Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Jobs for Veterans State Grants Reports

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, “Jobs for Veterans State Grants Reports,” to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

DATES:

The OMB will consider all written comments that agency receives on or before March 11, 2016.

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 of charge from the RegInfo.gov Web site at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=201512-1293-001 or by contacting Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129, TTY 202-693-8064, (these are not toll-free numbers) or sending an email to DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.

Submit comments about this request by mail or courier to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for DOL-VETS, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503; by Fax: 202-395-5806 (this is not a toll-free number); or by email: OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov. Commenters are encouraged, but not required, to send a courtesy copy of any comments by mail or courier to the U.S. Department of Labor—OASAM, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Attn: Departmental Information Compliance Management Program, Room N1301, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210; or by email: DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129, TTY 202-693-8064, (these are not toll-free numbers) or sending an email to DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.

Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This ICR seeks approval under the PRA for revisions to the Jobs for Veterans State Grants Reports information collection. The VETS administers funds for multi-year Jobs for Veterans State Grants given to each State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam on an annual basis on a fiscal year cycle. This information collection is used to facilitate the identification of required programmatic and financial data provided by States requesting and expending funds and for monitoring the grants, making quarterly adjustments, and reporting results to Congress. The use of program-specific standard formats helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in a uniform way, reporting burdens are minimized, the impact of collection requirements on respondents are properly assessed, collection instruments are clearly understood by respondents, and the information is easily consolidated for posting in accordance with statutory requirements. Reporting instruments under this ICR are: Manager's Report on Services to Veterans and Forms VETS-201, VETS-401, VETS-402A, VETS-501, and VETS-601. This information collection has been classified as a revision, because the VETS has adopted clarifying changes submitted by users to Form VETS-201. These changes are more fully explained in the ICR. The Training and Rehabilitation for Veterans with Service Connected Disabilities Act, Job Counseling, Training, and Placement Service for Veterans Act, Employment and Training of Veterans Act, and Employment Assistance, Job Training Assistance and other Transitional Services Act authorize this information collection. See 38 U.S.C. 31, 38 U.S.C. 41, 38 U.S.C. 42, and 10 U.S.C. 1144.

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 the 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. The DOL obtains OMB approval for this information collection under Control Number 1293-0009. The DOL notes that existing information collection requirements submitted to the OMB receive a month-to-month extension while they undergo review. New requirements would only take effect upon OMB approval. For additional substantive information about this ICR, see the related notice published in the Federal Register on March 3, 2015 (80 FR 11470).

Interested parties are encouraged to send comments to the OMB, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the address shown in the ADDRESSES section within thirty (30) days of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. In order to help ensure appropriate consideration, comments should mention OMB Control Number 1293-0009. The OMB 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-VETS.

Title of Collection: Jobs for Veterans State Grants Reports.

OMB Control Number: 1293-0009.

Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.

Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,219.

Total Estimated Number of Responses: 8,714.

Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 17,401 hours.

Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $0.