[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 103 (Thursday, May 29, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29153-29154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-14045]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Job Training Partnership Act: Indian and Native American Programs 
Under Title IV-A

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

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 preclearance 
consultation process 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 process helps to 
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, 
reporting burdens are minimized, collection instruments are clearly 
understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents 
can be properly assessed. Currently, the Employment and Training 
Administration (ETA), in consultation with the Native American 
Employment and Training Council, is soliciting comments concerning the 
proposed continuation of the current planning and reporting system for 
Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) title IV-A, section 401 Indian and 
Native American grantees for three more program years (July 1, 1997 to 
June 30, 2000). A copy of the proposed information collection request 
(ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the 
address section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee section below on or before July 28, 1997. The Department of 
Labor is particularly interested in comments which:
     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 burden estimate for 
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 the sue of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.

ADDRESSES: Thomas M. Dowd, Chief, Division of Indian and Native 
American Programs, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Room N-4641, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, 
Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 219-8502 ext 119 (VOICE) or 
(202) 219-6338 (FAX) (these are not toll-free numbers) or INTERNET: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Employment and Training Administration of the Department of 
Labor, in consultation with the Native American Employment and Training 
Council, is continuing its currently-approved planning and reporting 
system for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) title IV-A, section 401 
Indian and Native American grantees for three more program years (July 
1, 1997 to June 30, 2000). In evaluating the last two years' planning 
and reporting experience of the grantees who receive funding under 
section 401, including title II-B Summer Youth funds, the Department 
has decided that the system does not require any changes. This position 
is reached in part because of pending new workforce legislation, which 
would possibly require extensive revisions to the current planning and 
reporting system.

II. Current Actions

    The proposed ICR will be a continuation of an existing system 
currently in place and used by approximately 170 section 401 grantees 
as the primary planning and reporting vehicle for enrolled individuals, 
their characteristics, training and services provided, outcomes, 
including job placement and employability enhancements, as well as 
detailed financial data on program expenditures. Grantees participating 
in the demonstration under Public Law 102-477 will not be affected by 
this continuation, and have not been included in the following burden 
estimates.
    Type of Review: This is a request for the continuation of an 
existing collection.
    Agency: Department of Labor, Employment and Training 
Administration.
    Title: Planning and reporting system for JTPA title IV-A, section 
401 Indian and Native American grantees.
    OMB Number: 1205-0308.

[[Page 29154]]

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 17.251.
    Recordkeeping: Grantees shall retain supporting and other documents 
necessary for the compilation and submission of the subject reports for 
three years after submission of the final financial report for the 
grant in question [29 CFR 97.42 and/or 29 CFR 95.53].
    Affected Public: Federally and State-recognized Indian tribes, 
bands, and groups; Alaska Native entities; Hawaiian Native entities; 
private non-profit organizations; State agencies; consortia of any and/
or all of the above.
    Cite/Reference/Form/etc.: The collection instrument is the Indian 
and Native American Planning and Reporting System and related 
instructions. OMB-approved forms are provided for use in gathering 
information at the grantee field office level.
    Total Respondents: 170.
    Frequency: Semi-annually and annually (title IV-A); annually (title 
II-B).
    Total responses: [For title IV-A] 510 (170 times 2, plus 170 times 
1) (there is one semi-annual submission per year, consisting of a 
financial report and a program report, plus an annual submission 
covering both areas for the entire program year).
    [For title II-B] 252 (126 times 2) (there is one financial report 
and one program report due annually on the summer program's activity).
    In addition, there are required financial and program planning 
forms which must be submitted annually with documents required to 
receive annual title II-B or title IV-A funds. The minimum submission 
requirements are as follows:

Budget Information Summary (BIS): 170 (title IV-A); 126 (title II-B).
Program Planning Summary (PPS): 170 (title IV-A); 126 (title II-B).

Average Time per Response

Budget Information Summary (BIS)--17.5 hours; [ETA 8600].
Program Planning Summary (PPS)--17.5 hours; [ETA 8601].
Financial Status Report (FSR)--7.75 hours; [ETA 8602]
Program Status Summary (PSS)--9.67 hours; [ETA 8603]
Annual Status Report (ASR)--22.5 hours. [ETA 8604]

    The individual time per response varies widely depending on the 
degree of automation attained by individual grantees. Grantees also 
vary according to the numbers of individuals served in each program 
year. If the grantee has a fully-developed and automated MIS, the 
response time is limited to one-time programming plus processing time 
for each response. It is the Department's desire to see as many section 
401 grantees as possible become computerized, so that response time for 
planning and reporting will eventually sift down to an irreducible 
minimum with an absolute minimum of human intervention.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: (minimum) 1,354 responses times 
various hours (average is approximately 15 hours--see above for 
individual details) = 19,342 total hours per response cycle (one 
program year).
    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $290,130 (19,342 total 
hours per response cycle times an estimated average wage of $15.00 per 
grantee staff hour). As noted, these costs will vary widely among 
grantees, from nearly no additional cost to some higher figure, 
depending on the state of automation attained by each grantee and the 
wages paid to the staff actually completing the various forms.
    All costs associated with the submission of these five forms, 
whether for planning or reporting purposes, are allowable grant 
expenses.
    Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be 
summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and 
Budget approval of the information collection request; they will also 
become a matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 22nd day of May 1997.
Anna W. Goddard,
Director, Office of Special Targeted Programs.
[FR Doc. 97-14045 Filed 5-28-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-M