Department of Labor April 5, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 and Training Administration is soliciting comments concerning the addition of seven new questions to the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) regarding: (1) The amount of time per day farm workers are engaged working in specific crops and tasks, and (2) farm workers' clothes laundering and hygiene practices. The information obtained from these questions will improve the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pesticide Programs' (EPA/ OPP) ability to assess farm workers' risk to pesticide exposure. There are no known national-level studies that assess the length of the work day for specific crop-task combinations. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) authorization for the current NAWS questionnaire will expire on October 31, 2013. A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addressee section of this notice.

This document announces that certain technical revisions to the Schedule MB (Multiemployer Defined Benefit Plan and Certain Money Purchase Plan Actuarial Information) and the Schedule SB (Single- Employer Defined Benefit Plan Actuarial Information) of the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan have been adopted in IRS Notice 2010-83 (2010-51 I.R.B. 862) and IRS Notice 2011-3 (2011-2 I.R.B. 263) to reflect funding relief alternatives retroactively available to defined benefit pension plans under the Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010 (Pension Relief Act). The information that would be required either by way of amendment of the 2008 or 2009 Annual Return/Report or providing an attachment to the 2009 or 2010 Annual Return/Report in accordance with the IRS Notices, will also be added to the 2011 and later Schedule MB (Multiemployer Defined Benefit Plan and Certain Money Purchase Plan Actuarial Information) and the Schedule SB (Single- Employer Defined Benefit Plan Actuarial Information) of the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan. Compliance with the Schedule SB and Schedule MB, as modified, will satisfy the pertinent Form 5500 actuarial information reporting requirements for the Department of Labor.