64858 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 241 / Friday, December 14, 2001 / Notices

H.R. 5656, see Title I, ‘‘Departmental

Management’’) 29 U.S.C. 551 et seq.; 5

U.S.C. 301; and Executive Order 13187,

‘‘The President’s Disability Employment

Partnership Board (PDEPB) (January 10,

2001).

This service, and the data collection

component is authorized pursuant to

Pub. L. 106–554 which direct the Office

of Disability Policy to provides

initiatives such as EARN to ‘‘further the

objective of eliminating employment

barriers to the training and employment

of people with disabilities’’.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

The Department 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 submissions

of responses.

III. Current Action

This proposed ICR covers four forms:

EARN Provider Enrollment Form, EARN

Employer Enrollment Form, EARN

Employer Survey and EARN Provider

Survey. The enrollment forms

(Employer Enrollment and Provider

Enrollment) will be used to enroll

provider and employers who wish to

participate and use this service. The

surveys (Employer Survey and Provider

Survey) will collect quantitative data on

participants’ levels of satisfaction with

individual service elements and their

satisfaction with the service as a whole.

The surveys will also solicit free-text

comments from participants regarding

the service.

Agency: U.S. Department of Labor,

Office of Disability Employment Policy.

Titles: EARN Provider Enrollment

Form, EARN Employer Enrollment

Form, EARN Employer Survey, EARN

Provider Survey.

OMB Number: 

Frequency: Once.

Affected Public: Participating

Employer and Service Providers.

Number of Respondents: EARN

Provider Enrollment Form—6,000,

EARN Employer Enrollment Form—

7,500, EARN Employer Survey—300,

EARN Provider Survey—300.

Estimated Time Per Respondent:

EARN Provider Enrollment Form—20

minutes, EARN Employer Enrollment

Form—20 minutes, EARN Employer

Survey—20 minutes, EARN Provider

Survey—20 minutes.

Total Burden Hours:

EARN Provider Enrollment Form—

1,980 hours, EARN Employer

Enrollment Form—2,475 hours, EARN

Employer Survey—100 hours, EARN

Provider Survey—100 hours.

Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): 0

for all.

Total Burden Cost (operating/

maintaining): 0 for all.

Description: These surveys are

designed to collect data from service

providers and employers. For each

provider, we will collect Point of

Contact (POC) information and

information about the types of clients

the provider serves. We also request

information about the size of the

provider organization, whether a fee is

charged for placement services, and

employer references. For each employer,

we will collect information about the

number of employees, geographic

location, industry, specific jobs offered,

and Point of Contact (POC) information.

The Employer Survey and Provider

Survey will collect quantitative data on

participants’ levels of satisfaction with

individual service elements and their

satisfaction with the service as a whole.

The surveys will also solicit free-text

comments from participants regarding

the service. We will present survey data

in the aggregate for all Employers and

Providers. We will combine survey data

with system-generated data reports

containing demographic data for the

sample groups as well as performance

data for the Call Center.

Signed at Washington, DC this 9th day of

November, 2001.

William J. Mea,

Deputy Assistant Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–30854 Filed 12–13–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–23–P

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

December 6, 2001.

The Department of Labor (DOL) has

submitted the following public

information collection requests (ICRs) 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 each

individual ICR, with applicable

supporting documentation, may be

obtained by calling the Department of

Labor. To obtain documentation contact

Marlene Howze at (202) 693–4158 or Email Howze-Marlene@dol.gov.

Comments should be sent to Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Attn: OMB Desk Officer for BLS, Office

of Management and Budget, Room

10235, Washington, DC 20503 ((202)

395–7316), 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.

Type of Review: Revision of a

currently approved collection.

Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics

(BLS).

Title: BLS/OSHS Federal/State

Cooperative Agreement (Application

Package).

OMB Number: 1220–0149.

Affected Public: State, Local or Tribal

Government.

Number of Respondents: 57.

Number of Annual Responses: 285.

Estimated Time Per Response and

Total Burden Hours:

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 241 / Friday, December 14, 2001 / Notices 64859

Form

Annual

responses

Average burden (in hrs.)

Per responseAnnually

Work Statements 1 2 2

BLS–OSHS2 ...... 4 1 4

Totals ............. 5 ........... 6

Total Annualized Capital/Startup

Costs: $0.

Total Annual Costs (operating/

maintaining systems or purchasing

services): $0.

Description: The Bureau of Labor

Statistics signs cooperative agreements

with states, and political subdivisions

thereof, to assist them in developing and

administering programs that deal with

Occupational safety and Health

Statistics (OSHS) and to arrange through

these agreements for research to further

the objectives of the Occupational

Safety and Health Act. The OSHS

Cooperative Agreement (CA) is the

vehicle through which State Agencies

are awarded funds.

Federal regional and national office

staffs use information collected under

the CA in order to carry out their

fiduciary responsibilities to negotiate

the CA funding levels with the State

Agencies, to monitor their financial and

programmatic performance, and to

monitor their adherence to

administrative requirements, which are

imposed by 29 CFR part 967 and other

grants-management-related regulations.

Ira L. Mills,

DOL Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 01–30856 Filed 12–13–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–24–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training

Administration

[SGA No. DFA 02–102]

H–1B Technical Skills Training Grants

AGENCY: Employment and Training

Administration (ETA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds

and solicitation for grant applications

(SGA). This notice contains all of the

necessary information and forms needed

to apply for grant funding.

SUMMARY: The Employment and

Training Administration (ETA), U.S.

Department of Labor (DOL), announces

the availability of grant funds for skills

training programs for unemployed and

employed workers. These grants are

financed by a user fee paid by

employers to bring foreign workers into

the U.S. under a new H–1B

nonimmigrant visa or at visa renewal.

As part of the H–1B nonimmigrant visa

program, this skills training program

was authorized under the American

Competitiveness and Workforce

Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA), as

amended. The grants are intended to be

a long-term solution to domestic skill

shortages in high skill and high

technology occupations. Grant awards

will be made only to the extent that

funds are available. Section 414(c) of

ACWIA as amended, (Pub. L. 106–313;

114 Stat. 1257, 29 USC 2916a(2)(A)(ii))

specifies that the Secretary of Labor

shall award 25 percent of the grants

under these provisions for

demonstration projects or programs

under section 171 of the Workforce

Investment Act (Pub. L. 105–220, 29

USC 2916) to partnerships that shall

consist of at least two businesses or a

business-related nonprofit organization

that represents more than one business,

and that may include any educational,

labor, community organization, or

workforce investment board, except that

such grant funds may be used only to

carry out a strategy that would

otherwise not be eligible for funds

provided through workforce investment

boards under H–1b technical Skills

Training Grants announced in the

Federal Register on April 13, 2001 (66

FR 19209), due to barriers in meeting

those partnership eligibility criteria, on

a national, multi-state, regional, or rural

area (such as rural telework programs)

basis. Community organizations may

include faith-based organizations.

Grants will be distributed fairly across

rural and urban areas and across

geographic regions.

This solicitation describes the

application submission requirements,

the process that eligible entities must

use to apply for funds covered by this

solicitation, and how grantees will be

selected. This solicitation is the first in

a series to fund grants to business

partnerships or business-related nonprofits.

Approximately $20 million will be

available for funding projects under in

this solicitation, with six to 16 projects

to be selected for funding. The

maximum award of each grant will not

exceed $3 million. It is anticipated that

an additional $16 million will be

available for funding projects covered in

the 25% of this year’s funding through

the competitive process for a total $36

million committed to this effort.

DATES: Applications for grant awards

will be accepted commencing

immediately. The closing date for

receipt of applications shall be February

12, 2002, at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) at

the address below.

ADDRESSES: Applications will be mailed

to the U.S. Department of Labor,

Employment and Training

Administration, Division of Federal

Assistance, Attention: Ella Freeman,

SGA/DFA 02–102, 200 Constitution

Avenue, NW., Room S–4203,

Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions should be faxed to Ella

Freeman, Grants Management

Specialist, Division of Federal

Assistance, Fax (202) 693–2879. This is

not a toll free number. All inquiries

should include the SGA number (DFA

02–102) and a contact name, fax and

phone number. This solicitation will

also be published on the Internet on the

Employment and Training

Administration’s Homepage at http://

www.doleta.gov. Award notifications

will also be published on this

Homepage.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Employment and Training

Administration (ETA), U.S. Department

of Labor (DOL), announces the

availability of grant funds for skill

training programs for unemployed and

employed workers. These grants are

financed by a user fee paid by

employers to bring foreign workers into

the U.S. under a new H–1B

nonimmigrant visa or at visa renewal.

As part of the H–1B nonimmigrant visa

program, this skills training program

was authorized under the American

Competitiveness and Workforce

Improvement Act of 1998 (‘‘the Act’’), as

amended. The grants are intended to be

a long-term solution to domestic skill

shortages in high skill and high

technology occupations.

The Act creates two separate grant

programs. Seventy-five (75%) percent of

the available grant funds will be

awarded to Local Workforce Investment

Boards (Local Boards) established under

section 117 of the Workforce Investment

Act (WIA) (Pub. L. 105–220, 29 USC

2832), or regional consortia of Local

Boards. Regional consortia of boards

may be interstate. Each Local Board or

consortium of boards receiving grant

funds must represent a local or regional

public-private partnership that is

comprised of at least: (i) One Local

Board; (ii) one business or businessrelated non-profit organization such as a

trade association; and (iii) one

community-based organization or higher

education institution or labor union.

Community organizations may include

faith-based organizations that will carry

out such programs or projects through

the One-Stop delivery systems