Department of Labor November 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-2, Attestation for Employers Seeking To Employ H-2B Nonimmigrant Workers Under Section 205 of Division M of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 Public Law 115-141
Document Number: 2018-26078
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-30
Agency: Department of Labor, Office of the Secretary
The Department of Labor (DOL or Department) is submitting the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored Information Collection Request (ICR), titled, ``Attestation for Employers Seeking to Employ H-2B Nonimmigrant Workers Under Section 205 of Division M of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 Public Law 115-141 (March 23, 2018),'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. Public comments on the ICR are invited.
Proposed Extension of Information Collection; Ground Control for Surface Coal Mines and Surface Work Areas of Underground Coal Mines
Document Number: 2018-25963
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-29
Agency: Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration
The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 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 Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is soliciting comments on the information collection for Ground Control for Surface Coal Mines and Surface Work Areas of Underground Coal Mines.
Proposed Extension of Information Collection; Records of Preshift and Onshift Inspections of Slope and Shaft Areas of Slope and Shaft Sinking Operations at Coal Mines
Document Number: 2018-25633
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-26
Agency: Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration
The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 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 Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is soliciting comments on the information collection for Records of Preshift and Onshift Inspections of Slope and Shaft Areas of Slope and Shaft Sinking Operations at Coal Mines.
Notice of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) Credit Reduction Applicable in 2018
Document Number: 2018-25456
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-23
Agency: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor
Sections 3302(c)(2)(A) and 3302(d)(3) of the FUTA provide that employers in a State that has outstanding advances under Title XII of the Social Security Act on January 1 of two or more consecutive years are subject to a reduction in credits otherwise available against the FUTA tax for the calendar year in which the most recent such January 1 occurs, if advances remain on November 10 of that year. Further, Section 3302(c)(2)(C) of FUTA provides for an additional credit reduction for a year if a State has outstanding advances on five or more consecutive January firsts and has a balance on November 10 for such years. Section 3302(c)(2)(C) also provides for waiver of this additional credit reduction and substitution of the credit reduction provided in Section 3302(c)(2)(B) if a state meets certain conditions. California and the United States Virgin Islands were potentially liable for the additional credit reduction under Section 3302(c)(2)(C) of FUTA and applied for the available waiver. It has been determined that each one met all of the criteria of the section necessary to qualify for the waiver of the additional credit reduction. Further, the additional credit reduction of Section 3302(c)(2)(B) is zero for California and the Virgin Islands for 2018. California repaid its outstanding advances prior to November 10, 2018; hence there will be no FUTA credit reduction for the State's employers. Employers in the Virgin Islands will have no additional credit reduction applied for calendar year 2018. However, as a result of having outstanding advances on each January 1 of 2010 through 2018 as well as on November 10, 2018, employers in the Virgin Islands are subject to a FUTA credit reduction of 2.4 percent in 2018.
Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH); Charter Renewal
Document Number: 2018-25113
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-19
Agency: Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The Secretary of Labor (Secretary) has renewed the charter for ACCSH.
Semiannual Agenda of Regulations
Document Number: 2018-24168
Type: Unknown
Date: 2018-11-16
Agency: Department of Labor, Office of the Secretary
The internet has become the means for disseminating the entirety of the Department of Labor's semiannual regulatory agenda. However, the Regulatory Flexibility Act requires publication of a regulatory flexibility agenda in the Federal Register. This Federal Register notice contains the regulatory flexibility agenda.
Expanding Employment, Training, and Apprenticeship Opportunities for 16- and 17-Year-Olds in Health Care Occupations Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Comment Extension Period
Document Number: 2018-24945
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2018-11-15
Agency: Wage and Hour Division, Employment Standards Administration, Department of Labor
This document extends the period for submitting written comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) entitled ``Expanding Employment, Training, and Apprenticeship Opportunities for 16- and 17-Year-Olds in Health Care Occupations Under the Fair Labor Standards Act.'' The comment period now ends on December 11, 2018. The Department of Labor (Department) is taking this action to provide interested parties additional time to submit comments in response to a request for extension, as some supporting documents for the proposal may not have been originally fully visible in the docket.
Petitions for Modification of Application of Existing Mandatory Safety Standard
Document Number: 2018-24913
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-15
Agency: Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration
This notice is a summary of a petition for modification submitted to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) by the parties listed below.
Petition for Modification
Document Number: 2018-24912
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-15
Agency: Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration
This notice amends a notice published in the Federal Register on October 30, 2018, for Affirmative Decisions on Petitions for Modification Granted in Whole or in Part.
Moral Exemptions and Accommodations for Coverage of Certain Preventive Services Under the Affordable Care Act
Document Number: 2018-24514
Type: Rule
Date: 2018-11-15
Agency: Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Treasury, Department of the Treasury
These rules finalize, with changes based on public comments, the interim final rules issued in the Federal Register on October 13, 2017 concerning moral exemptions and accommodations regarding coverage of certain preventive services. These rules finalize expanded exemptions to protect moral beliefs for certain entities and individuals whose health plans are subject to a mandate of contraceptive coverage through guidance issued pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. These rules do not alter the discretion of the Health Resources and Services Administration, a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to maintain the guidelines requiring contraceptive coverage where no regulatorily recognized objection exists. These rules also leave in place an optional ``accommodation'' process for certain exempt entities that wish to use it voluntarily. These rules do not alter multiple other federal programs that provide free or subsidized contraceptives for women at risk of unintended pregnancy.
Religious Exemptions and Accommodations for Coverage of Certain Preventive Services Under the Affordable Care Act
Document Number: 2018-24512
Type: Rule
Date: 2018-11-15
Agency: Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Treasury, Department of the Treasury
These rules finalize, with changes based on public comments, interim final rules concerning religious exemptions and accommodations regarding coverage of certain preventive services issued in the Federal Register on October 13, 2017. These rules expand exemptions to protect religious beliefs for certain entities and individuals whose health plans are subject to a mandate of contraceptive coverage through guidance issued pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. These rules do not alter the discretion of the Health Resources and Services Administration, a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to maintain the guidelines requiring contraceptive coverage where no regulatorily recognized objection exists. These rules also leave in place an ``accommodation'' process as an optional process for certain exempt entities that wish to use it voluntarily. These rules do not alter multiple other federal programs that provide free or subsidized contraceptives for women at risk of unintended pregnancy.
Proposed Extension of Information Collection; Health Standards for Diesel Particulate Matter Exposure
Document Number: 2018-24788
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-14
Agency: Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration
The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 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 Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is soliciting comments on the information collection for Health Standards for Diesel Particulate Matter Exposure.
Modernizing Recruitment Requirements for the Temporary Employment of H-2B Foreign Workers in the United States
Document Number: 2018-24498
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2018-11-09
Agency: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor, Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) (collectively, the Departments), are jointly proposing regulatory revisions that would modernize the recruitment an employer seeking H-2B nonimmigrant workers must conduct when applying for a temporary labor certification. In particular, the Departments are proposing to replace the print newspaper advertisements that their regulations currently require with electronic advertisements posted on the internet, which the Departments believe will be a more effective and efficient means of disseminating information about job openings to U.S. workers. The Departments are proposing to replace, rather than supplement, the newspaper requirements because they believe that exclusive electronic advertisements posted on a website appropriate for the workers likely to apply for the job opportunity in the area of intended employment would best ensure that U.S. workers learn of job opportunities.
Modernizing Recruitment Requirements for the Temporary Employment of H-2A Foreign Workers in the United States
Document Number: 2018-24497
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2018-11-09
Agency: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor
The Department of Labor (the Department or DOL) is proposing regulatory revisions that would modernize the recruitment an employer seeking H-2A nonimmigrant agricultural workers must conduct when applying for a temporary labor certification. In particular, the Department is proposing to replace the print newspaper advertisements that its regulations currently require with electronic advertisements posted on the internet, which the Department believes will be a more effective and efficient means of disseminating information about job openings to U.S. workers. The Department is proposing to replace, rather than supplement, the newspaper requirements because it believes that exclusive electronic advertisements posted on a website appropriate for the workers likely to apply for the job opportunity in the area of intended employment would best ensure that U.S. workers learn of job opportunities.
Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Operator Qualification
Document Number: 2018-24481
Type: Rule
Date: 2018-11-09
Agency: Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
OSHA is updating the agency's standard for cranes and derricks in construction by clarifying each employer's duty to ensure the competency of crane operators through training, certification or licensing, and evaluation. OSHA is also altering a provision that required different levels of certification based on the rated lifting capacity of equipment. While testing organizations are not required to issue certifications distinguished by rated capacities, they are permitted to do so, and employers may accept them or continue to rely on certifications based on crane type alone. Finally, this rule establishes minimum requirements for determining operator competency. This final rule will maintain safety and health protections for workers while reducing compliance burdens.
Notice of Proposed Exemption Involving Retirement Clearinghouse, LLC (RCH or the Applicant)-Located in Charlotte, North Carolina
Document Number: 2018-24377
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-07
Agency: Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor
This document gives notice of a proposed individual exemption from certain of the prohibited transaction restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA or the Act) and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code).
Post-Initial Determinations Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance
Document Number: 2018-24292
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-07
Agency: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor
Investigations Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance
Document Number: 2018-24291
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-07
Agency: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor
Notice of Determinations Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance
Document Number: 2018-24290
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-07
Agency: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor
Federal-State Unemployment Compensation Program: Certifications for 2018 Under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act
Document Number: 2018-24289
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-07
Agency: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor
The Secretary of Labor signed the annual certifications under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, thereby enabling employers who make contributions to state unemployment funds to obtain certain credits against their liability for the federal unemployment tax. By letter, the certifications were transmitted to the Secretary of the Treasury. The letter and certifications are printed below.
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, Evaluation of the American Apprenticeship Initiative, New Collection; Correction
Document Number: 2018-24270
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-06
Agency: Department of Labor
The Department of Labor (DOL) published a document in the Federal Register of November 1, 2018, concerning request for comments on the collection of data about the Evaluation of Strategies Used in America's Promise Job Driven Grant Program Evaluation. The document contained incorrect title.
Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000, as Amended
Document Number: 2018-24202
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-05
Agency: Department of Labor, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) is publishing a list of Department of Energy (DOE) facilities covered under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000, as amended (EEOICPA).
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Occupational Safety and Health Onsite Consultation Agreements
Document Number: 2018-24153
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-05
Agency: Department of Labor, Office of the Secretary
The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Occupational Safety and Health Onsite Consultation Agreements,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. Public comments on the ICR are invited.
Federal-State Unemployment Compensation Program; Establishing Appropriate Occupations for Drug Testing of Unemployment Compensation Applicants Under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012
Document Number: 2018-23952
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2018-11-05
Agency: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor
This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) sets forth the Department of Labor's proposal to permit States to drug test unemployment compensation (UC) applicants, including a proposed list of occupations which the Department of Labor (``Department'' or ``DOL'') has determined regularly conduct drug testing.
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Request for Comments; Consumer Expenditure Surveys: Quarterly Interview and Diary
Document Number: 2018-24009
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-02
Agency: Department of Labor, Office of the Secretary
The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Consumer Expenditure Surveys: Quarterly Interview and Diary,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. Public comments on the ICR are invited.
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Foreign Labor Certification Quarterly Activity Report
Document Number: 2018-23866
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-01
Agency: Department of Labor, Office of the Secretary
The Department of Labor (DOL or Department) is submitting the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Foreign Labor Certification Quarterly Activity Report,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. Public comments on the ICR are invited.
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, Evaluation of the American Apprenticeship Initiative, New Collection
Document Number: 2018-23703
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-11-01
Agency: Department of Labor
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). 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 is properly assessed. Currently, the Department of Labor is soliciting comments concerning the collection of data about the Evaluation of Strategies Used in America's Promise Job Driven Grant Program Evaluation. A copy of the proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addressee section of this notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.