[Federal Register: April 21, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 76)]
[Notices]               
[Page 20772-20773]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21ap05-82]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary

 
Submission for OMB Emergency Review; Comments Requested

April 12, 2005.
    The Department of Labor has submitted the following (see below) 
information collection request (ICR), utilizing emergency review 
procedures, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. 
L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). OMB approval has been requested by 
May 13, 2005. A copy of this ICR, with applicable supporting 
documentation, may be obtained by calling the Department of Labor 
Departmental Clearance Officer, Ira L. Mills (202) 693-4122.
    Comments and questions about the ICR listed below should be 
forwarded to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: 
OMB Desk Officer for the Employment and Training Administration, Room 
10235, Washington, DC 20503. The Office of Management and Budget 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;
     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 submissions of responses.
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration.
    Title: Reporting and Performance Standards System for the Migrant 
and Seasonal Farmworker Program Under Title I, Section 167 of the 
Workforce Investment Act (WIA).
    OMB Number: 1205-0425.
    Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Government.

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                                      Total                                Total      Average time  Total annual
          Form/activity            respondents        Frequency          responses    per response  burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plan Narrative..................            53  Annual...............            53          20            1,060
ETA 9093........................            53  Annual...............            53          15              795
ETA 9094........................            53  Annual...............            53          16              848
ETA 9095........................            53  Quarterly............           212           7            1,484
WIASPR Data.....................            53  On Occasion..........        29,500           2.25        66,375
                                 ---------------
    Totals......................            53  .....................        29,871          60.25        70,562
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $0.
    Description: Each grantee administering funds under the MSFW 
program is required to submit a program planning report (ETA Form 
9094), a budget information summary report (ETA Form 9093), and a 
quarterly program status report (ETA Form 9095). This latter form 
contains information related to levels of participation and service, 
related assistance activities, and

[[Page 20773]]

actual placements in employment. In addition, each grantee submits a 
quarterly file of individual records on all participants who exit the 
program, called the Workforce Investment Act Standardized Participant 
Record (WIASPR). The current MSFW reporting and recordkeeping system 
expires in June 2005.
    This is a request to revise the current MSFW program reporting 
requirements to include data elements necessary for assessing grantee 
progress against common measures of performance beginning July 1, 2005. 
In 2002, under the President's Management Agenda, OMB and other Federal 
agencies developed a set of common performance measures to be applied 
to certain Federally-funded employment and training programs with 
similar strategic goals. Although the common measures are an integral 
part of ETA's performance accountability system, these measures provide 
only part of the information necessary to effectively oversee the 
workforce investment system. ETA will continue to collect from grantees 
data on program activities, participants, and outcomes that are 
necessary for program management and to convey full and accurate 
information on the performance of workforce programs to policymakers 
and stakeholders.
    The value of implementing common measures is the ability to 
describe in a similar manner the core purposes of the workforce 
system--how many people found jobs; did people stay employed; and did 
earnings increase. Multiple sets of performance measures have burdened 
states and grantees as they are required to report performance outcomes 
based on varying definitions and methodologies. By minimizing the 
different reporting and performance requirements, common performance 
measures can facilitate the integration of service delivery, reduce 
barriers to cooperation among programs, and enhance the ability to 
assess the effectiveness and impact of the workforce investment system, 
including the performance of the system in serving individuals facing 
significant barriers to employment.
    This revision to the MSFW program reporting requirements identifies 
a minimum level of information collection that is necessary to comply 
with Equal Opportunity requirements, holds grantees appropriately 
accountable for the Federal funds they receive, including common 
performance measures, and allows the Department to fulfill its 
oversight and management responsibilities.

Ira L. Mills,
Departmental Clearance Officer/Team Leader.
[FR Doc. E5-1875 Filed 4-20-05; 8:45 am]

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