[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 59 (Monday, March 30, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14159-14160]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6970]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Information Collection Extension Request for the Impact 
Evaluation of the Trade Adjustment Act Program

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

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 preclearance 
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 [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 is soliciting comments 
concerning the collection of data for the Impact Evaluation of the 
Trade Adjustment Assistance Program.
    A copy of the proposed Information Collection Request can be 
obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addressee section 
of this notice or by accessing: http://www.doleta.gov/OMBCN/OMBControlNumber.cfm.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee section below on or before May 29, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Charlotte Schifferes, Room N-
5641, Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20210. Telephone number: 202-693-3655 (this is not 
a toll-free number). Fax: 202-693-2766. E-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Employment and Training Administration is soliciting comments 
regarding an extension of an approved Information Collection Request 
(ICR) for the Impact Evaluation of the Trade Adjustment Assistance 
(TAA) Program. The ICR was approved by the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) in a Notice of Action (NOA) (ICR Reference Number 200606-
1205-009) on November 15, 2006. The NOA identified November 30, 2009 as 
the expiration date for the ICR. An extension of the ICR is now needed 
in order to complete data collection activities for the impact analysis 
and process study of the TAA evaluation.
    The TAA program provides training, income support, and other 
reemployment and supportive services to workers who lose their jobs or 
have their work hours or salary reduced because of increased imports or 
shifts in production to foreign countries. The evaluation is intended 
to generate information that will be useful in developing 
administrative guidance, technical assistance, and legislative or 
budgetary proposals.
    The evaluation will estimate impacts of the TAA program on the 
employment and earnings of participants by comparing the outcomes of 
TAA participants to statistically matched comparison groups of 
Unemployment Insurance (UI) recipients. This quasi-experimental 
approach requires extensive information on demographic and personal 
characteristics as well as on programmatic experiences of both TAA 
participants and comparison group members. Such information will be 
gleaned from state TAA and UI administrative records and from baseline 
and follow-up surveys of individuals in the treatment and comparison 
groups.
    The process study undertaken as part of the evaluation is designed 
to

[[Page 14160]]

understand how various program and administrative practices affect TAA 
performance, including the types of collaboration and administrative 
arrangements through which TAA operates in the One-Stop Career Center 
system under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).
    An extension of the ICR is needed in order to obtain follow-up data 
on employment and earnings outcomes. In order to complete the study 
prior to the expiration date of funds for the evaluation, only a single 
follow-up survey will be conducted in 2010, as approved by OMB (in an 
NOA, ICR Reference Number 2008-12-1205-001, dated December 17, 2008) in 
lieu of the two follow-up surveys as originally planned. The burden for 
this data collection will therefore be lower than proposed under the 
first ICR, even though the sample has been slightly expanded in order 
to assure a sufficient number of responses, due to lower-than-
anticipated response rates for different subgroups.
    Below is table which shows the burden for different respondents.

                                 Respondent Hours Burden for the TAA Evaluation
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                                                                                      Average
               Activity                     Total              Frequency            minutes per    Burden hours
                                         respondents                                 response
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                    Burden Under the Proposed Extension (November 2009 to Project Completion)
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Impact Analysis:
    State Administrative Data........              26  Once.....................             480             208
    25-Month Follow-up Survey........           3,540  One time.................              30           1,770
Process Analysis:
    Administration of Site Visit
     Protocols
        1. TAA Reauthorization.......             180  One time.................             100             300
        2. Promising Practices.......             325  One time.................             100             542
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            Total Estimated Burden...  ..............  .........................  ..............           9,236
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II. Review Focus

    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, 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

    Type of Review: Extension with revisions.
    Title: Impact Evaluation of the Trade Adjustment Assistance 
Program.
    OMB Number: 1205-0460.
    Affected Public: Individuals in the TAA program or who applied for 
UI benefits, and State and local administrators in the UI and WIA 
programs.
    Form: Questionnaire and site visit protocols.
    Total Respondents: See table above.
    Frequency: Once.
    Total Responses: See table above.
    Average Time per Response: See table above.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: See table above.
    Total Burden Cost: $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be 
summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the 
information collection request; they will also become a matter of 
public record.

    Dated: March 23, 2009.
Thomas M. Dowd,
Administrator, Office of Policy Development and Research, Employment 
and Training Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-6970 Filed 3-27-09; 8:45 am]
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