[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 14, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13232-13233]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-2424]



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Part III





Department of Labor





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Office of the Secretary



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Authority and Responsibilities for the Regional Executive Committees; 
Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 2006 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary

[Secretary's Order--06-2006]


Authority and Responsibilities for the Regional Executive 
Committees

1. Purpose

    To establish a Regional Executive Committee (REC) in each of the 
ten regions to coordinate the Department of Labor's (DOL) interagency 
activities within each region.

2. Directives Affected

    This Order cancels Secretary's Order 01-99.

3. Responsibilities of the REC

    A. The RECs shall coordinate cross-cutting Department of Labor 
activities in the field, which may include:
    (1) Coordinating implementation of the Secretary's policies in the 
Region, when appropriate;
    (2) Providing comments and recommendations on issues significant to 
the Department when requested by the Secretary;
    (3) Promoting and coordinating the exchange of information among 
the Department's agencies and bureaus in the field;
    (4) Promoting joint program efforts among DOL and other agencies, 
such as sponsoring affirmative action activities in support of a 
diverse workforce;
    (5) Providing a forum for discussion of Departmental policies and 
programs;
    (6) Representing the Department to the community on matters within 
its purview; and
    (7) Fostering communications with all employees in the region.

4. Organization of the Regional Executive Committee

    A. Members. A REC should comprise regional agency and program heads 
as indicated by Attachment 1. However, an Agency's National Office may 
vary its REC membership as provided for below:
    (1) Agencies may limit their membership by selecting as the REC 
member a single program head to represent the Agency.
    (2) Agencies with principal field components located in a Region 
and with no staff in the Regional city may select one senior manager in 
the Region to represent the Agency (e.g., MSHA has several District 
Offices in the Atlanta Region, but no presence in Atlanta; MSHA should 
designate one District Manager as the MSHA REC member).
    (3) Agencies with staff in a Regional City where the Regional 
Agency Head is located in another city may designate an employee in the 
Regional City as an alternate member to represent the Regional Agency 
Head (e.g., OASAM has staff in Kansas City, but the Regional 
Administrator is in Chicago).
    (4) The Regional Inspector General for Audit and the Special Agent 
in Charge of the Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations 
are full members of the REC; however, the OIG may decide that it is 
appropriate for them to abstain from participation in certain REC 
activities (e.g., decision-making related to DOL management or program 
responsibilities).
    B. Alternate members. The REC is a management committee. Alternate 
members designated to represent an agency or a program should, whenever 
possible, be managers. When employees who are not part of management 
serve as alternate members, they shall have no voting privileges and 
may not engage in a leadership or representational role on behalf of 
the REC. Employees inside the bargaining unit may not represent an 
Agency Head at a REC meeting either on a temporary or permanent basis.
    C. Chair and Vice Chair. Only members of the Regional Executive 
Committee can be elected Chair of the REC. The Chair and Vice Chair of 
the REC are selected by the REC members. The chairperson's term of 
office shall begin on the first day of the fiscal year and end on the 
last day of the same fiscal year.
    D. Functions of the Chairperson. The chairperson shall provide 
leadership in carrying out the functions of the REC, preside over 
meetings, notify members of meetings, prepare the agenda, and 
coordinate activities sponsored by the REC. REC Chairs along with OASAM 
Regional Administrators (RAs) should be copied on policy correspondence 
from the national office. Together they will ensure that relevant 
policy correspondence is distributed to all REC members. As required, 
the chairperson will participate in meetings of the Management Review 
Board (MRB) via conference call and/or periodically attend meetings in 
the National Office.
    E. Sub-Committees. The REC shall establish as needed such standing 
or special sub-committees to carry out agreed upon activities and 
special projects. Sub-committees may include, but need not be limited 
to, an administrative committee; annual awards committee; and training 
committee. Subcommittee chairs shall report to the REC chair.
    F. Field Committees. The REC may establish committees as needed in 
sub-regional cities where substantial activities of the Department are 
represented. Field Committees would provide for coordination of 
Department-wide activities in those cities in much the same way as the 
REC does in the regional headquarters. The Chairperson of a field 
committee will report the committee activities to the REC chair.
    G. Meetings. The REC shall meet at least quarterly, but more 
frequent meetings, including special meetings, may be called as 
appropriate by the chair.
    H. Administrative Support. Together, the REC Chairperson and the 
OASAM RA will determine the appropriate level of administrative and 
staff support for the REC and decide how that support will be 
delivered. In collaboration with the REC Chair, the OASAM RA will serve 
as the point of contact for all information and correspondence coming 
to the REC.

5. Other Delegations

    A. The Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management shall 
coordinate RECs and shall issue the necessary procedures and guidance 
to implement this order.
    B. The Solicitor of Labor shall provide legal advice and assistance 
in implementing this order.

6. Review

    This order shall be reviewed at least once every four years to 
determine if it should be revised, reissued, canceled or continued.

7. Effective Date

    This order is effective immediately.

    Dated: March 3, 2006.
Elaine L. Chao,
Secretary of Labor.

Attachment 1--REC Membership

Regional Representative, OCIA

Regional Administrators/Directors of:
    Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
    Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
    Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)
    Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
    Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS)
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management 
(OASAM)
    Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP)
    Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
    Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS)
    Wage and Hour Division (WH)
    Women's Bureau (WB)
Regional Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

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Regional Inspector General--Audit
Special Agent in Charge--Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud 
Investigations (OLRFI)
Regional Solicitor or Associate Regional Solicitor located in a 
Regional city (RSOL)
Area Director, Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS) \1\
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    \1\ When there is no OLMS Regional Administrator in the 
location.
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District Chief Judge, Administrative Law Judges (ALJ)
District Manager of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
District Supervisor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) 
\2\
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    \2\ When there is no EBSA Regional Administrator in the 
location.

[FR Doc. 06-2424 Filed 3-13-06; 8:45 am]
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