[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 153 (Thursday, August 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48464-48466]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-19120]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Comment request for Information Collection for Quick Turnaround 
Surveys of All Statutes and Programs for Which the Employment and 
Training Administration (ETA) is Responsible (Extension with Revisions)

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 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,

[[Page 48465]]

reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, 
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of the 
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.
    Currently, ETA is soliciting comments concerning the collection of 
data about quick turnaround surveys for statutes and programs for which 
ETA is responsible. Authorization for this process will expire in 
November 2013. To obtain a copy of the proposed information collection 
request (ICR), please contact 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 October 7, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to U.S. Department of Labor, 
Employment and Training Administration, Office of Policy Development 
and Research, Attention: Richard Muller, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., 
Room N-5641, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone number: (202) 693-3680 
(this is not a toll-free number). Fax: (202) 693-2766. Email: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Muller, Employment and 
Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 
Avenue NW., Room N-5637, Washington, DC 20210; (202) 693-3680 (this is 
not a toll-free number); email: [email protected]; fax: (202) 693-
2766 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    ETA is soliciting comments regarding an extension of a current 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance for a series of quick 
turnaround surveys in which data will be collected from State workforce 
agencies, local workforce investment areas, and other entities involved 
in employment and training and related programs. The surveys will focus 
on a variety of issues concerning a broad spectrum of programs 
administered by ETA including the governance, administration, funding, 
service design, and delivery structure of workforce programs authorized 
by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA).
    ETA has a continuing need for information on the operation of all 
of its programs and is seeking another extension of the clearance for 
conducting a series of 8 to 20 separate surveys over the next 3 years. 
Each survey will be short (typically 10-30 questions) and, depending on 
the nature of the survey, may be administered to state workforce 
agencies, local workforce boards, American Job Centers, employment 
service offices, or other entities involved in employment and training 
or related activities. Each survey will be designed on an ad hoc basis 
and will focus on topics of pressing policy interest. Examples of broad 
topic areas include:
     Local management information system developments
     New processes and procedures
     Services to different target groups
     Integration and coordination with other programs
     Local workforce investment board membership and training
    ETA needs quick turnaround surveys for a number of reasons. The 
most pressing reason concerns the need to understand key operational 
issues in light of changes in focus deriving from the Administration's 
policy priorities. ETA needs timely informaion that identifies the 
scope and magnitude of various practices or problems, to fulfill its 
obligations to develop high quality policy, administrative guidance, 
regulations, and technical assistance.
    ETA will request data in the quick turnaround surveys that are not 
otherwise available. Other research and evaluation efforts, including 
case studies or long-range evaluations, either cover only a limited 
number of sites or take many years for data to be gathered and 
analyzed. Administrative information and data are too limited. The 
Five-Year Workforce Investment Plans, developed by States and local 
areas, are too general in nature to meet ETA's specific informational 
needs. Quarterly or annual data reported by States and local areas do 
not provide information on key operational practices and issues. Thus, 
ETA has no alternative mechanism for collecting precise information 
that both identifies the scope and magnitude of emerging issues and 
provides the information on a quick turnaround basis.
    ETA will make every effort to coordinate the quick turnaround 
surveys with other research it is conducting, in order to ease the 
burden on local and State respondents, to avoid duplication, and to 
fully explore how interim data and information from each study can be 
used to inform other studies. Information from the quick turnaround 
surveys will complement but not duplicate other ETA reporting 
requirements or evaluation studies.

II. Review Focus

    The Department 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 changes.
    Title: Quick Turnaround Surveys of all statutes and programs for 
which ETA is responsible.
    OMB Number: 1205-0436.
    Affected Public: State and local workforce agencies and workforce 
investment boards, and Employment and Training-related partner program 
agencies at the State and local levels.
    Total Respondents: Varies by survey, from 54 to 250 (or, 
occasionally, more) respondents per survey, for up to 20 surveys. The 
calculations in the Summary Burden chart below are based on an upper 
limit of 250 respondents; however, it is understood that an occasional 
survey may exceed that upper limit by no more than 370 respondents. 
That total number of 620 is derived from adding together the total 
number of State and local workforce investment boards.

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                                                                                                             Aggregate
                                                                             Number of     Average time    burden hours      Estimated     Total annual
                                                            Sample size      questions     per question     per survey       number of     burden hours
                                                                                             (minutes)        (hours)         surveys
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Lower-Bound.............................................              54              10               1               9               8              72

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Upper-Bound.............................................             250              30               3             375              20           7,500
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    Total Burden Cost for capital and startup: $0.
    Total Burden Cost for operation and maintenance: $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this ICR 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: July 26, 2013.
Eric M. Seleznow,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration.
[FR Doc. 2013-19120 Filed 8-7-13; 8:45 am]
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