[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 229 (Thursday, November 30, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56845-56847]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25833]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(WIOA) Implementation Study

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

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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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). 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 requirements on 
respondents is properly assessed.
    Currently, DOL is soliciting comments concerning the collection of 
site visit data for a study of the implementation of the Workforce 
Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). 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 January 29, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods:
    Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: Janet Javar, 
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

[[Page 56846]]

approval of the information collection request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Janet Javar by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    I. Background: WIOA, signed into law on July 22, 2014, authorized 
and amended a series of employment and educational programs under five 
titles. DOL seeks to understand how the implementation of WIOA is 
changing the core workforce programs authorized under Title I (Adult, 
Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs) and the Employment Service 
program authorized under the Wagner-Peyser Act and amended by Title 
III, as well as how the implementation is contributing to more 
integration with stakeholders in programs authorized under Titles II 
(Adult Education and Literacy) and IV (Vocational Rehabilitation).
    DOL is funding a study to document and describe how critical state-
level activities under WIOA are being implemented and identify possible 
areas for which further technical assistance, guidance, or policies 
might be needed in order to help implement the law. The study's major 
research questions are: (1) How are the critical reforms under WIOA 
related to the core workforce programs for Title I and III being 
implemented? (2) to what extent is WIOA's vision for an integrated 
workforce system being achieved through state- and local-level 
synergies between Titles I and III and Titles II and IV stakeholders? 
and (3) what changes or supplemental technical assistance, guidance, or 
policy would be helpful to states administering the core programs and 
in providing guidance and oversight to the local level to improve 
service quality and management?
    This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on 
the proposed data collection instruments for the semi-structured 
interviews that will be used during site visits to support the 
implementation study. Site visits will be conducted in 14 states and 
two local areas per state and will include semi-structured interviews 
with state and local area program staff to document WIOA 
implementation. The state and local area program staffs who will be 
interviewed include workforce board staffs; staffs responsible for 
implementation of Titles I, II, III, and IV; state-level staffs in 
charge of Unemployment Insurance (UI) program; other state- and local 
area-level partner staffs involved in WIOA implementation; as well as 
key American Job Center (AJC) operators and center management staffs. 
Each respondent will be interviewed once on their experience with WIOA 
implementation. A future information collection request will include a 
national survey of state-level workforce administrators.
    II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, DOL is soliciting 
comments concerning the above data collection for the WIOA 
implementation study. DOL is particularly interested in comments that 
do the following:
     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.
     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 submission of responses.
    III. Current Actions: At this time, DOL is requesting clearance for 
the interview protocols to be used during the site visits.
    Type of Review: New information collection request.
    OMB Control Number: 1290-0NEW.
    Affected Public: State and local program staff involved in WIOA 
implementation.

                                          Estimated Total Burden Hours
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                                                                             Average
                                       Total        Annual     Number of      burden       Annual     Estimated
        Type of instrument             number     number of    responses     time per    estimated      total
                                    respondents  respondents      per        response      burden       burden
                                                               respondent    (hours)      (hours)      (hours)
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                                           State-Level Staff Interview
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Workforce board...................           42           14            1          1.2         16.3           49
Title I Adult and Dislocated                 70           23            1          1.3         30.3           91
 Worker program...................
Title I Youth program.............           14            5            1          1.0          4.7           14
Title II (Adult Education and                84           28            1          1.3         37.3          112
 Literacy) and IV (Vocational
 Rehabilitation)..................
Title III (Employment Service                42           14            1          1.3         18.7           56
 Program).........................
Unemployment Insurance............           14            5            1          1.5          7.0           21
Other state partner...............           14            5            1          1.5          7.0           21
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                                           Local-Level Staff Interview
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Workforce board...................          112           37            1          1.2         43.7          131
Title I Adult and Dislocated                 56           19            1          1.0         18.7           56
 Worker program...................
Title I Youth program.............           56           19            1          1.0         18.7           56
American Job Center Operator......           28            9            1         1.25         11.7           35
American Job Center Manager.......           28            9            1         1.25         11.7           35
Title II (Adult Education and               112           37            1          1.5         56.0          168
 Literacy) and IV (Vocational
 Rehabilitation)..................
Title III (Employment Service                56           19            1          1.0         18.7           56
 Program).........................
Other local partner...............           56           19            1          1.0         18.7           56
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    Total.........................          784          261  ...........  ...........          319          957
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[[Page 56847]]

    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: November 15, 2017.
Molly Irwin,
Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2017-25833 Filed 11-29-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P