Department of Labor – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to Section 10 (a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (Pub. L. 92-463), as amended, and Section 166 (h)(4) of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) [29 U.S.C. 2911(h)(4)], notice is hereby given of the next meeting of the Native American Employment and Training Council (Council), as constituted under WIA.

The Department of Labor, through the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and, specifically, the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, is responsible for the development and publication of State and local area labor force statistics. The LAUS program develops and issues monthly estimates of the labor force, employment, unemployment, and the unemployment rate for approximately 7,300 areas in the Nation. A major program redesign to improve the methodological basis of the LAUS estimates and update the geography and techniques to reflect 2010 Census data was initially funded in FY 2011. After completion of various long-term research projects, the BLS plans to implement improvements to its estimating methods with State and area LAUS estimates for January 2015, to be published in March 2015.

The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health invites interested individuals to submit ``rolling'' nominations for membership on the Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health (FACOSH), and announces the new procedures for the ``rolling'' nominations. This Federal Register notice also announces the appointment of six individuals to serve on FACOSH.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 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 ensure that requested data is provided in the desired format, that the reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, that the collection instruments are clearly understood, and that the impact of collection requirements on respondents is properly assessed. Currently, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is soliciting comments on its proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the Construction Information Collection. You can obtain a copy of the proposed information collection request by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section of this Notice.

On August 29, 2014, the Department of Labor (DOL) will submit the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Steel Erection Standard,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

In this notice, OSHA announces the application of the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials EGS (IAPMO), for recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), and presents the Agency's preliminary finding to grant this recognition.

On August 29, 2014, the Department of Labor (DOL) will submit the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Application for Permanent Employment Certification,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

In this notice, OSHA announces its final decision to expand the scope of recognition for MET Laboratories, Inc., as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Construction Standards on Posting Emergency Telephone Numbers and Floor Load Limits,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Mechanical Power Presses Standard,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

This document proposes a change to the definition of an eligible organization that can avail itself of an accommodation with respect to coverage of certain preventive services under section 2713 of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act), added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended, and incorporated into the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code. Section 2713 of the PHS Act requires coverage without cost sharing of certain preventive health services by non-grandfathered group health plans and health insurance coverage. Among these services are women's preventive health services, as specified in guidelines supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). As authorized by the current regulations, and consistent with the HRSA Guidelines, group health plans established or maintained by certain religious employers (and group health insurance coverage provided in connection with such plans) are exempt from the otherwise applicable requirement to cover certain contraceptive services. Additionally, under current regulations, accommodations are available with respect to the contraceptive coverage requirement for group health plans established or maintained by eligible organizations (and group health insurance coverage provided in connection with such plans), and student health insurance coverage arranged by eligible organizations that are institutions of higher education, that effectively exempt them from this requirement. The regulations establish a mechanism for separately furnishing payments for contraceptive services on behalf of participants and beneficiaries of the group health plans of eligible organizations that avail themselves of an accommodation, and enrollees and dependents of student health insurance coverage arranged by eligible organizations that are institutions of higher education that avail themselves of an accommodation. These rules propose and seek comments on potential changes to the definition of ``eligible organization'' in the Departments' regulations in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., 134 S. Ct. 2751 (2014), to ensure that participants and beneficiaries in group health plans (and enrollees and dependents in student health insurance coverage arranged by institutions of higher education) obtain, without additional cost, coverage of the full range of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved contraceptive services, as prescribed by a health care provider, while respecting certain closely held for-profit entities' religion-based objections to contraceptive coverage. These proposed rules also seek comments on any additional steps the government should take to help ensure coverage of the full range of FDA-approved contraceptives, as prescribed by a health care provider, without cost sharing, for participants and beneficiaries in group health plans of such entities (and enrollees and dependents in student health insurance coverage arranged by such entities that are institutions of higher education).

This document contains interim final regulations regarding coverage of certain preventive services under section 2713 of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act), added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended, and incorporated into the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code. Section 2713 of the PHS Act requires coverage without cost sharing of certain preventive health services by non-grandfathered group health plans and health insurance coverage. Among these services are women's preventive health services, as specified in guidelines supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). As authorized by the current regulations, and consistent with the HRSA Guidelines, group health plans established or maintained by certain religious employers (and group health insurance coverage provided in connection with such plans) are exempt from the otherwise applicable requirement to cover certain contraceptive services. Additionally, under current regulations, accommodations are available with respect to the contraceptive coverage requirement for group health plans established or maintained by eligible organizations (and group health insurance coverage provided in connection with such plans), and student health insurance coverage arranged by eligible organizations that are institutions of higher education, that effectively exempt them from this requirement. The regulations establish a mechanism for separately furnishing payments for contraceptive services on behalf of participants and beneficiaries of the group health plans of eligible organizations that avail themselves of an accommodation, and enrollees and dependents of student health coverage arranged by eligible organizations that are institutions of higher education that avail themselves of an accommodation. These interim final regulations augment current regulations in light of the Supreme Court's interim order in connection with an application for an injunction in Wheaton College v. Burwell, 134 S. Ct. 2806 (2014) (Wheaton order). These interim final regulations provide an alternative process that an eligible organization may use to provide notice of its religious objections to providing contraceptive coverage, while preserving participants' and beneficiaries' (and enrollees' and dependents') access to coverage for the full range of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved contraceptives, as prescribed by a health care provider, without cost sharing.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Fire Protection in Shipyard Employment Standard,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Fire Brigades Standard,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Employee Benefits Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor (the Department) is publishing this Notice as part of its review of the use of brokerage windows (including self-directed brokerage accounts or similar arrangements) in participant-directed individual account retirement plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Some plans offer participants access to brokerage windows in addition to, or in place of, specific investment options selected by the plans' fiduciaries. Through these arrangements, plan participants may be able to choose among the full range of investment options available in the investment marketplace. The Request for Information contained in this Notice will assist the Department in determining whether, and to what extent, regulatory standards or other guidance concerning the use of brokerage windows by plans are necessary to protect participants' retirement savings. It also will assist the Department in preparing any analyses that it may need to perform pursuant to Executive Order 12866, the Paperwork Reduction Act, and the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

The Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, published a document in the Federal Register on August 8, 2014, seeking comments on its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding reporting summary data on employee compensation. This document corrects errors in that document.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Reemployment of Unemployment Insurance Benefit Recipients,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited.