[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 28 (Monday, February 11, 2008)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 7693-7694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-2452]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

29 CFR Part 29

RIN 1205-AB50


Apprenticeship Programs, Labor Standards for Registration, 
Amendment of Regulations; Extension of Time for Comments

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: This document informs the public that the comment period for 
the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Apprenticeship Programs, 
Labor Standards for Registration, Amendment of Regulations, published 
December 13, 2007 (72 FR 71020), has been extended for 30 days.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments must be in writing and must be 
received on or before March 12, 2008.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Regulatory 
Information Number (RIN) 1205-AB50, by either one of the two following 
methods:
     Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the Web site instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Written comments, disk, and 
CD-Rom submissions may be mailed or delivered by hand delivery/courier 
to Thomas M. Dowd, Administrator, Office of Policy Development and 
Research, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room 
N-5641, Washington, DC 20210.
    Instructions: Please submit one copy of your comments by only one 
method. All submissions received must include the agency name, as well 
as RIN 1205-AB50.
    Please be advised that the Department of Labor (Department) will 
post all comments received on www.regulations.gov without making any 
change to the comments, including any personal information provided. 
The www.regulations.gov Web site is the Federal e-rulemaking portal and 
all comments posted there are available and accessible to the public. 
Therefore, the Department recommends that commenters safeguard their 
personal information such as Social Security Numbers, personal 
addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses included in their 
comments. It is the responsibility of the commenter to safeguard his or 
her information.
    Also, please note that due to security concerns, postal mail 
delivery in Washington, DC, may be delayed. Therefore, in order to 
ensure that comments receive full consideration, the Department 
encourages the public to submit comments via the Internet as indicated 
above.
    Docket: The Department will make all the comments it receives 
available for public inspection during normal business hours at the 
above address. If you need assistance to review the comments, the 
Department will provide you with appropriate aids such as readers or 
print magnifiers. The Department will make copies of the proposed rule 
available, upon request, in large print or electronic file on computer 
disk. The Department will consider providing the proposed rule in other 
formats upon request. To schedule an appointment to review the comments 
and/or obtain the proposed rule in an alternate format, contact the 
office of Thomas M. Dowd at (202) 693-3700 (VOICE) (this is not a toll-
free number) or (877) 889-5627 (TTY/TDD). You may also contact Mr. 
Dowd's office at the address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sherril Hurd, Acting Regulation Unit 
Team Leader, Office of Policy Development and Research, U.S. Department 
of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-5641, Washington, DC 
20210; E-mail [email protected]; Telephone (202) 693-3700 (this is 
not a toll-free number).
    Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may access the 
telephone number above via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal 
Information Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department is extending by 30 days, the 
comment period for the NPRM proposing revisions to the apprenticeship 
regulations published on December 13, 2007 (72 FR 71020).
    Regulations that implement the National Apprenticeship Act at Title 
29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 29 have not been updated 
since first promulgated in 1977. These regulations establish, for 
certain Federal purposes, labor standards, policies and procedures for 
the registration, cancellation and deregistration of apprenticeship 
programs, and apprenticeship agreements. Part 29 also provides for the 
recognition of a State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) as an agency 
authorized to register local apprenticeship programs for Federal 
purposes, and for the revocation of such recognition. On December 13, 
2007, the Department published in the Federal Register proposed 
revisions to update 29 CFR

[[Page 7694]]

part 29, to ensure that the National Registered Apprenticeship System 
has the necessary tools and flexibility to keep pace with changes in 
the economy, technological advances, and corresponding workforce 
challenges that have occurred over the past three decades. In 
particular, the proposed rule updates the procedures for apprenticeship 
program registration, adds requirements for monitoring of program 
performance, and clarifies the Department's role as manager of the 
National Apprenticeship System. In addition, the proposed rule 
incorporates gender neutral terms and expands the variety of media that 
may be used in the delivery of related technical instruction. Such 
revisions will enable the Department to promote apprenticeship 
opportunity in the 21st century while continuing to safeguard the 
welfare of apprentices.
    The Department published its notice of proposed rulemaking in the 
Federal Register of December 13, 2007 (FR Doc. E7-24178) at 72 FR 
71020. The notice invited interested persons to submit written comments 
on the proposed rule on or before February 11, 2008. The Department 
received a number of requests for an extension of the comment period. 
After balancing the interests of timeliness and public participation, 
the Department has determined that it is in the public's interest to 
extend the comment period by 30 days. This document extends the comment 
period through March 12, 2008.

Douglas F. Small,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-2452 Filed 2-8-08; 8:45 am]
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