[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 130 (Monday, July 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55987-55988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14791]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Claims 
and Payment Activities

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training 
Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed 
extension, with changes, for the authority to conduct the information 
collection request (ICR) titled, ``Claims and Payment Activities.'' 
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: Consideration will be given to all written comments received by 
September 6, 2024.

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 free by 
contacting Rachel Beistel by telephone at 202-693-2736 (this is not a 
toll-free number) or by email at [email protected]. For persons 
with a hearing or speech disability who need assistance to use the 
telephone system, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay 
services.
    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, Office of Unemployment Insurance Room S-4519, 
200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20210; by email: [email protected]; or by fax 202-693-3975.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Stapleton by telephone at 202-
693-3009 (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. This program helps to ensure 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 can be properly 
assessed.
    Section 303(a)(6) of the Social Security Act (SSA) specifies that 
for State Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs to be certified to 
receive administrative funding from the Federal Government, the State's 
law must include provisions for ``making of such reports . . . as the 
Secretary of Labor may from time to time require, and compliance with 
such provisions as the Secretary may from time to time find necessary 
to assure the correctness and verification of such reports.'' DOL 
considers the proposed changes and updates to the ETA 5159 report to be 
one of those ``provisions . . . necessary to assure the correctness and 
verification'' of the reports submitted by States. ETA is proposing 
changes to the ETA 5159 to continue to collect information on claim 
activities, number of claims and amount of payments under State UI laws 
and Federal unemployment insurance laws for Federal workers and ex-
service members, as well as add additional sections on activities for 
claimants that received State UI first payments and final payments by 
race or ethnicity, sex and/or gender, level of educational attainment 
following the updated definitions proposed for the ETA 203 Report 
titled ``Characteristics of the Insured Unemployed'' under OMB Control 
Number 1205-0009 and a new field capturing incomplete claims. The 
additional demographic report fields for Sex and/or Gender incorporate 
the most recent U.S. State Department's updated passport guidelines. 
The report fields for Race or Ethnicity follow the updated guidance/
changes set out in the Office of Management and Budget's Revisions to 
its Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, 
Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity,\1\ which 
became effective on March 29, 2024. The update field for Level of 
Educational Attainment aligns with the U.S. Census Bureau.
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    \1\ https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-03-29/pdf/2024-06469.pdf.
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    These changes will capture characteristics that better reflect 
society and the UI population across demographic groups. ETA proposes 
adding these categories to increase understanding of interactions 
between socio-economic characteristics and unemployment insurance 
receipt, benefit exhaustion, and to assist State UI program managers 
seeking to identify areas of needs such as barriers to filing an 
application for benefits, hence the additional field for ``incomplete 
claims''. An individual's refusal to disclose claimant demographic 
information will not impact eligibility determinations. Also, any 
responses collected and information provided will be treated as 
confidential. This data will not be shared beyond aggregate reporting 
to ETA and any demographic information associated with a specific 
claimant or employer will be masked or hidden from State agency staff. 
Furthermore, an individual's disclosure of demographic information is 
voluntary and a non-response to questions will continue to be reported 
as ``Information Not Available'' or INA. Section 303(a)(6) SSA, 
authorizes this information collection.
    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. Comments must be written to 
receive consideration, and they will be summarized and included in the 
request

[[Page 55988]]

for OMB approval of the final ICR. In order to help ensure appropriate 
consideration, comments should mention OMB control number 1205-0010.
    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, (e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses).
    Agency: DOL-ETA.
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Title of Collection: Claims and Payment Activities.
    Form: ETA 5159.
    OMB Control Number: 1205-0010.
    Affected Public: State Workforce Agencies.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 53.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 636.
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 40 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 424 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Cost Burden: $0.
    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).

Jos[eacute] Javier Rodr[iacute]guez,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, Labor.
[FR Doc. 2024-14791 Filed 7-5-24; 8:45 am]
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