2542 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 1996 / Notices

or partially separated from employment on or

after May 20, 1993 are eligible to apply for

NAFTA–TAA under Section 250 of the Trade

Act of 1974.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 15th day of

December 1995.

Russell T. Kile,

Acting Program Manager, Policy and

Reemployment Services, Office of Trade

Adjustment Assistance.

[FR Doc. 96–1375 Filed 1–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–30–M

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Proposed Information Collection

Request Submitted for Public

Comment and Recommendations;

Response Analysis Survey of BLS 790

and ES–202 Reporters

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/or continuing collections of

information in accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This

program helps to ensure that requested

data can be provided in the desired

format, reporting burden is minimized,

reporting forms are clearly understood,

and the impact of collection

requirements on respondents can be

properly assessed. Currently, the Bureau

of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting

comments concerning the proposed

extension of the ‘‘Response Analysis

Survey.’’

A copy of the proposed information

collection request (ICR) can be obtained

by contacting the individual listed

below in the address section of this

notice.

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted on or before March 26, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Karin G.

Kurz, BLS Clearance Officer, Division of

Management Systems, Bureau of Labor

Statistics, Room 3255, 2 Massachusetts

Avenue NE., Washington, DC 20212.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Kurz on 202–606–7628 (this is not

a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

This survey is a continuation of BLS’

long-term efforts to improve data quality

in the Current Employment Statistics

(CES) and Covered Employment and

Wages (ES–202) programs. The CES

program (also known as the BLS 790

program) collects employment, payroll,

and hours information from over

380,000 nonagricultural establishments

each month. The ES–202 program

processes employment and wage

information from approximately 6.5

million nonagricultural establishments

covered by State Unemployment

Insurance (UI) laws on a quarterly basis,

and provides a virtual universe count of

employment. These covered employers

report their employment and wages

each quarter on State Quarterly

Contribution Reports (QCR). Employers

who have multiple locations or

industrial activities also complete the

Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) each

quarter. The MWR disaggregates the

employment and wage data collected on

the QCR to its proper geographical

locations and industry.

The employment estimates from the

CES are generally published about 3

weeks after the reference period each

month. Data from the ES–202 program

are generally available 6 months after

the end of the reference quarter. Once

each year, BLS adjusts or ‘‘benchmarks’’

the CES employment estimates to the

ES–202 levels. Traditionally, benchmark

revisions have been relatively small.

Over the past 10 years, the revision has

averaged approximately 200,000 or +/¥

0.2 percent. However, there are isolated

instances where revisions have been

larger. In 1994 the preliminary

benchmark revision was estimated at

760,000. In 1991 the revision was

640,000, and in 4 other years since 1980

the revision has exceeded 300,000.

In general, the ES–202 figures are

regarded as more accurate since they

represent a virtual universe count.

However, there are many potential

sources of error associated with both

CES and ES–202 figures, such as

coverage, response and processing

errors.

The CES estimates are widely used by

policymakers, researchers and private

industry to measure current economic

activity. Data from the ES–202 program

provide similar information on a lagged

basis. Because of the potential impact

on policy decisions that can result from

large benchmark revisions, it is

important to understand and evaluate

with greater precision the various

components of nonsampling error in

both data series.

Since 1981, BLS has undertaken a

series of special quality measurement

studies of CES respondents to determine

the accuracy of the reported data, and to

identify sources of possible error. The

most recent of these was approved

under Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) approval number 1220–0089.

Improvements have also been made in

the review of the ES–202 data.

The data collected by these surveys

are usually available from the

respondents’ payroll records. These

records can be kept by a variety of

methods, such as hand calculation,

internal or external software, or by a

payroll processing firm. However, the

reported employment figures may not be

in accordance with the exact definitions

used by the CES and ES–202 programs.

The reported employment figures also

can differ between the two programs for

each respondent, and may be reported

by different individuals within the firm.

The Response Analysis Survey (RAS)

provides a structured approach to

identifying the sources of these

differences whether they be definitional

or due to processing methods. It will

also contribute to an overall error profile

for the CES and ES–202 programs.

The questionnaire that will be used

for the RAS already has been approved

through March 1996. It focuses on the

reporting of employment data in terms

of timing, method, source and content.

A pilot test of 9 interviews, in each of

the original 9 States involved, was

conducted. This test was approved

under the last submission. The results of

this test were used to refine the

questionnaire and procedures, from

which the rest of the interviews

(approximately 8,000) are being

conducted. One State (New Jersey) was

added because they expressed an

interest in the project and have previous

experience in this area.

II. Current Actions

We are requesting an extension of

approval from March 1996 through

September 1996. The Department of

Labor Inspector General has

recommended additional quality

assurance testing and participating

States require more time for collection

of data. Public comments may be

provided on the accuracy of the burden

estimates and ways to minimize burden,

including the use of automated

collection techniques or other types of

information technology.

Type of Review: Extension.

Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Title: Response Analysis Survey.

OMB Number: 1220–0089.

Frequency: On occasion.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit; Not-for-profit institutions; State,

Local or Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents: 8,000.

Estimated Time Per Response: 30

minutes.

Total Burden Hours: 4,000 hours.

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 1996 / Notices 2543

included in the request for Office of

Management and Budget approval of the

ICR; they also will become a matter of

public record.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 23rd day of

January 1996.

Peter T. Spolarich,

Chief, Division of Management Systems,

Bureau of Labor Statistics.

[FR Doc. 96–1381 Filed 1–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–24–M

Mine Safety and Health Administration

Advisory Committee on the Elimination

of Pneumoconiosis Among Coal Mine

Workers; Appointment of Advisory

Committee Members; Meeting

AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health

Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice of appointment of

members to the Advisory Committee on

the Elimination of Pneumoconiosis

Among Coal Mine Workers; and notice

of meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

appointment of members to the

Advisory Committee on the Elimination

of Pneumoconiosis Among Coal Mine

Workers, and announces the date, time,

and place for the first meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patricia W. Silvey, Director, Office of

Standards, Regulations, and Variances,

Mine Safety and Health Administration,

4015 Wilson Boulevard, room 631,

Arlington, Virginia 22203; phone 703–

235–1910.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Appointment of Members

This notice announces the

appointment of members to the

Advisory Committee on the Elimination

of Pneumoconiosis Among Coal Mine

Workers, established pursuant to

sections 101(a) and 102(c) of the Federal

Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977

(Mine Act), and the Federal Advisory

Committee Act.

The Secretary of Labor appointed this

advisory committee to develop

recommendations for improved

standards or other appropriate actions

addressing: permissible exposure limits

to eliminate black lung disease and

silicosis; the means to control respirable

coal mine dust levels; improved

monitoring of respirable coal dust levels

and the role of the miner in that

monitoring; and the adequacy of

operator sampling programs to

determine the actual levels of dust

concentrations to which miners are

exposed (60 FR 5947). The Advisory

Committee is chartered through

September 30, 1996 (60 FR 55284).

The members were selected on the

basis of their experience and knowledge

in mine health and safety and related

fields. Consistent with the Mine Act, the

membership of the committee and the

categories of interest represented are as

follows:

Neutrals

Dr. David Wegman (Chair of the

Advisory Committee), Chairman of the

Department of Work Environment at the

University of Massachusetts Lowell,

Lowell, Massachusetts.

Dr. John Dement, Associate Professor

in the Division of Occupational and

Environmental Medicine, Duke

University Medical Center, Durham,

North Carolina.

Dr. Kathleen Kreiss, Director of the

Occupational and Environmental

Medicine Division at the National

Jewish Center for Immunology and

Respiratory Medicine, Denver,

Colorado.

Dr. Raja Ramani, Head of the

Department of Mineral Engineering at

Pennsylvania State University, State

College, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Carol Rice, Associate Professor of

Environmental Health at Kettering

Laboratory, University of Cincinnati,

Cincinnati, Ohio.

Labor

Joseph Main, Administrator of the

Department of Occupational Health and

Safety at the United Mine Workers of

America, Washington, DC.

Dr. James Weeks, Associate Research

Professor in the Division of

Occupational and Environmental

Medicine at the George Washington

University, Washington, DC.

Industry

Dr. John Gibbs, Vice-President of

Health Management and Corporate

Medical Director of the Kerr-McGee

Corporation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Joseph Lamonica, Vice-President for

Health, Safety, and Training at the

Bituminous Coal Operators’

Association, Inc., Washington, DC.

B. Notification of First Meeting

Under sections 101(a) and 102(c) of

the Mine Act, a public meeting of the

advisory committee will be held

between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

on February 21 and 22, 1996 at the

Quality Hotel—Arlington (Madison

Room) located at 1200 North

Courthouse Road, Arlington, Virginia

22201; phone 703–524–4000.

The purpose of the meeting is: (1) to

give a historical overview on the

respirable coal mine dust program and

the risk to miners of coal workers’

pneumoconiosis; (2) to allow the

committee members to become familiar

with the issues involved; and (3) to set

an agenda for the committee to follow

during its six-month tenure.

The public is invited to attend. The

chairperson will provide an hour at the

end of the meeting to allow interested

persons to make comments. Official

records of the meeting will be available

for public inspection at the above

address.

Dated: January 19, 1996.

J. Davitt McAteer,

Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and

Health.

[FR Doc. 96–1407 Filed 1–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–43–P

NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS

ADMINISTRATION

Records Schedules; Availability and

Request for Comments

AGENCY: National Archives and Records

Administration, Office of Records

Administration.

ACTION: Notice of availability of

proposed records schedules; request for

comments.

SUMMARY: The National Archives and

Records Administration (NARA)

publishes notice at least once monthly

of certain Federal agency requests for

records disposition authority (records

schedules). Records schedules identify

records of sufficient value to warrant

preservation in the National Archives of

the United States. Schedules also

authorize agencies after a specified

period to dispose of records lacking

administrative, legal, research, or other

value. Notice is published for records

schedules that (1) propose the

destruction of records not previously

authorized for disposal, or (2) reduce

the retention period for records already

authorized for disposal. NARA invites

public comments on such schedules, as

required by 44 USC 3303a(a).

DATES: Request for copies must be

received in writing on or before March

11, 1996. Once the appraisal of the

records is completed, NARA will send

a copy of the schedule. The requester

will be given 30 days to submit

comments.

ADDRESSES: Address requests for single

copies of schedules identified in this

notice to the Records Appraisal and

Disposition Division (NIR), National

Archives and Records Administration,

College Park, MD 20740. Requesters