Department of Labor April 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), will award up to USD 20.5 million through 5 or more cooperative agreements to one or more qualifying organizations and/or Associations to combat exploitive child labor in the following 5 countries: Guinea (up to USD 3.5 million), Jordan (up to USD 4 million), Madagascar (up to USD 4.5 million), Nicaragua (up to USD 5 million), and Yemen (up to USD 3.5 million). Projects funded under SGA 08-01 will seek to ensure children's long-term withdrawal and prevention from engaging in exploitive child labor through the provision of direct educational services. Projects will also seek to build capacity in target countries to eliminate exploitive child labor and promote educational alternatives for children. Projects will aim to complement and expand upon existing projects and programs aimed at eliminating exploitive child labor, particularly the worst forms of child labor, and improving basic education in the target countries. Application and Submission Information: The full-text version of SGA 08-01 is available on https://www.grants.gov and USDOL/ILAB's Web site at https://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/main.htm. All applications for funding under SGA 08-01 must be submitted electronically to USDOL via https://www.grants.gov. Any application sent by mail or other delivery services, e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be accepted. Key Dates: The deadline for submission of applications is June 24, 2008. All technical questions regarding SGA 08-01 must be sent by May 15, 2008 in order to receive a response. USDOL will publish its responses to these technical questions on SGA 08-01 by May 23, 2008. Any questions regarding the electronic assembly of application packages must be sent by June 17, 2008. USDOL will make all cooperative agreement awards on or before September 30, 2008. Agency Contacts: All technical questions regarding SGA 08-01 should be sent to Ms. Lisa Harvey, Grant Officer, U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Procurement Services, via e-mail (e-mail address: harvey.lisa@dol.gov; telephone: (202) 693-4592please note that this is not a toll-free-number). Background Information: Since 1995, USDOL has supported technical cooperation programming to combat exploitive child labor internationally through the promotion of educational opportunities for children in need. In total, the U.S. Congress has appropriated to USDOL over USD 660 million to support activities to combat exploitive child labor internationally. In turn, ILAB has signed cooperative agreements with various organizations to support international technical assistance projects to combat exploitive child labor in over 75 countries around the world. USDOL international programming to combat exploitive child labor through education seeks to nurture the development, health, safety, and enhanced future employability of children around the world by withdrawing or preventing children from involvement in exploitive labor and providing them with access to basic education, vocational training and other services. Since 2001, USDOL-funded projects have withdrawn or prevented over 1 million children from exploitive labor.

The Department published in the Federal Register of October 24, 2007 (72 FR 60452), a final regulation providing relief from certain fiduciary responsibilities for fiduciaries of participant- directed individual account plans who, in the absence of directions from a participant, invest the participant's account in a qualified default investment alternative. The final regulation implemented recent amendments to title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) enacted as part of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, Public Law 109-280. The Department has determined that two paragraphs in the final regulation, and one statement in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, require correction. Accordingly, this document corrects the final regulation by revising these paragraphs.

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 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 proposal to extend OMB approval of the information collection: Employee Polygraph Protection Act Regulations 29 CFR part 801. A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section of this Notice.

Under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-220), the Secretary of Labor annually determines the Lower Living Standard Income level (LLSIL) for uses described in the law. WIA defines the term ``Low Income Individual'' as one who qualifies under various criteria, including an individual who received income for a six-month period that does not exceed the higher level of the poverty line or 70 percent of the LLSIL. This issuance provides the Secretary's annual LLSIL for 2008 and references the current 2008 Health and Human Services ``Poverty Guidelines.''

The Department of Labor, in collaboration with the Department of Education, announces that eight states are eligible to apply for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) (Pub. L. 105-220, 29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.) incentive awards authorized by section 503 of the WIA.

The Department of Labor (``DOL'') will hold a public hearing for the purpose of gathering factual information regarding the use of child labor and forced labor worldwide in the production of goods at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 28, 2008. The hearing will take place in the Auditorium of the Frances Perkins Building, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington DC 20210, and will be open to the public. This hearing is conducted pursuant to section 105(b)(1) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (``TVPRA of 2005''), Public Law 109-164 (2006), and as set forth in the Notice of Procedural Guidelines for the Development and Maintenance of the List of Goods From Countries Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (``Guidelines''), 72 FR 73374 (December 27, 2007). All members of the public attending the hearing must register by May 14 in order to facilitate building security. DOL is now accepting requests from all interested parties to provide oral and/or written testimony and/or exhibits at the hearing. Each presentation will be limited to 10 minutes and must be submitted in writing to the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking by May 7. The Department is not able to provide financial assistance to those wishing to travel to attend the hearing. Those unable to attend the hearing are invited to submit written testimony. Please refer to the DATES, FURTHER INFORMATION, and ``Scope of Interest'' sections of this Notice for additional instructions on registration, notification, and submission requirements. The DOL Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (``Office'') is currently developing a list of goods (``the List'') from countries that the Office has reason to believe are produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards. DOL is required to develop and make available to the public the List pursuant to the TVPRA of 2005. Information provided at the hearing will be considered by the Office in developing the List. Testimony should be confined to the specific topic of the use of child labor and forced labor in the production of goods internationally, as well as information on government, industry, or third-party actions and initiatives to address these problems. The Office is particularly interested in information tending to demonstrate the presence or absence of a significant incidence of child labor or forced labor in the production of a particular good.

The Department of Labor (Department), 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 continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA 95). 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 Employee Benefits Security Administration is soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of a currently approved collection of information, Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption 86-128 for certain transactions involving employee benefit plans and securities broker-dealers. A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section of this notice.

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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requests comment on a new segment being proposed under its Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program. This segment is called the Satellite Notification and Acceptance Program, and participation by NRTLs in the program is voluntary. The description for this program specifies the criteria and conditions under which any NRTL may control and audit certain facilities in order to perform particular functions at those facilities.