[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 37 (Friday, February 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8110-8111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03761]


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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 
survey 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 April 24, 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. 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: 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 instrument for a national survey on Titles 
I and III workforce programs to support the implementation study. The 
online, self-administered survey will be conducted in all 50 states 
plus the District of Columbia. The state program staff who will be 
included in the survey sample are staff responsible for implementation 
of Titles I and III. Each state will complete one survey, although 
multiple state staff may contribute to a state's response. An earlier 
information collection request (82 Federal Register 56845) was posted 
on November 30, 2017 to solicit comments on semi-structured interviews 
for site visit data collection to support the implementation study.

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 a national survey of 
state workforce administrators.
    Type of Review: New information collection request.
    OMB Control Number: 1290--0NEW
    Affected Public: State program staff involved in WIOA 
implementation.

[[Page 8111]]



                                                                 Estimated Burden Hours
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                                                                                                                         Average burden
                                                                       Total number    Annual number      Number of         time per          Annual
                         Type of instrument                            respondents     of respondents   responses per       response        estimated
                                                                                                          respondent        (hours)       burden (hours)
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Survey of Title I and Title III workforce programs.................              51               17                1              3.0             51.0
                                                                    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total..........................................................              51               17   ...............  ...............            51.0
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    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: February 16, 2018.
Molly Irwin,
Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2018-03761 Filed 2-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P