[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 72 (Friday, April 13, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16128-16129]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07709]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request, Reentry Employment Opportunities Evaluation, 
New Collection

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) [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 requirements on respondents is properly assessed. Currently, 
DOL is soliciting comments concerning the collection of data about the 
Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO) Program. A copy of the proposed 
Information Collection Request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the 
office listed in the addressee section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee's section below on or before June 12, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods: Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: Jessica 
Lohmann, 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: Jessica Lohmann by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    I. Background: The information collection activities described in 
this notice will provide data for the Reentry Employment Opportunities 
(REO) program evaluation. As part of the REO program, DOL awarded $73 
million in Reentry Project (RP) grants during 2017, $31 million in 
Reentry Demonstration Project grants during 2016, and $21 million in 
Training to Work grants during 2015 and 2016. DOL also is considering 
awarding grants during 2018. Although each grant program is 
distinctive, the overarching aim of the REO program is to improve 
employment outcomes and workforce readiness for people involved in the 
justice system by way of employment services, case management, and 
other supportive services.
    The REO program evaluation will involve grantees that received 
grants during 2016, 2017, and/or 2018. The evaluation will involve an 
implementation study and an impact study. The implementation study will 
address four main research questions: (1) How were programs implemented 
and what factors influenced implementation?; (2) What are the 
variations in the model, structure, partnerships, and services of the 
REO grants?; (3) How did implementation vary by organization type (such 
as an intermediary organization that operates in more than one state or 
a community-based organization) and target population?; and (4) What 
key program elements appear to be promising? Research questions for the 
impact study include: (1) What impact do grantees or strategies 
implemented by grantees have on participants' outcomes, such as 
employment and recidivism?; (2) Does program effectiveness vary by 
grantee characteristics, such as population served and services 
offered?; and (3) To what extent do impacts vary across selected 
subpopulations, such as age group and type of offense?
    This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on 
the following proposed REO evaluation data collection instruments:
    * Grantee survey. To obtain information about the REO grantees' 
approaches to project management, recruitment and outreach, and service

[[Page 16129]]

delivery, we will field an electronic survey to up to 96 grantees. This 
survey will include questions to lead to insights about variations 
across grantees and grant programs and contextualize the data from the 
impact and implementation studies.
    * Impact feasibility site visit protocols. The evaluation team will 
conduct up to 42 site visits with grantees and/or their subgrantees to 
explore the feasibility of their participating in the impact study; the 
visits will average no more than one day.
    * Baseline information form (BIF). In sites selected for the impact 
study, applicants will complete a BIF before random assignment. The BIF 
will take about 10 minutes to complete and will collect demographics; 
information about education, work history and other experiences; and 
contact information. Whenever possible, BIFs will be collected 
electronically through the study's web-based system for random 
assignment. Data entry for each BIF will take about 10 minutes to 
complete. The system will then randomly assign participants and monitor 
the integrity of the random assignment process.
    A future information collection request will include the impact 
study's follow-up survey, as well as phone interview protocols, site 
visit protocols, and virtual focus group protocols for the 
implementation study.
    II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, DOL is soliciting 
comments concerning the above data collection for the REO Evaluation. 
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 
related to employer services, including whether the information will 
have practical utility;
     evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the ICR to survey and fieldwork respondents, including the 
validity of the study approach and assumptions used;
     enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     minimize the burden of the information collection on 
respondents, including 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).
    III. Current Actions: At this time, DOL is requesting clearance for 
the implementation study grantee survey; site visit protocol for the 
impact study feasibility assessment; and BIF to be entered into the 
random assignment system.
    Type of Review: New information collection request.
    Title: Reentry Employment Opportunities Evaluation.
    OMB Control Number: 1290-0NEW.
    Affected Public: REO program staff, evaluation participants, and 
partner agencies.

                                             Estimated Burden Hours
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                                                                                                      Annual
                                   Total number    Annual number     Number of    Average burden     estimated
       Type of instrument         of respondents  of respondents   responses per     hour per      burden hours
                                                        \a\         respondent       response           \a\
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Grantee Survey \b\..............             192              64               1            0.17              11
Impact Feasibility Site Visit                325             108            1.68               1             182
 Protocols \c\..................
Baseline Information Form \d\...           3,780           1,260               1            0.17             210
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    Total.......................           4,327           1,442  ..............  ..............             621
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\a\ All annual totals reflect a three year clearance and study data collection period.
\b\ The number of respondents and average time per response for the grantee survey are based on an assumption
  that 96 grantees will take an average of 20 minutes to respond (involving 1 respondent for 10 minutes and a
  second respondent for 10 minutes).
\c\ Assumes each visit will, on average, involve individual or group interviews with approximately 13
  respondents (2 site administrators, 5 frontline staff, and 6 partners per site). The team anticipates
  completing up to 42 visits in total, with some sites being visited once and some being visited twice. The
  average burden time per response will be 1 hour, although some meetings will be shorter and some will be
  longer. To account for the fact that a subset of sites will receive two visits, the number of responses per
  respondent is calculated as 1.68.
\d\ The total number of respondents is 3,780 participants who will complete the BIF. This assumes the baseline
  information forms (BIF) will take an average of 10 minutes for participants to complete.
\e\ Study participants will respond to the BIF once. Each program staff will be responsible for data entering
  approximately 126 BIFs into the RAS. The total burden represents the sum of the participant burden across
  participants and program staff (3,780 participants * 1 response * .17 of an hour = 643 burden hours) + (30
  program staff * 126 responses to data enter * .17 of an hour = 643 burden hours) for a grand total, with
  rounding,of 1,285 burden hours (which equates to approximately 428 annual burden hours per the three years of
  the study).

    Comments submitted in response to this comment 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: April 9, 2018.
Molly Irwin,
Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2018-07709 Filed 4-12-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P