[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 10, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46546-46547]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-4324]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Proposed Information Collection Request Submitted for Public 
Comment and Recommendations; Reporting and Performance Standards System 
for the Migrant and Seasonal Farm Worker Program Under Title I, Section 
167 of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998

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 pre-clearance 
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. The 
Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments on 
revised reporting requirements for the Migrant and Seasonal Farm Worker 
(MSFW) program. This information collection request is necessary in 
order to collect data for calculating a set of common performance 
measures of the outcomes achieved by the MSFW program.

DATES: Submit comments on or before October 11, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to: Mr. John R. Beverly, Administrator, Office 
of National Programs, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. 
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room C-4312, 
Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-3840 (this is not a toll-
free number); fax: (202) 693-3589; e-mail: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Alina Walker, Chief, Division of 
Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers, Employment and Training 
Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., 
Room S-4206, Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-2706 (this is 
not a toll-free number); fax: (202) 693-3945; e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Each grantee administering funds under the MSFW program is required 
to submit a program planning report (ETA Form 9094), a budget 
information summary report (ETA Form 9093), and a quarterly program 
status report (ETA Form 9095). This latter form contains information 
related to levels of participation and service, related assistance 
activities, and actual placements in employment. In addition, each 
grantee submits a quarterly file of individual records on all 
participants who exit the program, called the Workforce Investment Act 
Standardized Participant Record (WIASPR).
    In 2001, under the President's Management Agenda, OMB and other 
Federal agencies developed a set of common performance measures to be 
applied to certain federally-funded employment and training programs 
with similar strategic goals. As part of this initiative, ETA initially 
issued Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 15-03 and has 
more recently issued TEGL 28-04, Common Measures Policy, which 
rescinded TEGL 15-03 and reflected updates to the policy. The value of 
implementing common measures is the ability to describe in a similar 
manner the core purposes of the workforce system--how many people found 
jobs; did they keep their jobs; and what were their earnings. Multiple 
sets of performance measures have burdened states and grantees as they 
are required to report performance outcomes based on varying 
definitions and methodologies. By minimizing the different reporting 
and performance requirements, implementing a set of common performance 
measures can facilitate the integration of service delivery, reduce 
barriers to cooperation among programs, and enhance the ability to 
assess the effectiveness and impact of the workforce investment system, 
including the performance of the system in serving individuals facing 
significant barriers to employment.
    The common measures are an integral part of ETA's performance 
accountability system, and ETA will continue to collect from grantees 
the data on program activities, participants, and outcomes that are 
necessary for program management and to convey full and accurate 
information on the performance of workforce programs to policymakers 
and stakeholders.

[[Page 46547]]

    This revision to the MSFW program reporting system identifies a 
minimum level of information collection that is necessary to comply 
with Equal Opportunity requirements, holds grantees appropriately 
accountable for the Federal funds they receive, assesses progress 
against a set of common performance measures, and allows the Department 
to fulfill its oversight and management responsibilities.
    The Employment and Training Administration is proposing similar 
changes to the reporting requirements for the WIA Title 1B, Wagner-
Peyser Act, and Trade Adjustment Assistance programs. Please note that 
ETA will seek comments regarding changes to information collection for 
these programs in separate Federal Register notices.
    The following three adult common performance measures apply to 
grantees of the MSFW program:
     Entered Employment.
     Employment Retention.
     Six Months Earnings Increase.
    Grantees are currently required to submit data according to 
measures established under the Government Performance and Results Act 
(GPRA), which include entered employment, retention, and earnings 
increase. While the GPRA measures for the MSFW program are similar to 
the common measures, the data elements that are needed to do the 
calculations are slightly different, requiring modifications to the 
definitions and record layout of the WIASPR. Important changes to note 
on the WIASPR include the following:
     Elimination of all fields that collect information on 
youth served by the MSFW program due to recent budgetary actions.
     Elimination of data collection fields associated with the 
current MSFW performance standards system to incorporate data for 
calculating common performance measures.
     A change in the field that tracks the reason the 
participant exited the MSFW program, because participants who exited 
due to certain reasons, such as becoming institutionalized, are 
excluded from calculations of common measures.
     Addition of three fields to track whether the participant 
was employed in the first, second, and third quarters after program 
exit, which are used to calculate the common measures.
     Addition of fields to capture wages earned by the 
participant in the 1st quarter after program exit and over a six-month 
period covering the 2nd and 3rd quarters after program exit to 
calculate the earnings increase measure.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    Currently, the Department is soliciting comments concerning the 
revised information collection request for the MSFW program in order 
to:
     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.
    A copy of the proposed ICR can be obtained by contacting the office 
listed above in the addressee section of this notice.

III. Current Actions

    Type of Review: Revision.
    Agency: Department of Labor, Employment and Training 
Administration.
    Title: Reporting and Performance Standards System for the Migrant 
and Seasonal Farm Worker Program under Title I, Section 167 of the 
Workforce Investment Act (WIA).
    OMB Number: 1205-0425.
    Recordkeeping: Three years for States and grantees.
    Affected Public: State, local or tribal governments; not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Cite/Reference/Form/etc: Section 167, Workforce Investment Act of 
1998 (Pub. L. 105-220), see table below for list of forms.
    Total Respondents: 53 States and grantees.
    Frequency: Annually and quarterly.
    Total Responses: 159 submissions annually and 29,712 quarterly--
grantees submits an ETA 9095 form and WIASPR files each quarter.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours:

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                                    Total                              Total       Average time    Total annual
        Form/activity            respondents       Frequency         responses     per response    burden hours
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Plan Narrative...............              53  Annual...........              53              20           1,060
ETA 9093.....................              53  Annual...........              53              15             795
ETA 9094.....................              53  Annual...........              53              16             848
ETA 9095.....................              53  Quarterly........             212               7           1,484
WIASPR Data..................              53  Quarterly........          29,500            2.25          66,375
                                                                 -----------------
    Totals...................              53  .................          29,871           60.25          70,562
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    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the information 
collection request; they will also become a matter of public record.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on August 3, 2005.
Emily Stover DeRocco,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training.
[FR Doc. E5-4324 Filed 8-9-05; 8:45 am]
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