[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 56 (Thursday, March 23, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14722-14723]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4190]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comments: Work Opportunity Tax 
Credit Program and the Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. 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. 
Currently, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is 
soliciting comments on the proposed three-year extension (without 
change) of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Program and the 
Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit (WtWTC) electronic reporting form ETA 9058; 
administrative forms ETA 9057, 9059, 9061-9063 and 9065; and the 
following program related documents: January 2006, Revised, Third 
Edition of ETA Handbook No. 408; ``Guidance for Work Opportunity Tax 
Credit and Welfare-to Work Tax Credit Allotments Fiscal Year (FY) 
2005,'' Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL); and the 
Technical Assistance and Review Guide. This request covers the period 
from June 2006 to June 2009. 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 or by accessing 
this link: http://www.doleta.gov/Performance/guidance/OMBControlNumber.cfm.

DATES: Submit comments on or before May 22, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to: Christine Kulick, U.S. Department of 
Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Workforce 
Investment, Division of Adult Services, Room S-4231, 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210 (202-693-3937--not a toll free 
number), fax: 202-693-3015, and e-mail address: 
[email protected]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carmen Ortiz, U.S. Department of 
Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Workforce 
Investment, Division of Adult Services, Room S-4231, 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210 (202-693-2786--not a toll free 
number), fax: 202-693-3015, and e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Data on WOTC and WtWTC Tax Credits will be collected by state 
workforce agencies (SWAs) and provided to the Office of Workforce 
Investment, Division of Adult Services, Washington, DC, through the 
appropriate Department of Labor (DOL) regional offices via a quarterly 
management report. Data obtained from the administrative or processing 
forms will be used for WOTC and WtWTC program performance management 
and outcome reporting.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    Currently, ETA is soliciting comments concerning the proposed 
three-year extension (without change) of the WOTC Program and the WtWTC 
electronic reporting form ETA 9058; administrative forms ETA 9057, 
9059, 9061-9063 and 9065; and the following program related documents: 
January 2006, Revised Third Edition of ETA Handbook No. 408; ``Guidance 
for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program and Welfare-to-Work Tax 
Credit Allotments Fiscal Year (FY) 2005'' TEGL; and the Technical 
Assistance and Review Guide. This request covers the period from June 
2006 through June 2009.
    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 by 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.
    A copy of the proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) can be 
obtained by contacting the office listed above in the addressee section 
of this notice or by accessing this link: http://www.doleta.gov/Performance/guidance/OMBControlNumber.cfm.

III. Current Actions

    This is a request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)) to extend the collection of information and use of 
program materials for WOTC and WtWTC. On October 4, 2004, the President 
signed into law the ``Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004,'' Public 
Law 108-311. This law reauthorized the WOTC and WtWTC, without changes, 
through December 31, 2005. The reauthorization was retroactive to the 
tax credits' expiration date of December 31, 2003. OMB authorization 
for WOTC and WtWTC administrative and electronic reporting forms and 
other related materials will expire on June 30, 2006. Because Congress 
reauthorizes these tax credits continuously for periods that range 
between one and three years, we are requesting a three-year extension 
through June 2009, to continue the existing uninterrupted collection of 
information. Further, the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) 
of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-277) requires that, when feasible, federal 
agencies design and implement the use of automated systems that 
facilitate the electronic signature and filing of forms (by 
participants) to conduct official business with the public by 2003. The 
Office of Workforce Investment, Division of Adult Services, complied 
with this requirement by successfully implementing an electronic 
reporting system for the tax credits' program and WOTC and WtWTC 
quarterly report.

[[Page 14723]]

The automated reporting system is known as ETA's Enterprise Business 
Support System (EBSS) Tax Credit Reporting System (TCRS). EBSS/TCRS is 
a Web-based system that allows states to meet the reporting 
responsibilities in a more efficient manner while reducing the 
reporting burden on the state, regional, and national levels. Through 
this system, states can manually enter or electronically upload the 
required quarterly data report (ETA Form 9058). This electronic 
reporting system reduced burden hours by 78 percent from 3,215,368 
annual burden hours estimated for these forms in the 2002 ICR to 
703,125 actual burden hours in 2004. The present ICR reflects the 
substantial decrease in response time for these forms.
    Type of Review: Three-Year Extension (without change).
    Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
    Title: Work Opportunity Tax Credit and Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit.
    OMB Number: 1205-0371.
    Burden Hours: (see chart below).

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                                                                                                         Annual            Average        Annual burden
           Burden hour requirement             Total respondents              Frequency                 responses      response  time         hours
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Form 905.....................................                 52  Quarterly.......................               208              1:00               208
Form 9058....................................                 52  Quarterly.......................               208              1:00               208
Form 9059....................................                 52  Quarterly.......................               208              1:00               208
Employer/Job-seeker complete Form 9061.......            770,000  On occasion.....................           770,000               .33           254,100
Form 9061 processed by SWAs..................                 52  On occasion.....................           770,000               .33           254,100
Form 9062....................................                 52  On occasion.....................                40               .33                13
Form 9063....................................                 52  On occasion.....................           440,000               .33           145,200
Form 9065....................................                 52  Quarterly.......................               208              1:00               208
Record keeping...............................                 52  Annually........................                52               931            48,412
Planning guidance............................                 52  One Time........................                52              8:00               416
Modification planning guidance...............                 52  One Time........................                52              1:00                52
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    Total....................................  .................  ................................         1,801,028  ................           703,125
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    Total Burden Hours: 703,125.
    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 Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request, and they will also 
become a matter of public record.

    Dated: Signed at Washington, DC this 16th day of March, 2006.
Gay Gilbert,
Administrator, Office of Workforce Investment, Employment & Training 
Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-4190 Filed 3-22-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-P