[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 191 (Tuesday, October 2, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 60040-60041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-24264]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
20 CFR Part 655
RIN 1205-AB61
Wage Methodology for the Temporary Non-Agricultural Employment H-
2B Program; Delay of Effective Date
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.
ACTION: Final rule; delay of effective date.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (Department) is delaying the effective
date of the Wage Methodology for the Temporary Non-agricultural
Employment H-2B Program final rule, in response to recently enacted
legislation that prohibits any funds from being used to implement the
Wage Rule for the first 6 months of fiscal year (FY) 2013. The Wage
Rule revised the methodology by which the Department calculates the
prevailing wages to be paid to H-2B workers and United States (U.S.)
workers recruited in connection with a temporary labor certification
for use in petitioning the Department of Homeland Security to employ a
nonimmigrant worker in H-2B status.
DATES: The effective date for the final rule amending 20 CFR part 655,
published at 76 3452, January 19, 2011, effective January 1, 2012,
amended to September 30, 2011, at 76 FR 45667, August 1, 2011, delayed
until November 30, 2011, at 76 FR 59896 (September 28, 2011), delayed
until January 1, 2012, at 76 FR 73508 (November 29, 2011), and delayed
until October 1, 2012 at 76 FR 82115 (December 30, 2011), is further
delayed until March 27, 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William L. Carlson, Ph.D.,
Administrator, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, ETA, U.S.
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room C-4312,
Washington, DC 20210; Telephone (202) 693-3010 (this is not a toll-free
number). Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may access the
telephone number above via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal
Information Relay Service at 1-877-889-5627 (TTY/TDD).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Department published the Wage Methodology for the Temporary
Non-agricultural Employment H-2B Program final rule (the Wage Rule) on
January 19, 2011, 76 FR 3452. The Wage Rule revised the methodology by
which the Department calculates the prevailing wages to be paid to H-2B
workers and United States (U.S.) workers recruited in connection with a
temporary labor certification for use in petitioning the Department of
Homeland Security to employ a nonimmigrant worker in H-2B status. The
Department originally set the effective date of the Wage Rule for
January 1, 2012. However, due to a court ruling that invalidated the
January 1, 2012 effective date of the Wage Rule,\1\ the Department
issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on June 28, 2011, which
proposed that the Wage Rule take effect 60 days from the date of
publication of a final rule resulting from the NPRM. 76 FR 37686 (June
28, 2011). After a period of public comment, a Final Rule was published
on August 1, 2011, which set the new effective date for the Wage Rule
of September 30, 2011 (the Effective Date Rule).
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\1\ CATA v. Solis, Civil Docket No. 09-240, Doc. No. 119, 2011
WL 2414555 (E.D. Pa. June 16, 2011).
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Both the Wage Rule and the Effective Date Rule were challenged in
two separate lawsuits \2\ seeking to bar their implementation. In
consideration of the two pending challenges to the Wage Rule and its
new effective date, and the possibility that the litigation would be
transferred to another court,\3\ the Department issued a final rule, 76
FR 59896, September 28, 2011, postponing the effective date of the Wage
Rule from September 30, 2011, until November 30, 2011, in accordance
with the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 705.
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\2\ See Louisiana Forestry Association, Inc., et al. (LFA) v.
Solis, et al., Civil Docket No. 11-1623 (W.D. La, Alexandria
Division); and Bayou Lawn & Landscape Services, et al. (Bayou) v.
Solis, et al., Civil Docket No. (N.D. Fla., Pensacola Division).
\3\ On September 19, 2011, the plaintiffs in the CATA litigation
moved to intervene in the LFA litigation, and also moved to transfer
venue over the litigation to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania,
the court in which the CATA case remains pending. The plaintiffs'
motion to intervene was granted by the U.S. District Court in the
Western District of Louisiana on Sept. 22, 2011, but was denied by
the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Florida on Nov.
23, 2011. Additionally, the motion to transfer venue was granted by
the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Louisiana on Dec.
12, 2011 but was denied by the U.S. District Court in the Northern
District of Florida on Dec. 12, 2011.
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Thereafter, the Department postponed the effective date of the Wage
Rule again, in light of the enactment on November 18, 2011, of the
Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012, which
provided that ``[n]one of the funds made available by this or any other
Act for fiscal year 2012 may be used to implement, administer, or
enforce, prior to January 1, 2012 the [Wage Rule].'' Public Law 112-55,
Div. B, Title V, Sec. 546 (Nov. 18, 2011) (the November Appropriations
Act). In delaying the Wage Rule's effective date, the Department stated
that although the November Appropriations Act ``prevent[ed] the
expenditure of funds to implement, administer, or enforce the Wage Rule
before January 1, 2012, it did not prohibit the Wage Rule from going
into effect, which was scheduled to occur on November 30, 2011. When
the Wage Rule goes into effect, it will supersede and make null the
prevailing wage provisions at 20 CFR 655.10(b) of the Department's
existing H-2B regulations, which were promulgated under Labor
Certification Process and Enforcement for Temporary Employment in
Occupations Other Than Agriculture or Registered Nursing in the United
States (H-2B Workers), and Other Technical Changes; final rule, 73 FR
78020, Dec. 19, 2008 (the H-2B
[[Page 60041]]
2008 Rule).'' 76 FR 82115, 82116. Accordingly, the Department
determined that it was necessary in light of the November
Appropriations Act to delay the effective date of the Wage Rule in
order to avoid the replacement of the H-2B 2008 Rule with a new rule
that the Department lacks appropriated funds to implement. As a result,
the Department issued a final rule, 76 FR 73508, on November 29, 2011
which delayed the effective date of the Wage Rule until January 1,
2012.
On December 23, 2011, President Obama signed into law the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (the December Appropriations
Act), which provided that ``[n]one of the amounts made available under
this Act may be used to implement the [Wage Rule].'' Similar to the
November Appropriations Act, the December Appropriations Act prevented
the expenditure of funds to implement the Wage Rule for the remainder
of FY 2012. In light of the December Appropriations Act, the Department
issued a Final Rule, 76 FR 82115, on December 30, 2011, which further
delayed the effective date of the Wage Rule until October 1, 2012.
In anticipation of the enactment of H.J. Res. 117, which continues
the Department's appropriations from the December Appropriations Act
until March 27, 2013 ``under the authority and conditions provided'' in
the December Appropriations Act, H.J. Res. 117, Sec. 101(a), the
Department must again delay the effective date of the Wage Rule to
prevent the replacement of the H-2B 2008 Rule with a new rule that the
Department lacks appropriated funds to implement. As noted with the
previous delays in the effective dates, if the Wage Rule were to become
effective on October 1, 2012 and H.J. Res. 117 becomes law, the
Department would be unable to issue prevailing wage determinations
under the H-2B 2008 rule. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
under its regulations at 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(iii) and (iv) requires an
employer seeking H-2B workers to obtain a labor certification from the
Department. Because the Department would be legally precluded from
issuing prevailing wage determinations, temporary labor certifications
for employers seeking H-2B workers could not be issued because the
Department could not comply with its own regulations or those of DHS.
As a result, the H-2B program would be held in abeyance for the first 6
months of FY 2013; therefore, the Department is extending the effective
date of the Wage Rule until March 27, 2013.
The Department considers this situation an emergency warranting the
publication of a final rule under the good cause exception of the
Administrative Procedure Act. See 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) and 553(d)(3). In
order to avoid an operational suspension during the first 6 months of
FY 2013, the Department finds good cause to adopt this rule, effective
immediately, and without prior notice and comment. See 5 U.S.C.
553(b)(B) and 553(d)(3). As such, a delay in promulgating this rule
past the date of publication would be impracticable and unnecessary and
would disrupt the program, leaving program users without access to the
H-2B program.
Signed at Washington, DC this 27th day of September, 2012.
Jane Oates,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training.
[FR Doc. 2012-24264 Filed 9-28-12; 8:45 am]
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