Employment and Training Administration 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 the payable periods in the Emergency Unemployment Compensation 2008 (EUC08) program for Connecticut and Missouri. Public Law 111-312 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 changes have occurred since the publication of the last notice regarding these States' EUC08 status: Based on data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on January 24, 2012, the three month average, seasonally adjusted total unemployment rate for Connecticut and Missouri fell below the 8.5% threshold to remain ``on'' in Tier 4 of the EUC08 program. As a result, the current maximum potential entitlement for Connecticut and Missouri in the EUC08 program will decrease from 53 weeks to 47 weeks. The week ending February 18, 2012 will be the last week in which EUC claimants in Connecticut and Missouri can exhaust Tier 3, and establish Tier 4 eligibility. Under the phase-out provisions, claimants can receive any remaining entitlement they have in Tier 4 after February 18, 2012.

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.

This notice announces a change in status of the payable periods under the EB program for New Mexico. The following change has occurred since the publication of the last notice regarding the State's EB status: The Federal authorization to have a three year look-back was recently extended to February 29, 2012. However, New Mexico used a hard end date in state law for the expiration of its three year look- back provision. As a result, New Mexico's three year look-back legislation has expired. With the expiration of the three year look- back, New Mexico failed to meet the criteria to remain triggered ``on'' to EB with the week ending January 7, 2012 and the payable period in the EB program for New Mexico concluded January 28, 2012. The trigger notice covering state eligibility for the EB program can be found at: https://ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/claims_arch.asp.

The Department of Labor (Department) is seeking public comment on two proposed UI Performs Core Measures for UI Integrity: (1) UI Improper Payments; and (2) UI Overpayment Recovery.