[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 71 (Thursday, April 11, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16121-16123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-9065]



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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: 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 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments 
concerning the proposed new collection of the ``State Unemployment 
Insurance (UI) Wage Records Quality Project.'' A copy of the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the 
individual listed below in the addressee section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee section below on or before June 10, 1996.
    BLS is particularly interested in comments which help the agency 
to:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Karin G. Kurz, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 3255, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE., Washington, DC 20212. Ms. Kurz can be 
reached on 202--606-7628 (this is not a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Interest in developing a National Wage Record Database (NWRD) has 
been building for several years. The Northeast-Midwest Institute 
recommended that the quarterly records on individual wages (wage 
records) maintained by States for the administration of the UI program 
be more fully utilized by also using them for program evaluation and 
policy research purposes. The Institute sponsored a conference on the 
subject in 1989 and subsequently issued a report that recommended the 
creation of a NWRD.
    The National Commission for Employment Policy (NCEP) also sponsored 
studies on various aspects of the use of wage records for evaluation of 
employment and training programs and in a report issued in June 1992, 
the NCEP recommended that the Department of Labor (DOL) use wage record 
data in lieu of the telephone survey data now used for Job Training 
Partnership Act (JTPA) performance standards on the basis of cost and 
quality. The NCEP recommendations envisioned a system of interstate 
data sharing through regional consortia to follow program participants 
who may have moved or who work in adjoining States. A requirement for a 
NWRD has been present in various versions of the JTPA amendments from 
1989-1992.
    The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act 
of 1990 mandated that the National Occupational Information 
Coordinating Committee (NOICC) establish a demonstration project to 
monitor education outcomes for vocational-technical education using 
wage and other records. NOICC commissioned a study by the National 
Governors' Association (NGA) to determine the extent to which States 
are currently using wage records to monitor vocational-technical 
education outcomes and to serve as a guide for the Institute for 
Family, Work, and Community to use wage records for program follow-up 
purposes.
    In September 1992, Congress amended section 462(g) of the JTPA to 
require the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to determine appropriate 
procedures for establishing a national longitudinal wage record 
database containing information on the quarterly earnings, 
establishment and industry affiliation, and geographic location of 
employment for every individual for whom such information is collected 
and stored by the State Employment Security Agencies' (SESAs) UI files. 
Each employer's wage record lists the total wages and Social Security 
Number (SSN) of every employee of that employer during the quarter. 
Most States require the employer to submit these data along with their 
Quarterly Contribution Report and use the data to determine a worker's 
eligibility for UI. This database is intended to be used to obtain 
follow-up data for JTPA program completers, as well as a range of other 
educational programs including vocational education, community college 
programs, and adult education.
    In 1994, Employment and Training Administration (ETA) launched the 
America's Labor Market Information System (ALMIS) to explore the 
technological advances available to improve the collection, processing 
and timely dissemination of accurate labor market information (LMI). A 
segment of ALMIS involves conducting research to explore the potential 
uses of State UI wage record databases as LMI tools. Research conducted 
by BLS suggests there are various problems with the quality of the UI 
wage record data in the SESAs. With limited staff resources and tight 
time constaints, many SESAs are only able to conduct cursory edits of 
the wage record data, and there is no set of standardized edits 
available to the SESAs at this time. For these reasons, the DOL report 
recommended that the ``Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) should 
establish a program, in conjunction with State agencies, to ensure the 
basic quality and standardization of maintenance of the State wage 
record files.'' As a component of ALMIS, BLS has been funded by ETA to 
begin work to improve the quality of State UI wage records.
    In cooperation with ETA, the BLS requests OMB approval to collect 
information needed to develop a quality assurance program to improve 
the accuracy of individual wage records maintained by States for the 
administration of the UI program. The primary activity is to perform a 
one-time personal interview survey of all SESAs to determine current UI 
procedures involving wage records and verify the accuracy of State UI 
wage record keeping for the purposes of a NWRD. BLS will summarize the 
results; prepare an analysis of the findings; and, develop 
recommendations for any needed improvements to the State's maintenance 
of wage records. The report will be submitted to ETA.

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II. Current Actions

    No other information is available to assess State UI wage record 
maintenance procedures and determine the accuracy of the wage records 
for the development of a NWRD.
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: State Unemployment Insurance (UI) Wage Records Quality 
Project.
    Affected Public: All State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs), 
including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin 
Islands.
    Number of Respondents: 53.
    Frequency: One time.
    Average Time Per Response: 3 hours.
    Etimated Total Burden Hours: 159 Hours.
    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): 0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): 0.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the ICR; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, D.C., this 4th day of April, 1996.
Peter T. Spolarich,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 96-9065 Filed 4-10-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M