[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 192 (Tuesday, October 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59019-59020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-25353]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Workforce Investment Act: Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker 
Programs Under Section 167

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice of proposed data collection.

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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 Migrant and Seasonal 
Farmworker Employment and Training Advisory Committee, is soliciting 
comments concerning the proposed institution of a ``reporting and 
performance standards system for National Farmworker Jobs Programs 
under title I, section 167 of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA)''. 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 December 4, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Alicia Fernandez-Mott, Chief, Division of 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 121 (VOICE) or 
(202) 219-6338 (FAX) (these are not toll-free numbers) or INTERNET: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the information collection 
request are available for inspection in the Division of Seasonal 
Farmworker Programs at the above address, and will be mailed to persons 
who request copies in writing from Alicia Fernandez-Mott at the above 
address.

[[Page 59020]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Employment and Training Administration of the Department of 
Labor, in consultation with the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker 
Employment and Training Advisory Committee, is requesting approval of a 
new reporting and performance standards system for Workforce Investment 
Act (WIA) title I, section 167, National Farmworker Jobs Program 
grantees for three program years (July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2003). In 
evaluating the last several years' reporting experience of the grantees 
who received funding under JTPA section 402, and in light of the 
statutory requirements of WIA applicable to section 167 grantees, the 
Department has developed the following recommended planning and 
reporting requirements which it believes supports the statutory 
requirements under WIA as they relate to the National Farmworker Jobs 
Program.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    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.

III. Current Action

    This proposed ICR will be used by approximately 53 Workforce 
Investment Act (WIA) section 167 grantees as the primary reporting and 
performance measurement 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.
    Type of Review: New.
    Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
    Title: Planning, reporting, and performance system for WIA title I, 
section 167, National Farmworker Jobs Program grantees.
    OMB Number: 1205-0NEW.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 17.255 (this would 
replace similar Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker employment and training 
activities conducted under section 402 of the Job Training Partnership 
Act).
    Record Keeping: 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: State agencies; private, non-profit corporations; 
and consortia of any of the above.
    Cite/Reference/Form/etc.: The collection instrument is the National 
Farmworker Jobs Program Planning, Reporting, and Performance System and 
related instructions. OMB-approved forms will be provided for use in 
gathering information at the grantee field office level.
    Total Respondents: 53.
    Frequency: Annually for planning information; quarterly for both 
financial information and participation and characteristics 
information.
    Total Annual Responses: 42,833.
    Planning--53 (53 times 1).
    Reporting--424 (53 times 4, times 2).
    Recordkeeping (NFJP SPIR)--42,250 records.
    There are four statutorily-required quarterly financial status 
reports per grantee per year, by year of appropriation. For 
participation and characteristics information, there are four quarterly 
submissions per year, regardless of the year(s) of funding expended 
during the program year. There is only one format for the participation 
and characteristics report.
    Average Time per Response:
    Annual Service Plan (Narrative)--20 hours.
    Budget Information Summary (BIS)--15 hours; (ETA).
    Program Planning Summary (PPS)--16 hours; (ETA).
    Financial Status Report (FSR)--7 hours; (ETA).
    Program Status Summary (PSS)--7 hours; (ETA).
    Recordkeeping (SPIR)--3 hours (per participant record) 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 WIA section 167 
grantees as possible become computerized, so that response time for 
reporting will eventually sift down to an irreducible minimum with an 
absolute minimum of human intervention.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours:
    132,601 (NFJP--minimum)--42,833 total responses.
    Planning Narrative (NFJP)--53 responses times 20 hours per response 
equals 1,060 burden hours.
    BIS (NFJP)--53 responses times 15 hours per response equals 795 
burden hours.
    PPS (NFJP)--53 responses times 16 hours per response equals 848 
burden hours.
    FSR (NFJP)--212 (53 X 4) responses times 7 hours per response 
equals 1,484 burden hours.
    PSS (NFJP)--212 (53 X 4) responses times 7 hours per response 
equals 1,484 burden hours.
    Participant Records--42,250 response (SPIR records) times 3 hours 
per response equals 126,750 burden hours.
    The use of the term ``minimum'' refers to the fact that an 
individual grantee must continue to report on expenditures by year of 
appropriation until those funds are completely expended, or ``zeroed 
out''. Thus, if more that one year's appropriation is expended in a 
given quarter, two (or more) FSRs must be submitted for that period, 
corresponding to the fund source(s) utilized.
    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $-0-.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $1,989,015. (132,601 
total hours per annual 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 forms 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 also will 
become a matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 27th day of September, 2000.
James C. DeLuca,
Acting Director, Office of National Programs.
[FR Doc. 00-25353 Filed 10-2-00; 8:45 am]
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