Notice of Extension of Request for Public Comment Regarding Revising the List of Products Requiring Federal Contractor Certification as to Forced or Indentured Child Labor Pursuant to Executive Order 13126, 39714-39716 [2016-14407]
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39714
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 117 / Friday, June 17, 2016 / Notices
administrative functioning of the
Committee, including a review of the
WIAC charter and objectives, and issues
related to Committee operations. After
the lunch break, brief remarks from
Federal Committee members and other
relevant Federal officials will be made.
The discussion will focus on current
initiatives, challenges, and
opportunities related to nationwide and
statewide workforce and labor market
information systems.
The meeting will resume at 9:00 a.m.
on July 14, 2016. The second day will
continue the previous day’s
conversation through facilitated
discussions among Committee members,
including but not limited to focusing on
key areas for further examination and
the need for subcommittees. Time for
public comment or statements for the
record will be made available on each
day; please see the final agenda on the
Web site for exact times.
The full agenda for the meeting, and
changes or updates to the meeting, will
be posted on the WIAC’s Web page,
www.doleta.gov/wioa/wiac/.
Attending the meeting: BLS is located
in the Postal Square Building, the
building that also houses the U.S. Postal
Museum, at 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE.,
Washington, DC. You must have a
picture ID to be admitted to the BLS
offices at Postal Square Building, and
you must enter through the Visitors’
Entrance. The BLS Visitors’ Entrance is
on First Street NE., mid-block, across
from Union Station.
Public statements: Organizations or
members of the public wishing to
submit written statements may do so by
mailing them to the person and address
indicated in the ADDRESSES section by
the date indicated in the DATES section
or transmitting them as email
attachments in PDF format to the email
address indicated in the ADDRESSES
section with the subject line ‘‘July WIAC
Meeting Public Statements’’ by the date
indicated in the DATES section.
Submitters may include their name and
contact information in a cover letter for
mailed statements or in the body of the
email for statements transmitted
electronically. Relevant statements
received before the date indicated in the
DATES section will be included in the
record of the meeting. No deletions,
modifications, or redactions will be
made to statements received, as they are
public records. Please do not include
personally identifiable information (PII)
in your public statement.
Requests to address the Advisory
Council: Members of the public or
representatives of organizations wishing
to address the Council should forward
their requests to the contact indicated in
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the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section, or contact the same by phone,
by the date indicated in the DATES
section. Oral presentations will be
limited to 10 minutes, time permitting,
and shall proceed at the discretion of
the Council chair. Individuals with
disabilities, or others, who need special
accommodations, should indicate their
needs along with their request.
Portia Wu,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and
Training Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016–14336 Filed 6–16–16; 8:45 am]
Signed June 9, 2016, in Washington, DC, by
Eric D. Luetkenhaus,
Grant Officer, Employment and Training
Administration.
BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
[FR Doc. 2016–14286 Filed 6–16–16; 8:45 am]
Employment and Training
Administration
BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P
Notice of Availability of Funds and
Funding Opportunity Announcement
for America’s Promise Grants
Employment and Training
Administration, Labor.
ACTION: Notice of Funding Opportunity
Announcement.
AGENCY:
Funding Opportunity Number: FOA–
ETA–16–12.
SUMMARY: The Employment and
Training Administration (ETA), U.S.
Department of Labor (DOL), announces
the availability of approximately $100
million in grant funds authorized under
the American Competitiveness and
Workforce Improvement Act of 1998
(ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29
U.S.C. 3224a) for America’s Promise
Job-driven Grant Program.
Under this Funding Opportunity
Announcement (FOA), DOL will award
grants through a competitive process to
organizations to create or expand
regional partnerships between
employers, economic development,
workforce development, community
colleges, training programs, K–12
education systems, and communitybased organizations that make a
commitment to provide a pipeline of
workers to fill existing job openings.
DOL expects to fund approximately 20–
40 grants, with individual grant
amounts ranging from $1 million to $6
million. The grant period for
performance for this FOA is 48 months,
including all necessary implementation
and start-up activities.
The complete FOA and any
subsequent FOA amendments in
connection with this funding
opportunity are described in further
detail on ETA’s Web site at https://
www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm
or on https://www.grants.gov/. The Web
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sites provide application information,
eligibility requirements, review and
selection procedures, and other program
requirements governing this funding
opportunity.
DATES: The closing date for receipt of
applications under this announcement
is August 25, 2016. Applications must
be received no later than 4 p.m. Eastern
Time.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ariam Ferro, 200 Constitution Avenue
NW., Room N–4716, Washington, DC
20210; Telephone: 202–693–3968.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of the Secretary of Labor
Notice of Extension of Request for
Public Comment Regarding Revising
the List of Products Requiring Federal
Contractor Certification as to Forced
or Indentured Child Labor Pursuant to
Executive Order 13126
Bureau of International Labor
Affairs, Department of Labor.
ACTION: Request for comments.
AGENCY:
This notice reopens and
extends the period for comments on the
Notice of Initial Determination
published in the Federal Register on
December 2, 2014, proposing to add
carpets from India to the List of
Products Requiring Federal Contractor
Certification as to Forced or Indentured
Child Labor (the EO List) (77 FR 59418).
The EO List is required by Executive
Order 13126 (Prohibition of Acquisition
of Products Produced by Forced or
Indentured Child Labor), and is
developed in accordance with the
‘‘Procedural Guidelines for the
Maintenance of the List of Products
Requiring Federal Contractor
Certification as to Forced or Indentured
Child Labor Under 48 CFR Subpart
22.15 and E.O. 13126.’’ The EO List
identifies products, by their country of
origin, that the Department of Labor, in
consultation and cooperation with the
Departments of State and Homeland
Security (collectively, the Departments),
has a reasonable basis to believe might
have been mined, produced or
manufactured by forced or indentured
child labor. In addition to proposing to
add a one new item, carpets from India,
to the EO List, the initial determination
invited comments from the public.
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 117 / Friday, June 17, 2016 / Notices
sradovich on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Since the initial comment period,
additional comments have been
submitted to and gathered by the
Departments. This notice reopens and
extends the comment period on the
initial determination, including all of
the information that was submitted and
gathered during the comment period
and after it closed. The comments have
raised issues as to whether the evidence
is sufficient at this time to satisfy our
criteria for adding carpets from India to
the EO list; however, a final
determination will not be made until
the public has had an opportunity to
comment on the initial determination
and the evidence in the record. The
Departments will consider all public
comments prior to publishing a final
determination revising the EO List.
DATES: Information should be submitted
to the Office of Child Labor, Forced
Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)
via one of the methods described below
by no later than 5 p.m. July 15, 2016.
To Submit Information, or For Further
Information, Contact: Information
submitted to the Department should be
submitted directly to OCFT, Bureau of
International Labor Affairs, U.S.
Department of Labor, at (202) 693–4843
(this is not a toll free number).
Comments, identified as ‘‘Docket No.
DOL–2014–0004,’’ may be submitted by
any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. The portal
includes instructions for submitting
comments. Parties submitting responses
electronically are encouraged not to
submit paper copies.
Facsimile (fax): OCFT, at 202–693–
4830.
Mail, Express Delivery, Hand Delivery,
and Messenger Service (2 copies):
Rachel Rigby/Charita Castro, at U.S.
Department of Labor, OCFT, Bureau of
International Labor Affairs, 200
Constitution Avenue NW., Room
S–5317, Washington, DC 20210.
Email: EO13126@dol.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Initial Determination
On December 2, 2014, the Department
of Labor (DOL), in consultation and
cooperation with the Department of
State (DOS) and the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS and
collectively, the Departments),
published a Notice of Initial
Determination in the Federal Register
proposing to add carpets from India to
the List of Products Requiring Federal
Contractor Certification as to Forced or
Indentured Child Labor (the EO List) (77
FR 59418). The initial determination
can be accessed on the Internet at
https://federalregister.gov/a/2014-27624
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The initial determination invited
public comment until January 30, 2015,
on whether carpets from India should be
included in a revised EO List, as well as
any other issues related to the fair and
effective implementation of Executive
Order 13126. During the comment
period, three public comments were
submitted. Following the conclusion of
the public comment period, nineteen
additional comments were submitted to
or gathered by the Departments. All
comments are available for public
viewing at https://www.regulations.gov
(reference Docket ID No. DOL–2014–
0004).
The initial determination and the
public comments can also be obtained
from: Office of Child Labor, Forced
Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT),
Bureau of International Labor Affairs,
Room S–5317, U.S. Department of
Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202)
693–4843; fax: (202) 693–4830.
II. Information Sought
DOL is reopening and extending the
period for public comments on the
initial determination proposing to revise
the EO List to add carpets from India.
DOL invites the public to comment on
whether carpets from India should be
included in the revised EO List,
including comments on all of the
information submitted or gathered since
the publication of the initial
determination. The comments have
raised issues as to whether the evidence
is sufficient at this time to satisfy our
criteria for adding carpets from India to
the EO list; however, a final
determination will not be made until
the public has had an opportunity to
comment on the initial determination
and the evidence in the record. To the
extent possible, comments provided
should address the criteria for inclusion
of a product on the EO List contained
in the Procedural Guidelines discussed
below. The information that has been
received on this good is available at
https://www.regulations.gov (reference
Docket ID No. DOL–2014–0004).
In conducting research for the initial
determination, the Departments
considered a wide variety of materials
based on their own research and
originating from other U.S. Government
agencies, foreign governments,
international organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),
U.S. Government-funded technical
assistance and field research projects,
academic and other independent
research, media, and other sources. The
Department of State and U.S. embassies
and consulates abroad also provided
important information by gathering data
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39715
from contacts, conducting site visits and
reviewing local media sources. In
developing the proposed revision to the
EO List, the Departments’ review
focused on information concerning the
use of forced or indentured child labor
that was available from the above
sources.
As outlined in the Procedural
Guidelines, several factors are weighed
in determining whether or not a product
should be placed on the EO List: The
nature of the information describing the
use of forced or indentured child labor;
the source of the information; the date
of the information; the extent of
corroboration of the information by
appropriate sources; whether the
information involved more than an
isolated incident; and whether recent
and credible efforts are being made to
address forced or indentured child labor
in a particular country or industry (66
FR 5351).
This notice is a general solicitation of
comments from the public. All
submitted comments will be made a
part of the public record and will be
available for inspection at https://
www.regulations.gov.
Following receipt and consideration
of comments on the addition to the EO
List of carpets from India, DOL, in
consultation with DOS and DHS, will
issue a final determination in the
Federal Register. The Departments
intend to continue to review the EO List
periodically to add and/or remove
products as warranted by the receipt of
new and credible information.
III. Background
The first EO List was published on
January 18, 2001 (66 FR 5353). The EO
List was subsequently revised on July
20, 2010 (75 FR 42164); on May 31,
2011 (76 FR 31365); on April 3, 2012 (77
FR 20051); and on July 23, 2013 (78 FR
44158).
Executive Order 13126, which was
published in the Federal Register on
June 16, 1999 (64 FR 32383), declared
that it was ‘‘the policy of the United
States Government . . . that the
executive agencies shall take
appropriate actions to enforce the laws
prohibiting the manufacture or
importation of goods, wares, articles,
and merchandise mined, produced or
manufactured wholly or in part by
forced or indentured child labor.’’
Pursuant to Executive Order 13126, and
following public notice and comment,
DOL published in the January 18, 2001,
Federal Register a list of products,
identified by their country of origin, that
DOL, in consultation and cooperation
with DOS and the Department of the
Treasury (relevant responsibilities now
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 117 / Friday, June 17, 2016 / Notices
within DHS), had a reasonable basis to
believe might have been mined,
produced or manufactured by forced or
indentured child labor. (66 FR 5353).
Pursuant to Section 3 of Executive
Order 13126, the Federal Acquisition
Regulatory Council published a final
rule in the Federal Register on January
18, 2001, providing, amongst other
requirements, that federal contractors
who supply products that appear on the
EO List must certify to the contracting
officer that the contractor, or, in the case
of an incorporated contractor, a
responsible official of the contractor,
has made a good faith effort to
determine whether forced or indentured
child labor was used to mine, produce,
or manufacture any product furnished
under the contract and that, on the basis
of those efforts, the contractor is
unaware of any such use of child labor.
(48 CFR Subpart 22.15).
DOL also published on January 18,
2001, ‘‘Procedural Guidelines for the
Maintenance of the List of Products
Requiring Federal Contractor
Certification as to Forced or Indentured
Child Labor’’ (‘‘Procedural Guidelines’’),
which provide for maintaining,
reviewing, and, as appropriate, revising
the EO List. (66 FR 5351). The
Procedural Guidelines provide that the
EO List may be revised either through
consideration of submissions by
individuals or on the initiative of DOL,
DOS and DHS. In either event, when
proposing to revise the EO List, DOL
must publish in the Federal Register a
notice of initial determination, which
includes any proposed alteration to the
EO List. DOL, DOS and DHS consider
all public comments prior to the
publication of a final determination of a
revised EO List.
sradovich on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
IV. Definitions
Under Section 6(c) of EO 13126:
‘‘Forced or indentured child labor’’
means all work or service—
(1) Exacted from any person under the
age of 18 under the menace of any
penalty for its nonperformance and for
which the worker does not offer himself
voluntarily; or
(2) Performed by any person under
the age of 18 pursuant to a contract the
enforcement of which can be
accomplished by process or penalties.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 13th day of
June, 2016.
Carol Pier,
Deputy Undersecretary for International
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2016–14407 Filed 6–16–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–28–P
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of the Secretary
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request; Prohibited
Transaction Class Exemption 1988–59,
Residential Mortgage Financing
Arrangements Involving Employee
Benefit Plans
ACTION:
Notice.
The Department of Labor
(DOL) is submitting the Employee
Benefits Security Administration
(EBSA) sponsored information
collection request (ICR) titled,
‘‘Prohibited Transaction Class
Exemption 1988–59, Residential
Mortgage Financing Arrangements
Involving Employee Benefit Plans,’’ to
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and approval for
continued use, without change, in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq. Public comments on the
ICR are invited.
DATES: The OMB will consider all
written comments that agency receives
on or before July 18, 2016.
ADDRESSES: A copy of this ICR with
applicable supporting documentation;
including a description of the likely
respondents, proposed frequency of
response, and estimated total burden
may be obtained free of charge from the
RegInfo.gov Web site at https://
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=201605-1210-003
(this link will only become active on the
day following publication of this notice)
or by contacting Michel Smyth by
telephone at 202–693–4129, TTY 202–
693–8064, (these are not toll-free
numbers) or by email at DOL_PRA_
PUBLIC@dol.gov.
Submit comments about this request
by mail or courier to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Attn: OMB Desk Officer for DOL–EBSA,
Office of Management and Budget,
Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20503; by Fax: 202–
395–5806 (this is not a toll-free
number); or by email: OIRA_
submission@omb.eop.gov. Commenters
are encouraged, but not required, to
send a courtesy copy of any comments
by mail or courier to the U.S.
Department of Labor—OASAM, Office
of the Chief Information Officer, Attn:
Departmental Information Compliance
Management Program, Room N1301,
200 Constitution Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20210; or by email:
DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.
SUMMARY:
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Frm 00093
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Contact Michel Smyth by telephone at
202–693–4129, TTY 202–693–8064,
(these are not toll-free numbers) or by
email at DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D).
This ICR
seeks to extend PRA authority for the
Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption
(PTE) 1988–59, Residential Mortgage
Financing Arrangements Involving
Employee Benefit Plans, information
collection. This PTE is applicable to
residential mortgage financing
arrangements involving employee
benefit plans and permits an employee
benefit plan to enter into specified
transactions involving residential
mortgage loans with parties in interest
without violating the prohibited
transaction provisions of the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
(ERISA), provided that plan meets
specified conditions. Among other
conditions, the plan must maintain
records pertaining to covered
transactions for the duration of the loan
and must make the records available
upon request to plan trustees,
investment managers, participants and
beneficiaries, and DOL and Internal
Revenue Service agents. ERISA section
408 authorizes this information
collection. See 29 U.S.C. 1108.
This information collection is subject
to the PRA. A Federal agency generally
cannot conduct or sponsor a collection
of information, and the public is
generally not required to respond to an
information collection, unless it is
approved by the OMB under the PRA
and displays a currently valid OMB
Control Number. In addition,
notwithstanding any other provisions of
law, no person shall generally be subject
to penalty for failing to comply with a
collection of information that does not
display a valid Control Number. See 5
CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6. The DOL
obtains OMB approval for this
information collection under Control
Number 1210–0095.
OMB authorization for an ICR cannot
be for more than three (3) years without
renewal, and the current approval for
this collection is scheduled to expire on
July 31, 2016. The DOL seeks to extend
PRA authorization for this information
collection for three (3) more years,
without any change to existing
requirements. The DOL notes that
existing information collection
requirements submitted to the OMB
receive a month-to-month extension
while they undergo review. For
additional substantive information
about this ICR, see the related notice
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 117 (Friday, June 17, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39714-39716]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-14407]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of the Secretary of Labor
Notice of Extension of Request for Public Comment Regarding
Revising the List of Products Requiring Federal Contractor
Certification as to Forced or Indentured Child Labor Pursuant to
Executive Order 13126
AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Department of Labor.
ACTION: Request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice reopens and extends the period for comments on the
Notice of Initial Determination published in the Federal Register on
December 2, 2014, proposing to add carpets from India to the List of
Products Requiring Federal Contractor Certification as to Forced or
Indentured Child Labor (the EO List) (77 FR 59418). The EO List is
required by Executive Order 13126 (Prohibition of Acquisition of
Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor), and is
developed in accordance with the ``Procedural Guidelines for the
Maintenance of the List of Products Requiring Federal Contractor
Certification as to Forced or Indentured Child Labor Under 48 CFR
Subpart 22.15 and E.O. 13126.'' The EO List identifies products, by
their country of origin, that the Department of Labor, in consultation
and cooperation with the Departments of State and Homeland Security
(collectively, the Departments), has a reasonable basis to believe
might have been mined, produced or manufactured by forced or indentured
child labor. In addition to proposing to add a one new item, carpets
from India, to the EO List, the initial determination invited comments
from the public.
[[Page 39715]]
Since the initial comment period, additional comments have been
submitted to and gathered by the Departments. This notice reopens and
extends the comment period on the initial determination, including all
of the information that was submitted and gathered during the comment
period and after it closed. The comments have raised issues as to
whether the evidence is sufficient at this time to satisfy our criteria
for adding carpets from India to the EO list; however, a final
determination will not be made until the public has had an opportunity
to comment on the initial determination and the evidence in the record.
The Departments will consider all public comments prior to publishing a
final determination revising the EO List.
DATES: Information should be submitted to the Office of Child Labor,
Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT) via one of the methods
described below by no later than 5 p.m. July 15, 2016.
To Submit Information, or For Further Information, Contact:
Information submitted to the Department should be submitted directly to
OCFT, Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor,
at (202) 693-4843 (this is not a toll free number). Comments,
identified as ``Docket No. DOL-2014-0004,'' may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. The portal
includes instructions for submitting comments. Parties submitting
responses electronically are encouraged not to submit paper copies.
Facsimile (fax): OCFT, at 202-693-4830.
Mail, Express Delivery, Hand Delivery, and Messenger Service (2
copies): Rachel Rigby/Charita Castro, at U.S. Department of Labor,
OCFT, Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 200 Constitution Avenue
NW., Room S-5317, Washington, DC 20210.
Email: EO13126@dol.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Initial Determination
On December 2, 2014, the Department of Labor (DOL), in consultation
and cooperation with the Department of State (DOS) and the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS and collectively, the Departments), published
a Notice of Initial Determination in the Federal Register proposing to
add carpets from India to the List of Products Requiring Federal
Contractor Certification as to Forced or Indentured Child Labor (the EO
List) (77 FR 59418). The initial determination can be accessed on the
Internet at https://federalregister.gov/a/2014-27624
The initial determination invited public comment until January 30,
2015, on whether carpets from India should be included in a revised EO
List, as well as any other issues related to the fair and effective
implementation of Executive Order 13126. During the comment period,
three public comments were submitted. Following the conclusion of the
public comment period, nineteen additional comments were submitted to
or gathered by the Departments. All comments are available for public
viewing at https://www.regulations.gov (reference Docket ID No. DOL-
2014-0004).
The initial determination and the public comments can also be
obtained from: Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human
Trafficking (OCFT), Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Room S-5317,
U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC
20210; telephone: (202) 693-4843; fax: (202) 693-4830.
II. Information Sought
DOL is reopening and extending the period for public comments on
the initial determination proposing to revise the EO List to add
carpets from India. DOL invites the public to comment on whether
carpets from India should be included in the revised EO List, including
comments on all of the information submitted or gathered since the
publication of the initial determination. The comments have raised
issues as to whether the evidence is sufficient at this time to satisfy
our criteria for adding carpets from India to the EO list; however, a
final determination will not be made until the public has had an
opportunity to comment on the initial determination and the evidence in
the record. To the extent possible, comments provided should address
the criteria for inclusion of a product on the EO List contained in the
Procedural Guidelines discussed below. The information that has been
received on this good is available at https://www.regulations.gov
(reference Docket ID No. DOL-2014-0004).
In conducting research for the initial determination, the
Departments considered a wide variety of materials based on their own
research and originating from other U.S. Government agencies, foreign
governments, international organizations, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), U.S. Government-funded technical assistance and
field research projects, academic and other independent research,
media, and other sources. The Department of State and U.S. embassies
and consulates abroad also provided important information by gathering
data from contacts, conducting site visits and reviewing local media
sources. In developing the proposed revision to the EO List, the
Departments' review focused on information concerning the use of forced
or indentured child labor that was available from the above sources.
As outlined in the Procedural Guidelines, several factors are
weighed in determining whether or not a product should be placed on the
EO List: The nature of the information describing the use of forced or
indentured child labor; the source of the information; the date of the
information; the extent of corroboration of the information by
appropriate sources; whether the information involved more than an
isolated incident; and whether recent and credible efforts are being
made to address forced or indentured child labor in a particular
country or industry (66 FR 5351).
This notice is a general solicitation of comments from the public.
All submitted comments will be made a part of the public record and
will be available for inspection at https://www.regulations.gov.
Following receipt and consideration of comments on the addition to
the EO List of carpets from India, DOL, in consultation with DOS and
DHS, will issue a final determination in the Federal Register. The
Departments intend to continue to review the EO List periodically to
add and/or remove products as warranted by the receipt of new and
credible information.
III. Background
The first EO List was published on January 18, 2001 (66 FR 5353).
The EO List was subsequently revised on July 20, 2010 (75 FR 42164); on
May 31, 2011 (76 FR 31365); on April 3, 2012 (77 FR 20051); and on July
23, 2013 (78 FR 44158).
Executive Order 13126, which was published in the Federal Register
on June 16, 1999 (64 FR 32383), declared that it was ``the policy of
the United States Government . . . that the executive agencies shall
take appropriate actions to enforce the laws prohibiting the
manufacture or importation of goods, wares, articles, and merchandise
mined, produced or manufactured wholly or in part by forced or
indentured child labor.'' Pursuant to Executive Order 13126, and
following public notice and comment, DOL published in the January 18,
2001, Federal Register a list of products, identified by their country
of origin, that DOL, in consultation and cooperation with DOS and the
Department of the Treasury (relevant responsibilities now
[[Page 39716]]
within DHS), had a reasonable basis to believe might have been mined,
produced or manufactured by forced or indentured child labor. (66 FR
5353).
Pursuant to Section 3 of Executive Order 13126, the Federal
Acquisition Regulatory Council published a final rule in the Federal
Register on January 18, 2001, providing, amongst other requirements,
that federal contractors who supply products that appear on the EO List
must certify to the contracting officer that the contractor, or, in the
case of an incorporated contractor, a responsible official of the
contractor, has made a good faith effort to determine whether forced or
indentured child labor was used to mine, produce, or manufacture any
product furnished under the contract and that, on the basis of those
efforts, the contractor is unaware of any such use of child labor. (48
CFR Subpart 22.15).
DOL also published on January 18, 2001, ``Procedural Guidelines for
the Maintenance of the List of Products Requiring Federal Contractor
Certification as to Forced or Indentured Child Labor'' (``Procedural
Guidelines''), which provide for maintaining, reviewing, and, as
appropriate, revising the EO List. (66 FR 5351). The Procedural
Guidelines provide that the EO List may be revised either through
consideration of submissions by individuals or on the initiative of
DOL, DOS and DHS. In either event, when proposing to revise the EO
List, DOL must publish in the Federal Register a notice of initial
determination, which includes any proposed alteration to the EO List.
DOL, DOS and DHS consider all public comments prior to the publication
of a final determination of a revised EO List.
IV. Definitions
Under Section 6(c) of EO 13126: ``Forced or indentured child
labor'' means all work or service--
(1) Exacted from any person under the age of 18 under the menace of
any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not
offer himself voluntarily; or
(2) Performed by any person under the age of 18 pursuant to a
contract the enforcement of which can be accomplished by process or
penalties.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 13th day of June, 2016.
Carol Pier,
Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2016-14407 Filed 6-16-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-P
