Extension of Information Collection; Comment Request, 20948-20949 [2013-08050]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 67 (Monday, April 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20948-20949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-08050]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Extension of Information Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

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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 and/or continuing 
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 
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. 
Currently, the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) of the 
Department of Labor (Department) is soliciting comments concerning the 
proposed extension of the collection of information requirements of 
Labor Organization and Auxiliary Reports. A copy of the proposed 
information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office 
listed below in the addresses section of this Notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addresses section below on or before June 7, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Andrew R. Davis, Chief of the Division of Interpretations 
and Standards, Office of Labor-Management Standards, U.S. Department of 
Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N-5609, Washington, DC 20210, 
olms-

[[Page 20949]]

public@dol.gov, (202) 693-0123 (this is not a toll-free number), (800) 
877-8339 (TTY/TDD).
    Please use only one method of transmission (mail or Email) to 
submit comments or to request a copy of this information collection and 
its supporting documentation; including a description of the likely 
respondents, proposed frequency of response, and estimated total 
burden.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Congress enacted the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act 
of 1959, as amended (LMRDA), to provide for the disclosure of 
information on the financial transactions and administrative practices 
of labor organizations. The statute also provides, under certain 
circumstances, for reporting by labor organization officers and 
employees, employers, labor relations consultants, and surety 
companies. Section 208 of the LMRDA authorizes the Secretary to issue 
rules and regulations prescribing the form of the required reports. The 
reporting provisions were devised to implement a basic tenet of the 
LMRDA: the guarantee of democratic procedures and safeguards within 
labor organizations that are designed to protect the basic rights of 
union members. Section 205 of the LMRDA provides that the reports are 
public information.

II. Review Focus

    The Department is particularly interested in comments which:
    * 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;
    * 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;
    * Enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and
    * 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

    The Department seeks extension of the current approval to collect 
this information. An extension is necessary because the LMRDA 
explicitly requires the reporting and establishes the frequency of the 
required filings. The information collected by OLMS is used by union 
members to help self-govern their unions, by workers making decisions 
regarding their collective bargaining rights, by the general public, 
and as research material for both outside researchers and within the 
Department. The information is also used to assist the Department and 
other government agencies in detecting improper practices on the part 
of labor organizations, their officers and/or representatives, and is 
used by Congress in oversight and legislative functions.
    The total burden for the Labor Organization and Auxiliary Reports 
information collection is summarized as follows:
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Agency: DOL-OLMS.
    Title of Collection: Labor Organization and Auxiliary Reports.
    OMB Control Number: 1245-0003.
    Affected Public: Private Sector--businesses or other for-profits, 
farms, not-for-profit institutions, and individuals or households.
    Total Estimated Number of Responses: 31,499.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 4,582,111.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) approval of the information collection request; they will also 
become a matter of public record. The Department notes that it has a 
pending rulemaking concerning two of the reports included in the Labor 
Organization and Auxiliary Reports information collection: the Form LM-
10 Employer Report and the Form LM-20 Agreement and Activities Report 
filed by labor relations consultants. See 76 FR 37292. The Department 
received comments on those estimates during the rulemaking, and it will 
respond to such comments in any final rule issued, as well as in any 
separate request for amendment to the information collection submitted 
to OMB in the context of that rulemaking.

    Dated: April 2, 2013.
Andrew R. Davis,
Chief of the Division of Interpretations and Standards, Office of 
Labor-Management Standards, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2013-08050 Filed 4-5-13; 8:45 am]
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