[Federal Register: January 5, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 2)]
[Notices]               
[Page 317-318]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05ja09-88]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

 
Agency Information Collection Activities: Extension of a 
Currently Approved Information Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: 60-day notice of information collection under review: Form ETA-
9127, Foreign Labor Certification Quarterly Activity Report.

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    OMB Control No. 1205-0457.
SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program 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 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. 
Currently, the Employment and Training Administration is soliciting 
comments concerning Form ETA 9127, Foreign Labor Certification 
Quarterly Activity Report. A copy of the proposed information 
collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office 
listed below in the addressee section of this notice or at this WEB 
site: http://www.doleta.gov/OMBCN/OMBControlNumber.cfm.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee section below on or before March 6, 2009.

ADDRESSES: William L. Carlson, Administrator, Office of Foreign Labor 
Certification, U.S. Department of Labor, Room C4312, 200 Constitution 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20210; by phone at (202) 693-3010 (this is 
not a toll-free number); by fax at (202) 693-2768; or by e-mail at 
ETA.OFLC.Forms@dol.gov subject line: Form 9127.

[[Page 318]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    I. Background: Foreign labor certification programs administered by 
the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of 
Labor (DOL or Department) require State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) to 
initially process applications for temporary labor certifications (H-2A 
and H-2B) filed by U.S. employers on behalf of foreign workers seeking 
to be employed in the U.S. SWAs are also responsible for issuing 
prevailing wage determinations, reviewing employer-provided wage 
surveys or other source data, conducting housing inspections of 
facilities offered to migrant and seasonal workers, and conducting and 
monitoring recruitment activities seeking qualified U.S. workers for 
the temporary jobs employers are attempting to fill with foreign 
workers. The SWAs perform these functions under a reimbursable grant 
that is awarded annually. The information pertaining to these functions 
is proposed to be collected on the Form ETA 9127 and will be used by 
Departmental staff to manage foreign (alien) labor certification 
programs in the SWAs. The Department will use the data collected to: 
(1) Monitor the number of temporary applications that are received, 
processed, and forwarded to the national processing centers; (2) 
determine the number of prevailing wage determinations issued to 
employers under the permanent and temporary labor certification 
programs, as well as, the H-1B program for nonimmigrant professionals 
in specialty occupations; and, (3) track the number of agricultural 
prevailing wage and practice surveys conducted, housing inspections 
made, and job orders filed. The information on workload will be used 
for formulating budget estimates for both state and Federal workloads, 
and for monitoring a State's performance against the grant statement of 
work and work plan. Without such information, the budget workload 
figures will be estimates and the allocation of funding to the SWAs 
will not reflect the true workload in a State.
    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;
     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.
    III. Current Actions:
    In order to meet its statutory responsibilities under the INA, the 
Department needs to extend an existing collection of information to 
continue to collect data from SWAs.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
    Title: Foreign Labor Certification Quarterly Activity Report.
    OMB Number: 1205-0457.
    Agency Number(s): Form ETA 9127.
    Recordkeeping: Quarterly.
    Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal governments.
    Total Respondents: 54 State Workforce Agencies.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 432.
    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): 0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): 0.
    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.

    Dated: December 29, 2008.
William L. Carlson,
Administrator, Office of Foreign Labor Certifications.
[FR Doc. E8-31264 Filed 1-2-09; 8:45 am]

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