[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 55 (Monday, March 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13881-13882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-7437]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

Indian and Native American Welfare-to-Work Grant Program


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 continuation 
of the currently-approved reporting system for the Indian and Native 
American Welfare-to-Work (INA WtW) Grant Program for three more years 
(August 1, 1998 to June 30, 2001), or until the expiration of the 
program if sooner. A copy of the currently-approved information 
collection request (ICR), especially the reporting forms and completion 
instructions, 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 May 22, 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 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, 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 is requesting continuation of its currently-approved reporting 
system for the Indian and Native American Welfare-to-Work Grant Program 
for three more years (August 1, 1998 to June 30, 2001), or until the 
program expires. Current authorization for the INA WtW program expires 
on September 30, 1999, but grantees can continue to expend funds for up 
to three years ``after the date the funds are so provided''. As this 
package was just approved by OMB on February 10, 1998, the Department 
has decided that the system does not require any changes at this time. 
This position is reached in part because there have as yet not been any 
reports submitted under the current clearance authority, so no grantee 
experience is available for review and consideration.

II. Current Actions

    The proposed ICR will be a continuation of the currently-approved 
system that will be used by approximately 80 INA WtW grantees as the 
primary reporting vehicle for enrolled individuals, their 
characteristics, training and services provided, outcomes, including 
job placement and wage data, as well as detailed financial data on 
program expenditures. Current paperwork burdens are covered under OMB 
Clearance No. 1205-0386 (expiration date 7/31/98), and have been 
included in the following burden estimates. For ease of analysis, the 
following burden estimate is broken down into the two main components 
of INA WtW program operation: (1) Recordkeeping; and (2) reporting.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
    Title: Reporting system for Indian and Native American Welfare-to-
Work Grant Program.
    OMB Number: 1205-0386.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 17.254.
    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: Federally-recognized tribes, Alaska Native 
regional non-profit corporations, and/or consortia of any of the above.
    Total Estimated Burden: 5,760 hours (reporting); 36,000 hours 
(recordkeeping).
    Detailed breakdown of the above-estimated burden hour requirements 
for the INA WtW program are as follows:

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                                                                                                        Total   
      Required activity        INA WtW Form No.   Number of    Responses      Total      Hours per      burden  
                                                 Respondents    per year    responses     response      hours   
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Participant Recordkeeping....  ................           80  ...........       12,000         3.00       36,000
(Reporting) Financial Status   ETA 9069-1......           80            4          320            9        2,880
 Report.                                                                                                        
Participation and              ETA 9069........           80            4          320            9        2,880
 Characteristics Rpt..                                                                                          
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      Totals.................  ................           80            8       12,640           21       41,760
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    Note: Recordkeeping estimates are based on the estimated PY 1998 
INA WtW caseload times an estimated average of 3.00 hours per 
participant record. There is currently no experience with actual INA 
WtW performance. Also, this burden estimate does

[[Page 13882]]

not include those INA WtW grantees participating in the 
demonstration under Public Law 102-477. Any INA WtW burden 
estimate(s) for ``477 grantees'' would be included under OMB 
Clearance Number 1076-0135.

    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 fiscal 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 INA WtW 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 INA WtW activities)

    Recordkeeping: 36,000 hours times an estimated cost per grantee 
hour of $20.00 (including fringes) = $720,000.
    Reporting: 5,760 hours times $20.00 = $115,200 per year.
    Total estimated burden costs: $835,200 (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 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 continuation of the information collection request; they will 
also become a matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 17th day of March 1998.
Anna W. Goddard,
Director, Office of Special Targeted Programs.
[FR Doc. 98-7437 Filed 3-20-98; 8:45 am]
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