Department of Labor – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

VETS published a proposed rule implementing the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing (HIRE) American Military Veterans Act of 2017 (HIRE Vets Act or Act). The HIRE Vets Act requires the Department of Labor (DOL or Department) to establish by rule a HIRE Vets Medallion Program (Medallion Program) and annually solicit and accept voluntary information from employers for consideration of employers to receive a HIRE Vets Medallion Award (the award). Under the Program, VETS will review applications and notify recipients of their awards, and announce their names at a time that coincides with Veterans Day. This final rule sets out the criteria for the different categories and levels of HIRE Vets Medallion Awards, the award application process, and the award fees. VETS invited written comments on the proposed rule, and any specific issues related to the proposal, from members of the public.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is seeking public comment on its Draft FY 2018-2022 Strategic Plan.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Report on Current Employment Statistics,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Department of Labor (DOL), 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). 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 is properly assessed. Currently, DOL is soliciting comments concerning the collection of follow-up survey data about the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe and Job ChalleNGe Program. A copy of the proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed in the addressee section of this notice.

On October 31, 2017, the Department of Labor (DOL) will submit the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Grain Handling Facilities 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). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

On October 31, 2017, the Department of Labor (DOL) will submit the information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Department of Labor Events Registration Platform,'' 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). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

On October 31, 2017, the Department of Labor (DOL) will submit the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Ionizing Radiation 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). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

On October 31, 2017, the Department of Labor (DOL) will submit 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). 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, ``Material Hoists, Personnel Hoists, and Elevators 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). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Examinations and Testing of Electrical Equipment, Including Examination, Testing, and Maintenance of High Voltage Longwalls,'' 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). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

On September 29, 2017, President Trump continued the President's Committee on the International Labor Organization (ILO) for two years through September 30, 2019. In response, and pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the Secretary of Labor renewed the committee's charter on October 23, 2017. Purpose: The President's Committee on the International Labor Organization was established in 1980 by Executive Order 12216 to monitor and assess the work of the ILO and make recommendations to the President regarding United States policy towards the ILO. The committee is chaired by the Secretary of Labor and the Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs is responsible for providing the necessary support for the committee. The committee is composed of seven members: The Secretary of Labor (chair), the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Commerce, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and one representative each from organized labor and the business community, designated by the Secretary. The labor and business members are the presidents of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), respectively, as the most representative organizations of U.S. workers and employers engaged in ILO matters.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Request for Assistance from the Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration,'' 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). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

This notice is a request for information and/or comment on three reports issued by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) regarding child labor and forced labor in certain foreign countries. Relevant information submitted by the public will be used by the Department of Labor (DOL) in preparation of its ongoing reporting under Congressional mandates and Presidential directive. The 2016 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor report (TDA report), published on September 20, 2017, assesses efforts by 138 countries to reduce the worst forms of child labor over the course of 2016 and reports whether countries made significant, moderate, minimal, or no advancement during that year. It also suggests actions foreign countries can take to eliminate the worst forms of child labor through legislation, enforcement, coordination, policies, and social programs. The 2016 edition of the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (TVPRA List), published on September 30, 2016, makes available to the public a list of goods from countries that ILAB has reason to believe are produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards. Finally, the List of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor (EO List), most recently published on December 1, 2014, provides a list of products, identified by country of origin, that DOL, in consultation and cooperation with the Departments of State (DOS) and Homeland Security (DHS), have a reasonable basis to believe might have been mined, produced or manufactured with forced or indentured child labor. Relevant information submitted by the public will be used by DOL in preparation of the next edition of the TDA report and TVPRA List, to be published in 2018, and for possible updates to the EO List as needed.

This notice is a summary of petitions for modification submitted to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) by the parties listed below.

In this notice, OSHA announces its final decision to expand the scope of recognition for TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc. as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). Additionally, OSHA announces the voluntary removal of a test standard from TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc.'s scope of recognition.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed extension of the information collection request (ICR) titled, ``The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, As Amended.'' This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). 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. A copy of the proposed information request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this Notice.

In accordance with Section 743 of Division C of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-117), the Department of Labor (DOL) is publishing this notice to advise the public of the availability of its FY 2016 Service Contract Inventory. This inventory provides information on service contract actions over $25,000 made in FY 2016. The information is organized by function to show how contracted resources are distributed throughout the agency. The inventory has been developed in accordance with guidance issued on November 5, 2010, by the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP). OFPP's guidance is available at: https:// obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/procurem ent/memo/ service-contract-inventories-guidance-11052010.pdf. The Department of Labor has posted its inventory and a summary of the inventory on the agency's Web site at the following link: https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol#budget.

Currently, the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is soliciting comments concerning the proposed collection: Certification of Medical Necessity (CM-893). A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section of this Notice. 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.

Section 101(c) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 govern the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for modification. This Federal Register Notice notifies the public that MSHA has investigated and issued a final decision on certain mine operator petitions to modify a safety standard.

OSHA is soliciting public comments concerning its proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements contained in the Forging Machines Standard.

The Department of Labor through the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is currently soliciting comments for the second major revision of the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS), current version 2.01. The last major revision occurred in 2011. BLS is responsible for the development and publication of occupational injury, illness, and fatality data. These data are compiled by the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) programs. The OIICS is used to classify certain case characteristics associated with the nonfatal and fatal work injury cases received by the programs.

Currently, the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is soliciting comments concerning the proposed collection: Report of Changes that May Affect Your Black Lung Benefits (CM-929 and CM-929P). A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section of this Notice. 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.

The Department of Labor (the Department), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA 95), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the reporting burden on the public and helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. Currently, the Employee Benefits Security Administration is soliciting comments on a revision of the Coverage of Certain Preventive Services under the Affordable Care ActPrivate Sector information collection request (ICR) to reflect the Executive Order signed on May 4, 2017, ``Executive Order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty.'' The order declares, regarding ``Conscience Protections with Respect to Preventive-Care Mandate,'' that ``[t]he Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall consider issuing amended regulations, consistent with applicable law, to address conscience-based objections to the preventive-care mandate promulgated under section 300gg-13(a)(4) of title 42, United States Code.'' A copy of the information collection request (ICR) may be obtained by contacting the office listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

The United States has a long history of providing conscience protections in the regulation of health care for entities and individuals with objections based on religious beliefs and moral convictions. These interim final rules expand exemptions to protect religious beliefs for certain entities and individuals whose health plans are subject to a mandate of contraceptive coverage through guidance issued pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. These rules do not alter the discretion of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a component of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to maintain the guidelines requiring contraceptive coverage where no regulatorily recognized objection exists. These rules also leave the ``accommodation'' process in place as an optional process for certain exempt entities that wish to use it voluntarily. These rules do not alter multiple other Federal programs that provide free or subsidized contraceptives for women at risk of unintended pregnancy.