Comment Request for Information Collection for Quick Turnaround Surveys of the Workforce Investment Act (Extension Without Revisions), 15726-15728 [2010-6997]

Download as PDF 15726 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 60 / Tuesday, March 30, 2010 / Notices INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 731–TA–1088 (Preliminary) (Remand)] Polyvinyl Alcohol From Taiwan; Determination On the basis of the record 1 developed in the subject investigation, the United States International Trade Commission (Commission) determines, pursuant to section 733(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1673b(a)) (the Act), that there is a reasonable indication that an industry in the United States is materially injured by reason of imports from Taiwan of polyvinyl alcohol provided for in subheading 3905.30.00 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, that are alleged to be sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV).2 Commencement of Final Phase of Investigation jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES Pursuant to section 207.18 of the Commission’s rules, the Commission also gives notice of the commencement of the final phase of its investigation. The Commission will issue a final phase notice of scheduling, which will be published in the Federal Register as provided in section 207.21 of the Commission’s rules, upon notice from the Department of Commerce (Commerce) of an affirmative preliminary determination in the investigation under section 733(b) of the Act, or, if the preliminary determination is negative, upon notice of an affirmative final determination in that investigation under section 735(a) of the Act. Parties that filed entries of appearance in the preliminary phase of the investigation need not enter a separate appearance for the final phase of the investigation. Industrial users, and, if the merchandise under investigation is sold at the retail level, representative consumer organizations have the right to appear as parties in Commission antidumping duty investigations. The Secretary will prepare a public service list containing the names and addresses of all persons, or their representatives, who are parties to the investigation. 1 The record is defined in section 207.2(f) of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 207.2(f)). 2 Vice Chairman Pearson and Commissioners Okun and Lane dissented, having determined that there is no reasonable indication that an industry in the United States is materially injured or threatened with material injury by reason of allegedly LTFV imports of polyvinyl alcohol from Taiwan. VerDate Nov<24>2008 16:22 Mar 29, 2010 Jkt 220001 Background On September 7, 2004, a petition was filed with the Commission and Commerce by domestic producer Celanese Chemicals, Ltd., Dallas, TX, alleging that an industry in the United States is materially injured and threatened with further material injury by reason of LTFV imports of polyvinyl alcohol from Taiwan. Accordingly, effective September 7, 2004, the Commission instituted antidumping duty investigation No. 731–TA–1088 (Preliminary). Notice of the institution of the Commission’s investigation and of a public conference to be held in connection therewith was given by posting copies of the notice in the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, Washington, DC, and by publishing the notice in the Federal Register of September 15, 2004 (69 FR 55653). The conference was held in Washington, DC, on September 28, 2004, and all persons who requested the opportunity were permitted to appear in person or by counsel. On October 24, 2004, the Commission determined by a vote of 3 to 2, that there was no reasonable indication that a U.S. industry was materially injured or threatened with material injury by reason of imports of PVA from Taiwan.3 Notice of that determination was published on October 29, 2004. 69 FR 63177. The Commission transmitted its determination to the Secretary of Commerce on October 22, 2004. The Commission’s views were contained in USITC Publication 3732 (October 2004), entitled Polyvinyl Alcohol from Taiwan: Investigation No. 731–TA–1088 (Preliminary). Domestic producer/ petitioner Celanese appealed the Commission’s negative preliminary determination to the U.S. Court of International Trade (‘‘CIT’’). On January 29, 2007, the CIT remanded the determination to the Commission for further proceedings. Celanese Chemicals, Ltd. v. United States, Slip Op. 07–16, 29 ITRD 1985 (Ct. Int’l Trade 2007). On remand, the Commission determined, by a vote of 3 to 3, that there was a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry was materially injured by reason of imports of subject imports of PVA from Taiwan. Chairman Aranoff and Commissioners Williamson and Pinkert, who had commenced their service as 3 Commissioners Miller and Koplan dissented, having determined that there was a reasonable indication that an industry in the United States was materially injured by reason of allegedly LTFV imports of polyvinyl alcohol from Taiwan. Commissioner Hillman did not participate in the investigation. PO 00000 Frm 00059 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Commissioners in the intervening time, voted in the affirmative. On remand, Vice Chairman Pearson and Commissioners Okun and Lane reaffirmed their negative preliminary determinations. Polyvinyl Alcohol from Taiwan: Investigation No. 731–TA–1088 (Preliminary) (Remand), USITC Publication 3920 (April 2007). The tie vote yielded an affirmative determination by operation of 19 U.S.C. 1677(11). On November 19, 2008, the CIT affirmed the Commission’s affirmative preliminary determination on remand. Celanese Chemicals Ltd. v. United States, Slip Op. 08–125, 30 ITRD 2352 (‘‘Celanese II’’). On January 16, 2009, DuPont appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (‘‘Federal Circuit’’). On December 23, 2009, the Federal Circuit affirmed, without opinion, the CIT’s decision in Celanese II, and issued its mandate on February 18, 2010. No party has applied under 28 U.S.C. 2101(c) to the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari. The judicial proceedings having now ended, the Commission now publishes notice of its preliminary determination on remand. By order of the Commission. Issued: March 25, 2010. Marilyn R. Abbott, Secretary to the Commission. [FR Doc. 2010–7071 Filed 3–29–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7020–02–P DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Comment Request for Information Collection for Quick Turnaround Surveys of the Workforce Investment Act (Extension Without Revisions) AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of the collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Employment and Training E:\FR\FM\30MRN1.SGM 30MRN1 15727 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 60 / Tuesday, March 30, 2010 / Notices Administration is soliciting comments concerning the collection of data about quick turnaround surveys of the Workforce Investment Act (due to expire in May 2010). A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addressee section of this notice. DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the addressee’s section below on or before June 1, 2010. ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Policy Development and Research, Attention: Richard Muller, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N–5641, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone number: (202) 693–3680 (this is not a toll-free number). Fax: (202) 693–2766. E-mail: muller.richard@dol.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Muller, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N–5637, Washington, DC 20210; (202) 693–3680 (this is not a toll-free number); e-mail: Muller.Richard@dol.gov; fax: (202) 693– 2766 (this is not a toll-free number). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES I. Background The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments regarding an extension of a current Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance for a series of quick turnaround surveys in which data will be collected from state workforce agencies and local workforce investment areas. The surveys will focus on issues relating to the governance, administration, funding, service design, and delivery structure of workforce programs authorized by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Enacted in 1998, WIA has sought to redesign the workforce investment system by linking over a dozen separately funded Federal programs, streamlining services, and establishing new accountability requirements. ETA has a continuing need for information on WIA operations and is seeking a further extension of the clearance for conducting a series of 8 to 20 separate surveys over the next three years. Each survey will be relatively short (10–30 questions) and, depending on the nature of the survey, may be administered to state workforce agencies, local workforce boards, OneStop Career Centers, employment service offices, or other local-area WIA partners. Each survey will be designed on an ad hoc basis and will focus on emerging topics of pressing policy interest. Each survey will either cover the universe of respondents (for state level information) or a properly drawn random sample (for local level information). Examples of broad topic areas include: • Local management information system developments. • New processes and procedures. • Services to different target groups. • Integration and coordination with other programs. • Local workforce investment board membership and training. Quick turnaround surveys are needed for a number of reasons. The most pressing concerns the need to understand key operational issues in light of challenges deriving from the Administration’s policy priorities and from the upcoming reauthorization of WIA and of other partner programs. Timely information, that identifies the scope and magnitude of various practices or problems, is needed for ETA to fulfill its obligations to develop high quality policy, administrative guidance, regulations, and technical assistance. The data that will be requested in the quick turnaround surveys is not otherwise available. Other research and evaluation efforts, including case studies or long-range evaluations, either cover only a limited number of sites or take many years for data to be gathered and analyzed. Administrative information and data are too limited: The five-year Workforce Investment Plans, developed by states and local areas, are too general in nature to meet ETA’s specific informational needs. Quarterly or annual data reported by states and local areas do not provide information on key operational practices and issues. Thus, ETA has no alternative mechanism for collecting information that both identifies the scope and magnitude of emerging WIA implementation issues and provides the Sample Size Lower-Bound ............................................ Upper-Bound ............................................ VerDate Nov<24>2008 16:22 Mar 29, 2010 Jkt 220001 54 250 PO 00000 Frm 00060 Average time per question (minutes) Number of questions 10 30 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 information on a quick turnaround basis. ETA will make every effort to coordinate the quick turnaround surveys with other research it is conducting, in order to ease the burden on local and state respondents, to avoid duplication, and to fully explore how interim data and information from each study can be used to inform other studies. Information from the quick response surveys will complement but not duplicate other ETA reporting requirements or evaluation studies. II. Review Focus The Department of Labor is particularly interested in comments which: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) Enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses. III. Current Actions Type of Review: Extension without changes. Agency: Employment and Training Administration. Title: Quick Turnaround Surveys of WIA. OMB Number: 1205–0436. Affected Public: State and local workforce agencies and workforce investment boards, and WIA partner program agencies at the state and local levels. Total Respondents: Varies by survey, from 54 to 250 respondents per survey, for up to 20 surveys. See Summary Burden chart below: Aggregate burden hours per survey (hours) 1 3 E:\FR\FM\30MRN1.SGM 9 375 30MRN1 Estimated number of surveys 8 20 Total annual burden hours 72 7,500 15728 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 60 / Tuesday, March 30, 2010 / Notices Total Burden Cost for capital and startup: $0. Total Burden Cost for operation and maintenance: $0. Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the information collection request; they will also become a matter of public record. Dated: March 24, 2010. Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration. [FR Doc. 2010–6997 Filed 3–29–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration Office of Apprenticeship and the Women’s Bureau; Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications for Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Grants jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. Announcement Type: Notice of Solicitation for Grant Announcement (SGA). Funding Opportunity Number: SGA/ DFA–PY–09–03. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 17.201. SUMMARY: The Women’s Bureau (WB) and the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Office of Apprenticeship (OA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL or Department), announce the availability of approximately $1,800,000 to establish a grant program for the purpose of assisting employers and labor management organizations in the placement and retention of women in apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations as defined in Section VIII.F., Acronyms and Definitions. This Program Year (PY) 2009 and 2010 SGA is authorized under the WANTO Act of 1992, Public Law 102–530, 29 USC 2501 et seq. To that end, the OA and WB plan to disburse PY 2009 and 2010 WANTO grant funds to six community-based organization (CBO)/registered apprenticeship program (RAP) consortia to conduct innovative projects to improve outreach, recruitment, hiring, training, employment, and retention of women in apprenticeships in the nontraditional occupations, as defined in Section VIII.F. This SGA focuses VerDate Nov<24>2008 16:22 Mar 29, 2010 Jkt 220001 upon recruitment, training, placement and retention in the industries described in Section I.B of this SGA. Each CBO/RAP consortium must consist of a minimum of two components: (1) An industry RAP sponsor (which can be an individual employer, association of employers, or an apprenticeship committee designated by the sponsor to administer and operate an apprenticeship program and in whose name the apprenticeship program is registered or approved), and (2) a CBO (which may be a faith-based organization (FBO)) that has demonstrated experience in providing women with job-training services, as described in the definitions of apprenticeship committee, CBO, CBO/ RAP consortium, and registered apprenticeship program sponsors in Section VIII.F. It is anticipated that awards will be in the amount of up to $300,000 over the two-year grant period. The grants will be awarded in June 2010, and will be funded incrementally. ADDRESSES: Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, Attention: Mamie Williams, Grants Management Specialist, Reference SGA/DFA PY 09–03, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N–4716, Washington, DC 20210. For complete ‘‘Application and Submission Information,’’ please refer to Section IV. DATES: Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications is April 29, 2010. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This SGA consists of eight sections: • Section I provides the funding opportunity description. • Section II describes the size and nature of the anticipated awards. • Section III describes applicant eligibility criteria. • Section IV outlines the application submission and withdrawal requirements. • Section V describes the application review information. • Section VI outlines additional award administration information. • Section VII lists the agency contact. • Section VIII provides other information, including acronyms and definitions. I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Background: The WANTO Act of 1992, Public Law 102–530, 29 U.S.C. 2501 et seq. authorizes DOL to disburse competitive technical assistance grants to community-based organizations that, in turn, assist employers and labor unions in the recruitment, training, placement, and retention of women into PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations. The WANTO Act Technical Assistance Grants program was funded and implemented beginning in fiscal year 1994. The WB and OA coadminister the WANTO Technical Assistance Grants program, and have the joint responsibility for implementing this grant process and may award grants up to the annuallyappropriated funding levels. B. Purpose: The WANTO Act’s purpose is to provide technical assistance to employers and labor unions to assist them in placing women into apprenticeable and nontraditional occupations (A/NTO). Apprenticeable occupations are described in Section VIII.F. One of the means of providing this technical assistance is through competitive grants awarded to CBOs that focus on conducting innovative projects to improve the recruitment, selection, training, employment, and retention of women into apprenticeable occupations. DOL has found that placement and retention of women into A/NTO poses significant challenges. For example, on average, only three percent of all newly registered and active apprentices in construction occupations currently are women, although approximately 75 percent of all registered apprenticeship programs are in the construction industry. From 1994 to 2002, DOL awarded WANTO grants annually to CBOs. The outcomes of these prior WANTO grants consisted largely of producing training and resource manuals, as well as recruitment videos. The numbers of women placed in registered apprenticeships through WANTO grant activities were lower than expected. Studies such as the American Behavioral Scientist article, ‘‘Occupational Barriers for Women,’’ by Thomas Ruble, Renae Cohen, and Diane Ruble (Vol. 27, No. 3, 339–356 (1984)), and a 2009 study by Australia’s National Center for Vocational Education Research 1 have shown that some of the primary barriers to women in nontraditional occupations (NTO) have included a lack of specialized support services, such as dependent care resources (children and dependent adults) and on-the-job mentoring and support from teachers and instructors. Few of these resources for supportive services are available to employers and labor organizations that need assistance 1 Shewring, Fiona. 2009. The female ‘‘tradie’’: Challenging employment perceptions in nontraditional trades for women. National Center for Vocational Education Research (NCVER): Adelaide, Australia. https://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/ 2100.html. E:\FR\FM\30MRN1.SGM 30MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 30, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15726-15728]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-6997]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Comment Request for Information Collection for Quick Turnaround 
Surveys of the Workforce Investment Act (Extension Without Revisions)

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration.

ACTION: Notice

-----------------------------------------------------------------------.


SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information 
in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program helps to ensure that requested data 
can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and 
financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly 
understood, and the impact of the collection requirements on 
respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Employment and 
Training

[[Page 15727]]

Administration is soliciting comments concerning the collection of data 
about quick turnaround surveys of the Workforce Investment Act (due to 
expire in May 2010).
    A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be 
obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addressee section 
of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee's section below on or before June 1, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to US Department of Labor, 
Employment and Training Administration, Office of Policy Development 
and Research, Attention: Richard Muller, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., 
Room N-5641, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone number: (202) 693-3680 
(this is not a toll-free number). Fax: (202) 693-2766. E-mail: 
muller.richard@dol.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Muller, Employment and 
Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Room N-5637, Washington, DC 20210; (202) 693-3680 (this is 
not a toll-free number); e-mail: Muller.Richard@dol.gov; fax: (202) 
693-2766 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting 
comments regarding an extension of a current Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) clearance for a series of quick turnaround surveys in 
which data will be collected from state workforce agencies and local 
workforce investment areas. The surveys will focus on issues relating 
to the governance, administration, funding, service design, and 
delivery structure of workforce programs authorized by the Workforce 
Investment Act (WIA). Enacted in 1998, WIA has sought to redesign the 
workforce investment system by linking over a dozen separately funded 
Federal programs, streamlining services, and establishing new 
accountability requirements.
    ETA has a continuing need for information on WIA operations and is 
seeking a further extension of the clearance for conducting a series of 
8 to 20 separate surveys over the next three years. Each survey will be 
relatively short (10-30 questions) and, depending on the nature of the 
survey, may be administered to state workforce agencies, local 
workforce boards, One-Stop Career Centers, employment service offices, 
or other local-area WIA partners. Each survey will be designed on an ad 
hoc basis and will focus on emerging topics of pressing policy 
interest. Each survey will either cover the universe of respondents 
(for state level information) or a properly drawn random sample (for 
local level information). Examples of broad topic areas include:
     Local management information system developments.
     New processes and procedures.
     Services to different target groups.
     Integration and coordination with other programs.
     Local workforce investment board membership and training.
    Quick turnaround surveys are needed for a number of reasons. The 
most pressing concerns the need to understand key operational issues in 
light of challenges deriving from the Administration's policy 
priorities and from the upcoming reauthorization of WIA and of other 
partner programs. Timely information, that identifies the scope and 
magnitude of various practices or problems, is needed for ETA to 
fulfill its obligations to develop high quality policy, administrative 
guidance, regulations, and technical assistance.
    The data that will be requested in the quick turnaround surveys is 
not otherwise available. Other research and evaluation efforts, 
including case studies or long-range evaluations, either cover only a 
limited number of sites or take many years for data to be gathered and 
analyzed. Administrative information and data are too limited: The 
five-year Workforce Investment Plans, developed by states and local 
areas, are too general in nature to meet ETA's specific informational 
needs. Quarterly or annual data reported by states and local areas do 
not provide information on key operational practices and issues. Thus, 
ETA has no alternative mechanism for collecting information that both 
identifies the scope and magnitude of emerging WIA implementation 
issues and provides the information on a quick turnaround basis.
    ETA will make every effort to coordinate the quick turnaround 
surveys with other research it is conducting, in order to ease the 
burden on local and state respondents, to avoid duplication, and to 
fully explore how interim data and information from each study can be 
used to inform other studies. Information from the quick response 
surveys will complement but not duplicate other ETA reporting 
requirements or evaluation studies.

II. Review Focus

    The Department of Labor is particularly interested in comments 
which:
    (a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (b) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (c) Enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (d) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.

III. Current Actions

    Type of Review: Extension without changes.
    Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
    Title: Quick Turnaround Surveys of WIA.
    OMB Number: 1205-0436.
    Affected Public: State and local workforce agencies and workforce 
investment boards, and WIA partner program agencies at the state and 
local levels.
    Total Respondents: Varies by survey, from 54 to 250 respondents per 
survey, for up to 20 surveys. See Summary Burden chart below:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                             Aggregate
                                                                             Number of     Average time    burden hours      Estimated     Total annual
                                                            Sample Size      questions     per question     per survey       number of     burden hours
                                                                                             (minutes)        (hours)         surveys
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lower-Bound.............................................              54              10               1               9               8              72
Upper-Bound.............................................             250              30               3             375              20           7,500
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 15728]]

    Total Burden Cost for capital and startup: $0.
    Total Burden Cost for operation and maintenance: $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be 
summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the 
information collection request; they will also become a matter of 
public record.

    Dated: March 24, 2010.
Jane Oates,
Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010-6997 Filed 3-29-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-FN-P
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.