Department of Labor September 26, 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL or the Department) is issuing this final rule to rescind its 2020 regulation that established a process under which the Department's Office of Apprenticeship (OA) Administrator (Administrator) was authorized to grant recognition to qualified third-party entities, known as Standards Recognition Entities (SREs), which in turn were authorized to evaluate and extend recognition to Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs). This final rule also makes necessary conforming changes to the regulations governing the registration of apprenticeship programs by the Department.

The Department of Labor's (Department or DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) invites employers and other interested parties to comment on draft guidance, in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), pertaining to the Office of Foreign Labor Certification's (OFLC) assessment of the nature of an employer's need for agricultural labor or services during the review of an H-2A Application for Temporary Employment Certification (H-2A application). ETA's OFLC developed this guidance, and is publishing it for public comment, consistent with a directive from the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) for interpretive guidance clarifying how the Department assesses an H-2A employer's need for agricultural labor or services to determine whether the employer has demonstrated a need of a temporary or seasonal nature, as required for certification. ETA invites the public to review the draft FAQs presented in this notice and provide written comments to OFLC, which will further inform the Department's development of guidance regarding OFLC's assessment of temporary or seasonal need for the H-2A program. The Department will publish this final guidance in the Federal Register.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting this Employment and Training Administration (ETA)-sponsored information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.