[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 8, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17216-17217]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-9231]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Work Opportunity and Welfare-to-Work Tax Credits ETA Handbook No. 
408, First Edition, July 1997 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 preclearance 
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 Employment and Training Administration/U.S.Employment 
Service is soliciting comments concerning the proposed revision of the 
ETA Handbook No. 408, First Edition, July 1997.
    A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be 
obtained by contacting the office 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 8, 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 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: John Beverly, Director, U.S. Employment Service, ETA, 200 
Constitution Ave., NW, Rm. N-4470, Washington D.C. 20210, (202) 219-
5257 (this is not a toll-free number) fax no. (202) 219-6643.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program created by the Small 
Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-188) expired on September 
30, 1997. The program was authorized for one year, becoming effective 
October 1, 1996, through September 30, 1997. In response to President 
Clinton's Welfare Reform initiative and efforts, the Congress on August 
5, 1997, signed into law the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997--the Act--
(P.L. 105-34). This legislation reauthorized the WOTC program for nine 
additional months and created the Welfare-to-Work (WtW) tax credit, 
which became effective January 1, 1998, through April 30, 1999. The law 
required no changes in the type of data to be collected on the WOTC 
program.

II. Current Actions

    Data on the WOTC and the Welfare-to-Work credit will be 
collected by the State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs) and 
provided to the United States Employment Service (USES), Division of 
Planning and Operations, Washington, D.C. through the appropriate U.S. 
Department of Labor, Regional Office. The data will be used for program 
management, including monitoring, oversight and the identification of 
technical assistance and training requirements. The data is also 
provided to the Congress through an annual Training and Employment 
Report of the Secretary of Labor. The information reported on ETA Forms 
9061-9063 and 9065, Individual Characteristics, Conditional 
Certification, Employer Certification, and Agency Declaration of 
Verification Results, required by P.L. 97-248 will be reported annually 
to the Committee House Ways and Means of the House of Representatives.
    WOTC Administrative and Quarterly Reporting Forms. WOTC 
administrative and reporting procedures are outlined in ETA Handbook 
No. 408, Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Program, First Edition, 
July 1997. This information has been revised and updated to reflect the 
new changes and provisions introduced by the Act in an Addendum, dated 
February 1998, to the first edition of ETA Handbook No. 408, July 1997.
    In addition, the quarterly report forms are required to 
be used without modification to summarize and report to ETA regional 
offices--with copies to the national office--on conditional 
certifications issued (Report No. 1, ETA 9057), certification workload 
and characteristics of certified individuals (Report No. 2, ETA 9058) 
including certifications issued, and verification results achieved 
(Report No. 3, ETA 9059) during the reporting period stipulated for the 
respective forms.
    Type of Review: Revision, with changes.
    Agency: ETA.
    Title: Work Opportunity and Welfare-to-work Tax Credits--ETA 
Handbook No. 408, First Edition, July 1997.
    OMB Number: 1205-0371
    Agency Number: ETA Forms 9061-9063 and 9065 and ETA Forms 9057, 
9058, and 9059.
    Recordkeeping: 52 States x 997 hours annually = 51,844 hours.
    Affected Public: State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs), Other 
Federal or State Participating Agencies,

[[Page 17217]]

Private-for-Profit Employers and Jobseekers.
    Total Respondents: 52.

                                Chart for Multiple Forms/Information Collections                                
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                                     Total                                            Average time      Burden  
        Cite/reference            respondents        Frequency     Total responses      response        hours   
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ETA Forms Nos. 9057, 9058,     52..............  Quarterly.......  624............  8 hours........        4,992
 9059.                                                                                                          
ERA Forms 9061, 9062, 9063     40/day..........  On an ``as        200/week.......  20 mins. per           3,467
 and 9065.                                        needed basis''.                    form.                      
                                                                                                    ------------
      Totals.................  ................  ................  10,400/year....  ...............        8,459
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    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup: 0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): 0.
    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.

    Dated: March 31, 1998.
John Beverly, III,
Director, U.S. Employment Service.
[FR Doc. 98-9231 Filed 4-7-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-M