Employment Standards Administration June 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Labor (Department or DOL) is amending its regulations regarding temporary employment of foreign professionals to implement procedural requirements applicable to the H-1B1 visa category. The H-1B1 visa category permits the temporary entry of professionals in specialty occupations from countries that have entered into agreements with the United States as identified in section 214(g)(8)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Congress created the H-1B1 visa category as part of its approval of the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement and the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. This Final Rule reflects the public comments received on the interim final rule that the Department published on November 23, 2004 at 69 FR 68222. As a result, the Department did not make any substantive changes; however, this Final Rule reflects one technical change as described in this Part. The Department made this technical change as a result of the recent regulation amendments to the H-1B and H-1B1 regulations that were published on December 5, 2005 at 70 FR 72556. The regulation published on December 5, 2005 generally requires employers to use web-based electronic filing of H-1B and H-1B1 application forms. The Department made the technical change to this Final Rule consistent with the previously published amendments.

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is publishing final interpretive standards for systemic compensation discrimination under Executive Order 11246, as amended. This document sets forth the final interpretive standards and discusses comments that OFCCP received in response to proposed interpretive standards published in the Federal Register on November 16, 2004.

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 collections 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. Currently, the Employment Standards Administration is soliciting comments concerning the proposed collection: Secretary of Labor's Opportunity Award, Exemplary Voluntary Effort (EVE), and Exemplary Public Interest Contribution (EPIC) Awards. A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section of this Notice.

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 collections 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. Currently, the Employment Standards Administration is soliciting comments concerning the proposed collection: Authorization for Release of Medical Information (CM-936). A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section of this Notice.