Department of Labor February 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Labor (the Department) announces the availability of up to $500 million in grant funds to be awarded under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grants program. The TAACCCT grants program provides eligible institutions of higher education, as defined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002), with funds to expand and improve their ability to deliver education and career training programs that can be completed in two years or less, and are suited for workers who are eligible for training under the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers Program (``TAA-eligible workers'') of the Trade Act of 1974 (as amended) 19 U.S.C. 2271-2323, as well as other adults. Eligible institutions may be located in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or the U.S. territories; however, the competitiveness of institutions in the U.S. territories under this SGA may be impacted by their limited opportunity to serve TAA-eligible workers. The Department intends to fund multi-year grants to eligible institutions for either developing new education and career training program strategies or for replicating existing evidence-based design, development, and/or delivery strategies for such programs. In accordance with the TAACCCT requirement that each state receive at least 0.5 percent of the approximately $500 million total amount of funds available under this SGA, the Department intends to fund grants of $2.5 to $3.0 million to applicants from each State, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. In addition to grants of $2.5 to $3.0 million to individual applicants, the Department intends to fund grants of $5 million to $15 million to consortium applicants that propose programs that will impact TAA-eligible workers and other adults across a state, region or regions, industry sector or cluster of related industries. Eligible institutions that received individual grants or were the ``lead institution'' under the Solicitation for Grant Applications for TAACCCT Grants Program Funding Opportunity Number: SGA/DFA PY 10-03, dated January 20, 2011, are not eligible to apply for grants under this SGA, however, may serve as member institutions in a consortium application under this SGA. The complete SGA and any subsequent SGA amendments, in connection with this solicitation are described in further detail on ETA's Web site at https://www.doleta.gov/grants/ or on https:// www.grants.gov. The Web sites provide application information, eligibility requirements, review and selection procedures and other program requirements governing this solicitation.

This notice announces a change in status of payable periods under the EB program for Maine and Michigan. The following changes have occurred since the publication of the last notice regarding these States' EB status: Based on data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on January 24, 2012, Maine and Michigan do not meet one of the necessary criteria to remain on in the EB program: Having a TUR trigger rate at least ten percent greater than the rate for a comparable period in any of the three prior years. This triggered Maine and Michigan ``off'' the EB program with the week ending January 28, 2012. The end of the payable period in both states in the EB program will be February 18, 2012. The trigger notice covering state eligibility for the EB program can be found at: https://ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/claims_arch.asp.

This document extends the period for filing written comments for an additional 14 days on the proposed revisions to the Application of the Fair Labor Standards Act to Domestic Service published on December 27, 2011. The Department of Labor (Department) is taking this action in order to provide interested parties additional time to submit comments.

The Department of Labor (the Department) is amending its regulations governing the certification of the employment of nonimmigrant workers in temporary or seasonal non-agricultural employment and the enforcement of the obligations applicable to employers of such nonimmigrant workers. This Final Rule revises the process by which employers obtain a temporary labor certification from the Department for use in petitioning the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to employ a nonimmigrant worker in H-2B status. We have also created new regulations to provide for increased worker protections for both United States (U.S.) and foreign workers.

OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements specified in the Standard on Blasting and the Use of Explosives (29 CFR part 1926, subpart U).

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 submitted to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) by the parties listed below to modify the application of existing mandatory safety standards codified in Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

These regulations finalize, without change, interim final regulations authorizing the exemption of group health plans and group health insurance coverage sponsored by certain religious employers from having to cover certain preventive health services under provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the U.S. Department of Labor (Department) issues this final rule to implement the YouthBuild Transfer Act of 2006 (Transfer Act), which establishes the YouthBuild program in the Department under subtitle D of Title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) as amended. The final rule clarifies the requirements of the Transfer Act for YouthBuild program providers and participants. The final rule sets the standards under which YouthBuild program providers can carry out the goals of the program, which are to assist at-risk youth in obtaining a High School diploma or General Educational Development (GED) diploma and acquiring occupational skills training that leads to employment through the construction/rehabilitation of housing for low-income or homeless individuals and families in the community.

The United States Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), has posted its solicitation for grant applications (SGA) for the States Grants Program on https:// www.grants.gov. The SGA contains all of the necessary information needed to apply for grant funding. Applicants for these grants are States or State-designated entities. The purpose of these grants is to improve and secure safe and healthy workplaces for U.S. miners. The final amount of each individual grant will be determined by the formula in Section 503(h) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 953(h)) and MSHA's final Fiscal Year 2012 appropriation.

The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury are simultaneously publishing in the Federal Register this guidance document and final regulations under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to implement the disclosure for group health plans and health insurance issuers of the summary of benefits and coverage (SBC), notice of modifications, and the uniform glossary. This guidance document provides guidance for compliance with section 2715 of the Public Health Service Act and the Departments' final regulations, including a template for the SBC, instructions, sample language, a guide for coverage example calculations, and the uniform glossary.

This notice announces a change in status of the payable periods in the Emergency Unemployment Compensation 2008 (EUC08) program for Alaska. Public law 112-78 extended provisions in Public Law 111-92 which amended prior laws to create a Third and Fourth Tier of benefits within the EUC08 program for qualified unemployed workers claiming benefits in high unemployment states. The Department of Labor produces a trigger notice indicating which states qualify for EUC08 benefits within Tiers Three and Four and provides the beginning and ending dates of payable periods for each qualifying state. The trigger notice covering state eligibility for the EUC08 program can be found at: https:// ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/claimsarch.asp. The following change has occurred since the publication of the last notice regarding the State's EUC08 status: Alaska's 13-week insured unemployment rate for the week ending January 7, 2012, rose to meet the 6% threshold to trigger ``on'' to Tier 4 of the EUC08 program. The payable period for Alaska in Tier Four of EUC08 began January 22, 2012. As a result, the current maximum potential entitlement for claimants in Alaska in the EUC08 program will increase from 47 weeks to 53 weeks.

This notice announces a change in benefit period eligibility under the EB program for Alaska. The following changes have occurred since the publication of the last notice regarding the State's EB status: Alaska's 13-week insured unemployment rate (IUR) for the week ending January 7, 2012 rose to meet the 6% threshold to trigger ``on'' to the EB program. Alaska's payable period in the Extended Benefits program began January 22, 2012. The trigger notice covering state eligibility for the EB program can be found at: https://ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/claims_arch.asp.

On December 9, 2011, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published a Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM). This NPRM (76 FR 77056) proposes revising the regulations implementing the nondiscrimination and affirmative action regulations of section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. This document extends the comment period for the proposed rule for fourteen (14) days. If you have already commented on the proposed rule, you do not need to resubmit your comment. OFCCP will consider all comments received from the date of publication of the proposed rule through the close of the extended comment period.

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 Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is soliciting comments concerning the proposed collection: Rehabilitation Maintenance Certificate (OWCP-17). A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section of this Notice.