humanities, 400 7th Street SW, Room 4060, Washington, DC 20506; (202) 
606-8322; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as 
amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act 
Improvements Act of 2015 (the Inflation Adjustment Act),\1\ directs 
each Executive agency to make an annual inflation adjustment for each 
civil monetary penalty provided by law within the jurisdiction of the 
agency, and to publish notice of each such adjustment in the Federal 
Register. An agency adjusts a civil monetary penalty by increasing the 
maximum amount of such penalty (or the range of minimum and maximum 
amounts, as applicable) by the percentage by which the Consumer Price 
Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the month of October 
preceding the date of adjustment (in this case, October 2021) exceeds 
the CPI-U for the October one year prior to the October immediately 
preceding the date of the adjustment (in this case, October 2020), then 
rounding each amount to the nearest dollar.
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    \1\ 28 U.S.C. 2461 note.
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    The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) administers two 
civil monetary penalties subject to adjustment pursuant to the 
Inflation Adjustment Act: A civil monetary penalty that NEH may impose 
for violation of its New Restrictions on Lobbying regulation (the 
Lobbying Civil Monetary Penalty) \2\ and a civil monetary penalty that 
NEH may impose under its Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act Regulations 
(the PFCRA Civil Monetary Penalty).\3\ Each regulation provides for 
adjustment of its respective civil monetary penalty by notice in the 
Federal Register.\4\
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    \2\ 45 CFR 1168.400(a), (b), (e).
    \3\ 45 CFR 1174.3(a), (b).
    \4\ 45 CFR 1168.400(g), 1174.3(f).
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2. 2022 Adjustments for Inflation

    The CPI-U for October 2021 was 276.589, and the CPI-U for October 
2020 was 260.388. Between October 2020 and October 2021, the CPI-U 
increased by 6.222 percent.\5\ Therefore, NEH will adjust each civil 
monetary penalty amount by multiplying it by 1.06222 and rounding to 
the nearest dollar.
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    \5\ OMB Memorandum M-22-07 (December 15, 2021).
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A. 2022 Adjustment to Lobbying Civil Monetary Penalty

    For 2021, the Lobbying Civil Monetary Penalty had a minimum amount 
of $20,731 and a maximum amount of $207,314.\6\ Therefore, the adjusted 
minimum Lobbying Civil Monetary Penalty for 2022 is $22,021 ($20,731 
multiplied by 1.06222) and the adjusted maximum Lobbying Civil Monetary 
Penalty for 2022 is $220,213 ($207,314 multiplied by 1.06222).
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    \6\ Table 1 details the annual adjustments to the Lobbying Civil 
Monetary Penalty for years 2016-2022. NEH made the adjustments for 
years 2016-2020 when it amended its New Restrictions on Lobbying 
regulation on April 21, 2020. 85 FR 22025.
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    Thus, the Lobbying Civil Monetary Penalty, following the 2022 
adjustment, has a minimum amount of $22,021 and a maximum amount of 
$220,213.

                    Table 1--Annual Adjustments to Lobbying Civil Monetary Penalty, 2016-2022
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                                                                 Applicable multiplier
                 Year                   Baseline penalty range     based on  percent       New baseline penalty
                                                                   increase  in CPI-U             range
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2016.................................         $10,000-$100,000              \7\ 1.89361         $18,936-$189,361
2017.................................           18,936-189,361              \8\ 1.01636           19,246-192,459
2018.................................           19,246-192,459              \9\ 1.02041           19,639-196,387
2019.................................           19,639-196,387             \10\ 1.02522           20,134-201,340
2020.................................           20,134-201,340             \11\ 1.01764           20,489-204,892
2021.................................           20,489-204,892             \12\ 1.01182           20,731-207,314
2022.................................           20,731-207,314             \13\ 1.06222           22,021-220,213
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B. 2022 Adjustment to PFCRA Civil Monetary Penalty

    For 2021, the PFCRA Civil Monetary Penalty had a maximum amount of 
$11,803.\14\ Therefore, the new, post-adjustment minimum penalty for 
2022 under NEH's PFCRA regulation is $12,537 ($11,803 multiplied by 
1.06222).
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    \7\ OMB Memorandum M-16-06 (February 24, 2016).
    \8\ OMB Memorandum M-17-11 (December 16, 2016).
    \9\ OMB Memorandum M-18-03 (December 15, 2017).
    \10\ OMB Memorandum M-19-04 (December 14, 2018).
    \11\ OMB Memorandum M-20-05 (December 16, 2019).
    \12\ OMB Memorandum M-21-10 (December 23, 2020).
    \13\ OMB Memorandum M-22-07 (December 15, 2021).
    \14\ Table 2 details the annual adjustments to PFCRA Civil 
Monetary Penalties for years 2016-2022. NEH made the adjustments for 
2016-2021 when it adopted its Program Fraud Civil Monetary Penalties 
Act Regulations. 86 FR 44626.

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                    Table 2--Annual Adjustments to PFCRA Civil Monetary Penalties, 2016-2022
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                                                                                    Applicable
                                                                                    multiplier
                                                                     Baseline        based on      New baseline
                              Year                                    maximum         percent         maximum
                                                                      penalty      increase  in       penalty
                                                                                       CPI-U
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2016............................................................          $5,000    \15\ 2.15628         $10,781
2017............................................................          10,781    \16\ 1.01636          10,957
2018............................................................          10,957    \17\ 1.02041          11,181
2019............................................................          11,181    \18\ 1.02522          11,463
2020............................................................          11,463    \19\ 1.01764          11,665
2021............................................................          11,665    \20\ 1.01182          11,803
2021............................................................          11,803    \21\ 1.06222          12,537
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    \15\ OMB Memorandum M-16-06 (February 24, 2016).
    \16\ OMB Memorandum M-17-11 (December 16, 2016).
    \17\ OMB Memorandum M-18-03 (December 15, 2017).
    \18\ OMB Memorandum M-19-04 (December 14, 2018).
    \19\ OMB Memorandum M-20-05 (December 16, 2019).
    \20\ OMB Memorandum M-21-10 (December 23, 2020).
    \21\ OMB Memorandum M-22-07 (December 15, 2021).

    Dated: December 16, 2021.
Samuel Roth,
Attorney-Advisor, National Endowment for the Humanities.
[FR Doc. 2021-27621 Filed 12-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7536-01-P