[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 106 (Monday, June 4, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30858-30862]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-10662]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Workforce Investment Act; Lower Living Standard Income Level

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice of determination of lower living standard income level.

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SUMMARY: Under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 
(Pub. L. 105-220), the Secretary of Labor annually determines the Lower 
Living Standard Income level (LLSIL) for uses described in the law. WIA 
defines the term ``Low Income Individual'' as one who qualifies under 
various criteria, including an individual who received income for a 
six-month period that does not exceed the higher level of the poverty 
line or 70 percent of the LLSIL. This issuance provides the Secretary's 
annual LLSIL for 2007 and references the current 2007 Health and Human 
Services ``Poverty Guidelines.''

DATES: Effective Date: This notice is effective on the date of 
publication in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Mr. Evan Rosenberg, Department of 
Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Room N-4464, Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact Mr. Evan Rosenberg, 
telephone 202-693-3593; fax 202-693-3532 (these are not toll free 
numbers).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: It is the purpose of the Workforce 
Investment Act of 1998 ``to provide workforce investment activities, 
through statewide and local workforce investment systems,

[[Page 30859]]

that increase the employment, retention, and earnings of participants, 
and increase occupational skill attainment by participants, and as a 
result, improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare 
dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the 
Nation.''
    The LLSIL is used for several purposes under WIA. Specifically, WIA 
Section 101(25) defines the term ``low income individual'' for 
eligibility purposes, and Sections 127(b)(2)(C) and 132(b)(1)(B)(v)(IV) 
define the terms ``disadvantaged youth'' and ``disadvantaged adult'' in 
terms of the poverty line or LLSIL for state formula allotments. The 
Governor and state/local workforce investment boards (WIBs) use the 
LLSIL for determining eligibility for youth, eligibility for employed 
adult workers for certain services and for the Work Opportunity Tax 
Credit (WOTC). We encourage the Governors and state/local WIBs to 
consult WIA regulations and the preamble to the WIA Final Rule 
(published at 65 FR 49294 August 11, 2000) for more specific guidance 
in applying the LLSIL to program requirements. The Department of Health 
and Human Services (HHS) published the annual 2007 update of the 
poverty-level guidelines in the Federal Register at 72 FR 3147-3148 on 
January 24, 2007. The HHS 2007 Poverty guidelines may also be found on 
the Internet at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/07fedreg.htm. ETA plans to 
have the 2007 LLSIL available on its Web site at http://www.doleta.gov/llsil/.
    WIA Section 101(24) defines the LLSIL as ``that income level 
(adjusted for regional, metropolitan, urban and rural differences and 
family size) determined annually by the Secretary [of Labor] based on 
the most recent lower living family budget issued by the Secretary.'' 
The most recent lower living family budget was issued by the Secretary 
in the fall of 1981. The four-person urban family budget estimates, 
previously published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provided 
the basis for the Secretary to determine the LLSIL. BLS terminated the 
four-person family budget series in 1982, after publication of the fall 
1981 estimates. Currently, BLS provides data to ETA through which it 
develops the LLSIL tables.
    ETA published the 2006 updates to the LLSIL in the Federal Register 
of June 1, 2006, at 71 FR 31215. This notice again updates the LLSIL to 
reflect cost of living increases for 2006, by applying the percentage 
change in the December 2006, Consumer Price Index for All Urban 
Consumers (CPI-U), compared with the December 2005, CPI-U to each of 
the June 1, 2006, LLSIL figures. Those updated figures for a family-of-
four are listed in Table 1, by region for both metropolitan and non-
metropolitan areas. Figures in all of the accompanying tables are 
rounded up to the nearest tenth. Since low income individuals, 
``disadvantaged adult'' and ``disadvantaged youth'' may be determined 
by family income at 70 percent of the LLSIL, pursuant to WIA Sections 
101(25), 127(b)(2)(C), and 132(b)(1)(B)(v)(IV), respectively, those 
figures are listed below as well.
    Jurisdictions included in the various regions, based generally on 
Census Divisions of the U.S. Department of Commerce, are as follows:

Northeast

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, 
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virgin Islands.

Midwest

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, 
Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

South

Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, 
Florida, Georgia, Northern Marianas, Oklahoma, Palau, Puerto Rico, 
South Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana, Marshall Islands, Maryland, 
Micronesia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, 
and West Virginia.

West

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, 
Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

    Additionally, separate figures have been provided for Alaska, 
Hawaii, and Guam as indicated in Table 2.
    For Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam, the year 2006 figures were updated 
from the June 1, 2006, ``State Index'' based on the ratio of the urban 
change in the state (using Anchorage for Alaska and Honolulu for Hawaii 
and Guam) compared to the West regional metropolitan change, and then 
applying that index to the West regional metropolitan change.
    Data on 23 selected MSAs are also available. These are based on 
semiannual CPI-U changes for a 12-month period ending in December 2006. 
The updated LLSIL figures for these MSAs and 70 percent of the LLSIL 
are reported in Table 3.
    Table 4 below lists each of the various figures at 70 percent of 
the updated 2007 LLSIL for family sizes of one to six persons. For 
families larger than six persons, an amount equal to the difference 
between the six-person and the five-person family income levels should 
be added to the six-person family income level for each additional 
person in the family. Where the poverty level for a particular family 
size is greater than the corresponding LLSIL figure, the figure is 
indicated in parentheses. Table 5, 100 percent of LLSIL, is used to 
determine self-sufficiency as noted at 20 CFR 663.230 of WIA 
Regulations and WIA Section 134(d)(3)(A)(ii).

Use of These Data

    Governors should designate the appropriate LLSILs for use within 
the state from Tables 1 through 3. Tables 4 and 5 may be used with any 
of the levels designated. The Governor's designation may be provided by 
disseminating information on MSAs and metropolitan and non-metropolitan 
areas within the state, or it may involve further calculations. For 
example, the State of New Jersey may have four or more LLSIL figures 
for Northeast metropolitan, Northeast non-metropolitan, portions of the 
State in the New York City MSA, and those in the Philadelphia MSA. If a 
workforce investment area includes areas that would be covered by more 
than one figure, the Governor may determine which is to be used.
    Under 20 CFR 661.110, a state's policies and measures for the 
workforce investment system shall be accepted by the Secretary to the 
extent that they are consistent with the WIA and the WIA regulations.

Disclaimer on Statistical Uses

    It should be noted, the publication of these figures is only for 
the purpose of meeting the requirements specified by WIA as defined in 
the law and regulations. BLS has not revised the lower living family 
budget since 1981, and has no plans to do so. The four-person urban 
family budget estimates series has been terminated. The CPI-U 
adjustments used to update the LLSIL for this publication are not 
precisely comparable, most notably because certain tax items were 
included in the 1981 LLSIL, but are not in the CPI-U. Thus, these 
figures should not be used for any statistical purposes, and are valid 
only for those purposes under WIA as defined in the law and 
regulations.

[[Page 30860]]

Lower Living Standard Income Level for 2007

    Under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-
220) (WIA), the Secretary of Labor annually determines the Lower Living 
Standard Income Level (LLSIL). This Notice announces the LLSIL Tables 
for 2007. WIA requires the Department of Labor to update and publish 
the LLSIL tables annually. The LLSIL tables are used for several 
purposes under WIA, determining eligibility for youth and for the Work 
Opportunity Tax Credit.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 29th day, of May, 2007.
Emily Stover DeRocco,
Assistant Secretary, ETA.

Attachments

   Table 1.--Lower Living Standard Income Level (for a Family of Four
                         Persons) by Region \1\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    2007
                  Region \2\                      adjusted    70 percent
                                                   LLSIL        LLSIL
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northeast:
  Metro.......................................      $36,070      $25,250
  Non-Metro \3\...............................       34,630       24,240
Midwest:
  Metro.......................................       32,110       22,480
  Non-Metro...................................       30,450       21,320
South:
  Metro.......................................       30,790       21,550
  Non-Metro...................................       29,700       20,790
West:
  Metro.......................................       35,220       24,660
  Non-Metro \4\...............................       34,080      23,860
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ For ease of use, these figures have been rounded to the next highest
  ten dollars.
\2\ Metropolitan area measures were calculated from the weighted average
  CPI-Us for city size classes A and B/C. Non-metropolitan area measures
  were calculated from the CPI-Us for city size class D.
\3\ Non-metropolitan area percent changes for the Northeast region are
  no longer available. The Non-metropolitan percent change was
  calculated using the U.S. average CPI-U for city size Class D.
\4\ Non-metropolitan area percent changes for the West region are
  unpublished data.


   Table 2.--Lower Living Standard Income Level (for a Family of Four
                  Persons)--Alaska, Hawaii and Guam \1\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    2007
                    Region                        adjusted    70 percent
                                                   LLSIL        LLSIL
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alaska:
  Metro.......................................      $43,340      $30,340
  Non-Metro \2\...............................       42,760       29,930
Hawaii, Guam:
  Metro.......................................       46,370       32,460
  Non-Metro \2\...............................       45,650      31,960
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Rounded to next highest ten dollars.
\2\ Non-Metropolitan percent changes for Alaska, Hawaii and Guam were
  calculated from the CPI-Us for city size Class D in the Western
  Region.


   Table 3.--Lower Living Standard Income Level (for a Family of Four
                          Persons) 23 MSAs \1\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    2007
     Metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs)        Adjusted    70 percent
                                                   LLSIL        LLSIL
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anchorage, AK.................................      $43,340      $30,340
Atlanta, GA...................................       30,470       21,330
Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA/NH/ME/CT...........       39,520       27,670
Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL/IN/WI................       33,580       23,510
Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH/KY/IN.................       32,410       22,690
Cleveland-Akron, OH...........................       33,020       23,120
Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX..........................       29,510       20,660
Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO....................       34,040       23,830
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI...................       31,710       22,200
Honolulu, HI..................................       46,370       32,460
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX................       28,700       20,090
Kansas City, MO/KS............................       31,250       21,870
Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA.......       37,220       26,050
Milwaukee-Racine, WI..........................       31,860       22,300
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN/WI...................       32,350       22,640
New York-Northern NJ-Long Island, NY/NJ/CT/PA.       38,160       26,710
Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA/NJ/        35,230       24,660
 DE/MD........................................
Pittsburgh, PA................................       38,510       26,960
St. Louis, MO/IL..............................       30,920       21,650
San Diego, CA.................................       39,980       27,990
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA............       37,480       26,240
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA..................       37,810       26,470
Washington-Baltimore, DC/MD/VA/WV \2\.........       38,290      26,800
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Rounded to next highest ten dollars.
\2\ Baltimore and Washington are now calculated as a single metropolitan
  statistical area.

Table 4.--Seventy Percent of Updated 2007 Lower Living Standard Income 
Level (LLSIL), by Family Size

    To use the seventy percent LLSIL value, where it is stipulated for 
WIA programs, individuals must begin by locating the region or 
metropolitan area where they reside. These are listed in Tables 1, 2 
and 3. Individuals must locate their region or metropolitan statistical 
area and then find the seventy percent LLSIL amount for that location. 
The seventy percent LLSIL figures are listed in the last column to the 
right on each of the three tables. These figures apply to a family of 
four. Larger and smaller family eligibility is based on a percentage of 
the family of four. To determine eligibility for other size families 
consult the table below.
    To use Table 4, locate the seventy percent LLSIL value that applies 
to the

[[Page 30861]]

individual's region or metropolitan area from Tables 1, 2 or 3. Find 
the same number in the ``family of four'' column of Table 4. Move left 
or right across that row to the size that corresponds to the 
individual's family unit. That figure is the maximum household income 
the individual is permitted in order to qualify as economically 
disadvantaged under WIA.
    Where the HHS poverty level for a particular family size is greater 
than the corresponding LLSIL figure, the LLSIL figure appears in a 
shaded block. Individuals from these size families may consult the 2007 
HHS poverty guidelines found in the Federal Register, Vol. 72, No. 15, 
January 24, 2007, pp. 3147-3148 (on the Internet at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/07fedreg.htm) to find the higher eligibility 
standard. Individuals from Alaska and Hawaii should consult the HHS 
guidelines for the generally higher poverty levels that apply in their 
states.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Family of    Family of    Family of   Family of   Family of   Family of
    one          two         three       four        five         six
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 $7,240      $11,860      $16,280     $20,090     $23,710     $27,730
 7,440        12,190       16,740      20,660      24,380      28,520
 7,490        12,270       16,840      20,790      24,540      28,700
 7,680        12,580       17,270      21,320      25,160      29,430
 7,680        12,590       17,280      21,330      25,170      29,440
 7,760        12,720       17,460      21,550      25,430      29,740
 7,800        12,780       17,540      21,650      25,550      29,880
 7,880        12,910       17,720      21,870      25,810      30,190
 8,000        13,100       17,990      22,200      26,200      30,640
 8,030        13,160       18,070      22,300      26,320      30,780
 8,100        13,270       18,210      22,480      26,530      31,030
 8,160        13,360       18,340      22,640      26,720      31,250
 8,170        13,390       18,380      22,690      26,780      31,320
 8,330        13,650       18,730      23,120      27,290      31,910
 8,470        13,880       19,050      23,510      27,750      32,450
 8,580        14,060       19,310      23,830      28,120      32,890
 8,590        14,080       19,330      23,860      28,160      32,930
 8,730        14,310       19,640      24,240      28,610      33,460
 8,880        14,550       19,980      24,660      29,100      34,040
 9,090        14,900       20,460      25,250      29,800      34,850
 9,380        15,370       21,110      26,050      30,740      35,950
 9,450        15,490       21,260      26,240      30,970      36,220
 9,530        15,620       21,450      26,470      31,240      36,530
 9,620        15,760       21,640      26,710      31,520      36,860
 9,650        15,820       21,710      26,800      31,630      36,990
 9,710        15,910       21,840      26,960      31,820      37,210
 9,970        16,330       22,420      27,670      32,660      38,190
 10,080       16,520       22,680      27,990      33,030      38,630
 10,780       17,660       24,250      29,930      35,320      41,310
 10,930       17,910       24,580      30,340      35,810      41,870
 11,510       18,860       25,890      31,960      37,720      44,110
 11,690       19,160       26,300      32,460      38,310      44,800
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table 5.--Updated 2007 LLSIL (100%), by Family Size

    To use the LLSIL to determine the minimum level for establishing 
self-sufficiency criteria at the state or local level, begin by 
locating the metropolitan area or region from Table 1, 2 or 3. The 
individual must locate their region or metropolitan statistical area 
and then find the 2007 Adjusted LLSIL amount for that location. These 
figures apply to a family of four. Locate the corresponding number in 
the family of four in the column below. Move left or right across that 
row to the size that corresponds to the individual's family unit. That 
figure is the minimum figure States must set for determining whether 
employment leads to self-sufficiency under WIA programs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Family of    Family of    Family of   Family of   Family of   Family of
    one          two         three       four        five         six
------------------------------------------------------------------------
$10,340      $16,940      $23,250     $28,700     $33,870     $39,610
 10,630       17,420       23,910      29,510      34,830      40,730
 10,700       17,530       24,060      29,700      35,050      40,990
 10,970       17,970       24,670      30,450      35,940      42,030
 10,970       17,980       24,690      30,470      35,960      42,050
 11,090       18,170       24,940      30,790      36,340      42,500
 11,140       18,250       25,050      30,920      36,490      42,670
 11,250       18,440       25,320      31,250      36,880      43,130
 11,420       18,710       25,690      31,710      37,420      43,760
 11,470       18,800       25,810      31,860      37,600      43,970
 11,560       18,950       26,010      32,110      37,890      44,320
 11,650       19,090       26,210      32,350      38,180      44,650
 11,670       19,130       26,260      32,410      38,250      44,730
 11,890       19,490       26,750      33,020      38,970      45,570
 12,090       19,820       27,200      33,580      39,630      46,350
 12,260       20,090       27,580      34,040      40,170      46,980
 12,270       20,110       27,610      34,080      40,220      47,040

[[Page 30862]]

 
 12,470       20,440       28,060      34,630      40,870      47,790
 12,680       20,780       28,530      35,220      41,560      48,610
 12,690       20,790       28,540      35,230      41,580      48,620
 12,990       21,290       29,220      36,070      42,570      49,780
 13,400       21,960       30,150      37,220      43,920      51,370
 13,500       22,120       30,360      37,480      44,230      51,730
 13,620       22,310       30,630      37,810      44,620      52,180
 13,740       22,520       30,910      38,160      45,030      52,670
 13,790       22,600       31,020      38,290      45,190      52,850
 13,870       22,730       31,200      38,510      45,450      53,150
 14,230       23,320       32,020      39,520      46,640      54,540
 14,400       23,590       32,390      39,980      47,180      55,180
 15,400       25,230       34,640      42,760      50,460      59,010
 15,610       25,580       35,110      43,340      51,150      59,810
 16,440       26,940       36,980      45,650      53,870      63,000
 16,700       27,360       37,560      46,370      54,720      64,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------


 [FR Doc. E7-10662 Filed 6-1-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-FT-P