[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 18, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8216-8218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-4050]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Job Training Partnership Act: Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker 
Programs Under Title IV-A Proposed Collection; Comment Request

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) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed 
reinstatement of the previously-approved planning and reporting system 
for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) title IV-A, section 402 Migrant 
and Seasonal Farmworker programs 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 ADDRESSES section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee section below on or before April 20, 1998.
    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

[[Page 8217]]

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 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: Thomas M. Dowd, Acting Chief, Division of Migrant and 
Seasonal Farmworker 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 is requesting reinstatement of its previously-approved planning 
and reporting system for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) title IV-
A, section 402 Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker 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 402, the Department has decided that the 
system does not require any major changes beyond those instituted for 
PY 1995 when the Standardized Participant Information Report (SPIR) was 
adopted to replace the Farmworker Annual Status Report [FASR--ETA 
8599]. 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 reinstatement of a previously approved 
system that will be used by approximately 34 section 402 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. Section 402 grantees 
are currently required to submit annual participant data on the SPIR, 
which will not be affected by this continuation. SPIR burdens are 
covered separately under OMB Clearance No. 1205-0350 (expiration date 
6/30/98), and have not been included in the following burden estimates. 
For ease of analysis, the following burden estimate is broken down into 
the three main components of section 402 program operation: (1) 
planning; (2) recordkeeping; and (3) reporting.
    Type of Review: REINSTATEMENT.
    AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration.
    Title: Planning and reporting system for JTPA title IV-A, section 
402 Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker grantees.
    OMB Number: 1205-0215.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 17.252.
    Recordkeeping Requirements: 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: Private non-profit organizations; State agencies; 
consortia of any of the above.
    Total Estimated Burden: 65,152 hours.
    Detailed breakdown of the above-estimated burden hour requirements 
for the JTPA section 402 program:

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                                                                                         Number of    Responses      Total       Hours per      Total   
               Required activity                            MSFW form Nos.              respondents    per year    responses     response    burden hrs.
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(Plan.) Master Agreement......................  ......................................           34            1           34          0.5            17
(Plan.) Narrative.............................  ......................................           34            1           34         22             748
Budget Information Sum........................  ETA 8595..............................           34            1           34         15             510
Program Planning Sum..........................  ETA 8596..............................           34            1           34         16             544
Recordkeeping.................................  ......................................           34  ...........       35,224          1.75       61,667
(Reporting) FSR...............................  ETA 8597..............................           34            4          102          7             952
Program Status Summary........................  ETA 8598..............................           34            3          102          7             714
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    Totals....................................  ......................................           34           11       35,564         69.25       65,152
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    Note: Recordkeeping estimates are based on the actual number of 
terminees reported on the SPIR for PY 1995 (35,224) times an 
estimated average of 1.75 hours per participant record.

    The individual time per response (whether plan, record, or report) 
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 402 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 Grantee Burden Costs: (There are no capital/start-up 
costs involved in any section 402 activities).
    Planning: 1,819 hours times an estimated cost per grantee hour of 
$20.00 (including fringes) = $36,380 per year.
    Recordkeeping: 61,667 hours times the same $20.00 per hour = 
$1,233,340.
    Reporting: 1,666 hours times $20.00 = $33,320 per year.
    Total estimated burden costs: $1,303,040 (nationwide).
    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 required submissions outlined above, 
whether for planning, recordkeeping, 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.


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    Signed at Washington, DC, this 11th day of February, 1998.
Anna W. Goddard,
Director, Office of Special Targeted Programs.
[FR Doc. 98-4050 Filed 2-17-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-P