Department of Labor 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In this notice, OSHA announces its final decision to expand the scope of recognition for Nemko North America, Inc., as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).

The purpose of this notice is to announce the annual list of labor surplus areas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) sponsored information collection request (ICR) proposal titled, ``Demonstration and Evaluation of Community College Interventions for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The purpose of this Notice is to announce an extension of the comment period on the Notice of Proposed Revision of Annual Information Return/Reports published in the Federal Register on July 21, 2016, by the Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, and the separate but related Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published in the Federal Register on July 21, 2016, by the Department of Labor.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Labor Standards for Federal Service Contracts,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (the Department) is issuing this notice to announce the applicable minimum wage rate to be paid to workers performing work on or in connection with Federal contracts covered by Executive Order 13658, beginning January 1, 2017. Executive Order 13658, Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors (the Executive Order or the Order), was signed by President Barack Obama on February 12, 2014, and raised the hourly minimum wage paid by contractors to workers performing work on covered Federal contracts to: $10.10 per hour, beginning January 1, 2015; and beginning January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, an amount determined by the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) in accordance with the methodology set forth in the Order. See 79 FR 9851. The Secretary's determination of the Executive Order minimum wage rate also affects the minimum hourly cash wage that must be paid to tipped employees performing work on or in connection with covered contracts. See 79 FR 9851-52. The Secretary is required to provide notice to the public of the new minimum wage rate at least 90 days before such rate is to take effect. See 79 FR 9851. The applicable minimum wage under Executive Order 13658 is currently $10.15 per hour, in effect since January 1, 2016. See 80 FR 55646. The applicable minimum cash wage that generally must be paid to tipped employees performing work on or in connection with covered contracts is currently $5.85 per hour, in effect since January 1, 2016. Id. Pursuant to Executive Order 13658 and its implementing regulations at 29 CFR part 10, notice is hereby given that beginning January 1, 2017, the Executive Order minimum wage rate that generally must be paid to workers performing work on or in connection with covered contracts will increase to $10.20 per hour. Notice is also hereby given that, beginning January 1, 2017, the required minimum cash wage that generally must be paid to tipped employees performing work on or in connection with covered contracts will increase to $6.80 per hour.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Income and Eligibility Verification System Confidentiality,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Securing Financial Obligations Under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act and its Extensions,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Youthful Offender Grants Management Information System,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

In this notice, OSHA announces the application of Intertek Testing Services NA, Inc. for expansion of its recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) and presents the Agency's preliminary finding to grant the application. Additionally, this notice proposes to add a new recognized testing standard to the NRTL Program's List of Appropriate Test Standards.

The Department of Labor (DOL), as part of continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information before submitting them to the OMB for final approval. This program helps to ensure 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 can be properly assessed. This information collection is subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). A Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and the public is generally not required to respond to an information collection, unless it is approved by the OMB under the PRA and displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6.

Section 101(c) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 and Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations 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.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the information collection request (ICR) proposal titled, ``Linking Employment Activities Pre-Release Evaluation'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements contained in the Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard (29 CFR 1910.180).

The Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed extension for the authority to conduct the information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Benefits Timeliness and Quality Review System.'' This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Report on Occupational Employment and Wages,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Certificate of Electrical Training and Applications for Mine Safety and Health Administration Approved Tests and State Tests Administered as Part of a Mine Safety and Health Administration Approved Program,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

In this document, the Department proposes to amend a regulation that describes how states may design and operate payroll deduction savings programs, using automatic enrollment, for private- sector employees without causing the states or private-sector employers to establish employee pension benefit plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The proposed amendments would expand the current regulation beyond states to cover programs of qualified state political subdivisions that otherwise comply with the current regulation. This rule would affect individuals and employers subject to such programs.

The Department of Labor (DOL) will submit the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on August 31, 2016, for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is proposing rules to implement the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act's maximum and minimum compensation provisions. Some of these provisions, which cap the amounts of compensation and death benefits payable to entitled claimants and provide a floor below which compensation may not fall, have become the topic of litigation. The proposed rules would clarify how the Department interprets and applies these provisions. In addition, the proposed rules would implement the Act's annual compensation-adjustment mechanism for permanent total disability compensation and death benefits.