[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 112 (Thursday, June 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33292-33293]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-14300]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Comment Request for Information Collection for the Labor Exchange 
Reporting System (LERS), OMB Control No. 1205-0240, Extension With 
Minor Revisions

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (Department), 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)] (PRA). The PRA helps ensure that 
respondents can provide requested data in the desired format with 
minimal reporting burden (time and financial resources), collection 
instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection 
requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.
    Currently, ETA is soliciting comments concerning the collection of 
data about LERS, which facilitates reporting for the Wagner-Peyser Act 
through the ETA 9002 reports and for Veterans' Employment and Training 
Service (VETS) through the VETS 200 reports. The current expiration 
date is August 31, 2015.

DATES: Submit written comments to the office listed in the addresses 
section below on or before August 10, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Karen Staha, Office of Policy 
Development and Research, Room N-5641, Employment and Training 
Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20210. Telephone number: 202-693-3700 (this is not a 
toll-free number). Fax: 202-693-2766. Email: [email protected]. To 
obtain a copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR), 
please contact the person listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Luke Murren at 202-693-3733 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Each quarter, States and territories submit data on individuals and 
employers who receive core employment and workforce information 
services through the public labor exchange and VETS funded labor 
exchange of the States' one-stop delivery systems. These data are used 
by ETA and VETS to evaluate performance and delivery of labor exchange 
services within the one-stop delivery system.
    ETA and VETS use the data to track total participants, their 
characteristics, services provided, and outcomes for job seekers. 
Additionally, ETA and VETS analyze the data to verify the delivery of 
core labor exchange services within the Workforce Investment Act of 
1998 (WIA) framework; to study performance outcomes vis-[agrave]-vis 
performance measures, and State policies and procedures; and to help 
drive the workforce investment system toward continuous improvement of 
outcomes and integrated service delivery. Within ETA, the data are used 
by the Office of Workforce Investment, the Office of Unemployment 
Insurance, the Office of Financial Administration, the Office of Policy 
Development and Research, and the Office of Regional Management 
(including the regional offices). Other Departmental users include the 
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training and the 
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy.
    The reports and other analyses of the data are made available to 
the States, members of Congress, veterans' organizations, research 
firms, and others needing information on public employment and 
workforce information services. Data on Wagner-Peyser Act funded public 
labor exchange is included in the WIA annual report to Congress. VETS 
funded labor exchange services are provided to Congress to meet VETS 
reporting requirements codified in Title 38 of the United States Code.
    Currently, LERS is the only mechanism for collecting performance 
information on Wagner-Peyser Act funded and Jobs for Veterans' state 
grants. As such, this set of reports is necessary for tracking and 
reporting to stakeholders data on the usage and performance of these 
programs. More specifically, these reports are used to monitor the core 
purpose of the program--mainly, tracking how many people found jobs; 
did people stay employed; and what were their earnings.
    Information is collected on the ETA 9002 and VETS 200 reports under 
the following authority:
     Wagner-Peyser Act sec. 3(a), 29 U.S.C. 49b(a)
     Wagner-Peyser Act sec. 3(c), 29 U.S.C. 49b(c)
     Wagner-Peyser Act sec. 7(b), 29 U.S.C. 49f(b)
     Wagner-Peyser Act sec. 10(c), 29 U.S.C. 49i(c)
     Wagner-Peyser Act sec. 13(a), 29 U.S.C. 49l(a)
     Wagner-Peyser Act sec. 15(e)(2)(I), 29 U.S.C. 49l-
2(e)(2)(I)
     Provisional Guidance on the Implementation of the 1997 
Standards for Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, Executive Office of 
the President, Office of Management and Budget (66 FR 3829-3831); and 
``Revisions to the Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and 
Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, (62 FR 58781-58790).
     Priority of Service for veterans in Department of Labor 
job training programs sec. 38 U.S.C. 4215(a)(2).
    In 2012, ETA modified the reporting system to collect several 
additional statutorily required pieces of information. The first of 
which pertains to the priority of service provisions contained in the 
Jobs for Veterans Act (Pub. L.107-288). These provisions provide that 
veterans and spouses of veterans (together comprising the category of 
covered persons) are entitled to priority over non-covered persons for 
the receipt of employment, training, and placement services provided 
under new or existing qualified job training programs. Qualified job 
training programs are defined at 38 U.S.C. 4215(a)(2) as any workforce 
preparation, development or delivery program or service that is 
directly funded, in whole or in part, by the Department.
    Additional items are required under Pub. L. 112-56, Title II, Vow 
to Hire Heroes, Sections 238 and 239, and pertain to: (1) Performance 
measures on job counseling, training and placement programs of the 
Department, and; (2) clarifications of priority of service for veterans 
in the Department's job training programs.
    These requirements impacted both the ETA 9002 and VETS 200 reports. 
Lastly, the expansive focus on veteran reemployment initiatives has 
necessitated collection of additional information on groups of veterans 
(such as Post 9/11 era veterans), targeted services they received, and 
additional aspects of their outcomes in order to monitor and oversee 
their effectiveness.

[[Page 33293]]

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 minor revisions.
    Title: Labor Exchange Reporting System (LERS).
    OMB Number: 1205-0240.
    Affected Public: State, local, and tribal government entities and 
private non-profit organizations.
    Form(s): ETA-9002, VETS-200, Employment and Training (ET) Handbook 
No. 406, Employment Service Record Layout.
    Total Annual Respondents: 54.
    Annual Frequency: Quarterly.
    Total Annual Responses: 1,944.
    Average Time per Response: 237 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 461,050.
    Total Annual Burden Cost for Respondents: $0.
    We will summarize and/or include in the request for OMB approval of 
the ICR, the comments received in response to this comment request; 
they will also become a matter of public record.

Portia Wu,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, Labor.
[FR Doc. 2015-14300 Filed 6-10-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-FN-P