Office of the Secretary 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA) gives notice that on June 12, 2008, Submission 2008-01 was accepted for review pursuant to Article 16.4.3 of Chapter Sixteen (the Labor Chapter) of the Central AmericaDominican RepublicUnited States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). The submission was filed with the OTLA on April 23, 2008 by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and a group of six Guatemalan trade unions. The submission alleges the Government of Guatemala has violated Articles 16.1.1, 16.2.1(a), and 16.3.1 of the Labor Chapter of the CAFTA-DR with respect to five separate cases. In these cases, the submission alleges that the Government of Guatemala failed to enforce its laws with regard to the right of association and the right to organize and bargain collectively. The submission alleges acts of violence against trade unionists, including two instances of murder. In addition, there are further allegations of failure to enforce laws relating to non-payment of severance and social security benefits. These allegations were supported by specific factual descriptions which, if substantiated, could demonstrate that the Government of Guatemala's actions were inconsistent with its commitments under the Labor Chapter. The objectives of the review of the submission will be to gather information to assist the OTLA to better understand and publicly report on the issues raised by the submission.

The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text of a section 36(b)(1) arms sales notification. This is published to fulfill the requirements of section 155 of Public Law 104-164 dated 21 July 1996.

The Office of the Secretary (OST) is amending its drug and alcohol testing procedures to authorize employers to disclose to State commercial driver licensing (CDL) authorities the drug and alcohol violations of employees who hold CDLs and operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), when a State law requires such reporting. This rule also permits third-party administrators (TPAs) to provide the same information to State CDL licensing authorities where State law requires the TPAs to do so for owner-operator CMV drivers with CDLs.

The Department of Homeland Security has designated Jackson State University as a DHS Center of Excellence for Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management, Education Lead Institution.

This notice announces that the Secretary of Homeland Security has designated the E-Verify system, operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in partnership with the Social Security Administration, as the electronic employment eligibility verification system to be used by Federal contractors, pursuant to Executive Order 12989, as amended by the Executive Order entitled ``Amended Executive Order 12989, as Amended'' of June 6, 2008.

The Department of Homeland Security has designated Stevens Institute of Technology as a DHS Center of Excellence for the Study of Maritime, Island and Extreme/Remote Environment Security, Research Co- Lead Institution.

The Department of Homeland Security has designated the Northeastern University as a DHS Center of Excellence for Explosives Detection Mitigation and Response, Research Lead Institution.

The Department of Homeland Security has designated the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a DHS Center of Excellence for Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management, Research Lead Institution.

The Defense Information Systems Agency proposes to add a system of records notice to its existing inventory of records systems subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) this notice announces the Information Collection Request, abstracted below, is being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget for extension of the currently approved Procedures for Transportation Drug and Alcohol Testing Program. On March 17, 2008 the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance (ODAPC) published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register (73 FR 14300) Docket OST-2008-0088, informing the public of ODAPC's intention to extend an approved information collection. Specifically, ODAPC solicited comments on whether the information collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical utility. We asked whether the Department's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection was accurate and for ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected. The Department sought ways to minimize the burden for those who would have to provide information, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. One response, which contained several comments, was made to the docket. Among his comments, the respondent supported the Department's estimated burden hours associated with the collection and handling of each form and provided suggestions for updating the Alcohol Testing Form (ATF) and Management Information System (MIS) form. Each of the respondent's comments were addressed and are explained in the supporting statement to OMB. The ATF and MIS were updated to include an updated Paperwork Reduction Act Burden Statement, the current address of the Department, and DOT form numbers were added. We provided additional instructions on the reverse side of Page 3 of the ATF that tamper-evident tape must not obscure the printed information. Also, the legends in the test result boxes on the front of the ATF were adjusted and printed in a smaller font so they don't obscure test results printed directly on the ATF.