59470 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 194 / Thursday, October 5, 2000 / Notices

behalf of workers at Hannah Hardy, Inc.,

New York, New York.

The Department of Labor has been

unable to locate an official of the

company to provide the information

necessary to render a trade adjustment

assistance determination. Consequently,

the Department of Labor cannot conduct

an investigation to make a

determination as to whether the workers

are eligible for adjustment assistance

benefits under the Trade Act of 1974.

Therefore, further investigation in this

matter would serve no purpose, and the

investigation has been terminated.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 20th day of

September, 2000.

Edward A. Tomchick,

Director, Division of Trade Adjustment

Assistance.

[FR Doc. 00–25609 Filed 10–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–30–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training

Administration

Proposed Collection; Unemployment

Compensation for Federal Employees

(UCFE) Program Forms Comment

Request

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor

(DOL), as part of its continuing effort to

reduce paperwork and respondent

burden, conducts a preclearance

consultation program to provide the

general public and Federal agencies 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)]. 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

revision and extension of the

Unemployment Compensation for

Federal Employees (UCFE) Handbook.

A copy of the proposed information

collection request 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

December 4, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Merri Baldwin, Office of

Workforce Security, U.S. Department of

Labor, Room S–4231, Frances Perkins

Building, 200 Constitution Ave., NW,

Washington, DC 20210, telephone (202)

219–7301 ext. 185 (this is not a toll-free

number), fax number (202) 219–8506. Email address: mbaldwin@doleta.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The UCFE law (5 U.S.C. 8501–8509)

requires State employment security

agencies (SESAs) to pay UCFE in the

same amount and under the same terms

and conditions as would be payable

under the unemployment insurance law

of the State if claimants’ Federal service

and Federal wages had been included as

employment and wages under that State

law. Each State agency must obtain from

the Federal agency wage and separation

information for each claimant filing a

UCFE claim to enable it to determine

his/her eligibility for benefits. The State

agencies obtain and record required

UCFE information on forms developed

by the Department of Labor: ES–931,

ES–931A, ES–933, ES–934, and ES–935.

The use of each of these forms is

essential to the UCFE claims process.

Information pertaining to the UCFE

claimant may be obtained from the

individual’s former employing Federal

agency only by using Form ES–931,

Request for Wage and Separation

Information. If the claimant’s former

employer does not provide the

information, the next most feasible and

effective way to obtain this information

is by use of Form ES–935, claimants’

Affidavit of Federal Civilian Service,

Wages and Reason for Separation,

prescribed by the Department of Labor

for State agency use. Without this

information, States could not adequately

determine the UCFE eligibility of former

Federal employees and would not be

able to properly administer the program.

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

Department’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 is a request for Office of

Management and Budget (OMB)

approval under the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.

3506(c)(2)(A)) of an extension to an

existing collection of information

previously approved and assigned OMB

control no. 1205–0179. A current

inventory of 78,000 UCFE claims was

filed in calendar year 1999, and an

estimated inventory of 78,000 UCFE

claims will be reported for fiscal year

(FY) 2000, reflecting both a significant

decrease of 110,000 from FY 1997 and

a decrease of 10,025 hours toward ETA’s

Information Collection Budget.

Following a massive downsizing during

FY 1997, the Federal Government

workforce now has stabilized, and,

therefore, there are fewer UCFE claims

being filed.

Fifty-three (53) SESAs fill out these

forms. Form ES–931 is completed by

SESAs whenever a Federal civilian

employee files a claim (UCFE) for

unemployment compensation. Form

ES–931A is used to request separation

information or the reason for non-pay

status when a claimant has a previously

established benefit year and is

reopening his claim after an intervening

period of employment in a federal

agency. Form ES–933 is used to obtain

information from the Office of Workers’

Compensation. Form ES–934 is used to

obtain information when missing or

clarified data is needed from a Federal

agency. This form is used in about 10%

of claims. Form ES–935 is used,

generally, to overcome delays in the

normal claims process caused by

delayed returns of completed Form ES–

931 by the employing Federal agency.

The ES–935 is required to be completed

in 100% of all claims. Form ES–936,

Request for Verification of Wage and

Separation Information Furnished on

Form ES–931, is sent to payroll offices

to verify a sample of the Forms ES–931

submitted by that office and to provide

the Federal agency with an opportunity

to request technical assistance

concerning the UCFE program. This

form is used semi-annually. Form ES–

939, Federal Agency Visits Report, is

completed by a SESA representative, on

each visit to a Federal agency

installation in connection with the

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 194 / Thursday, October 5, 2000 / Notices 59471

UCFE program. The number of times

this form is used varies with each State.

Form ETA 8–32, Report of UCFE

Activities, is used by each SESA every

6-months to verify activities and Federal

agency visits.

Type of Review: Extension.

Agency: Employment and Training

Administration.

Title: Unemployment Compensation

for Federal Employees (UCFE)

Handbook.

OMB Number: 1205–0179.

Recordkeeping: DOL does not

maintain a system of records for the

UCFE program. UCFE records are

maintained by the SESAs acting as

agents for the Federal Government in

the administration of the UCFE

program. The DOL procedures permit

the SESAs, upon request, to dispose of

UCFE records according to State law

provisions, 3 years after final action

(including appeals or court action) on

the claim, or such records may be

transferred in less than the 3-year period

if micro photographed in accordance

with appropriate micro photography

standards.

Affected Public: State governments

(State employment security agencies)

and Federal Government agencies.

Cite/Reference/Form/etc.: Forms ES–

931, ES–931A, ES–933, ES–934, ES–

935, ES–936, ES–939, and ETA 8–32.

Total Respondents: 78,000.

Frequency: As needed.

Total Responses: 209,521.

Average Time per Response: .05 min.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 215.78

hrs.

Cite/reference Total respondents Frequency Total

responses

Average time

per response Burden

ES–931 ............................................................................. 78,000 1 78,000 .05 min. ........... <3,900 min>

65 hrs.

ES–931A ........................................................................... 19,500 1 19,500 .05 ................... <975 min>

or 16.25 hrs.

ES–935 ............................................................................. 78,00 1 78,000 .08 ................... <6,240 min>

or 104 hrs.

ES–933 ............................................................................. 3,760 1 1,560 .05 ................... <376 min>

3.13 hrs.

ES–934 ............................................................................. 20,680 1 20,680 .05 ................... <1,034 min>

17.23 hrs.

ES–936 ............................................................................. 9,400 1 9,400 .05 ................... <470 min>

or 7.83 hrs.

ES–939 ............................................................................. 75 1 75 1.75 ................. <131.25 min>

or 2.2 hrs.

ETA 8–32 .......................................................................... 53 2 106 .08 min. ........... <8.48 min>

or .14 hrs.

Total ....................................................................... 189,721 .................... 215.78 hrs.

Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): 0.

Total Burden Cost (operating/

maintaining): $65,807.

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 also will

become a matter of public record.

Dated: September 26, 2000.

Grace A. Kilbane,

Administrator, Office of Workforce Security.

[FR Doc. 00–25607 Filed 10–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–30–P

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training

Administration

[NAFTA–04129]

Imaging Technologies, Inc., Cookeville,

TN; Notice of Termination of

Investigation

Pursuant to Title V of the North

American Free Trade Agreement

Implementation Act and in accordance

with Section 250(a), Subchapter D,

Chapter 2, Title II of the Trade Act of

1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2331), an

investigation was initiated on August

28, 2000, on behalf of workers at

Imaging Technologies Inc., Cookeville,

Tennessee.

The petitioner has requested that the

petition be withdrawn. Consequently,

further investigation in this case would

serve no purpose, and the investigation

has been terminated.

Signed in Washington, D.C. this 26th day

of September, 2000.

Edward A. Tomchick,

Director, Division of Trade Adjustment

Assistance.

[FR Doc. 00–25608 Filed 10–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–30–M

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Notice of Permits Issued Under the

Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of permits issued under

the Antarctic Conservation of 1978,

Public Law 95–541.

SUMMARY: The National Science

Foundation (NSF) is required to publish

notice of permits issued under the

Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978.

This is the required notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Nadene G. Kennedy, Permit Office,

Office of Polar Programs, Rm. 755,

National Science Foundation, 4201

Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August

29, 2000, the National Science

Foundation published a notice in the

Federal Register of permit applications

received. Permits were issued on

September 28, 2000 to the following

applicants:

Wayne Z. Trivelpiece, Permit No. 2001–

011;

John T. Lisle, Permit No. 2001–014;

Thomas W. Yelvington, Permit Nos.

2001–016 and 2001–021;

Jerry L. Mullins, Permit No. 2001–018.

Nadene G. Kennedy,

Permit Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–25493 Filed 10–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M