[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66308-66309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27919]



[[Page 66308]]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request, Implementation Evaluation of the National 
Health Emergency (NHE) Demonstration Grants To Address the Opioid 
Crisis, 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). 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, the Department of Labor is 
soliciting comments concerning the collection of data about the 
Implementation Evaluation of the National Health Emergency 
Demonstration Grants to Address the Opioid Crisis. 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's section below on or before February 25, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods:
    Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: Jennifer 
Daley, 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: Jennifer Daley by email at 
[email protected] or by phone at (202) 693-5913.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    I. Background: The Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) of the U.S. 
Department of Labor (DOL) intends to design and conduct information 
collection activities to provide data for the implementation evaluation 
of the National Health Emergency (NHE) Demonstration Grants to Address 
the Opioid Crisis. DOL awarded $22 million in NHE grants to six states 
in 2018. States have proposed a variety of strategies including 
services for individuals or family members affected by opioid 
addiction, training for workers to address the crisis, and system-wide 
investments to align workforce services with services provided by other 
organizations at the state and local levels. The implementation study 
of the grants will address four research questions: (1) How were the 
grants implemented, what services were provided, and what factors 
influenced implementation and job placement and retention?; (2) Who 
were the major partners involved and what services did they provide?; 
(3) What challenges did grantees encounter in implementation and how 
were those addressed?; and (4) What practices developed under the grant 
appear to be promising or potentially promising?
    This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on 
proposed data collection instruments that will be used in the 
implementation evaluation: Key informant interview protocols, survey of 
key informants (state- and local-level administrators) and a program 
participant interview guide.
    1. Key informant interview protocol. The protocol will be used 
during site visits to the grantees to collect information from 
administrators and staff at the state- and local-level, and with 
partner organizations and employers at either the state or local level. 
Issues to be covered include the state and local community context, 
strategies and approaches to service delivery, target populations and 
recruiting, the role of various partners in grant and subgrant 
activities, successes and challenges, preliminary outcomes, promising 
practices, and other topics.
    2. Survey of key informants. This short questionnaire for key 
informants (administrators and staff at the state- and local-level) 
includes basic background information, such as their highest education 
level and experience, and brief questions about their perspectives on 
the opioid crisis and the state's partnerships to address the crisis.
    3. Program participant interview guide. The guide will be used for 
individual or group discussions with approximately 10 program 
participants in each state. Topics will include participant background, 
service receipt, participants' views on the quality and effectiveness 
of the workforce services received, and their current or anticipated 
labor market experiences as a result of the services.
    II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, the Department of Labor 
is soliciting comments concerning the above data collection for the 
Implementation Evaluation of the National Health Emergency (NHE) 
Demonstration Grants to Address the Opioid Crisis. DOL is particularly 
interested in comments that do the following:
    [cir] Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    [cir] evaluate the accuracy of the agency's burden estimate of the 
proposed information collection, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions;
    [cir] enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    [cir] 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 submissions of responses.
    III. Current Actions: At this time, DOL is requesting clearance for 
the key informant interview protocol, written survey for key 
informants, and a program participant interview guide.
    Type of Review: New information collection request.
    OMB Control Number: 1290-0NEW.
    Affected Public: NHE grantee administrators, participants, and 
partners.
    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.

[[Page 66309]]



                                          Estimated Annual Burden Hours
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                                                                                  Average burden
                                                     Number of       Number of       time per        Estimated
               Type of instrument                   respondents    responses per     response      burden hours
                                                                    respondent        (hours)
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Key informant interview protocol: state and                   60               1               1              60
 local administrator, staff, and partners \b\...
Survey: State and local staff and partners......              60               1            0.17              10
Program participant interview guide.............              20               1               1              20
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................             140  ..............  ..............              90
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\a\ The study is scheduled to take three years.
\b\ Assumes each visit will, on average, involve individual or group interviews with approximately 30
  respondents. The team assumes the average burden time per response to be about 1 hour, although some meetings
  will be shorter and some will be longer.


Molly Irwin,
Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2018-27919 Filed 12-21-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P