Updating and Streamlining the Regulations Governing the Handling and Settlement of Claims Under the Federal Tort Claims Act

What it does

By this rule, the Department of Commerce ("Department") is amending its regulations governing the administrative handling and settlement of claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act ("FTCA"). This rule updates outdated references to a position that no longer exists within the Department, eliminates redundant restatements of sections of the FTCA and other applicable authorities, consolidates and simplifies the framework governing the issuance of supplementary regulations, and removes some unnecessary and inconsequential language. This action is necessary to update and streamline the Department's regulations governing the handling and settlement of FTCA claims and to ensure that such regulations conform with the underlying statutory text. The intended effect is to promote accuracy and clarity for the public and to ensure that the Department's regulations are both statutorily proper and efficient.

The Commerce Department's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What changed in the regulation

1 part of Title 15 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

15 CFR 2

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Compared with

The Commerce Department has published 19 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 2 in all of 2025.

Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.

Before this

No earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 0605-AA83 since Jan. 1, 2025.

What happens next and when

The rule is effective January 15, 2026.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Title 15 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register