Employment and Training Administration – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Employment and Training Administration interprets Federal law requirements pertaining to unemployment compensation (UC). These interpretations are issued in Unemployment Insurance Program Letters (UIPLs) to the State Workforce Agencies. The UIPLs described below are published in the Federal Register in order to inform the public.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (DOL or the Department) are proposing changes to modernize procedures for the issuance of labor certifications issued in connection with H-2B nonimmigrants admitted to perform temporary nonagricultural labor or services, and procedures to enforce compliance with attestations made by sponsoring employers. Specifically, the proposed rule re-engineers the application filing and review process by centralizing processing and by enabling employers to conduct pre-filing United States (U.S.) worker recruitment activities. In addition, the proposed rule makes changes that will enhance the integrity of the program through the introduction of post-adjudication audits and procedures for penalizing employers who fail to meet the requirements of the H-2B Program. In addition, through this proposed rule technical changes are being made to both the H-1B and the permanent labor certification regulations to reflect operational changes stemming from this regulation. Finally, although Congress has vested the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the statutory authority to enforce the H-2B Program requirements and the Department possesses no independent authority for such enforcement, this proposed rule describes potential H-2B enforcement procedures the Department could institute in the event that DHS and the Department work out a mutually agreeable delegation of enforcement authority from DHS to the Department.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announces the availability of approximately $20 million to fund grants to State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) for demonstration projects targeting Workforce Investment Act (WIA) dislocated workers. This solicitation provides SWAs with the option to choose from four categories under which applicants can submit a single grant application. Please note that two options exist under category one and two options exist under category three. If the applicant chooses to apply under categories one or three, the applicant must indicate which option the proposal addresses. Applicants may only submit a grant application under one category and only one application per SWA will be accepted. Applicants must indicate in the abstract of their proposal the category under which they are applying. Category 1Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Dislocated Workers (two options). Category 2Getting Ahead of the Curve: Raising Educational/Skill Levels of Workers in Declining Industries. Category 3Innovative Adult Learning Models for Dislocated Workers (two options). Category 4Preventing Dislocations of TANF Recipients Moving Into Entry Level Jobs Subject to Economic Churn. Additional background information is provided under Part I.

The Employment and Training Administration announces the availability of $49.5 million for grants to serve high schools that have been designated as persistently dangerous by State Educational Agencies for the 2007-2008 school year under section 9532 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The goal of these grants is to reduce violence within these schools through a combination of mentoring, educational, employment, case management, and violence prevention strategies. These grants will be awarded through a competitive process open both to school districts which include persistently dangerous high schools and to community-based organizations (CBOs) in partnership with these school districts. High schools which have been designated as persistently dangerous this school year are located in the school districts of Baltimore City, New York City, Berkshire Farms (New York), Salem-Keiser (Oregon), Philadelphia, and Puerto Rico. These schools are listed in Section VIIIA below. School districts and CBOs must submit a separate application for each high school that they propose serving, but may submit as many applications as they have eligible schools. Applications submitted by school districts must include plans to have one or more CBOs as sub-grantees/contractors to operate at a minimum the mentoring component. These proposed CBO sub-grantees/contractors do not need to be listed in the application, as the Department strongly encourages the use of competition in selecting sub-grantees and contractors either before or after grant award. Applications submitted by CBOs must have a school district identified as a partner, with a signed memorandum of understanding with the school district included in the application. To be eligible to apply for these grants as a CBO, organizations must be not-for-profit entities and can operate either nationally or locally. This solicitation provides background information and describes the application submission requirements, outlines the process that eligible entities must use to apply for funds covered by this solicitation, and outlines the evaluation criteria used as a basis for selecting the grantees. Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is June 11, 2008. Application and submission information is explained in detail in Part IV of this SGA.