[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 209 (Friday, October 28, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75161-75163]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-26084]


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

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Wave 4 
Surveys

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Chief Evaluation 
Office, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), 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

[[Page 75162]]

requirements on respondents is properly assessed.
    Currently, the Department of Labor is soliciting comments 
concerning the collection of data about the Family and Medical Leave 
Act (FMLA) Wave 4 Surveys. A copy of the proposed Information 
Collection Request (ICR) can 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 section below on or before December 27, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods: Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: 
Christina Yancey, Chief Evaluation Office, OASP, U.S. Department of 
Labor, Room S-2312, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. 
Instructions: Please submit one copy of your comments by only one 
method. All submissions received must include the agency name and OMB 
Control Number identified above for this information collection. 
Because we continue to experience delays in receiving mail in the 
Washington, DC area, commenters are strongly encouraged to transmit 
their comments electronically via email or to submit them by mail 
early. Comments, including any personal information provided, become a 
matter of public record. They will also be summarized and/or included 
in the request for OMB approval of the information collection request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christina Yancey by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    I. Background: Enacted in 1993, the Family and Medical Leave Act 
(FMLA) guarantees eligible U.S. employees of covered employers the 
right to take unpaid leave to attend to their own medical issues or 
those of their family. The Act further allows for the continuation of 
employer-sponsored health insurance coverage during leave and 
reinstatement of the previous or an equivalent job upon return to work. 
To better understand the range of perspectives on FMLA, the Chief 
Evaluation Office of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has 
commissioned the development and administration of two surveys to 
collect information about the need for and the experience with family 
and medical leave from employees' and employers' respective 
perspectives. This effort will build on previous information collection 
efforts, as the new surveys will update and expand on the evidence 
about FMLA use and leave-taking that has been generated by three prior 
``waves'' of surveys (1995, 2000, and 2012).
    This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on 
two proposed data collection instruments that will be used to collect 
information on employee and employer perspectives on FMLA:
    * Survey of Employees. The survey of employees on use of leave, 
need for leave, and their experience with FMLA-eligible leave is 
anticipated to occur in 2017 and 2018.
    * Survey of Employers. The survey of employers on employee use of 
leave, and their experience managing FMLA leaves (for those covered by 
FMLA) is anticipated to occur in 2017 and 2018.
    II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, the Department of Labor 
is soliciting comments concerning the above data collection for the 
FMLA Wave 4 Surveys. DOL is particularly interested in comments that do 
the following:
    * Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    * evaluate the accuracy of the agency's burden estimate of the 
proposed information collection, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions;
    * 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--for example, permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.
    III. Current Actions: At this time, the Department of Labor is 
requesting clearance for the implementation site visit protocols, the 
focus group protocols, and a survey.
    Type of Review: New information collection request.
    OMB Control Number: 1205-0NEW.
    Affected Public: Individuals contacted to conduct the employee 
survey; Staff at employers contacted for the employer survey.

                                          Estimated Total Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  Average burden
                                                     Estimated       Number of       time per        Estimated
                   Respondents                         total       responses per     response      total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Employee Survey
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Screeners (cellphone)...........................          21,500               1               1             358
Screeners (landline)............................           5,091               1               3             255
Interviewee: Leave-taker........................           1,778               1              18             533
Interviewee: Leave-needer.......................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Site Visit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Round 1:
    P3 Youth....................................              72               1               1              72
Round 2:
    P3 Youth....................................              72               1               1              72
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Partner Survey
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Round 1:
    P3 Administrators/Staff.....................              90               1             .25            22.5
Round 2:

[[Page 75163]]

 
    P3 Administrators/Staff.....................              90               1             .25            22.5
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
        Total...................................             594  ..............  ..............           526.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Employee Survey

    Sampled households/individuals: 26,591.
    Respondents: 4,000.
    Frequency of response: once.
    Annual hour burden:
    Screeners:
    Cell-phone: 21,500 individuals; 1 minute each; 358 hours.
    Landline: 5,091 households; 3 minutes each; 255 hours.
    Extended interview:
    Leave-taker interview: 1,778 respondents; 18 minutes each; 533 
hours.
    Leave-needer interview: 422 respondents; 18 minutes each; 127 
hours.
    Employed-only interview: 1,800 respondents; 10 minutes each; 300 
hours.
    Nonresponse follow-up: 500 respondents; 10 minutes each; 83 hours.
    Total burden: 4,000 respondents; 1,656 hours.
    Annualized hour burden: 1,656 hours; $25.62 per hour; \1\ $42,427.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Hourly wage reflects the June 2016 (seasonally-adjusted) 
average hourly earnings for private nonfarm payrolls, as reported by 
the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table B-3. 
``Average hourly and weekly earnings of all employees on private 
nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted'' (accessed 
from the following Web site as of September 26, 2016: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t19.htm).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Comments submitted in response to this 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: October 20, 2016.
Sharon Block,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of 
Labor.
[FR Doc. 2016-26084 Filed 10-27-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P