[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 172 (Thursday, September 5, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46762-46763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-19142]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Fidelity Bonding Demonstration

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training 
Administration (ETA), is soliciting comments on the Fidelity Bonding 
Demonstration information collection request (ICR). This comment 
request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork 
and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (PRA).

DATES: All written comments must be received by November 4, 2019.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this ICR with applicable supporting documentation, 
including a description of the likely respondents, proposed frequency 
of response, and estimated total burden, may be obtained for free by 
contacting Mallery Johnson by telephone at 202-693-3497 (this is not a 
toll-free number), TTY/TDD by calling the toll-free Federal Information 
Relay Service at 1-877-889-5627, or by email at 
[email protected].
    Submit written comments about, or requests for a copy of, this ICR 
by mail or courier to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and 
Training Administration, Reentry Employment Opportunities, Room N-4508, 
200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210; by email: 
[email protected]; or by Fax: 202-693-3981.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mallery Johnson by telephone at 202-
693-3497 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOL, as part of continuing efforts to reduce 
paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation 
program to provide the general public and Federal agencies an 
opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of 
information before submitting them to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for final approval. The program helps ensure that 
requested data is provided in the desired format, reporting burden 
(time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are 
clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements can be 
properly assessed.
    The Federal Bonding Program provides fidelity bonds protecting 
employers who hire offenders and other at-risk job applicants from 
theft, forgery, or embezzlement by the employee. Although the bonds 
have mainly served offenders, any at-risk job applicant is eligible for 
bonding services, including: Recovering substance abusers (alcohol or 
drugs), public benefit recipients and other persons having poor 
financial credit, economically disadvantaged youth and adults who lack 
a work history, individuals dishonorably discharged from the military, 
and others. Over the years, the Federal Bonding Program has remained a 
relatively small program, currently serving about 900 individuals each 
year. DOL is expanding the use of fidelity bonds to place offenders in 
jobs by providing grant funds to states to purchase such bonds. In 
order to account for the accurate use and tracking of the expansion of 
fidelity bonding, the Department is now seeking approval under the PRA 
for a Fidelity Bond Issuance Form. This form lists the contact 
information of the job placement agency and the employer; identifies 
the person being insured; and provides the amount and the effective 
date of the bond issued. The form also identifies the occupation, 
hourly wage, and hours per week of the job placement; the employer 
type, industry, and size of the firm; and the gender, race, and 
ethnicity of the person insured. This information collection is 
conducted under the authority of Section 185(a)(2) of the Workforce 
Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which requires recipients of 
funds under Title I to maintain such records and submit such reports as 
the Secretary requires regarding the performance of Title I programs 
and activities (including Federal Bonding, a WIOA Section 169 
demonstration). The fidelity bonding demonstration grantees will report 
a recidivism rate for participants enrolled in Wagner-Peyser Employment 
Service. The proposed reporting and record-keeping system provides a 
minimum level of information collection that is necessary to comply 
with Equal Opportunity requirements, to hold grantees appropriately 
accountable for the Federal funds they receive to purchase bonds, and 
to allow the Department to fulfill its oversight and management 
responsibilities.
    This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency 
generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and 
the public is generally not required to respond to an information 
collection, unless it is approved by OMB under the PRA and displays a 
currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any 
other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to 
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that 
does not display a valid control number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 
1320.6.
    Interested parties are encouraged to provide comments to the 
contact shown in the ADDRESSES section. Only written comments will 
receive consideration. DOL will summarize and include these comments in 
the request for OMB approval of the final ICR.
    Submitted comments will also be a matter of public record for this 
ICR and posted on the internet, without redaction. DOL encourages 
commenters not to include personally identifiable information, 
confidential business data, or other sensitive statements/information 
in any comments.
    DOL is particularly interested in comments that:
     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,

[[Page 46763]]

e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
    Agency: DOL-ETA.
    Type of Review: New information collection request.
    Title of Collection: Fidelity Bonding Demonstration.
    Forms: Fidelity Bonding Issuance Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1205-0NEW.
    Affected Public: State Workforce Agencies, local American Job 
Center staff, private employers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 12,024.
    Frequency: Once per Bond.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 6,000.
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 12 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,200.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Cost Burden: $0.
    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).

John Pallasch,
Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019-19142 Filed 9-4-19; 8:45 am]
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