Department of Labor – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records'' 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, ``Occupational Safety and Health Administration Conflict of Interest and Disclosure,'' 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 BLS is soliciting new members for its Data Users Advisory Committee (DUAC). The current membership expires on January 15, 2018. The DUAC provides advice to the Bureau of Labor Statistics from the points of view of data users from various sectors of the U.S. economy, including the labor, business, research, academic, and government communities, on matters related to the analysis, dissemination, and use of the Bureau's statistics, on its published reports, and on gaps between or the need for new Bureau statistics. The Committee will consist of 20 members and will be chosen from a cross-section of individuals who represent a balance of expertise across a broad range of BLS program areas, including employment and unemployment statistics, occupational safety and health statistics, compensation measures, price indexes, and productivity measures; or other areas related to the subject matter of BLS programs. BLS invites persons interested in serving on the DUAC to submit their names for consideration for committee membership.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Complaint Involving Employment Discrimination by a Federal Contractor or Subcontractor,'' 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) is submitting the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Occupational Requirements Survey,'' 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) is submitting the information collection request (ICR) proposal titled, ``Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth Program National Evaluation,'' 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 U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), is making up to $1,000,000 available in grant funds for education and training programs to help identify, avoid, and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around mines. The focus of these grants for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 will be on training and training materials to better identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around mines. Applicants for the grants may be States (to include the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands) and private or public nonprofit entities, to include Indian tribes, tribal organizations, Alaska Native entities, Indian- controlled organizations serving Indians, and Native Hawaiian organizations. MSHA could award as many as 20 grants. The amount of each individual grant will be at least $50,000.00 and the maximum individual award will be $250,000. MSHA may incrementally fund these grants based on milestones and availability of funds. This notice contains all of the information needed to apply for grant funding.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Workforce Information Grants to States,'' 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.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Slope and Shaft Sinking Plans,'' 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 Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption 1985-68 to Permit Employee Benefit Plans to Invest in Customer Notes of Employers,'' 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, 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 Office of Workers' Compensation (OWCP) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed collection: Certification of Funeral Expenses (LS-265). A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the address section of this Notice.

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 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 Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is soliciting comments concerning its proposal to extend OMB approval of the information collection for the following medical reports: Roentgenographic Interpretation (CM-933), Roentgenographic Quality Rereading (CM-933b), Medical History and Examination for Coal Mine Workers' Pneumoconiosis (CM-988), Report of Arterial Blood Gas Study (CM-1159) and Report of Ventilatory Study (CM-2907). 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 (DOL) is submitting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Construction Fall Protection Systems Criteria, Practices, and Training Requirements,'' 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 Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Benefit Appeals Report,'' 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.

On January 31, 2017, the Department of Labor (DOL) will submit the Employment Training Administration (ETA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Job Corps Application Data,'' 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, ``Asbestos in General Industry 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 Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Regulations Governing the Administration of the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act,'' 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.

In accordance with the Presidential directive as expressed in the memorandum of January 20, 2017, from the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled ``Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,'' this action temporarily delays until March 21, 2017 the effective date of the rule entitled Occupational Exposure to Beryllium, published in the Federal Register on January 9, 2017 (82 FR 2470), to allow OSHA officials the opportunity for further review and consideration of new regulations.

The Web site address for the upcoming WIAC meeting scheduled for February 8, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), has changed. The original Federal Register Notice announcing this virtual meeting was published December 27, 2016. The initial Web address for this meeting must be changed, but the phone numbers, participant codes, and agenda for this meeting remain the same. The new Web site address is: https://coffeyconsultingllc.adobeconnect.com/wiac080217/. The conference phone line and conference code remain the same, 866-530-3818 and conference code 2956449540, as does the agenda. The meeting will be open to the public.

In this notice, OSHA announces its final decision to expand the scope of recognition for Curtis-Strauss LLC, as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).

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

The Department of Labor is submitting the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act Forms,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

This final rule amends the Department of Labor's regulations under the Freedom of Information Act (``FOIA''). The regulations have been revised to update and streamline the language of several procedural provisions and to incorporate changes brought about by the amendments to the FOIA under the OPEN Government Act of 2007 and the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016. Additionally, the regulations have been updated to incorporate changes in the agency's administrative structure.

The U.S. Department of Labor (Department) is publishing this final rule to adjust for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced in its regulations, pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act). The Inflation Adjustment Act requires the Department to annually adjust its civil money penalty levels for inflation no later than January 15 of each year. The Inflation Adjustment Act provides that agencies shall adjust civil monetary penalties notwithstanding Section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Additionally, the Inflation Adjustment Act provides a cost- of-living formula for adjustment of the civil penalties. Accordingly, this final rule sets forth the Department's 2017 annual adjustments for inflation to its civil monetary penalties, effective January 13, 2017.