Department of Labor March 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

With this notice, OSHA is revoking twenty-four (24) obsolete variances. Between 1975 and 1977, OSHA granted permanent variances to 24 companies engaged in the construction of cylindrical steel tanks. The variances specified several conditions that served as an alternative means of compliance to the falling-object-protection and fall-protection requirements of the standard governing general requirements for scaffolds in effect during this period. In 1996, OSHA revised its scaffolds standards for construction to include provisions that essentially duplicated the conditions specified by these variances. Therefore, OSHA believes the alternative means of compliance granted by the variances is no longer necessary and is revoking the variances. Based on comments received in response to a December 19, 2011, notice proposing to revoke these variances (76 FR 78698), on August 7, 2012, OSHA published a notice in the Federal Register correcting several cross references in OSHA's scaffolds standards for construction (77 FR 46948). Today's notice revoking the variances takes into consideration these newly corrected cross references.

This document announces revisions to the Form M-1, Report for Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements (MEWAs) and Certain Entities Claiming Exception (ECEs), and its availability. The revisions can be viewed on the Employee Benefits Security Administration's (EBSA) Web site at www.dol.gov/ebsa. The revised form is substantively different from previous versions of the Form M-1. Elsewhere in this edition of the Federal Register, EBSA is publishing Final Rules for Filings Required for Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements and Certain Other Related Entities. These rules amend the existing MEWA regulations to implement the registration requirement added to section 101(g) of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, (ERISA), as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act), as well as to enhance compliance, enforcement, and protection of employer-sponsored health benefits. The form and the accompanying instructions facilitate the filing requirements for MEWAs and ECEs under ERISA.

This document contains final rules under Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) that implement reporting requirements for multiple employer welfare arrangements (MEWAs) and certain other entities that offer or provide benefits that consist of medical care (within the meaning of section 733(a)(2) of ERISA and 29 CFR 2590.701-2) for employees of two or more employers. These final rules amend the existing Form M-1 reporting rules by incorporating new provisions enacted as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the ``Affordable Care Act''). They also amend existing Form 5500 annual reporting rules for ERISA-covered plans subject to Form M-1 reporting rules. Elsewhere in this edition of the Federal Register, the Employee Benefits Security Administration is publishing final rules related to the Secretary of Labor's new enforcement authority with respect to MEWAs, a notice adopting final revisions to the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report and its instructions to add new Form M-1 compliance questions, as well as an additional notice announcing the finalized revisions to the Form M-1 and its instructions. These improvements in reporting, together with stronger enforcement tools authorized by the Affordable Care Act, are designed to reduce MEWA fraud and abuse, protecting consumers from unpaid medical bills.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), announces the availability of $20 million in grant funds authorized by the Workforce Investment Act for grants to intermediary organizations to operate multi-site projects to serve juvenile offenders and in-school youth at-risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system, ages 14 and above, in high-poverty, high-crime communities. Intermediary Organizations Serving Juvenile Offenders in High- Poverty, High-Communities grants will be awarded through a competitive process. Under this solicitation, DOL expects to award, four grants of $5 million each to cover a 39-month period of performance. These grants will include a combination of workforce development, education and training, case management, mentoring, restorative justice, community- wide violence reduction components, and post program support and follow-up. 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.