69990 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 222 / Friday, November 18, 2005 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Office of the Secretary 

Submission for OMB Review: 

Comment Request 

November 14, 2005. 

The Department of Labor (DOL) has 

submitted the following public 

information collection request (ICR) to 

the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for review and approval in 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13, 

44 U.S.C. chapter 35). A copy of this 

ICR, with applicable supporting 

documentation, may be obtained by 

contacting the Department of Labor 

(DOL). To obtain documentation, 

contact Darrin King on 202–693–4129 

(this is not a toll-free number) or e-mail: 

king.darrin@dol.gov. 

Comments should be sent to Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Attn: OMB Desk Officer for the Bureau 

of Labor Statistics (BLS), Office of 

Management and Budget, Room 10235, 

Washington, DC 20503, 202–395–7316 

(this is not a toll-free number), within 

30 days from the date of this publication 

in the Federal Register. 

The OMB 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 submission of 

responses. 

Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Type of Review: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Title: Local Area Unemployment 

Statistics Program. 

OMB Number: 1220–0017. 

Agency Form Numbers: LAUS–8, 

LAUS–15, LAUS–16, LAUS–3040 

(Manual). 

Frequency: Monthly and Annually. 

Type of Response: Reporting. 

Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal 

Government. 

Number of Respondents: 52. 

Annual Responses: 95,069. 

Average Response Time: 1.5 hours for 

the LAUS–3040; 1 hour for the LAUS–

8 and LAUS–16; and 2 hours for the 

LAUS–15. 

Annual Burden Hours: 142,298. 

Total Annualized capital/startup 

costs: $0. 

Total Annual Costs (operating/ 

maintaining systems or purchasing 

services): $0. 

Description: The Manual provides the 

theoretic basis and essential technical 

instructions and guidance which States 

require to prepare State and area labor 

force estimates, while the reports ensure 

and/or measure the timeliness, quality, 

consistency, and adherence to Local 

Area Unemployment Statistics Program 

directives and research. 

Darrin A. King, 

Acting Departmental Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 05–22866 Filed 11–17–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–24–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Employee Benefits Security 

Administration 

Proposed Extension of Information 

Collection; Comment Request ERISA 

Technical Release 91–1 

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 general public 

and Federal agencies with an 

opportunity to comment on proposed 

and continuing collections of 

information in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA 

95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This 

program helps to ensure that the data 

the Department gathers can be provided 

in the desired format, that the reporting 

burden on the public (time and financial 

resources) is minimized, that the public 

understands the Department’s collection 

instruments, and that the Department 

can accurately assess the impact of 

collection requirements on respondents. 

Currently, the Employee Benefits 

Security Administration (EBSA) is 

soliciting comments concerning an 

extension of the information collections 

in ERISA Technical Release 91–1, 

issued in 1991. Technical Release 91–1 

provides guidance on permitted 

transfers of excess assets from a defined 

benefit pension plan to a retiree health 

benefits account under provisions of the 

Internal Revenue Code (the Code) and 

the Employee Retirement Income 

Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). A copy of 

the information collection request (ICR) 

may be obtained by contacting the office 

listed in the ADDRESSES section of this 

notice. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before January 17, 2006. 

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments 

regarding the information collection 

request and burden estimates to Susan 

G. Lahne, Office of Policy and Research, 

Employee Benefits Security 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., 

Room N–5647, Washington, DC 20210. 

Telephone: (202) 693–8410; Fax: (202) 

693 219–5333. These are not toll-free 

numbers. Comments may also be 

submitted electronically to the 

following Internet e-mail address: 

ebsa.opr@dol.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

ERISA section 101(e) sets forth certain 

notice requirements that must be 

satisfied before an employer may 

transfer excess assets from a defined 

benefit plan to a retiree health benefits 

account, as otherwise permissible after 

satisfying the conditions set forth in 

section 420 of the Code. Section 

101(e)(1) establishes the plan 

administrator’s obligation to provide 

advance written notification of such 

transfers to participants and 

beneficiaries. Section 101(e)(2)(A) 

separately establishes the employer’s 

obligation to provide advance written 

notification of such transfers to the 

Secretaries of Labor and Treasury, the 

administrator, and each employee 

organization representing participants 

in the plan. The requirements relating to 

advance notification of transfers to 

retiree health benefit accounts were 

added to ERISA as part of the Omnibus 

Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (Pub. 

L. 101–508). ERISA Technical Release 

91–1 provides guidance on the type of 

information to be provided in the 

notices to both the participants and 

beneficiaries and to the Secretaries. 

EBSA submitted the information 

collection provisions in the Technical 

Release to the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) for review in 

connection with issuance of the 

Technical Release. OMB approved the 

ICR under OMB Control No. 1210–0084. 

The ICR approval is scheduled to expire 

on February 28, 2006. 

II. Desired Focus of Comments 

The Department is particularly 

interested in comments that: