Office of Workforce Security; Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Employment and Training Admininstration, Department of Labor.

ACTION:

Notice.

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 the proposed extension of the ETA 191, Statement of Expenditures and Financial Adjustments of Federal Funds for Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees and Ex-Service members. 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.

DATES:

Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the addressee's section below on or before May 5, 2000.

ADDRESSES:

Sharon L. Jones, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment And Training Administration, Office Of Workforce Security, Room S4231, 200 Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC, 20210; telephone number (202) 219-5312 ext. 373 (this is not a toll—free number); fax (202) 219-8506.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

Public Law 97-362, Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1982 amended the Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Service members (UCX) law (5 USC 8509) and Public Law 96-499, Omnibus Reconciliation Act amended the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) law (5 USC 8501, et. seq.) requiring each Federal employing agency to pay the costs of regular and extended UCFE/UCX benefits paid to its employees by the State employment security agencies (SESAs). The ETA 191 report submitted quarterly by each SESA show the amount of benefits that should be charged to each Federal employing agency. The Employment and Training Administration uses this information to aggregate the SESA quarterly charges and submit one official bill to each Federal agency being charged. Federal agencies then reimburse the Federal Employees Compensation (FEC) Account, maintained by the U.S. Treasury.

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

This collection continues to be needed to assure that the provisions of law are met regarding the requirement for each Federal agency to meet its obligations for paying for its unemployment compensation costs and to assure that SESAs are reimbursed properly for their expenditures of UCFE and UCX benefit on behalf of the Federal agencies.

Type of Review: Extension (without change).

Agency: Employment and Training Administration.

Title: ETA 191, Statement of Expenditures and Adjustments of Federal Funds for Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees and Ex-Service members (UCFE/UCX).

OMB Number: 1205-0162.

Agency Number: ETA 191.

Affected Public: State Government.

Total Respondents: 53.

Frequency: Quarterly.

Total Responses: 212.

Average Time per Response: 1.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 212.

Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $5,300. 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.