59418 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 188 / Thursday, September 27, 2012 / Notices 

goods—along with countries of origin— 

that the Bureau of International Labor 

Affairs (ILAB) has reason to believe are 

produced by child labor or forced labor 

in violation of international standards 

(List). ILAB is required to develop and 

make available to the public the List 

pursuant to the Trafficking Victims 

Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 

(TVPRA). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Director, Office of Child Labor, Forced 

Labor, and Human Trafficking, Bureau 

of International Labor Affairs, U.S. 

Department of Labor at (202) 693–4843 

(this is not a toll-free number). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Bureau of International Labor Affairs 

(ILAB) announces the publication of the 

fourth edition of the List of Goods 

Produced by Child Labor or Forced 

Labor (List), pursuant to the Trafficking 

Victims Protection Reauthorization Act 

(TVPRA) of 2005. ILAB published the 

initial List on September 10, 2009, and 

has since published updated editions 

annually. The 2012 edition adds four 

goods (baked goods, beef, fish and 

thread/yarn), from 3 countries (South 

Sudan, Suriname and Vietnam), to the 

List. 

Section 105(b) of the TVPRA of 2005 

mandated that ILAB develop and 

publish a list of goods from countries 

that ILAB ‘‘has reason to believe are 

produced with child labor or forced 

labor in violation of international 

standards.’’ ILAB’s Office of Child 

Labor, Forced Labor, and Human 

Trafficking (OCFT) carries out this 

mandate. The primary purposes of the 

List are to raise public awareness about 

the incidence of child labor and forced 

labor in the production of goods in the 

countries listed and to promote efforts 

to eliminate such practices. A full 

report, including the updated List and a 

discussion of the List’s context, scope, 

methodology, and limitations, as well as 

Frequently Asked Questions and a 

bibliography of sources, are available on 

the DOL Web site at: http:// 

www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/ocft/ 

tvpra.htm. 

Signed at Washington, DC, this 17th day of 

September, 2012. 

Carol Pier, 

Acting Deputy Undersecretary for 

International Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2012–23402 Filed 9–26–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–28–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Notice of Initial Determination Revising 

the List of Products Requiring Federal 

Contractor Certification as to Forced/ 

Indentured Child Labor Pursuant to 

Executive Order 13126 

AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor 

Affairs (ILAB), Department of Labor. 

ACTION: Request for comments. 

SUMMARY: This initial determination 

proposes to revise the list required by 

Executive Order No. 13126 

(‘‘Prohibition of Acquisition of Products 

Produced by Forced or Indentured Child 

Labor’’) in accordance with the 

Department of Labor’s ‘‘Procedural 

Guidelines for the Maintenance of the 

List of Products Requiring Federal 

Contractor Certification as to Forced or 

Indentured Child Labor.’’ Under the 

procurement regulations implementing 

this Executive Order, federal contractors 

who supply products on the list 

published by the Department of Labor 

must certify that they have made a good 

faith effort to determine whether forced 

or indentured child labor was used to 

produce the products listed. This notice 

proposes to add 6 new line items to the 

list (dried fish from Bangladesh, gold 

from the Democratic Republic of Congo, 

Wolframite from the Democratic 

Republic of Congo, cattle from South 

Sudan, garments from Vietnam and fish 

from Ghana) that the Department of 

Labor preliminarily believes might have 

been mined, produced or manufactured 

by forced or indentured child labor. The 

Department of Labor invites public 

comment on this initial determination. 

The Department will consider all public 

comments prior to publishing a final 

determination revising the list of 

products, made in consultation and 

cooperation with the Department of 

State and the Department of Homeland 

Security. 

DATES: Information should be submitted 

to the Office of Child Labor, Forced 

Labor and Human Trafficking (OCFT) 

via one of the methods described below 

by 5 p.m., November 27, 2012. 

To Submit Information, or For Further 

Information Contact: Information 

submitted to the Department should be 

submitted directly to OCFT, Bureau of 

International Labor Affairs, U.S. 

Department of Labor at (202) 693–4843 

(this is not a toll free number). 

Comments, identified as ‘‘Docket No. 

DOL–2012–0005,’’ may be submitted by 

any of the following methods: 

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. The portal 

includes instructions for submitting 

comments. Parties submitting responses 

electronically are encouraged not to 

submit paper copies. 

Facsimile (fax): OCFT at 202–693– 

4830. 

Mail, Express Delivery, Hand Delivery, 

and Messenger Service (2 copies): 

Rachel Rigby/Charita Castro at U.S. 

Department of Labor, OCFT, Bureau of 

International Labor Affairs, 200 

Constitution Avenue NW., Room S– 

5317, Washington, DC 20210. 

Email: EO13126@dol.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Information Sought 

The Department is requesting public 

comment on the revisions to the List 

proposed below, as well as any other 

issue related to the fair and effective 

implementation of Executive Order (EO) 

13126. This notice is a general 

solicitation of comments from the 

public. All submitted comments will be 

made a part of the public record and 

will be available for inspection on 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

In conducting research for this initial 

determination, the Department 

considered a wide variety of materials 

based on its own research or originating 

from other U.S. Government agencies, 

foreign governments, international 

organizations, non-governmental 

organizations (NGOs), U.S. Governmentfunded technical assistance and field 

research projects, academic and other 

independent research, media and other 

sources. The Department of State and 

U.S. embassies and consulates abroad 

also provide important information by 

gathering data from contacts, 

conducting site visits and reviewing 

local media sources. For this initial 

determination, the Department also 

sought additional information from the 

public through a call for information 

published in the Federal Register on 

February 16, 2012. 

In developing the revised List, the 

Department’s review focused on 

information concerning the use of 

forced or indentured child labor that 

was available from the above sources. A 

lack of information does not, by itself, 

establish that forced or indentured child 

labor is not being used in a particular 

country or for a particular product. The 

Department’s ability to gather relevant 

information is constrained by available 

resources and information about 

working conditions in some countries is 

difficult or impossible to obtain, for a 

variety of reasons. For example, some 

governments are unable or unwilling to 

cooperate with international efforts or 

with the efforts of NGOs to uncover and 

address labor exploitation such as 

forced or indentured child labor. 

Institutions or organizations that might 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 188 / Thursday, September 27, 2012 / Notices 59419 

uncover such information, such as 

independent news media, trade unions 

and NGOs may not exist or may not be 

able to operate freely. 

As outlined in the Procedural 

Guidelines, several factors were 

weighed in determining whether or not 

a product should be placed on the 

revised list: The nature of the 

information describing the use of forced 

or indentured child labor; the source of 

the information; the date of the 

information; the extent of corroboration 

of the information by other sources; 

whether the information involved more 

than an isolated incident; and whether 

recent and credible efforts are being 

made to address forced or indentured 

child labor in a particular country or 

industry. 

This notice constitutes the initial 

determination to revise the EO 13126 

list issued April 3, 2012. 

Based on recent, credible and 

appropriately corroborated information 

from various sources, the Departments 

of Labor, State, and Homeland Security 

have preliminarily concluded that there 

is a reasonable basis to believe that the 

following products, identified by their 

countries of origin, might have been 

mined, produced, or manufactured by 

forced or indentured child labor: 

Product Country 

Cattle .............. South Sudan. 

Dried Fish ...... Bangladesh. 

Fish ................ Ghana. 

Garments ....... Vietnam. 

Gold ............... Democratic Republic of 

Congo. 

Wolframite ...... Democratic Republic of 

Congo. 

The Department invites public 

comment on whether these products 

(and/or other products, regardless of 

whether they are mentioned in this 

Notice) should be included or removed 

from the revised List of products 

requiring federal contractor certification 

as to the use of forced or indentured 

child labor. To the extent possible, 

comments provided should address the 

criteria for inclusion of a product on the 

List contained in the Procedural 

Guidelines discussed above. The 

Department is also interested in public 

comments relating to whether products 

initially determined to be on the List are 

designated with appropriate specificity 

and whether alternative designations 

would better serve the purposes of EO 

13126. 

The documents and sources providing 

the preliminary basis for adding these 

goods and countries to the List are 

available on the Internet at http:// 

www.dol.gov/ILAB/regs/eo13126/ 

main.htm. 

Following receipt and consideration 

of comments on the additions to the List 

set out above, the Department of Labor, 

in consultation and cooperation with 

the Departments of State and Homeland 

Security, will issue a final 

determination in the Federal Register. 

The Department of Labor intends to 

continue to revise the List periodically 

to add and/or delete products as 

warranted by the receipt of new and 

credible information. 

II. Background 

On June 12, 1999 President Clinton 

signed EO 13126, which was published 

in the Federal Register on June 16, 1999 

(64 FR 32383). EO 13126 declared that 

it was ‘‘the policy of the United States 

Government that the executive agencies 

shall take appropriate actions to enforce 

the laws prohibiting the manufacture or 

importation of goods, wares, articles, 

and merchandise mined, produced or 

manufactured wholly or in part by 

forced or indentured child labor.’’ 

Pursuant to EO 13126, and following 

public notice and comment, the 

Department of Labor published in the 

January 18, 2001 Federal Register a list 

of products (the ‘‘List’’), along with their 

respective countries of origin, that the 

Department, in consultation and 

cooperation with the Departments of 

State and Treasury (whose relevant 

responsibilities are now within the 

Department of Homeland Security), had 

a reasonable basis to believe might have 

been mined, produced or manufactured 

with forced or indentured child labor 

(66 FR 5353). The Department also 

published the ‘‘Procedural Guidelines 

for Maintenance of the List of Products 

Requiring Federal Contractor 

Certification as to Forced or Indentured 

Child Labor’’ (Procedural Guidelines) on 

January 18, 2001, which provide 

procedures for the maintenance, review 

and, as appropriate, revision of the List 

(66 FR 5351). 

The Procedural Guidelines provide 

that the List may be revised through 

consideration of submissions by 

individuals and on the Department’s 

own initiative. When proposing a 

revision to the List, the Department of 

Labor must publish in the Federal 

Register a notice of initial 

determination, which includes any 

proposed alteration to the List. The 

Department will consider all public 

comments prior to the publication of a 

final determination of a revised list, 

which is made in consultation and 

cooperation with the Departments of 

State and Homeland Security. 

On January 18, 2001, pursuant to 

Section 3 of the EO 13126, the Federal 

Acquisition Regulatory Council 

published a final rule to implement 

specific provisions of EO 13126 that 

requires, among other things, that 

federal contractors who supply products 

that appear on the List certify to the 

contracting officer that the contractor, 

or, in the case of an incorporated 

contractor, a responsible official of the 

contractor, has made a good faith effort 

to determine whether forced or 

indentured child labor was used to 

mine, produce or manufacture any 

product furnished under the contract 

and that, on the basis of those efforts, 

the contractor is unaware of any such 

use of forced or indentured child labor. 

See 48 CFR Subpart 22.15. 

On September 11, 2009, the 

Department of Labor published an 

initial determination in the Federal 

Register proposing to revise the List to 

include 29 products from 21 countries. 

The Notice requested public comments 

for a period of 90 days. Public 

comments were received and reviewed 

by all relevant agencies and a final 

determination was issued on July 20, 

2010. 

On December 16, 2010, The 

Department of Labor published an 

initial determination in the Federal 

Register proposing to revise the List to 

add one product to the List and remove 

one product from the List. The Notice 

requested public comments for a period 

of 60 days. Public comments were 

received and reviewed by all relevant 

agencies, and a final determination was 

issued on May 31, 2011 that included 

all revisions proposed in the initial 

determination. 

On October 4, 2011 DOL published an 

initial determination in the Federal 

Register proposing to add three 

products from two countries to the List. 

The Notice requested public comments 

for a period of 60 days. Public 

comments were received and reviewed 

by all relevant agencies, and a final 

determination was issued on April 3, 

2012 that included all revisions 

proposed in the initial determination. 

With this final determination, the List is 

comprised of 31 products from 23 

countries. 

The current List and the Procedural 

Guidelines can be accessed on the 

Internet at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/ 

regs/eo13126/main.htm or can be 

obtained from: OCFT, Bureau of 

International Labor Affairs, Room S– 

5317, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 

Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, 

DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693–4843; 

fax (202) 693–4830. 


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59420 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 188 / Thursday, September 27, 2012 / Notices 

III. Definitions 

Under Section 6(c) of EO 13126: 

‘‘Forced or indentured child labor’’ 

means all work or service— 

(1) Exacted from any person under the 

age of 18 under the menace of any 

penalty for its nonperformance and for 

which the worker does not offer himself 

voluntarily; or 

(2) Performed by any person under 

the age of 18 pursuant to a contract the 

enforcement of which can be 

accomplished by process or penalties. 

Signed at Washington, DC, this 17th day of 

September, 2012. 

Carol Pier, 

Acting Deputy Undersecretary for 

International Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2012–23395 Filed 9–26–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–28–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Employee Benefits Security 

Administration 

164th Meeting of the Advisory Council 

on Employee Welfare and Pension 

Benefit Plans; Notice of Meeting 

Pursuant to the authority contained in 

Section 512 of the Employee Retirement 

Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), 29 

U.S.C. 1142, the 164th open meeting of 

the Advisory Council on Employee 

Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans (also 

known as the ERISA Advisory Council) 

will be held on October 30–31, 2012. 

The meeting will take place in C5521 

Room 4, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 

Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, 

DC 20210 on October 30, from 1 p.m. to 

approximately 5 p.m. On October 31, 

the meeting will start at 8:30 a.m. and 

conclude at approximately 4 p.m., with 

a break for lunch. The morning session 

on October 31 will be in C5521 Room 

1. The afternoon session on October 31 

will take place in Room S–2508 at the 

same address. The purpose of the open 

meeting on October 30 and the morning 

of October 31 is for the Advisory 

Council members to finalize the 

recommendations they will present to 

the Secretary. At the October 31 

afternoon session, the Council members 

will receive an update from the 

Assistant Secretary of Labor for the 

Employee Benefits Security 

Administration (EBSA) and present 

their recommendations. 

The Council recommendations will be 

on the following issues: (1) Current 

Challenges and Best Practices 

Concerning Beneficiary Designations in 

Retirement and Life Insurance Plans; (2) 

Examining Income Replacement During 

Retirement Years in a Defined 

Contribution Plan System; and (3) 

Managing Disability Risks in an 

Environment of Individual 

Responsibility. Descriptions of these 

topics are available on the Advisory 

Council page of the EBSA Web site at 

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/aboutebsa/ 

erisa_advisory_council.html. 

Organizations or members of the 

public wishing to submit a written 

statement may do so by submitting 30 

copies on or before October 22, 2012 to 

Larry Good, Executive Secretary, ERISA 

Advisory Council, U.S. Department of 

Labor, Suite N–5623, 200 Constitution 

Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. 

Statements also may be submitted as 

email attachments in text or pdf format 

transmitted to good.larry@dol.gov. It is 

requested that statements not be 

included in the body of an email. 

Statements deemed relevant by the 

Advisory Council and received on or 

before October 22 will be included in 

the record of the meeting and made 

available in the EBSA Public Disclosure 

Room. Do not include any personally 

identifiable information (such as name, 

address, or other contact information) or 

confidential business information that 

you do not want publicly disclosed. 

Individuals or representatives of 

organizations wishing to address the 

Advisory Council should forward their 

requests to the Executive Secretary or 

telephone (202) 693–8668. Oral 

presentations will be limited to ten 

minutes, time permitting, but an 

extended statement may be submitted 

for the record. Individuals with 

disabilities who need special 

accommodations should contact the 

Executive Secretary by October 22, 2012 

at the address indicated. 

Signed at Washington, DC, this 20th day of 

September 2012. 

Michael L. Davis, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employee 

Benefits Security Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2012–23744 Filed 9–26–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–29–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Employment and Training 

Administration 

Comment Request for Information 

Collection; Pell Grants and the 

Payment of Unemployment Benefits to 

Individuals in Approved Training; 

Extension Without Change 

AGENCY: Employment and Training 

Administration (ETA), Labor. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor 

(Department), 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 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)]. 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, ETA is soliciting comments 

on the renewal of the information 

collection required for state notification 

to individuals about the opportunity for 

Pell Grants and the payment of 

unemployment benefits to individuals 

in approved training. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted to the office listed in the 

addressee’s section below on or before 

November 26, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments 

to Scott Gibbons, Office of 

Unemployment Insurance, Employment 

and Training Administration, U.S. 

Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 

Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. 

Telephone number: 202–693–3008 (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). Email: 

gibbons.scott@dol.gov. A copy of the 

proposed information collection request 

(ICR) can be obtained by contacting Mr. 

Gibbons. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

To enable more individuals to obtain 

job training while receiving 

unemployment benefits so they can 

develop their skills while the economy 

recovers, states are strongly encouraged 

to widen their definitions of the types 

of training and the conditions under 

which education or training are 

considered ‘‘approved training’’ for 

purposes of the state’s UI law. 

States are also encouraged to notify 

unemployed individuals of their 

potential eligibility for Pell Grants and 

to assist individuals with applications. 

Pell Grants are awarded based on 

financial need and other factors. Many 

Unemployment Insurance (UI) 

beneficiaries are potentially eligible for 


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