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)]. 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 collection of data about the Occupational Code Assignment Form (ETA 741), which expires on March 31, 2013. A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this notice or by accessing: https://www.onetcenter.org/ombclearance.html.

Announcement Regarding States Triggering ``on'' and ``off'' in the Emergency Unemployment Compensation 2008 (EUC08) Program. 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: With the week ending September 22, 2012, Utah had served a full 13 week ``off'' period in Tier 2 of the EUC08 program. Given that the trigger rate for Utah has been at the 6.0 percent trigger rate threshold, this state met the criteria to resume a payable period in Tier 2 of the EUC08 program. This payable period started with the week beginning September 23, 2012. For claimants establishing new eligibility in Tier 2, the maximum potential entitlement in Tier 2 is the lesser of 54 percent of the maximum regular Unemployment Compensation (UC) entitlement or 14 times the regular UC weekly benefit amount. With the week ending September 22, 2012, West Virginia and Wisconsin had both served a full 13 week ``off'' period in Tier 3 of the EUC08 program. Given that the trigger rate for these states had been at or above the 7.0 percent trigger rate threshold, these states met the criteria to resume a payable period in Tier 3 of the EUC08 program. The payable period for these states started with the week beginning September 23, 2012. For claimants establishing new eligibility in Tier 3, the maximum potential entitlement in Tier 3 is the lesser of 35 percent of the maximum regular UC entitlement or 9 times the regular UC weekly benefit amount. With the release of national unemployment data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on September 21, 2012, the estimated three month average, seasonally adjusted total unemployment rate for Maryland met the 7.0 percent threshold necessary to trigger ``on'' in Tier 3 of the EUC08 program. For claimants establishing new eligibility in Tier 3, the maximum potential entitlement is the lesser of 35 percent of the maximum regular UC entitlement or 9 times the regular UC weekly benefit amount. The week beginning October 7, 2012, will be the first week in which EUC08 claimants in Maryland who have exhausted Tier 2, and are otherwise eligible, can establish Tier 3 eligibility. With the release of national unemployment data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on September 21, 2012, the estimated three month average, seasonally adjusted total unemployment rate for Michigan met the 9.0 percent threshold necessary to trigger ``on'' in Tier 4 of the EUC08 program. For claimants establishing new eligibility in Tier 4, the maximum potential entitlement in Tier 4 is the lesser of 24 percent of the maximum regular UC entitlement or 6 times the regular UC weekly benefit amount. The week beginning October 7, 2012, will be the first week in which EUC08 claimants in Michigan who have exhausted Tier 3, and are otherwise eligible, can establish Tier 4 eligibility. With the week ending October 6, 2012, Texas will have served a full 13 week ``off'' period in Tier 3 of the EUC08 program. Given that the trigger rate for Texas is currently at or above the 7.0 percent trigger rate threshold, and no more unemployment rates will be released before October 19, 2012, Texas will meet the criteria to resume a payable period in Tier 3 of the EUC08 program. This payable period will start with the week beginning October 7, 2012. For claimants establishing new eligibility in Tier 3, the maximum potential entitlement is the lesser of 35 percent of the maximum regular UC entitlement or 9 times the regular UC weekly benefit amount. With the week ending October 6, 2012, Georgia and Mississippi will have served a full 13 week ``off'' period in Tier 4 of the EUC08 program. Given that the trigger rate for these states is currently at or above the 9.0 percent trigger rate threshold, and no more unemployment rates will be released before October 19, 2012, Georgia and Mississippi will meet the criteria to resume a payable period in Tier 4 of the EUC08 program. The payable period will start with the week beginning October 7, 2012. For claimants establishing new eligibility in Tier 4, the maximum potential entitlement in Tier 4 is the lesser of 24 percent of the maximum regular UC entitlement or 6 times the regular UC weekly benefit amount. Based on data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on September 21, 2012, the three month average, seasonally adjusted total unemployment rate for the District of Columbia fell below the 9.0 percent trigger rate threshold to remain ``on'' in Tier 4 of the EUC08 program. As a result, entitlement for claimants in the District of Columbia in the EUC08 program will decrease from a maximum possible duration of 47 weeks to a maximum possible duration of 37 weeks. The week ending October 13, 2012, will be the last week in which EUC claimants in the District of Columbia can exhaust Tier 3, and establish Tier 4 eligibility. Under the phase-out provisions, claimants can receive any remaining entitlement they have in Tier 4 after October 13, 2012.

Pursuant to Section 10 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (Pub. L. 92-463; 5 U.S.C. APP. 1), notice is hereby given to announce an open virtual meeting of the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (ACA) on November 14-15, 2012, which can be accessed from the Office of Apprenticeship's (OA) homepage: https:// www.doleta.gov/oa/. The ACA is a discretionary committee established by the Secretary of Labor, in accordance with FACA, as amended 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. A virtual meeting of the ACA provides a cost savings to the government while still offering a venue that allows for public participation and transparency, as required by FACA.

The Department of Labor (Department) is delaying the effective date of the Wage Methodology for the Temporary Non-agricultural Employment H-2B Program final rule, in response to recently enacted legislation that prohibits any funds from being used to implement the Wage Rule for the first 6 months of fiscal year (FY) 2013. The Wage Rule revised the methodology by which the Department calculates the prevailing wages to be paid to H-2B workers and United States (U.S.) workers recruited in connection with a temporary labor certification for use in petitioning the Department of Homeland Security to employ a nonimmigrant worker in H-2B status.

Announcement regarding a change in eligibility for Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants in New York in the Emergency Unemployment Compensation 2008 (EUC08) Program and the Federal-State Extended Benefits (EB) Program. The U.S. Department of Labor (Department) produces trigger notices indicating which states qualify for both EB and EUC08 benefits, and provides the beginning and ending dates of payable periods for each qualifying state. The trigger notices covering state eligibility for these programs 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 this state's EB and EUC08 trigger status: Based on data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on May 18, 2012, New York no longer met one of the criteria to remain ``on'' in EB, i.e., having their current three month average, seasonally adjusted total unemployment rate be at least 110 percent of one of the rates from a comparable period in one of the three prior years. This triggered New York ``off'' in the EB Program and the end of the payable period was the week ending June 10, 2012. New York has served the full 13 week ``off'' period on September 9, 2012. Given that the trigger rate in New York is currently at 8.9 percent, one look-back is at 110 percent, and the 13 week mandatory ``off'' period has concluded, New York meets the criteria to resume a High Unemployment Period in the EB Program. This payable period started with the week beginning September 10, 2012, and the maximum potential entitlement for the EB Program in New York is 20 weeks. In New York, where weeks end on a Sunday, a 13 week mandatory ``on'' period began for Tier 4 of the EUC08 Program on June 4, 2012. This mandatory 13-week ``on'' period concluded on September 2, 2012. Because the current trigger rate for New York is 8.9 percent, below the 9.0 percent threshold to remain on in Tier 4, New York has triggered ``off'' Tier 4 of the EUC08 Program and concluded an eligibility period in Tier 4 on September 2, 2012. Claimants in New York exhausting Tier 3 after September 2, 2012, can no longer establish Tier 4 eligibility.