Department of Labor 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Labor is scheduling a public forum to seek input from the public on how it might improve the quality and efficiency of the Department's administration of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This forum is part of the Department's FOIA Improvement Plan finalized earlier in 2006. Interested persons are encouraged to submit written comments in response to the questions contained in this notice and offer additional suggestions for improving the quality and efficiency of the Department's FOIA efforts. Attendees are invited to speak on these questions and other related issues at the public forum; those who only wish to observe the forum are welcome to attend as well. The Department's FOIA Improvement Plan is available at https://www.dol.gov/dol/foia/ (See link for ``Agency Plan and Report''). Background: On June 14, 2006, the Department submitted its FOIA Improvement Plan and Report pursuant to Executive Order 13392 (``Improving Agency Disclosure of Information''). As part of its FOIA Improvement Plan, the Department has been examining various components of its FOIA practices and procedures. One key component of the plan is outreach to the requester community and solicitation of input concerning ways the Department could improve the quality and efficiency of its FOIA efforts. At this time, the Department is soliciting input on ways to improve its FOIA efforts and, in particular, its written communication with individual requesters. The Department is convening this forum to begin the public input process. The first part of the program will consist of presentations by Departmental officials involved in the FOIA process. The second part of the program will be set aside to allow members of the requester community and the public to make suggestions or ask questions about the Department's FOIA Improvement Plan or its FOIA processes generally.

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 Employment Standards Administration is soliciting comments concerning the proposed collection: Employment Information Forms (WH-3 and WH-3 Spanish). A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section of this Notice.

Section 101(c) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 and 30 CFR part 44 govern the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for modification. This notice is a summary of petitions for modification filed by the parties listed below to modify the application of existing mandatory safety standards published in Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

The Department of Labor (the Department), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information. This program helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the reporting burden on the public. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. Currently, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is soliciting comments on the proposed extension of the information collections contained in regulations pertaining to the Department's procedures to making a finding under section 3(40) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) as to whether an employee benefit plan is established and maintained pursuant to one or more collective bargaining agreements. A copy of the information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office shown in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

The Department of Labor (the Department), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information. This program helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the reporting burden on the public and helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. Currently, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is soliciting comments on a proposed extension of the current approval of information collection provisions incorporated in the Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption (PTE) 75-1, pertaining to securities and other related transactions with broker-dealers, reporting dealers and banks. A copy of the information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office shown in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

This notice announces the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's final decision expanding the recognition of TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc., (TUV) as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory under 29 CFR 1910.7.

Section 601 of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (the PPA) (Pub. L. 109-280) amended section 408 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) to add a prohibited transaction exemption for the provision of investment advice to participants and beneficiaries of individual account plans that permit the direction of assets in their accounts, and for certain related transactions, if the investment advice is provided under an ``eligible investment advice arrangement,'' as defined in the statute. The purpose of this notice is to request information from the public relating to the requirements in the new provisions that a computer model which serves as the basis for an eligible investment advice arrangement be certified as meeting specific criteria, and that information regarding certain fees and compensation be provided to participants and beneficiaries.

This document contains a Model Notice of Pending Election of Multiemployer Plan Status. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA), Public Law 109-280, permits certain plans that would otherwise be treated as multiemployer plans to elect to revoke a prior election to be treated as single-employer plans, and certain other plans to elect to be treated as multiemployer plans. The PPA requires plan administrators to provide notice of such an election to each plan participant and beneficiary, each labor organization representing such participants or beneficiaries, and each employer that has an obligation to contribute to the plan, and further requires the Secretary of Labor to prescribe a model notice.

The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), intends to obligate up to approximately U.S. $3.5 million through a Cooperative Agreement to organization(s) to improve access to and quality of education programs as a means to combat exploitive child labor in Angola. The project(s) funded under this award should address gaps and challenges to basic education found in Angola. ILAB intends to solicit cooperative agreement applications through a limited competition of organizations qualified to implement a project that focuses on innovative ways to provide educational services to children engaged, or at risk of engaging, in exploitive labor in Angola. Qualified organizations include any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit organization that is capable of successfully developing and implementing education projects in Angola and that meets the following criteriaqualified organizations must have (1) an established presence in Angola (i.e., one or more offices and employees) and be legally recognized and permitted to operate by the Government of Angola, and (2) direct and current experience implementing technical cooperation programs for children-in-need in Angola that aim to combat exploitive child labor and/or promote educational and training opportunities for children-in-need who are under the age of 18 years. Among the organizations deemed eligible based on this criteria are the Christian Children's Fund, Save the ChildrenUK, and World Vision. Other organizations wishing to be considered under this limited competition must submit to USDOL, at the contact address provided below and within 10 working days of this announcement, a formal request for funding consideration, providing verifiable evidence that the aforementioned criteria are met. Such requests will be evaluated by USDOL, which will add any additional organizations found eligible to the list of those organizations to be considered under this limited competition. This limited competition involves the re-granting of funds remaining from SGA 05-05 for ``Combating Exploitive Child Labor through Education in Angola,'' published in the Federal Register on May 27, 2005. Please refer to https://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/main.htm for examples of previous notices of availability of funds and solicitations for cooperative agreement applications. Further information on the specific sectors, geographical regions, and funding levels for the potential project(s) in Angola, as well as the selection criteria to be used, will be addressed in the solicitation for cooperative agreement applications that will be made available to those organizations found to be eligible for consideration under the limited competition. For a list of frequently asked questions on Child Labor Education Initiative Solicitations for Cooperative Agreement Applications, please visit https://www.dol.gov/ILAB/faq/faq36.htm. Key Dates: Organizationsother than those specifically referenced by name in this Notice of Intentwishing to be considered under this limited competition must submit to USDOL, at the contact address provided below, a formal request within 10 working days of the date of this announcement. A specific solicitation for cooperative agreement applications will be provided to those organizations deemed eligible for the limited competition within 20 working days of this announcement. The solicitation will remain open for at least 30 calendar days. To Request Consideration Under This Limited Competition or For Further Information Contact: Ms. Lisa Harvey. E-mail address: harvey.lisa@dol.gov. All formal requests for consideration and other inquiries should make reference to the USDOL Child Labor Education InitiativeSolicitations for Cooperative Agreement Applications. Background Information: Since 1995, USDOL has supported a worldwide technical assistance program implemented by the International Labor Organization's International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC). ILAB has also supported the efforts of other organizations involved in efforts to combat child labor internationally through the promotion of educational opportunities for children-in-need. In total, ILAB has provided over U.S. $530 million to ILO-IPEC and other organizations for international technical assistance to combat abusive child labor around the world. USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative seeks to nurture the development, health, safety, and enhanced future employability of children around the world by increasing access to basic education for children removed from child labor or at risk of entering it. Eliminating child labor depends, in part, on improving access to, quality of, and relevance of educational and training opportunities for children less than 18 years of age. Without improving such opportunities, children withdrawn from exploitive forms of labor may not have viable alternatives to child labor and may be more likely to return to such work or resort to other hazardous means of subsistence. In addition to increasing access to education and eliminating exploitive child labor through direct withdrawal and prevention services to children, the Child Labor Education Initiative has the following four strategic goals: 1. Raise awareness of the importance of education for all children and mobilize a wide array of actors to improve and expand education infrastructures; 2. Strengthen formal and transitional education systems that encourage working children and those at risk of working to attend school; 3. Strengthen national institutions and policies on education and child labor; and 4. Ensure the long-term sustainability of these efforts. When working to increase access to quality basic education, USDOL strives to complement existing efforts to eradicate the worst forms of child labor, to build on the achievements of and lessons learned from these efforts, to expand impact and build synergies among actors, and to avoid duplication of resources and efforts.