7608 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 27 / Friday, February 8, 2008 / Notices 

solicitation is hereby amended with the 

following: 

1. This amendment is to clarify the 

type of Workforce Investment Board that 

is an Eligible Applicant for this 

Solicitation. Where an individual 

Workforce Investment Board is cited in 

the Solicitation it will be defined as a 

State or Local Workforce Investment 

Board. 

2. On page 2533, Part I.C. Use of 

Funds/Allowable Activities, remove the 

following text: Activities funded under 

this Solicitation must be focused on 

developing skills and competencies 

related to fields identified in the 

Attachment. 

Replace with the following text: 

Activities funded under this Solicitation 

must be focused on developing skills 

and competencies related to the H–1B 

industries and occupations identified in 

the Attachment and further limited by 

the list of NSF-defined STEM fields on 

page 2531, center column. 

3. On page 2542, the Attachment: H–

1B Industry Sectors and Occupations, 

add the following text under the header: 

For the purposes of this Solicitation, 

this list is further limited by the NSFdefined STEM fields on page 2531. 

4. A virtual Prospective Applicant 

Conference was held via webinar for 

this grant competition on January 25, 

2008. A recorded version can be viewed 

at: http://www.workforce3one.org/ 

view.cfm?id=4776&info=1 

Signed at Washington, DC, this 4th day of 

February 2008. 

Eric Luetkenhaus, 

Grant Officer, Employment & Training 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. E8–2336 Filed 2–7–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Proposed Collection, Comment 

Request 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as 

part of its continuing effort to reduce 

paperwork and respondent burden, 

conducts a pre-clearance 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 

(PRA95) [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. The Bureau of Labor 

Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments 

concerning the proposed extension of 

the ‘‘Report on Current Employment 

Statistics.’’ A copy of the proposed 

information collection request (ICR) can 

be obtained by contacting the individual 

listed below in the ADDRESSES section of 

this notice. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted to the office listed in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice on or 

before April 8, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Amy A. 

Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, Division 

of Management Systems, Bureau of 

Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 2 

Massachusetts Avenue, NE., 

Washington, DC 20212, 202–691–7628. 

(This is not a toll free number.) 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, 

202–691–7628. (See ADDRESSES section.) 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background 

The Current Employment Statistics 

(CES) program provides current 

monthly statistics on employment, 

hours, and earnings, by industry and 

geography. CES estimates are among the 

most visible and widely-used Principal 

Federal Economic Indicators (PFEIs). 

CES data also are among the timeliest of 

the PFEIs, with their release each month 

by the BLS in the Employment 

Situation, typically on the first Friday of 

each month. The statistics are 

fundamental inputs in economic 

decision processes at all levels of 

government, private enterprise, and 

organized labor. 

The CES monthly estimates of 

employment, hours, and earnings are 

based on a sample of U.S. 

nonagricultural establishments. 

Information is derived from 

approximately 260,000 reports 

(representing about 150,000 

Unemployment Insurance (UI) accounts 

and 390,000 individual worksites), as of 

January 2008. Each month, firms report 

their employment, payroll, and hours on 

forms identified as the BLS–790. The 

sample is collected under a probability 

based design. Puerto Rico and the Virgin 

Islands collect an additional 4,800 

reports using a quota sample. 

A list of all form types currently used 

is listed below in the Desired Focus of 

Comments section of this notice. 

Respondents receive variations of the 

basic collection forms, depending on 

their industry. The BLS is requesting 

approval through February 29, 2011. 

The CES program is a voluntary 

program under Federal statute (29 

U.S.C. 2). Reporting to the State 

agencies is voluntary in all but four 

States (Oregon, Washington, North 

Carolina, South Carolina), Puerto Rico, 

and the Virgin Islands. To our 

knowledge, the States that do have 

mandatory reporting rarely exercise 

their authority. The collection form’s 

confidentiality statement cites the 

Confidential Information Protection and 

Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 and 

mentions the State mandatory reporting 

authority. 

II. Current Action 

Office of Management and Budget 

clearance is being sought for the Report 

on Current Employment Statistics. 

Automated data collection methods 

are now used for most of the CES 

sample. Approximately 115,000 reports 

are received through Electronic Data 

Interchange and 56,100 reports are 

collected using Computer Assisted 

Telephone Interviewing, as of January 

2008. Touchtone Data Entry is the third 

largest mode, accounting for 37,100 

reports. In comparison, only 4,300 

reports are collected by mail. Fax also 

is a significant collection mode, as 

16,200 reports are collected via this 

method. 

Web collection is rapidly increasing 

in importance as approximately 14,200 

reports were collected as of January 

2008. The balance of the sample is 

collected through other automated 

methods, including submission of tapes, 

diskettes, and e-mail. 

The BLS has decided to significantly 

increase the use of Web for CES data 

collection. Web when compared to 

Touchtone Data Entry has higher 

response rates. The BLS also has 

decided to stop research on fax optical 

character recognition collection due to 

cost and technical considerations. 

Instead, firms are offered the 

opportunity to submit an Excel file in a 

standard format through the BLS Web 

site. 

III. Desired Focus of Comments 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is 

particularly interested in comments 

that: 

• 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, 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 27 / Friday, February 8, 2008 / Notices 7609 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used. 

• Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected. 

• 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. 

Type of Review: Extension, without 

change, of a currently approved 

collection. 

Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Title: Report on Current Employment 

Statistics. 

OMB Number: 1220–0011. 

Affected Public: State or local 

governments; businesses or other forprofit; non-profit institutions; small 

businesses or organizations. 

Form Reports Minutes per 

report 

Frequency 

of response 

Annual responses Annual burden hours 

A—Natural Resources and Mining .......................................................... 1,400 11 12 16,800 3,080 

B—Construction ....................................................................................... 11,900 11 12 142,800 26,180 

C—Manufacturing .................................................................................... 12,600 11 12 151,200 27,720 

E—Service Providing Industries .............................................................. 169,600 11 12 2,035,200 373,120 

G—Public Administration ......................................................................... 43,300 6 12 519,600 51,960 

S—Education ........................................................................................... 9,100 6 12 109,200 10,920 

Private Fax form ...................................................................................... 16,100 11 12 193,200 35,420 

Public Administration Fax Form ............................................................... 300 6 12 3,600 360 

Education Fax Form ................................................................................ 400 6 12 4,800 480 

Total .................................................................................................. 264,700 .................... .................... 3,176,400 529,240 

Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): 

$0 

Total Burden Cost (operating/ 

maintenance): $0. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice 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. 

Signed at Washington, DC, this 4th day of 

February 2008. 

Cathy Kazanowski, 

Chief, Division of Management Systems, 

Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

[FR Doc. E8–2338 Filed 2–7–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–24–P 

NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS 

ADMINISTRATION 

Records Schedules; Availability and 

Request for Comments 

AGENCY: National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA). 

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). Once approved by NARA, 

records schedules provide mandatory 

instructions on what happens to records 

when no longer needed for current 

Government business. They authorize 

the preservation of records of 

continuing value in the National 

Archives of the United States and the 

destruction, after a specified period, of 

records lacking administrative, legal, 

research, or other value. Notice is 

published for records schedules in 

which agencies propose to destroy 

records not previously authorized for 

disposal or reduce the retention period 

of records already authorized for 

disposal. NARA invites public 

comments on such records schedules, as 

required by 44 U.S.C. 3303a(a). 

DATES: Requests for copies must be 

received in writing on or before March 

10, 2008. Once the appraisal of the 

records is completed, NARA will send 

a copy of the schedule. NARA staff 

usually prepare appraisal 

memorandums that contain additional 

information concerning the records 

covered by a proposed schedule. These, 

too, may be requested and will be 

provided once the appraisal is 

completed. Requesters will be given 30 

days to submit comments. 

ADDRESSES: You may request a copy of 

any records schedule identified in this 

notice by contacting the Life Cycle 

Management Division (NWML) using 

one of the following means: 

Mail: NARA (NWML), 8601 Adelphi 

Road, College Park, MD 20740–6001. 

E-mail: requestschedule@nara.gov. 

Fax: 301–837–3698. 

Requesters must cite the control 

number, which appears in parentheses 

after the name of the agency which 

submitted the schedule, and must 

provide a mailing address. Those who 

desire appraisal reports should so 

indicate in their request. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Laurence Brewer, Director, Life Cycle 

Management Division (NWML), 

National Archives and Records 

Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, 

College Park, MD 20740–6001. 

Telephone: 301–837–1539. E-mail: 

records.mgt@nara.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Each year 

Federal agencies create billions of 

records on paper, film, magnetic tape, 

and other media. To control this 

accumulation, agency records managers 

prepare schedules proposing retention 

periods for records and submit these 

schedules for NARA’s approval, using 

the Standard Form (SF) 115, Request for 

Records Disposition Authority. These 

schedules provide for the timely transfer 

into the National Archives of 

historically valuable records and 

authorize the disposal of all other 

records after the agency no longer needs 

them to conduct its business. Some 

schedules are comprehensive and cover 

all the records of an agency or one of its 

major subdivisions. Most schedules, 

however, cover records of only one 

office or program or a few series of 

records. Many of these update 

previously approved schedules, and 

some include records proposed as 

permanent. 

No Federal records are authorized for 

destruction without the approval of the 

Archivist of the United States. This 

approval is granted only after a 

thorough consideration of their 

administrative use by the agency of 

origin, the rights of the Government and 

of private persons directly affected by 

the Government’s activities, and 

whether or not they have historical or 

other value. 

Besides identifying the Federal 

agencies and any subdivisions 

requesting disposition authority, this 


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