[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 159 (Friday, August 18, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39460-39462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-17248]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Veterans' Employment and Training Service


Proposed Information Collection Request; HIRE Vets Medallion 
Program

AGENCY: Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS), Labor.

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: VETS is publishing elsewhere in this issue of the Federal 
Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to propose regulations 
implementing the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing 
American Military Veterans Act of 2017. The proposal allows the public 
30 days to comment on the proposed regulations including the proposal's 
collections of information contained in the rule. Under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish a 
notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of 
information and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the 
notice. This notice allows the public 60 days to comment on the 
collections of information contained in or associated with implementing 
the VETS proposal.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
October 17, 2017.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this Information Collection Request (ICR) with 
applicable supporting documentation; including a description of the 
likely respondents, proposed frequency of response, and estimated total 
burden may be obtained free of charge from the RegInfo.gov Web site at 
http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=20201707-1293-001 
(this link will only become active on the day following publication of 
this notice) or by contacting Randall Smith by telephone at (202) 693-
4700.

[[Page 39461]]

    Electronically: You may submit written comments and attachments 
electronically at HIRE VETS.NPRM.gov. Include ``ICR Comments'' in the 
subject line of the message.
    Mail, hand delivery, express mail, messenger, or courier service: 
Randall Smith, Veterans' Employment and Training Service, Room S-1325, 
200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210; Telephone (202) 693-
4700 (this is not a toll-free number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Randall Smith; [email protected] 
(202) 693-4700, TTY 202-693-8064, (these are not toll-free numbers).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: VETS is publishing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
(NPRM), elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, proposing 
regulations implementing the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and 
Employing American Military Veterans Act of 2017 (HIRE Vets Act of 2017 
or Act). The HIRE Vets Act of 2017 requires VETS to annually solicit 
and accept voluntary information from employers for consideration of 
employers to receive a HIRE Vets Medallion Award. The Act establishes 
specific criteria at two levels (gold and ``platinum) for large 
employers (those with 500 or more employees) and allows VETS discretion 
in establishing criteria for small and medium employers to qualify for 
similar awards. The NPRM proposes the application process and criteria 
that VETS intends to use to receive, review, and process applications, 
and to verify the applicant's information. The public has 30 days to 
comment on the NPRM.
    This Notice allows the public sixty days, as required by PRA, to 
comment on the collections of information in or associated with 
implementing the proposed rule.
    Desired Focus of Comments: VETS is soliciting comments concerning 
the proposed approved information collection request. VETS 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.
    Proposed Collection of Information Requirements: The NPRM proposes 
the application process and criteria that VETS intends to use to 
receive, review, and process applications, verify the information 
provided and award the HIRE Vets Medallion Award to those employers 
meeting the criteria and deserving of the award. VETS developed the 
HIRE Vets application Forms [VETS-1011LP, VETS-1011LG, VETS-1011MP, 
VETS-1011MG, VETS-1011SP, VETS-1011SG] for employers to complete and 
submit to VETS to fulfill the regulatory requirements to receive an 
award.
    The proposed rule provides specific award criteria for the large, 
medium, and small sized employers to qualify for the gold and platinum 
awards. Although the number of criteria an employer is required to 
satisfy in the proposed rule differs by award, the large employer 
criteria established by statute are generally incorporated across the 
large employer, medium employer, and small employer awards. The 
Application(s) would require employers to provide information to meet 
award criteria dependent upon the size of the employer and the award 
the employer is requesting, gold or platinum. The following table 
provides the corresponding regulatory citation.

                      Proposed Regulatory Provision
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              Employer size                 Gold award    Platinum award
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Large...................................            Sec.            Sec.
                                            1011.100 (a)    1011.100 (b)
Medium..................................            Sec.            Sec.
                                            1011.105 (a)    1011.105 (b)
Small...................................            Sec.            Sec.
                                            1011.110 (a)    1011.110 (b)
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    The proposal also requires employers to supply additional 
information to VETS in support of the application for the HIRE Vets 
Medallion Award (Sec.  1011.215 (b)), or any time VETS becomes aware of 
facts that indicate that the information provided by an employer in its 
application was incorrect or that the employer does not satisfy the 
requirements at Sec.  1011.120 (Sec.  1011.225). Also, employers are 
required to maintain information relied upon to complete the 
application for two years after the application is submitted to VETS 
(Subpart G Sec.  1011.600). Finally, the Act establishes a fund, 
designated as the ``HIRE Vets Medallion Award Fund'' and requires VETS 
to assess a reasonable fee from the applicants to cover the costs 
associated with carrying out the HIRE Vets Medallion program. The NPRM 
provides the fee amount and how to submit the fee.
    Current Actions: This notice invites public comments on the 
information collections contained in or associated with implementing 
the HIRE Vets proposed rule. Comments must be written to receive 
consideration, and they will be summarized and included in a future 
request for OMB approval of the of this information collection. 
Submitted comments will also be a matter of public record and posted on 
the Internet, without redaction. VETS encourages commenters not to 
include personally identifiable information, confidential business 
data, or other sensitive statements/information in any comments.
    Type of Review: New.
    Agency: DOL-VETS.
    Title: Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American 
Military Veterans Act.
    ICR Reference Number: 20201707-1293-001.
    Total Estimated Number of Annualized Respondents: 7,036.
    Total Estimated Number of Annualized Responses: 34,245.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 58,716.
    Response Frequency: On Occasion.
    Total Number of Annual Other Costs Burden: $1,847,746.

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


[[Page 39462]]


    Signed in Washington, DC, this August 10, 2017.
George Triebsch,
Deputy Director, Field Operations, Veterans' Employment and Training 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-17248 Filed 8-17-17; 8:45 am]
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