Department of Labor 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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. The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension and revision to the financial reporting requirements for the National Farmworker Jobs Program.

Under Section 182(d) of the WIA of 1998, ETA is publishing the PY 2005 allocations for the NFJP, authorized under Section 167 of the WIA. The allocations are distributed to the states by a formula that estimates, by state, the relative demand for NFJP services. The allocations in this notice apply to the PY beginning July 1, 2005.

The U.S. Department of Labor (the Department or DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Office of National Programs (ONP), Division of Seasonal Farmworker Programs (DSFP), announces a grant competition for operating the housing assistance portion of the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP), under Section 167 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), 29 U.S.C. 9201. All applicants for grant funds should read this notice in its entirety. Section 167, paragraph (a) of WIA requires the Secretary to award grants or contracts on a competitive basis to eligible entities for the purposes of carrying out the activities authorized under Section 167. Although housing assistance is identified in WIA as one of the allowable activities under the NFJP, Congressional appropriations language directs the Department to make available a specific amount of the funds appropriated for the NFJP for migrant and seasonal farmworkers housing assistance grants, and that no less than 70 percent of the specified amount must be used for permanent housing activities. Therefore, under this solicitation, of the $4,544,682 appropriated for NFJP housing assistance, approximately $3,131,217 will be available for permanent housing assistance and approximately $1,413,465 for temporary and/or emergency housing assistance. Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is May 27, 2005. Applications must be received at the address below no later than 5 p.m. eastern time.

Pursuant to section 10 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463; 5 U.S.C. APP. 1), notice is hereby given of an open meeting of the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (ACA). Time and Date: The meeting will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 16th, and continue until approximately 5 p.m. The meeting will reconvene at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 17th, and continue until approximately 4 p.m. The final meeting day will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 18th, and adjourn at 12 noon. Place: Hilton Crystal City, 2399 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia 22202, (703) 418-6800. The agenda is subject to change due to time constraints and priority items which may come before the Committee between the time of this publication and the scheduled date of the ACA meeting.

This document corrects final regulations that were published in the Federal Register on December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78720) governing portability requirements for group health plans and issuers of health insurance coverage offered in connection with a group health plan.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), announces the availability of approximately $15 million in Responsible Reintegration of Youthful Offender grant funds to address the specific workforce challenges of youth offenders and to utilize strategies that prepare them for new and increasing job opportunities in high-growth/high-demand and economically vital industries and sectors of the American economy. Projects funded under this competition will be consistent with both the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative and DOL's Youth Vision. Grant funds awarded under this competition can be used to implement a variety of approaches to helping youth offenders enter high-growth/ high-demand industries, including occupational training provided by organizations that grant industry-recognized credentials; on-the-job training, apprenticeships, internships, and other work-based learning opportunities; job placement efforts; reading and math remediation to assist youth offenders succeed in education and training programs; efforts to help youth offenders already employed upgrade to skilled positions; and efforts to help youth offenders enter community colleges and four-year colleges. Each application must reflect a strategic partnership between the public workforce system, business representatives from high-growth/ high-demand industries, the education and training community, and the juvenile justice system. Partnerships with the child welfare agency and with faith-based and community organizations are also encouraged. It is anticipated that individual awards will average $1 million for the first year of operation to serve 200 youth per site.