[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 2, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56103-56104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-19331]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Veterans' Employment Training Service


Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Federal Contractor 
Veterans' Employment Reports VETS-100 and VETS-100A

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. 
Currently, the Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) is 
soliciting comments concerning the proposed revision of the currently 
approved information collection request for the ``Federal Contractor 
Veterans'' Employment Report VETS-100'' to include the ``Federal 
Contractor Veterans'' Employment Report VETS-100A.'' A copy of the 
proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting 
the office listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this Notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
ADDRESSES section below on or before December 3, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Comments are to be submitted to Robert Wilson, Chief, 
Division of Investigation and Compliance, VETS, U.S. Department of 
Labor, Room S-1316, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. 
Electronic transmission is the preferred method for submitting 
comments. E-mail may be sent to [email protected]. Include 
''VETS-100A'' in the subject line of the message. Written comments of 
10 pages or fewer also may be transmitted by facsimile to (202) 693-
4755 (this is not a toll free number). Receipt of submissions, whether 
by U.S. Mail, e-mail or FAX transmittal, will not be acknowledged; 
however, the sender may request confirmation that a submission has been 
received, by telephoning VETS at (202) 693-4719 (VOICE) (this is not a 
toll-free number) or (202) 693-4753 (TTY/TDD).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 
(``VEVRAA''), 38 U.S.C. 4212(d), requires Federal contractors and 
subcontractors subject to the Act's affirmative action provisions in 38 
U.S.C. 4212(a) to track and report annually to the Secretary of Labor 
the number of employees in their workforces, by job category and hiring 
location, who belong to the specified categories of covered veterans. 
VETS has issued regulations set forth in 41 CFR part 61-250 that 
currently require contractors to use the Federal Contractor Veterans' 
Employment Report VETS-100 (``VETS-100 Report'') form for reporting 
information on the number of covered veterans in their workforces. The 
VETS-100 Report is currently approved under OMB No. 1293-0005.
    The Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA) (Pub. L. 107-288), which was 
enacted in 2002, amended VEVRAA by making two changes to the reporting 
requirements applicable to contracts entered into on or after December 
1, 2003. The JVA amendments: (1) Increased from $25,000 to $100,000, 
the dollar amount of the contract that subjects a Federal contractor to 
the requirement to report on veterans' employment; and (2) changed the 
categories of covered veterans under VEVRAA, and thus the categories of 
veterans that contractors are required to track and report on annually.
    The JVA amendments to the reporting requirements under VEVRAA apply 
only to contracts entered into on or after December 1, 2003. Some 
contractors have Government contracts that were entered into before 
December 1, 2003, and are still subject to the reporting requirements 
in 41 CFR part 61-250. Therefore, VETS has determined that it will be 
necessary to maintain two sets of regulations to implement the 
reporting requirements under VEVRAA, and use two different forms for 
providing the required information on the employment of covered 
veterans.
    On August 8, 2006, VETS published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
(NPRM), (71 FR 44945), to implement the changes made by JVA to the 
reporting requirements under VEVRAA. The NPRM proposed to adopt a new 
set of regulations that would be codified in a new 41 CFR part 61-300. 
The NPRM also proposed to adopt a new form for reporting the 
information on veterans' employment required by the JVA amendments to 
VEVRAA and name it the Federal Contractor Veterans' Employment Report 
VETS-100A. The existing regulations at 41 CFR part 60-250 and the VETS-
100 reporting requirements will continue to apply to Government 
contracts entered into before December 1, 2003.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    Currently VETS is soliciting comments concerning the proposed 
revision of the currently approved information collection request to 
include the ``Federal Contractor Veterans' Employment Report VETS-
100A.'' 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

[[Page 56104]]

     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.

III. Current Actions

    The Department of Labor seeks approval of the revision of the 
currently approved information collection request to include the 
Federal Contractor Veterans' Employment Report VETS-100A in order to 
carry out its responsibilities to administer and enforce compliance 
with the contractor reporting requirements under VEVRAA, as amended by 
the JVA.
    Type of Review: Revision of currently approved collection.
    Agency: Veterans' Employment and Training Service.
    Title: Federal Contractor Veterans' Report VETS-100.
    OMB Number: 1293-0005.
    Affected Public: Government contractors and subcontractors with a 
contract of $25,000 or more entered into before December 1, 2003, that 
are required to comply with the affirmative action provisions of the 
Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act.
    Title: Federal Contractor Veterans' Report VETS-100A.
    OMB Number: 1293-0005.
    Affected Public: Government contractors and subcontractors with a 
contract of $100,000 or more entered into or modified on or after 
December 1, 2003, that are required to comply with the affirmative 
action provisions of the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance 
Act.

                    Federal Contractor Veterans' VETS-100 and VETS-100A OMB Number: 1293-0005
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     Submission from Federal                                                 Both VETS-100 VETS-       Total
           contractors                VETS-100 only        VETS-100A only            100A            reporting
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Total Respondents................  6,000..............  10,000.............  4,000..............          20,000
Total Annual Responses...........  66,000.............  110,000............  88,000.............         264,000
Avg. Paper Response (35%)........  1 hr...............  1 hr...............  45 min.............  ..............
Avg. Electronic Response (65%)...  30 min.............  30 min.............  15 min.............  ..............
Burden Hours
 
    Paper........................  23,100.............  38,500.............  23,100*............          84,700
Electronic.......................  21,450.............  35,750.............  14,300**...........          71,500
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        Total Filing Burden Hours  44,550.............  74,250.............  37,400.............         156,200
One-Time Implementation Burden                          308,000............                              308,000
 (VETS-100).
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    Total Filing Burden Cost.....  $712,800...........  $1,188,000.........  $598,400...........      $2,499,200
One Time Implementation Burden     $0.................  $4,180,000.........  $1,672,000.........     $5,852,000
 Cost (VETS-100A).
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*Paper both 88,000*.35 x 0.75 = 23,100.
**Electronic both: 88,000 x 0.65 x 0.25 = 14,300.

    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; they will also become a 
matter of public record.

    Dated: September 25, 2007.
John M. McWilliam,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employment and Training.
[FR Doc. E7-19331 Filed 10-1-07; 8:45 am]
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