Employment and Training Administration 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Labor (the Department) announces the availability of approximately $474 million in grant funds to be awarded under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program. The TAACCCT grant 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 chapter 2 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974, 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 for this Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) may be impacted by their limited opportunity to serve TAA-eligible workers. The primary intent of the TAACCCT program is to meet the educational or career training needs of workers who have lost their jobs or are threatened with job loss as a result of foreign trade by funding the expansion and improvement of education and career training programs that are suited for these individuals; however, the Department expects that a wide range of individuals will benefit from the TAACCCT program once education and training programs are developed and implemented. The Department intends to fund grants to single institution applicants ranging from $2,372,500 to $2.75 million, totaling up to $150 million. This allows the Department to award 54-63 grants to single institutions, potentially funding more than one per state. The Department will award grants up to $25 million to single-state or multi-state consortium applicants, up to approximately $324 million in total awards, which propose programs that impact TAA-eligible workers and other adults across a state, region or regions, industry sector or cluster of related industries. 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.

The U.S. Department of Labor (we, the Department or DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA), announces the availability of approximately $26 million in grant funds authorized by the Workforce Investment Act. Under this solicitation, DOL expects to award 26 grants for up to $1,000,000 each to cover a 39-month period of performance, which includes a planning period of up to six months, program operation period of 24 months, and a minimum of nine months of post program support and follow-up services provided to each participant. Any non- profit organization with IRS 501(c)(3) status, unit of state or local government, or any Indian and Native American entity eligible for grants under WIA Section 166, may apply for these grants to provide services to eligible participants in areas with high-poverty and high- crime rates. These services will include diversion and/or expungement (required for all participants), case management, mentoring, education, training leading to industry-recognized credentials for in demand industries and occupations in the State or local area, service- learning, workforce activities, and post-program support and follow-up services. 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.

With this document, the Department of Labor (DOL) is withdrawing its proposed rule that accompanied its direct final rule revising the regulations governing administrative claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act and related statutes.

The Department of Labor (we or the Department) is issuing this notice to correct a previous announcement of prevailing wage rates covering the employment of certain temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (H-2A workers) and certain domestic workers engaged in open range production of livestock in Texas, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Oklahoma. In addition, the Department is rescinding the wage determinations listed in the January 8, 2013, Federal Register notice covering the employment of H-2A workers and certain domestic workers engaged in sheepherding and goatherding occupations in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

Title I of WIA (Pub. L. 105-220) requires the U.S. Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to update and publish the LLSIL tables annually, for uses described in the law (including determining eligibility for youth). WIA defines the term ``low income individual'' as one who qualifies under various criteria, including an individual who received income for a six-month period that does not exceed the higher level of the poverty line or 70 percent of the LLSIL. This issuance provides the Secretary's annual LLSIL for 2013 and references the current 2013 Health and Human Services ``Poverty Guidelines.''

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor, announces the availability of approximately $6 million for grants to State Workforce Agencies (SWA) to develop the Workforce Data Quality Initiative (WDQI). Grants awarded will provide SWAs the opportunity to develop or expand State workforce longitudinal administrative data systems. These State longitudinal data systems will, at a minimum, include information on programs that provide training, employment services, and unemployment insurance; connect with education data contained in Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) databases; be linked longitudinally at the individual level to allow for enhanced opportunity for evaluation of federally and State-supported education programs; and lead to better information for customers and stakeholders of the workforce system. Where such longitudinal systems do not exist or are in early development, WDQI grant assistance may be used to design and develop these systems. WDQI grant assistance can also be used to improve upon existing State longitudinal systems. Current round one WDQI grant recipients who were awarded under solicitation SGA/DFA PY 09-10 and states that currently do not have a WDQI grant are eligible for this competition. 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.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), announces the availability of $12 million in grant funds authorized by the Workforce Investment Act to serve adult and youth ex-offenders. Services for ex-offenders will be targeted to females, but must also be open to eligible male ex-offenders. Strategies Targeting Characteristics Common to Female Ex-Offenders grants will be awarded through a competitive process. Under this solicitation, DOL expects to award eight grants up to $1.5 million each to cover a 37-month period of performance. These grants will include an integrated strategy of recruitment and assessment, empowerment and self- development, case management, education and training, workforce development, follow-up, and state/local partnerships. 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.

The Department of Labor's (Department's) Employment and Training Administration proposes to designate in regulation data exchange standards, developed in consultation with an interagency work group established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), for Unemployment Insurance (UI) administration as required by amendments to Title IX of the Social Security Act (SSA) made by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (the Act). This proposed regulation would establish data exchange standards for three categories of information: real-time applications on the Interstate Connection Network (ICON); the State Information Data Exchange System (SIDES); and implementation of the standards identified for ICON and SIDES in major Information Technology (IT) modernization projects to upgrade UI Benefits and Tax systems by State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) using Federal funds.