[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 18, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8216-8218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-4050]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Job Training Partnership Act: Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker
Programs Under Title IV-A Proposed Collection; Comment Request
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance
consultation process 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) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This process helps to
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format,
reporting burdens are minimized, collection instruments are clearly
understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents
can be properly assessed. Currently, the Employment and Training
Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed
reinstatement of the previously-approved planning and reporting system
for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) title IV-A, section 402 Migrant
and Seasonal Farmworker programs for three more program years (July 1,
1997 to June 30, 2000). A copy of the proposed information collection
request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in
the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addressee section below on or before April 20, 1998.
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
[[Page 8217]]
whether the information will have practical utility;
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's burden estimate for
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 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.
ADDRESSES: Thomas M. Dowd, Acting Chief, Division of Migrant and
Seasonal Farmworker Programs, Employment and Training Administration,
U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-4641, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 219-8502 ext 119 (VOICE) or
(202) 219-6338 (FAX) (these are not toll-free numbers) or INTERNET:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Employment and Training Administration of the Department of
Labor is requesting reinstatement of its previously-approved planning
and reporting system for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) title IV-
A, section 402 Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker grantees for three more
program years (July 1, 1997 to June 30, 2000). In evaluating the last
two years' planning and reporting experience of the grantees who
receive funding under section 402, the Department has decided that the
system does not require any major changes beyond those instituted for
PY 1995 when the Standardized Participant Information Report (SPIR) was
adopted to replace the Farmworker Annual Status Report [FASR--ETA
8599]. This position is reached in part because of pending new
workforce legislation, which would possibly require extensive revisions
to the current planning and reporting system.
II. Current Actions
The proposed ICR will be a reinstatement of a previously approved
system that will be used by approximately 34 section 402 grantees as
the primary planning and reporting vehicle for enrolled individuals,
their characteristics, training and services provided, outcomes,
including job placement and employability enhancements, as well as
detailed financial data on program expenditures. Section 402 grantees
are currently required to submit annual participant data on the SPIR,
which will not be affected by this continuation. SPIR burdens are
covered separately under OMB Clearance No. 1205-0350 (expiration date
6/30/98), and have not been included in the following burden estimates.
For ease of analysis, the following burden estimate is broken down into
the three main components of section 402 program operation: (1)
planning; (2) recordkeeping; and (3) reporting.
Type of Review: REINSTATEMENT.
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration.
Title: Planning and reporting system for JTPA title IV-A, section
402 Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker grantees.
OMB Number: 1205-0215.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 17.252.
Recordkeeping Requirements: Grantees shall retain supporting and
other documents necessary for the compilation and submission of the
subject reports for three years after submission of the final financial
report for the grant in question [29 CFR 97.42 and/or 29 CFR 95.53].
Affected Public: Private non-profit organizations; State agencies;
consortia of any of the above.
Total Estimated Burden: 65,152 hours.
Detailed breakdown of the above-estimated burden hour requirements
for the JTPA section 402 program:
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Number of Responses Total Hours per Total
Required activity MSFW form Nos. respondents per year responses response burden hrs.
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(Plan.) Master Agreement...................... ...................................... 34 1 34 0.5 17
(Plan.) Narrative............................. ...................................... 34 1 34 22 748
Budget Information Sum........................ ETA 8595.............................. 34 1 34 15 510
Program Planning Sum.......................... ETA 8596.............................. 34 1 34 16 544
Recordkeeping................................. ...................................... 34 ........... 35,224 1.75 61,667
(Reporting) FSR............................... ETA 8597.............................. 34 4 102 7 952
Program Status Summary........................ ETA 8598.............................. 34 3 102 7 714
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Totals.................................... ...................................... 34 11 35,564 69.25 65,152
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Note: Recordkeeping estimates are based on the actual number of
terminees reported on the SPIR for PY 1995 (35,224) times an
estimated average of 1.75 hours per participant record.
The individual time per response (whether plan, record, or report)
varies widely depending on the degree of automation attained by
individual grantees. Grantees also vary according to the numbers of
individuals served in each program year. If the grantee has a fully-
developed and automated MIS, the response time is limited to one-time
programming plus processing time for each response. It is the
Department's desire to see as many section 402 grantees as possible
become computerized, so that response time for planning and reporting
will eventually sift down to an irreducible minimum with an absolute
minimum of human intervention.
Estimated Grantee Burden Costs: (There are no capital/start-up
costs involved in any section 402 activities).
Planning: 1,819 hours times an estimated cost per grantee hour of
$20.00 (including fringes) = $36,380 per year.
Recordkeeping: 61,667 hours times the same $20.00 per hour =
$1,233,340.
Reporting: 1,666 hours times $20.00 = $33,320 per year.
Total estimated burden costs: $1,303,040 (nationwide).
As noted, these costs will vary widely among grantees, from nearly
no additional cost to some higher figure, depending on the state of
automation attained by each grantee and the wages paid to the staff
actually completing the various forms.
All costs associated with the required submissions outlined above,
whether for planning, recordkeeping, or reporting purposes, are
allowable grant expenses.
Comments submitted in response to this comment 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 8218]]
Signed at Washington, DC, this 11th day of February, 1998.
Anna W. Goddard,
Director, Office of Special Targeted Programs.
[FR Doc. 98-4050 Filed 2-17-98; 8:45 am]
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