Employment and Training Administration December 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (Department) is removing the regulations at 20 CFR parts 626, 627, 628, 631, 632, 633, 634, 636, 637, and 638, which implemented the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA or the Act). These regulations were designed to improve the employment status of disadvantaged youth, adults, dislocated workers, and other individuals facing barriers to employment. In 1998, Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which required the Secretary of Labor to transition any authority under the JTPA to the system created by WIA. Therefore, the Department is taking this action to remove regulations for a program that is no longer operative.

Sections 3302(c)(2) and 3302(d)(3) of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) provide that employers in a state that has an outstanding balance of advances under Title XII of the Social Security Act at the beginning of January 1 of two or more consecutive years are subject to a reduction in credits otherwise available against the FUTA tax for a calendar year, if a balance of advances remains at the beginning of November 10 of that year. Because the account of South Carolina in the Unemployment Trust Fund had a balance of advances at the beginning of January 1 of 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, and still had a balance of advances at the beginning of November 10, 2012, South Carolina employers were potentially liable for a reduction in their FUTA offset credit for 2012. Section 3302(g) of FUTA provides that a state may avoid credit reduction for a year by meeting certain criteria. South Carolina applied for avoidance of the 2012 credit reduction under this section. Pursuant to delegation of authority to me under Secretary's Order 06- 2010, I have determined that South Carolina meets all of the criteria of section 3302(g) and thus qualifies for credit reduction avoidance. Therefore, South Carolina employers will have no reduction in FUTA offset credit for calendar year 2012.