### 63944 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 207 / Monday, October 27, 2014 / Notices

RegInfo.gov Web site at http:// www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ PRAViewICR?ref

_ nbr=201407-1205-001 (this link will only become active on the day following publication of this notice) or by contacting Michel Smyth by telephone at 202–693–4129, TTY 202– 693–8064, (these are not toll-free numbers) or by email at 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–ETA, 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 by email at DOL

_ PRA

_PUBLIC@dol.gov.

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

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  This ICR seeks to extend PRA authority for the Workforce Flexibility (Work-Flex) Program information collection, which allows a Governor to request authority from the Secretary of Labor to waive certain provisions of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Title I programs. An approved waiver is valid for five (5) years. A Governor has the authority to approve a request submitted by a local area to waive certain WIA statutory and regulatory provisions that would otherwise apply. The Act provides that the Secretary may only grant Work-Flex waiver authority in consideration of a Work-Flex Plan submitted by a State. A State granted Work-Flex authority is required to submit quarterly reports consisting of ten (10) items that summarize waiver activities in the State. WIA section 192 authorizes this information collection. See 29 U.S.C.

2942.

The DOL notes that Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) section 190 includes similar provisions for a State to submit a Workforce Flexibility Plan; however, the existing WIA state and local plan provisions remain in effect until July 1, 2016. WIOA waiver provisions may be the subject of a future ICR.

The Work-Flex Program 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 1205–0432.

OMB authorization for an ICR cannot be for more than three (3) years without renewal, and the current approval for this collection is scheduled to expire on October 31, 2014. The DOL seeks to extend PRA authorization for this information collection for three (3) more years, without any change to existing requirements. The DOL notes that existing information collection requirements submitted to the OMB receive a month-to-month extension while they undergo review. For additional substantive information about this ICR, see the related notice published in the Federal Register on August 26, 2014 (79 FR 50951).

Interested parties are encouraged to send comments to the OMB, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the address shown in the **ADDRESSES** section by December 1, 2014. In order to help ensure appropriate consideration, comments should mention OMB Control Number 1205–0432. 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–ETA. Title of Collection: Workforce Flexibility Program.

OMB Control Number: 1205–0432. Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.

Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 5.

Total Estimated Number of Responses: 21.

Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 320 hours.

Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $0.

Dated: October 21, 2014. Michel Smyth, Departmental Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 2014–25451 Filed 10–24–14; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF LABOR**

**Bureau of Labor Statistics**

**Renewal of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Technical Advisory**  **Committee**

The Secretary of Labor is announcing the renewal of a Federal Advisory Committee. In accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. 2, the Secretary of Labor has determined that the renewal of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Technical Advisory Committee (the ‘‘Committee’’) is in the public interest in connection with the performance of duties imposed upon the Commissioner of Labor Statistics by 29 U.S.C. 1 and 2. This determination follows consultation with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services Administration.

The Committee presents advice and makes recommendations to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on technical aspects of the collection and formulation of economic measures.

The Committee functions solely as an advisory body to the BLS, on technical topics selected by the BLS. Important aspects of the Committee’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

a. Provide comments on papers and presentations developed by BLS research and program staff. The comments will advise BLS as to whether the academic community will regard the work as being technically sound and reflecting best practices in the relevant fields.

b. Conduct research on issues identified by BLS on which an objective technical opinion or recommendation from outside of BLS would be valuable.


### 63945 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 207 / Monday, October 27, 2014 / Notices

c. Recommend BLS conduct internal research projects to address technical problems with BLS statistics that have been identified in the academic literature.

d. Participate in discussions of areas where the types or coverage of economic statistics could be expanded or improved and areas where statistics are no longer relevant.

e. Establish working relationships with professional associations with an interest in BLS statistics, such as the American Statistical Association and the American Economic Association.

The Committee will report to the Commissioner of Labor Statistics.

The Committee consists of approximately sixteen members who serve as Special Government Employees. Members are appointed by the BLS and are approved by the Secretary of Labor. Committee members are economists, statisticians, and behavioral scientists and are chosen to achieve a balanced membership across those disciplines. They are prominent experts in their fields and recognized for their professional achievements and objectivity.

The Committee will function solely as an advisory body, in compliance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The Charter will be filed under the Federal Advisory
Committee Act.

For Further Information Contact: Lisa Fieldhouse, Office of Productivity and Technology, Bureau of Labor Statistics, telephone: 202–691–5025, email: fieldhouse.lisa@bls.gov.

Signed at Washington, DC this 9th day of October 2014. Kimberley D. Hill, Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

[FR Doc. 2014–25440 Filed 10–24–14; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4510–24–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF LABOR**

**Employment and Training Administration** 

**Comment Request for Information Collection for the Jobs and Innovation**  **Accelerator Challenge (JIAC) and Advanced Manufacturing JIAC (AM–**  **JIAC) Grants, New Collection**

**AGENCY :**  Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor.

**ACTION :**  Notice.

**SUMMARY :**  The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the 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 [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)] (PRA). The PRA helps ensure that respondents can provide requested data in the desired format with minimal reporting burden (time and financial resources), with collection instruments that are clearly understood, and that the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.

Currently, ETA is soliciting comments concerning the collection of data for the evaluation of the JIAC and AM–JIAC grants and seeks approval for two rounds of in-person visits to a subset of grantee clusters and a survey of an estimated 330 respondents across all 30 grants. The site visits will involve nine purposefully selected clusters in round one and a return visit to three of those clusters in round two. The visits will consist of semi-structured interviews about implementation of the JIAC initiative to be conducted with cluster management staff, activity leaders, frontline staff, participants, the local workforce investment boards, employer groups, and local economic development agencies. The survey will involve at least 11 respondents in each of the 30 clusters. Respondents within each cluster will include one cluster manager, one ETA funding stream administrator (if this person is different from the cluster manager) and either nine or 10 additional partner organizations. The survey will focus on cluster organization, communication, funding sufficiency, the types and usefulness of Federal support, and program management and sustainability.

**DATES :**  Submit written comments to the office listed in the addresses section below on or before December 26, 2014.

**ADDRESSES :**  Send written comments to Gloria Salas-Kos, Office of Policy Development and Research, Room N5641, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. Telephone number: 202–693–3596 (this is not a toll-free number). Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may access the telephone number above via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at 1–877– 889–5627 (TTY/TDD). Fax: 202–693– 2766. Email: salas-kos.gloria@dol.gov. To obtain a copy of the proposed information collection request, please contact the person listed below. **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Gloria Salas-Kos, Office of Policy Development and Research, Room N5641, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. Telephone number: 202–693–3596 (this is not a toll-free number).

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  I. Background

As of May 2011, when the first round of JIAC grants was issued, the unemployment rate in the United States was nine percent. Almost 14 million people were looking for jobs. Although the rate of unemployment has since fallen by almost two percentage points, it remains higher than at any point over the decade leading up to the ‘‘Great Recession’’ that began in 2007. As the population has continued to grow, job growth has surfaced to the top of the nation’s economic agenda. The economic downturn has led to greater attention to the role of regional innovation clusters as drivers for improving the economy, creating jobs and employment, and enhancing U.S. competitiveness.

ETA has been an active Federal partner in the funding and promotion of regional innovation clusters for the past decade. Specifically, it has sought to address one of the challenges that the clusters face as they pursue economic growth: Employers in some high-wage industries with the potential for creating jobs report trouble finding American workers with the skills to fill the vacancies. Under the authority of section 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998, as amended (29 U.S.C. 2916a), ETA invests heavily in grants to build the skills and qualifications of domestic unemployed workers so that they can fill these positions and reduce the need for foreign workers under the H–1B visa program. In 2011 and 2012, ETA partnered with other Federal funding agencies to support the JIAC grants competitions; ETA has commissioned this study to evaluate and learn from these investments.

The evaluation will address the following five key research questions:

1. What is the role of multiagency collaboration in the planning and implementation of cluster activities?

2. How and in what ways do regional clusters, programs, and partnerships develop under the grant?

3. What workforce-related outcomes do the clusters report achieving through this initiative?