[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 234 (Tuesday, December 8, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64712-64713]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29186]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

[OMB Control No. 1205-0392]


Comment Request for Information Collection for the Trade Act 
Participant Report, Extension Without Revisions

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 (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 is soliciting 
comments concerning the collection of data on the Trade Act Participant 
Report, which is due to expire March 31, 2010.
    The Department of Labor submitted this information collection 
request (ICR), utilizing emergency review procedures, on July 17, 2009, 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance 
in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 
44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) and 5 CFR 1320.13. OMB approved the collection 
through March 31, 2010. A copy of this ICR, with applicable supporting 
documentation; including among other things a description of the likely 
respondents, proposed frequency of response, and estimated total burden 
may be obtained from the RegInfo.gov Web site at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain A copy of the proposed information 
collection request (ICR) can also be obtained by contacting the office 
listed below in the addressee section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee's section below on or before February 8, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Susan Worden, Room N-5428 
Employment and Training

[[Page 64713]]

Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. 
Telephone number: 202-693-3517 (this is not a toll-free number). Fax: 
202-693-3584. E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    I. Background: In order to provide data that is broken out by 
industry, as mandated by Section 249B (c) of the Trade Act of 1974, as 
amended, a comprehensive range of TAA participant activities and 
outcomes must be broken out to industry sectors from state level 
aggregates that were previously provided on two of the three TAA 
participant reports: OMB 1205-0016, and OMB 1205-0459. That reporting 
system required states to submit, annually, separate participation and 
performance reports using formats, definitions, instructions, and 
submission procedures that differ from those required under the new 
report. In some instances, that reporting system resulted in confusion 
regarding the time periods used for calculating program performance, 
what data are to be reported, and how the data are prepared for 
submission on a timely basis. These inconsistencies have limited the 
reliability of reported data, consequently reducing the Department's 
ability to make the most effective use of participant data for 
establishing state level funding needs, reporting on the progress of 
programs to the Administration and Congress, and imposing unnecessary 
administrative burdens on CSAs that seek to coordinate service delivery 
and performance measurement in a local One-Stop environment. Section 
239(j)(3) of the Trade Act provides that ``each cooperating State or 
cooperating State agency shall establish procedures that are consistent 
with guidelines to be issued by the Secretary to ensure that the data 
reported are valid and reliable.''
    As a result of new statutory provisions, and in the interest of 
providing data on the administration and performance of the TAA program 
that is reliable, usable and consistent, the current information 
collection encompassed in OMB Control No. 1205-0392 consolidates 
information previously collected under three separate data collections 
into a single streamlined reporting system. As a result of this 
consolidation, OMB 1205-0016 and OMB 1205-0459 have been discontinued.
    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 without changes.
    Title: Trade Act Participant Report.
    OMB Number: 1205-0392.
    Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 50.
    Frequency of Collection: Quarterly.
    Total Responses: 50 x 4 = 200.
    Average Time per Response: 45 hours per quarterly submission.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 9,000.
    Total Burden Cost for Respondents: $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this comment request 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: December 2, 2009.
Jane Oates,
Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-29186 Filed 12-7-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-FN-P