[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 247 (Friday, December 23, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 94422-94424]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30922]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Workforce Innovation Fund Grants Reporting and Recordkeeping 
Requirements

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training 
Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed 
extension for the authority to conduct the information collection 
request (ICR) titled, ``Workforce Innovation Fund Grants Reporting and 
Recordkeeping Requirements.'' This comment request is part of 
continuing Departmental

[[Page 94423]]

efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all written comments received by 
February 21, 2017.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this ICR with applicable supporting documentation; 
including a description of the likely respondents, proposed frequency 
of response, and estimated total burden may be obtained free by 
contacting Wendy Havenstrite by telephone at (202) 693-2618, TTY 1-877-
889-5627, (these are not toll-free numbers or by email at 
[email protected].
    Submit written comments about, or requests for a copy of, this ICR 
by mail or courier to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and 
Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20210; by email: [email protected]; or by Fax 202-693-3817.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Wendy Havenstrite by telephone 
at (202) 693-2618 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DOL, as part of continuing efforts to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of 
information before submitting them to the OMB for final approval. This 
program helps to ensure 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 can be properly assessed.
    The Workforce Innovation Fund (WIF) was created as a grant program 
by the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (in Sec. 1801, 
Title VIII, Div. B of Pub. L. 112-10), the Consolidated and Further 
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (Pub. L. 113-6), and the 
Consolidated Funding Act, 2014 (Pub. L. 113-76). The first round of 
grants was awarded in June 2012, with service delivery beginning in 
2013. (The first round of grants are ending by the current ICR end 
date). The second round of grants, awarded September 2014, were awarded 
to a combination of state workforce agencies and local workforce 
investment boards and began service delivery in 2015. The final round 
of grants, awarded in September 2015, went to five States and one 
tribal entity with service delivery beginning in 2016. According to 
these Acts, the WIF was established to ``carry out projects that 
demonstrate innovative strategies or replicate effective evidence-based 
strategies that align and strengthen the workforce investment system in 
order to improve program delivery and education and employment outcomes 
for program beneficiaries.'' One of the purposes of the WIF grants is 
to contribute to the documentation of evidence-based practice within 
the field of workforce development.
    This document requests approval to continue to collect information 
to meet the reporting and recordkeeping requirements of the WIF grant 
program through the end of each grantee's reporting cycle. In applying 
for the WIF grant program, grantees agreed to submit quarterly 
reports--both narrative and performance reports--that describe project 
activities and outcomes that relate to the project and document the 
training or labor market information approaches used by the grantee. 
The quarterly performance narrative report will provide a format for a 
detailed account of program activities, accomplishments, and progress 
toward performance outcomes during the quarter. These reports will 
collect aggregate information on participants' grant progress and 
accomplishments, grant challenges, grant technical assistance needs and 
success stories and lessons learned through five questions--four 
programmatic questions and one performance question. Because WIF grants 
tackle a range of employment and training services and strategies, each 
grant will have a unique set of performance goals and outcome measures 
designed by the grantee for the specific innovation and project being 
pursued in the grant. The fifth of the five questions in the quarterly 
performance narrative report will ask for performance data based on the 
unique grant performance measures and key project milestones identified 
by each grantee.
    The information from these reports will be used to evaluate the 
performance of the WIF projects; manage performance risk; and collect 
lessons learned in terms of processes, strategies, and performance from 
the projects. ETA will use the data to help inform policy about the 
workforce and possible changes in structures and policies that enable a 
closer alignment and integration of workforce development, education, 
human services, social insurance, and economic development programs. 
The data will also be used to determine what technical assistance needs 
the WIF grantees have so that ETA can provide such assistance to 
support improvement of grantee outcomes.
    The information provided in the quarterly performance narrative 
reports, including the lessons learned through innovative projects, is 
necessary for increasing the body of knowledge about what works in 
workforce development. This information collection maintains a 
reporting and record-keeping system for a minimum level of information 
collection that is necessary to hold WIF grantees appropriately 
accountable for the Federal funds they receive and to allow the 
Department to fulfill its oversight and management responsibilities.
    To reduce grantee burden, grantees will only report on performance 
measures they identify in their project that are specifically 
applicable to their grant. This approach minimizes the reporting burden 
on grantees and encourages grantees to identify and document a new set 
of achievements and performance measures that apply directly to the 
grant projects. The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (in 
Sec. 1801, Title VIII, Div. B of Pub. L. 112-10), the Consolidated and 
Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (Pub. L. 113-6), and the 
Consolidated Funding Act, 2014 (Pub. L. 113-76) authorizes this 
information collection.
    This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency 
generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and 
the public is generally not required to respond to an information 
collection, unless it is approved by the OMB under the PRA and displays 
a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any 
other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to 
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that 
does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 
1320.6.
    Interested parties are encouraged to provide comments to the 
contact shown in the ADDRESSES section. Comments must be written to 
receive consideration, and they will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval of the final ICR. In order to help ensure 
appropriate consideration, comments should mention Workforce Innovation 
Fund Grants Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements, OMB Control 
Number 1205-0515.
    Submitted comments will also be a matter of public record for this 
ICR and posted on the Internet, without redaction. The DOL encourages 
commenters not to include personally identifiable information, 
confidential

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business data, or other sensitive statements/information in any 
comments.
    The DOL is particularly interested in comments that:
     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 submission of responses.
    Agency: DOL-ETA.
    Type of Review: Extension without changes.
    Title of Collection: Workforce Innovation Fund Grants Reporting and 
Recordkeeping Requirements.
    Form: Quarterly narrative and performance reports.
    OMB Control Number: 1205-0515.
    Affected Public: Workforce Innovation Fund grant recipients.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 17.
    Frequency: Quarterly.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 68.
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 20 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,360 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Cost Burden: $0.

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).

Portia Wu,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Administration, 
Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2016-30922 Filed 12-22-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-FN-P