Employment and Training Administration 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Labor (Department), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the 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 [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)] (PRA). The PRA helps ensure that respondents can provide requested data in the desired format with minimal reporting burden (time and financial resources), collection instruments are clearly understood and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, ETA is soliciting comments concerning the information collection request (ICR) to continue administering the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS), with new questions on education and training, digital literacy, housing, and health. Proposed changes also include question deletions and modifications. Interested parties are encouraged to provide comments to the contact shown in the ADDRESSES section. Comments must be written to receive consideration, and they will be summarized and included in the request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the final information collection request (ICR). In order to help ensure appropriate consideration, comments should mention OMB CONTROL NUMBER 1205-0453.

The Department of Labor (Department), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the 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 [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)] (PRA). The PRA helps ensure that respondents can provide requested data in the desired format with minimal reporting burden (time and financial resources), collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, ETA is soliciting comments concerning the collection of data about LERS, which facilitates reporting for the Wagner-Peyser Act through the ETA 9002 reports and for Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) through the VETS 200 reports. The current expiration date is August 31, 2015.

This notice announces that the Office of Management and Budget has approved the information collections under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The information collections are in effect.

The Department of Labor (Department), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the 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 [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps 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, ETA is soliciting comments concerning the collection process of data about UI Title XII advances and voluntary repayments, which expires December 31, 2015.

The Department of Labor (Department), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the 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 [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps 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, ETA is soliciting comments concerning the continuation of collection of data about the accuracy of paid and denied UI claims, which is accomplished through the BAM survey. The Department's BAM information collection authority, under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) number 1205-0245, is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2015.

The Department of Labor (Department) issued a proposed rule in the Federal Register of April 15, 2015 [FR Doc. 2015-08505], concerning proposed amendments to its regulations governing certification of the employment of nonimmigrant workers in temporary or seasonal agricultural employment under the H-2A program to codify certain procedures for employers seeking to hire foreign temporary agricultural workers for job opportunities in sheepherding, goat herding and production of livestock on the open range. This notice extends the comment period for 15 days, from May 15 to June 1, 2015. Multiple commenters requested additional time to develop their comments concerning the proposed rulemaking. The Department is therefore extending the comment period in order to give all interested persons the opportunity to comment fully.

The Department of Labor, 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 collection of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. 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. Building on lessons learned from previous state implementations of modernized UI IT systems, ETA commissioned the development of a UI IT Modernization Pre-Implementation Planning Checklist for states to use prior to ``going live'' with a new system. The checklist is expected to validate that all necessary system functions are available and/or that alternative workarounds are developed prior to the production launch of the UI IT system to help avoid major disruption of services to UI customers and to prevent delays in making UI benefit payments when due. In addition, the checklist will be used by ETA to identify the technical assistance needs of State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) in support of successful implementation of UI IT Modernization projects. This comprehensive checklist denotes critical functional areas that states should verify prior to launching including, but not limited to, technical IT functions and UI business processes that interface with the new system. The list of critical areas identified in the checklist includes, among others, Verification for essential UI Benefit and Tax functions, Interstate Connection (ICON) network and UI reporting interfaces, System Error handling, End-user support mechanisms, Alternate access options and usability issues, Policies and Procedures development and dissemination Technical preparation, Call Center and Customer Service operations, Staffing and Staff Training on new system operations, Help Desk support, Management oversight, Vendor support and Communications. The new ETA 9166 will be used by the National and regional offices to ensure that states have plans to address critical issues prior to launching a new UI IT system and to identify areas where SWAs may need technical assistance to support successful implementation of UI IT Modernization projects. This information will include the project title and purpose, the project timeline and milestones, and a narrative description of the project implementation status. It will also include explanations of plans or workarounds to address the areas of potential issues identified in the implementation checklist, an explanation of any portion of the project that will experience delays in implementation, mitigation proposals for addressing problems and new project timelines (if applicable), a self-reported designation of the implementation status, and a discussion of identified technical assistance needs for the successful completion of the project. ETA believes that the use of this checklist as a planning tool will help states ensure the availability of mission critical functions as the state prepares for the launch of a new system and following the launch of a new system. Currently, ETA is soliciting comments concerning a new collection of information: ETA 9166, Unemployment Insurance (UI) Information Technology (IT) Modernization Pre-Implementation Planning Checklist Report.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) are issuing final regulations governing certification of the employment of nonimmigrant workers in temporary or seasonal non- agricultural employment. This final rule sets forth how DOL provides the consultation that DHS has determined is necessary to adjudicate H- 2B visa petitions by setting the methodology by which DOL calculates the prevailing wages to be paid to H-2B workers and U.S. workers recruited in connection with applications for temporary labor certification. Specifically, for the purposes of an H-2B temporary labor certification, this final rule establishes that, in the absence of a wage set in a valid and controlling collective bargaining agreement, the prevailing wage will be the mean wage for the occupation in the pertinent geographic area derived from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics survey, unless the H-2B employer meets the conditions for requesting that the prevailing wage be based on an employer-provided survey. Any such survey submitted must meet the new methodological criteria established in this final rule in order to be used to establish the prevailing wage. The final rule does not permit use of the wage determinations issued under the Service Contract Act or the Davis Bacon Act as sources to set the prevailing wage in the H-2B temporary labor certification context. DHS and DOL are issuing this final rule together because DHS, as the Executive Branch agency charged with administering the H-2B program, has determined that the most effective implementation of the statutory H-2B labor protections requires that DHS consult with DOL for its advice about matters with which DOL has expertise, including questions about the methodology for setting the prevailing wage in the H-2B program. DHS (and the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, Department of Justice, which was charged with administration of the H-2B program prior to enactment of the Homeland Security Act of 2002) has long recognized that DOL is the appropriate agency with which to consult regarding the availability of U.S. workers and for assuring that wages and working conditions of U.S. workers are not adversely affected by the use of H-2B workers. This rule also adopts, without change, certain revisions made to DHS's H-2B regulations, to clarify that DHS is the Executive Branch agency charged with making determinations regarding eligibility for H-2B classifications, after consulting with DOL for its advice about matters with which DOL has expertise, including questions related to the methodology for setting the prevailing wage in the H-2B program. Finally, DHS and DOL are issuing, simultaneously with this rule, a companion H-2B rule 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.

The Department of Labor (Department), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the 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 [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps 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, ETA is soliciting comments concerning the collection of data about Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) activities, expiring October 31, 2015.