[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 39 (Wednesday, February 28, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 9031]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-3465]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Notice of Renewal of the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship 
(ACA) Charter

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Renewal of the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (ACA) 
Charter.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that after consultation with the 
General Services Administration, it has been determined that the 
renewal of a national advisory committee on apprenticeship is necessary 
and in the public interest. Accordingly, the U.S. Department of Labor, 
Employment and Training Administration has renewed the Advisory 
Committee on Apprenticeship (ACA) Charter with several minor revisions. 
The revisions are not intended to change the purpose or the Committee's 
original intent. The revisions are intended as a routine updating to 
align with the Department's strategic goals and existing procedures.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The current ACA charter expires March 2, 2007. The ACA's charter is 
required to be renewed every two years from the date of the Secretary 
of Labor's signature. During the renewal process several revisions were 
made to align the charter with the Department's strategic goals and 
existing procedures. These proposed revisions were not intended to 
change the purpose or the Committee's original intent. The revisions 
were intended as a routine updating to align with the Department's 
goals and procedures. The revisions are found in the following five 
sections of the charter: Objectives and the Scope, Membership, official 
name change for the Office of Apprenticeship, Panel of Experts, and the 
Annual Operating Cost.

Summary of Revisions

    <bullet> The objectives were slightly modified to ensure that they 
are aligned with the Department's Strategic Goals.
    <bullet> The membership was altered slightly to make official the 
long standing practice of inviting the current President of the 
National Association of State and Territorial Apprenticeship Directors 
(NASTAD) and the National Association of Government Labor Officials 
(NAGLO) to represent his or her respective organization on the 
Committee.
    <bullet> All appropriate entries were modified to reflect the name 
change from the Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor 
Services (OATELS) to the Office of Apprenticeship (OA).
    <bullet> The current ACA recommended the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture be added to the Panel of Experts. The charter states that 
the Secretary can establish a non-voting Panel of Experts consisting of 
representatives from a variety of Departments to assist the Committee 
in carrying out its responsibilities.
    <bullet> The budget was increased from $220,000 to $250,000 to 
accommodate the cost of providing logistical and conference support for 
the annual ACA meetings, and key regulatory workgroup meetings.
    The ACA provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of 
Labor in four key areas:
    (1) In the development and implementation of policies, legislation 
and regulations affecting the National Apprenticeship System;
    (2) On the preparation of the American workforce for sustained 
employment through employment and training programs for new and 
incumbent workers, as well as quality economic and labor market 
information;
    (3) On measures that will foster quality work places that are safe, 
healthy, and fair;
    (4) On strategies to meet the competitive labor demands of a global 
economy, as well as the development of workforce systems that assist 
workers and employers in meeting the challenges of global competition.
    The Committee is composed of approximately 30 individuals appointed 
by the Secretary. The membership of the Committee shall include equal 
representation of employers, labor organizations, and the public 
sectors. NASTAD and NAGLO will both be represented by their current 
President on the public group of the Committee. Since the term for the 
NASTAD and the NAGLO presidency may not coincide with the ACA's two-
year term, as the presidency changes, so will the representatives from 
these respective organizations. The Secretary shall appoint one of the 
public members as Chairperson to the Committee. A representative of the 
U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Commerce will 
be invited to serve as non-voting members of the Committee ex-officio. 
The Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training shall be a member 
ex-officio. The Administrator of the Office of Apprenticeship shall be 
the designated Federal official to the Committee.
    Terms of members shall be 1 or 2-years, as designated by the 
Secretary, provided that all Committee members shall serve at the 
pleasure of the Secretary. Appointments to vacancies occurring during 
the terms of such appointments shall be for the un-expired portions of 
the terms. The expiration date for the 2-year terms shall coincide with 
the termination of the charter, and the 1-year terms shall expire one 
month prior to the termination of the charter.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Anthony Swoope, Administrator, 
Office of Apprenticeship, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Room N-5311, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 693-2796, (this is not a toll-
free number).

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 22nd day of February, 2007.
Emily Stover DeRocco,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training.
 [FR Doc. E7-3465 Filed 2-27-07; 8:45 am]
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