Department of Labor 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announces that OMB has extended its approval for a number of information collection requirements found in sections of 29 CFR parts 1910, 1915, 1917, 1918, 1926, and 1928. OSHA sought approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA-95), and, as required by that Act, is announcing the approval numbers and expiration dates for those requirements.

Gibraltar Chimney International, LLC, Hoffmann Inc., and Kiewit Industrial Co. (``the applicants'') have applied for a permanent variance from the provisions of the OSHA standards that regulate boatswains' chairs and hoist towers, specifically paragraph (o)(3) of Sec. 1926.452 and paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(4), (c)(8), (c)(13), (c)(14)(i), and (c)(16) of Sec. 1926.552. In addition, the applicants have requested an interim order based on the alternative conditions specified by the variance application. Since these conditions are the same as the conditions specified in other permanent variances granted recently by the Agency for these boatswains'-chair and hoist-tower provisions, OSHA is granting the applicants' request for an interim order.

The 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 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: Fair Labor Standards Act Recordkeeping Requirements. A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section of this Notice.

This final rule eliminates the procedural requirement that the Department's administrative law judges include the parties' names in decisions and orders issued in Black Lung Benefits Act claims. The Department is revising the rule to give the Office of Administrative Law Judges more flexibility in captioning these decisions. This will allow the Department the flexibility to limit the amount of personal information about black lung claimants that is included in published final decisions.

On December 22, 2002, the Department of Labor (Department) proposed revisions to Forms LM-2, LM-3, and LM-4, which are used by labor organizations to file annual financial reports required under Title II of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA or Act), 29 U.S.C. 401 et seq., with the Employment Standards Administration's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS). A portion of the proposed rule stated the Department's intent to revise its interpretation of an aspect of the definition of ``labor organization * * * deemed to be engaged in an industry affecting commerce'' under the LMRDA. After receiving and considering comments, the Department published its final rule on October 9, 2003. The interpretation in the final rule stated that intermediate bodies that are subordinate to a national or international labor organization that includes a labor organization will be covered by the LMRDA, even if the intermediate body's constituents are solely public sector local labor unions not covered by the Act. This interpretation of the LMRDA was challenged in federal district court by labor unions affected by the interpretation, and the court granted summary judgment in favor of the labor unions. Alabama Education Ass'n v. Chao, 2005 WL 736535 (D.D.C. Mar 31, 2005). On appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed the grant of summary judgment. Alabama Education Ass'n v. Chao, 455 F.3d 386 (D.C. Cir. 2006). The court of appeals held that the Department's interpretation was reviewable under deference principles established under Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984), and that the statutory definition of ``labor organization * * * deemed to be engaged in an industry affecting commerce'' is ambiguous and subject to more than one permissible interpretation, including the Department's interpretation. 455 F.3d at 393, 396. The court also concluded, however, that the Department had failed to provide a ``reasoned analysis supporting its change of position'' and remanded the rule to the Department to provide such analysis. Id. at 396-397. The Department issues this Policy Statement in response to the court's remand order.

The U.S. Department of Labor's (USDOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) intends to provide hyperlinks to Web sites to aid customers to find an alternative job bank when America's Job Bank (AJB) is phased out on June 30, 2007. ETA is issuing this notice to solicit information from private-sector job bank Web sites interested in applying to be included in the list of Web links.

This document contains exemptions issued by the Department of Labor (the Department) from certain of the prohibited transaction restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA or the Act) and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code). A notice was published in the Federal Register of the pendency before the Department of a proposal to grant such exemption. The notice set forth a summary of facts and representations contained in the application for exemption and referred interested persons to the application for a complete statement of the facts and representations. The application has been available for public inspection at the Department in Washington, DC. The notice also invited interested persons to submit comments on the requested exemption to the Department. In addition the notice stated that any interested person might submit a written request that a public hearing be held (where appropriate). The applicant has represented that it has complied with the requirements of the notification to interested persons. No requests for a hearing were received by the Department. Public comments were received by the Department as described in the granted exemption. The notice of proposed exemption was issued and the exemption is being granted solely by the Department because, effective December 31, 1978, section 102 of Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978, 5 U.S.C. App. 1 (1996), transferred the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to issue exemptions of the type proposed to the Secretary of Labor.

The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health invites interested parties to submit nominations for membership on ACCSH.