[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20713-20714]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8971]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Bureau of International Labor Affairs; Office of Trade and Labor 
Affairs; Request for Comments on Labor Capacity-Building Efforts Under 
the Dominican Republic--Central America--United States Free Trade 
Agreement

AGENCIES: Office of the Secretary, Labor, and Office of the United 
States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Request for comments from the public.

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SUMMARY: This notice is a request for comments from the public to 
assist the Secretary of Labor and the United States Trade 
Representative in preparing a report on labor capacity-building efforts 
under Chapter 16 (``the Labor Chapter'') and Annex 16.5 of the 
Dominican Republic--Central America--United States Free Trade Agreement 
(``the CAFTA-DR''), as well as efforts made by the CAFTA-DR countries 
to implement the recommendations contained in the report entitled ``The 
Labor Dimension in Central America and the Dominican Republic--Building 
on Progress: Strengthening Compliance and Enhancing Capacity'' (``the 
White Paper''). This report is required under the Dominican Republic--
Central America--United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act 
(``the CAFTA-DR Implementation Act''). The reporting function and the 
responsibility for soliciting public comments required under this Act 
were assigned to the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the 
United States Trade Representative.

DATES: Written comments are due no later than 5 p.m. May 20, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Persons submitting comments are strongly advised to make 
such submissions by electronic mail to the following address: 
[email protected]. Submissions by facsimile may be sent to: Paula 
Church Albertson, Deputy Division Chief of Trade Agreement 
Administration and Technical Cooperation, Office of Trade and Labor 
Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor at (202) 693-4851 (this is not a 
toll-free number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paula Church Albertson, Deputy 
Division Chief of Trade Agreement Administration and Technical 
Cooperation, Office of Trade and Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of 
Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room S-5303, Washington, DC 20210. 
Telephone (202) 693-4900 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    During the legislative approval process for the CAFTA-DR, the 
Administration and the Congress reached an understanding on the need to 
support labor capacity-building efforts linked to recommendations 
identified in the White Paper of the Working Group of the Vice 
Ministers Responsible for Trade and Labor in the countries of Central 
America and the Dominican Republic. A total of $155 million was 
appropriated in support of labor and environment capacity-building in 
FY 2005 through FY 2009. For more information on these initiatives, see 
the full text of the CAFTA-DR and the White Paper as well as other 
relevant fact sheets and reports posted on the respective Web sites of 
the Office of the United States Trade Representative, http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Agreements/Regional/CAFTA/Section_Index.html, and 
the International Labour Organization (ILO) Subregional Office for 
Central America, Haiti, Panama and the Dominican Republic, http://web.oit.or.cr/ (follow the link to: Sector IV, Di[aacute]logo Social, 
and then link to: Verification of the White Paper, Central America and 
the Dominican Republic).
    In addition, in December 2006, the USDOL published the procedural 
guidelines for the receipt and review of submissions under U.S. Free 
Trade Agreements, including the CAFTA-DR (71 FR 76691 Dec. 21, 2006). 
Subsequently, the U.S. held the first Labor Affairs Council meeting in 
November 2008, pursuant CAFTA-DR Article 16.4.2. Since the CAFTA-DR 
came into force, OTLA has received, accepted and reviewed one 
submission, issuing a public report in January 2009. OTLA received a 
second submission, and will decide whether to accept this submission in 
April 2011.
    Under section 403(a) of the CAFTA-DR Implementation Act, 19 U.S.C. 
4111(a), the President must report biennially to the Congress on the 
progress made by the CAFTA-DR countries in implementing the labor 
obligations and the labor capacity-building provisions found in the 
Labor Chapter and Annex 16.5 and implementing the recommendations 
contained in the White Paper. Section 403(a)(4) requires the President 
to establish a mechanism to solicit public comments on the matters 
described in section 403(a)(3)(D) of the CAFTA-DR Implementation Act, 
19 U.S.C. 4111(a)(4).
    By Proclamation, the President delegated the reporting function and 
the responsibility for soliciting public comments under section 403(a) 
of the CAFTA-DR Implementation Act, 19 U.S.C. 4111(a), to the Secretary 
of Labor, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative. 
Proclamation No. 8272, 73 FR 38,297 (June 30, 2008). This notice serves 
to request public comments as required by this section.

2. Information Sought

    The Department of Labor is seeking comments on the following topics 
as required under Section 404(a)(3)(D) of the CAFTA-DR Implementation 
Act:
    1. Capacity-building efforts by the United States government 
envisaged by Article 16.5 of the CAFTA-DR Labor Chapter and Annex 16.5;
    2. Efforts by the United States government to facilitate full 
implementation of the White Paper recommendations;
    3. Efforts made by the CAFTA-DR countries to comply with Article 
16.5 of the Labor Chapter and Annex 16.5 and to fully implement the 
White Paper recommendations, including progress made by the CAFTA-DR 
countries in affording to workers internationally-recognized worker 
rights through improved capacity; and
    4. Efforts made by the governments of the Parties to the CAFTA-DR 
to fulfill their Labor Chapter (Chapter 16) commitments under the 
CAFTA-DR.

3. Requirements for Comments

    This notice requests comments in response to a general solicitation 
to the public. Written comments may be submitted by 5 p.m. May 20, 
2011. To ensure prompt and full consideration of comments, it is 
strongly recommended that comments be submitted by electronic mail to 
the following e-mail address: [email protected]. Persons making 
comments by e-mail should use the following subject line: Comments 
pursuant to CAFTA-DR

[[Page 20714]]

Implementation Act. Documents should be submitted in MSWord format. 
Supporting documentation submitted as spreadsheets is acceptable in 
Excel format. Persons who make comments by e-mail should not provide 
separate cover letters; information that might appear in a cover letter 
should be included in the comments themselves. Similarly, to the extent 
possible, any attachments to the comments should be included in the 
same file as the comments themselves, not as separate files. In the 
event that e-mail comments are not possible, comments should be sent by 
facsimile to (202) 693-4851 (this is not a toll-free number). Written 
comments will be placed in a file open to public inspection at the 
Department of Labor, Room S-5303, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20210. An appointment to review the file must be 
scheduled at least 48 hours in advance and may be made by calling (202) 
693-4900 (this is not a toll-free number).

    Signed at Washington, DC, the 7th day of April 2011.
Sandra Polaski,
Deputy Undersecretary, International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2011-8971 Filed 4-12-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-P