Employment and Training Administration – 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 proposed extension of the collection of data contained in the procedures to petition for classification as a Labor Surplus Area (LSA) under exceptional circumstances criteria (currently expires July 31, 2014).

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 proposed extension for collection of data on the ETA 902 report, Disaster Unemployment Assistance Activities under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. The current expiration date is September 30, 2014.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (Department) is issuing this Notice to announce (1) the allowable charges for 2014 that employers seeking H-2A workers may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day, and (2) the maximum travel subsistence meal reimbursement that a worker with receipts may claim in 2014. The Notice also includes a reminder regarding employers' obligations with respect to overnight lodging costs as part of required subsistence.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor, announces the availability of approximately $30 million for grants to serve male and female ex-offenders enrolled in work release programs (WRPs) as authorized by the Workforce Investment Act and the Second Chance Act of 2007. This Training to Work 2-Adult Reentry SGA provides the opportunity for organizations to develop and implement career pathway programs in demand sectors and occupations for individuals who are at least 18 years old and who are enrolled in WRPs. Career pathways are frameworks that help to define and map out a sequence of education, training and workforce skills training resulting in skilled workers that meets employers' needs. Career pathways are an approach to linking and coordinating education and training services in ways that enable individuals to attain such credentials, and ultimately, employment. Successful applicants will: (1) Establish a committed Career Pathways Collaborative led by the grantee that will be a non-profit organization such as a faith-based or community-based organization, and include representatives from the workforce system, WRP, and employers and/or industry associations. The collaborative will create a career pathway(s) program that defines each organizations' specific roles and responsibilities including the identification of a career pathway(s) in demand sector(s) within its community, and (2) provide an integrated set of critical participant-level services such as case management and skills training that enable participants to get on the career pathway(s) and advance along those pathways as they acquire additional skills. 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.

Pursuant to Section 10 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. App. 2 Sec. 10), notice is hereby given to announce a public meeting of the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (ACA) on March 3-5, 2014. The ACA is a discretionary committee established by the Secretary of Labor, in accordance with FACA, as amended in 5 U.S.C. App. 2, and its implementing regulations (41 CFR 101-6 and 102-3). All meetings of the ACA are open to the public.

The U.S. Department of Labor (Department) produces trigger notices indicating which states qualify for EUC08 benefits, and provides the beginning and ending dates of payable periods for each qualifying state. The trigger notices covering state eligibility for this program can be found at: https://ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/claims arch.asp. The following changes have occurred since the publication of the last notice regarding states EUC08 trigger status: Alaska triggers ``on'' to Tier 3 of EUC08 effective 12/8/ 2013. Alaska's 13-week insured unemployment rate for the week ending November 23, 2013, was 4.06%, exceeding the 4.0% trigger rate threshold necessary to trigger ``on'' Tier 3 of EUC08. The week beginning December 8, 2013, was the first week in which EUC08 claimants in Alaska who had exhausted Tier 2, and were otherwise eligible, could establish Tier 3 eligibility.

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 and workforce programs; be capable of generating workforce training provider performance information and outcomes in a standardized, easy to understand format (e.g. scorecards), consistent with all applicable Federal and State privacy laws; 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 WDQI grant recipients who did not receive a Round III award under solicitation SGA-DFA PY-12-07 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.