[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 124 (Thursday, June 27, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53656-53657]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14158]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Wage and Hour Division


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Information Collections: Employment Information Form

AGENCY: Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (Department) is soliciting comments 
concerning a proposed revision of the information collection request 
(ICR) titled ``Employment Information Form.'' 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). 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 can be 
properly assessed. A copy of the proposed information request can be 
obtained by contacting the office listed below in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this Notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
ADDRESSES section below on or before August 27, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Control Number 1235-
0021, by either one of the following methods: Email: 
[email protected]; Mail, Hand Delivery, Courier: Division of 
Regulations, Legislation, and Interpretation, Wage and Hour, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Room S-3502, 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 
Control Number identified above for this information collection. 
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 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the information 
collection request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Waterman, Division of 
Regulations, Legislation, and Interpretation, Wage and Hour Division, 
U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3502, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-0406 (this is not a toll-
free number). Alternative formats are available upon request by calling 
1-866-487-9243. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech 
disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay 
services.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    I. Background: The Department of Labor's (Department) Wage and Hour 
Division WHD (WHD) is authorized to administer and enforce a variety of 
laws that establish the minimum standards for wages and working 
conditions in the United States. Collectively, these labor standards 
cover most private, state, and local government employment. These labor 
laws range from some of the earliest labor protections passed by 
Congress to some of the most recent. Although they differ in scope, all 
of the statutes enforced by WHD are intended to protect and to promote 
the welfare of the nation's workforce; to provide opportunities for 
advancement; to ensure fair compensation for work performed; and to 
level the playing field for responsible employers. The Fair Labor 
Standards Act (FLSA) minimum wage provisions and the government 
contract prevailing wage laws provide a floor for the payment of fair 
wages, while the FLSA overtime provisions are intended to broaden work 
opportunities and promote employment. The Migrant and Seasonal 
Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA) and the immigration programs 
establish working conditions intended to protect the wages and the 
safety and health of vulnerable workers; to ensure that the local labor 
force is not displaced by lower paid foreign or migrant labor; and 
ensure employers that obey the law are not disadvantaged. The McNamara-
O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) requires contractors and 
subcontractors performing services on prime contracts in excess of 
$2,500 to pay service employees in various classes no less than the 
wage rates and fringe benefits found prevailing in the locality, or the 
rates (including prospective increases) contained in a predecessor 
contractor's collective bargaining agreement. The Davis-Bacon and 
Related Acts (DBRA)

[[Page 53657]]

require payment of prevailing wages on federal funded or assisted 
construction projects. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was 
enacted to help workers balance family and work responsibilities and 
help keep middle class families in the middle class by providing job 
protection, and the child labor provisions of the FLSA ensure the safe 
employment of young workers; encourage their educational endeavors; and 
provide a path to future employment. The Department also administers 
portions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act, various Executive 
Orders such as E.O. 13658, E.O. 14026, and E.O. 14055.
    In FY 2023, WHD concluded 955 investigations that found child labor 
violations, a 14% increase from the previous year. WHD found nearly 
5,800 children employed in violation of the law, an 88% increase since 
2019, and assessed more than $8 million in penalties, an 83% increase 
from the previous year. At the Wage and Hour Division, safeguarding 
children at work has always been our top priority. Wage and Hour 
Division investigations found a significant increase in children being 
employed illegally and in 2023 launched a National Strategic 
Enforcement Initiative on Child Labor to put additional emphasis on 
addressing this critical issue. As part of this initiative, the 
Department has designed a WHD contact form to better respond to 
potential child labor issues and potential complaints. This revision 
proposes to implement the contact form to better streamline Department 
responsiveness to child labor issues. This contact form will replace 
any existing contact form on the WHD website.
    WHD has prepared a new landing page, a general inquiry form as well 
as a form specific to child labor. The respondent will only submit one 
response as if they click child labor on the general inquiry form, the 
child labor form will appear.
    Interested parties are encouraged to send comments to the 
Department at the address shown in the ADDRESSES section within 60 days 
of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. To help ensure 
appropriate consideration, comments should reference OMB Control Number 
1235-0021.
    II. Review Focus: The Department of Labor is particularly 
interested in comments which:
     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;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected;
     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;
     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, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.
    III. Current Actions: The Department of Labor seeks an approval for 
the revision of this information collection to ensure effective 
administration of the laws administered by the WHD.
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Agency: Wage and Hour Division.
    Title: Employment Information Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1235-0021
    Agency Numbers: WH-3.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit, non-profits, 
individuals.
    Total Respondents: 133,803.
    Total Annual Responses: 133,803
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 26,802.
    Estimated Time per Response: 20 minutes per complaint, 10 minutes 
per Contact US submission.
    Frequency: On occasion.

    Dated: June 21, 2024.
Daniel Navarrete,
Acting Director, Division of Regulations, Legislation, and 
Interpretation.
[FR Doc. 2024-14158 Filed 6-26-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-27-P