Labor Surplus Area Classification Under Executive Orders 12073 and 10582, 60406-60407 [2015-25311]

Download as PDF tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 60406 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 193 / Tuesday, October 6, 2015 / Notices November 4, the meeting will start at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at approximately 4:00 p.m., with a break for lunch. The morning session on November 4 will be in C5320 Room 6. The afternoon session on November 4 will take place in Room S–2508 at the same address. The purpose of the open meeting on November 3 and the morning of November 4 is for the Advisory Council members to finalize the recommendations they will present to the Secretary. At the November 4 afternoon session, the Council members will receive an update from the Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and present their recommendations. The Council recommendations will be on the following issues: (1) Model Notices and Plan Sponsor Education on Lifetime Plan Participation and (2) Model Notices and Disclosures for Pension Risk Transfers. Descriptions of these topics are available on the Advisory Council page of the EBSA Web site at https://www.dol.gov/ebsa/ aboutebsa/erisa_advisory_council.html. Organizations or members of the public wishing to submit a written statement may do so by submitting 30 copies on or before October 27, 2015 to Larry Good, Executive Secretary, ERISA Advisory Council, U.S. Department of Labor, Suite N–5623, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. Statements also may be submitted as email attachments in rich text, Word, or pdf format transmitted to good.larry@dol.gov. It is requested that statements not be included in the body of an email. Statements deemed relevant by the Advisory Council and received on or before October 27 will be included in the record of the meeting and will be available by contacting the EBSA Public Disclosure Room. Do not include any personally identifiable information (such as name, address, or other contact information) or confidential business information that you do not want publicly disclosed. Individuals or representatives of organizations wishing to address the Advisory Council should forward their requests to the Executive Secretary or telephone (202) 693–8668. Oral presentations will be limited to ten minutes, time permitting, but an extended statement may be submitted for the record. Individuals with disabilities who need special accommodations should contact the Executive Secretary by October 27, 2015 at the address indicated. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:31 Oct 05, 2015 Jkt 238001 Signed at Washington, DC, this 30th day of September, 2015. Judy Mares, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employee Benefits Security Administration. [FR Doc. 2015–25428 Filed 10–5–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4510–29–P DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration Labor Surplus Area Classification Under Executive Orders 12073 and 10582 Employment and Training Administration, Labor. ACTION: Notice AGENCY: The purpose of this notice is to announce the annual list of labor surplus areas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. DATES: Effective Date: The annual list of labor surplus areas is effective October 1, 2015, for all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Samuel Wright, Office of Workforce Investment, Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room C–4514, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 693–2870 (This is not a toll-free number). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Labor’s regulations implementing Executive Orders 12073 and 10582 are set forth at 20 CFR part 654, subpart A. These regulations require the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to classify jurisdictions as labor surplus areas pursuant to the criteria specified in the regulations, and to publish annually a list of labor surplus areas. Pursuant to those regulations, ETA is hereby publishing the annual list of labor surplus areas. In addition, the regulations provide exceptional circumstance criteria for classifying labor surplus areas when catastrophic events, such as natural disasters, plant closings, and contract cancellations are expected to have a long-term impact on labor market area conditions, discounting temporary or seasonal factors. SUMMARY: Eligible Labor Surplus Areas A Labor Surplus Area (LSA) is a civil jurisdiction that has a civilian average annual unemployment rate during the previous two calendar years of 20 percent or more above the average annual civilian unemployment rate for all states during the same 24-month PO 00000 Frm 00058 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 reference period. ETA uses only official unemployment estimates provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in making these classifications. The average unemployment rate for all states includes data for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. LSA classification criteria stipulate a civil jurisdiction must have a ‘‘floor unemployment rate’’ of 6.0% or higher to be classified a LSA. Any civil jurisdiction that has a ‘‘ceiling unemployment rate’’ of 10% or higher is classified a LSA. Civil jurisdictions are defined as follows: 1. A city of at least 25,000 population on the basis of the most recently available estimates from the Bureau of the Census; or 2. A town or township in the States of Michigan, New Jersey, New York, or Pennsylvania of 25,000 or more population and which possess powers and functions similar to those of cities. 3. All counties, except for the following: (a) those counties which contain any type of civil jurisdictions defined in ‘‘1’’ or ‘‘2’’ above, (b) a county in the States of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. 4. A ‘‘balance of county’’ consisting of a county less any component cities and townships identified in ‘‘1’’ or ‘‘2’’ above; or 5. A county equivalent which is a town in the States of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, or a municipio in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Procedures for Classifying Labor Surplus Areas The Department of Labor (DOL) issues the LSA list on a fiscal year basis. The list becomes effective each October 1, and remains in effect through the following September 30. The reference period used in preparing the current list was January 2013 through December 2014. The national average unemployment rate (including Puerto Rico) during this period was rounded to 6.82 percent. Twenty percent higher than the national unemployment rate is 8.18 percent. Therefore, areas included on the FY 2016 LSA list had a rounded unemployment rate for the reference period of 8.18 percent or higher. To ensure that all areas classified as labor surplus meet the requirements, when a city is part of a county and meets the unemployment qualifier as a LSA, that city is identified in the LSA list, the balance of county, not the entire county, will be identified as LSAs if the balance of county also meets the LSA unemployment criteria. The FY 2016 E:\FR\FM\06OCN1.SGM 06OCN1 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 193 / Tuesday, October 6, 2015 / Notices LSA list, statistical data on the current and some previous year’s LSAs, and the list of LSAs in Puerto Rico are available at ETA’s LSA Web site https:// www.doleta.gov/programs/lsa.cfm. tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Petition for Exceptional Circumstance Consideration The classification procedures also provide criteria for the designation of LSAs under exceptional circumstances criteria. These procedures permit the regular classification criteria to be waived when an area experiences a significant increase in unemployment which is not temporary or seasonal and which was not reflected in the data for the 2-year reference period. Under the program’s exceptional circumstance procedures, LSA classifications can be made for civil jurisdictions, Metropolitan Statistical Areas or Combined Statistical Areas, as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. In order for an area to be classified as a LSA under the exceptional circumstance criteria, the state workforce agency must submit a petition requesting such classification to the Department of Labor’s ETA. The current criteria for an exceptional circumstance classification are, (1) an area’s unemployment rate is at least 8.18 percent for each of the three most recent months; (2) a projected unemployment rate of at least 8.18 percent for each of the next 12 months; and (3) documentation that the exceptional circumstance event has occurred. The state workforce agency may file petitions on behalf of civil jurisdictions, Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or Micropolitan Statistical Areas. The addresses of state workforce agencies are available on the ETA Web site at: https://www.doleta.gov/programs/ lsa.cfm and https:// winwin.workforce3one.org/view/Labor_ Surplus_Area_List_Issued/info. State Workforce Agencies may submit petitions in electronic format to wright.samuel.e@dol.gov, or in hard copy to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Workforce Investment, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room C–4514, Washington, DC 20210, Attention Samuel Wright. Data collection for the petition is approved under OMB 1205–0207, expiration date March 31, 2016. Portia Wu, Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Administration. [FR Doc. 2015–25311 Filed 10–5–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4510–FT–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:31 Oct 05, 2015 Jkt 238001 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Office of the Secretary Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Demonstration and Evaluation of Community College Interventions for Youth and Young Adults With Disabilities Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Chief Evaluation Office, Labor. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Department of Labor (DOL), 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 required 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. A copy of the proposed Information Collection Request 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 section below on or before December 7, 2015. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following methods: Email: ChiefEvaluationOffice@dol.gov; Mail or Courier: Celeste Richie, Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S–2218, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. Instructions: Please submit one copy of your comments by only one method. All submissions received must include the agency name and OMB Control Number identified above for this information collection. Because we continue to experience delays in receiving mail in the Washington, DC area, commenters are strongly encouraged to transmit their comments electronically via email or to submit them by mail early. Comments, including any personal information provided, become a matter of public record. They will also be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the information collection request. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00059 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 60407 Contact Celeste Richie by email at ChiefEvaluationOffice@dol.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background: In June 2014, ODEP announced the availability of funds for two cooperative agreements to conduct pilot projects to research, develop, test and, in coordination with DOL, evaluate innovative systems models for providing inclusive integrated education and career development services to youth and young adults with disabilities. In September of 2014, ODEP competitively selected Onondaga Community College and Pellissippi State Community College for the Pathways to Careers Grant Program. The program models are designed to (1) increase credential and job attainment of students with disabilities, (2) increase their job placement, and (3) decrease the wage earning differential between students with and without disabilities, and between students with different types of disabilities. The grantees are expected to design approaches that work to shift practice and policy across the institution. This involves transforming the entire college’s approach for providing services, as opposed to a single division, and enlisting support from and engagement of administrators, deans, department chairs, faculty, student services, and other divisions that have a role in ensuring students’ success. It is expected that grantees will leverage their partnerships and relationships with national affiliates, association members or business organizations, and a variety of other entities including the public workforce system. Grantees are also required to capture and use data to assess and manage their program performance, and to participate in an independent evaluation. ODEP has oversight responsibility for the Pathways to Careers Grant Program. The Chief Evaluation Office of DOL is conducting the evaluation of the Pathways to Careers Grant Program. The evaluation consists of an implementation study and a descriptive outcomes study. The implementation study will document the institutional change at the two colleges; assess the fidelity of the implemented programs to the intended program model; assess the models for replicability and scalability; and determine the extent to which the grantees used Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and the Guideposts for Success in the development and operation of their programs. The outcomes study will document PTC participant outcomes, examine the extent to which the E:\FR\FM\06OCN1.SGM 06OCN1

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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 193 (Tuesday, October 6, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60406-60407]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-25311]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Labor Surplus Area Classification Under Executive Orders 12073 
and 10582

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to announce the annual list of 
labor surplus areas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016.

DATES: Effective Date: The annual list of labor surplus areas is 
effective October 1, 2015, for all states, the District of Columbia, 
and Puerto Rico.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Samuel Wright, Office of Workforce 
Investment, Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution 
Avenue NW., Room C-4514, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 693-
2870 (This is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Labor's regulations 
implementing Executive Orders 12073 and 10582 are set forth at 20 CFR 
part 654, subpart A. These regulations require the Employment and 
Training Administration (ETA) to classify jurisdictions as labor 
surplus areas pursuant to the criteria specified in the regulations, 
and to publish annually a list of labor surplus areas. Pursuant to 
those regulations, ETA is hereby publishing the annual list of labor 
surplus areas. In addition, the regulations provide exceptional 
circumstance criteria for classifying labor surplus areas when 
catastrophic events, such as natural disasters, plant closings, and 
contract cancellations are expected to have a long-term impact on labor 
market area conditions, discounting temporary or seasonal factors.

Eligible Labor Surplus Areas

    A Labor Surplus Area (LSA) is a civil jurisdiction that has a 
civilian average annual unemployment rate during the previous two 
calendar years of 20 percent or more above the average annual civilian 
unemployment rate for all states during the same 24-month reference 
period. ETA uses only official unemployment estimates provided by the 
Bureau of Labor Statistics in making these classifications. The average 
unemployment rate for all states includes data for the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico. LSA classification criteria stipulate a civil jurisdiction 
must have a ``floor unemployment rate'' of 6.0% or higher to be 
classified a LSA. Any civil jurisdiction that has a ``ceiling 
unemployment rate'' of 10% or higher is classified a LSA.
    Civil jurisdictions are defined as follows:
    1. A city of at least 25,000 population on the basis of the most 
recently available estimates from the Bureau of the Census; or
    2. A town or township in the States of Michigan, New Jersey, New 
York, or Pennsylvania of 25,000 or more population and which possess 
powers and functions similar to those of cities.
    3. All counties, except for the following:
    (a) those counties which contain any type of civil jurisdictions 
defined in ``1'' or ``2'' above,
    (b) a county in the States of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode 
Island.
    4. A ``balance of county'' consisting of a county less any 
component cities and townships identified in ``1'' or ``2'' above; or
    5. A county equivalent which is a town in the States of 
Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, or a municipio in the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Procedures for Classifying Labor Surplus Areas

    The Department of Labor (DOL) issues the LSA list on a fiscal year 
basis. The list becomes effective each October 1, and remains in effect 
through the following September 30. The reference period used in 
preparing the current list was January 2013 through December 2014. The 
national average unemployment rate (including Puerto Rico) during this 
period was rounded to 6.82 percent. Twenty percent higher than the 
national unemployment rate is 8.18 percent. Therefore, areas included 
on the FY 2016 LSA list had a rounded unemployment rate for the 
reference period of 8.18 percent or higher. To ensure that all areas 
classified as labor surplus meet the requirements, when a city is part 
of a county and meets the unemployment qualifier as a LSA, that city is 
identified in the LSA list, the balance of county, not the entire 
county, will be identified as LSAs if the balance of county also meets 
the LSA unemployment criteria. The FY 2016

[[Page 60407]]

LSA list, statistical data on the current and some previous year's 
LSAs, and the list of LSAs in Puerto Rico are available at ETA's LSA 
Web site https://www.doleta.gov/programs/lsa.cfm.

Petition for Exceptional Circumstance Consideration

    The classification procedures also provide criteria for the 
designation of LSAs under exceptional circumstances criteria. These 
procedures permit the regular classification criteria to be waived when 
an area experiences a significant increase in unemployment which is not 
temporary or seasonal and which was not reflected in the data for the 
2-year reference period. Under the program's exceptional circumstance 
procedures, LSA classifications can be made for civil jurisdictions, 
Metropolitan Statistical Areas or Combined Statistical Areas, as 
defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. In order for an 
area to be classified as a LSA under the exceptional circumstance 
criteria, the state workforce agency must submit a petition requesting 
such classification to the Department of Labor's ETA. The current 
criteria for an exceptional circumstance classification are,
    (1) an area's unemployment rate is at least 8.18 percent for each 
of the three most recent months;
    (2) a projected unemployment rate of at least 8.18 percent for each 
of the next 12 months; and
    (3) documentation that the exceptional circumstance event has 
occurred. The state workforce agency may file petitions on behalf of 
civil jurisdictions, Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or Micropolitan 
Statistical Areas.
    The addresses of state workforce agencies are available on the ETA 
Web site at: https://www.doleta.gov/programs/lsa.cfm and https://winwin.workforce3one.org/view/Labor_Surplus_Area_List_Issued/info. 
State Workforce Agencies may submit petitions in electronic format to 
wright.samuel.e@dol.gov, or in hard copy to the U.S. Department of 
Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Workforce 
Investment, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room C-4514, Washington, DC 
20210, Attention Samuel Wright. Data collection for the petition is 
approved under OMB 1205-0207, expiration date March 31, 2016.

Portia Wu,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-25311 Filed 10-5-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-FT-P
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