Work Opportunity and Welfare-to-Work Tax Credits ETA Handbook No. 408, First Edition, July 1997 Proposed Collection; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

Work Opportunity and Welfare-to-Work Tax Credits ETA Handbook No.

408, First Edition, July 1997 Proposed Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

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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 (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.

Currently, the Employment and Training Administration/U.S.Employment

Service is soliciting comments concerning the proposed revision of the

ETA Handbook No. 408, First Edition, July 1997.

A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be

obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addressee section

of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the

addressee section below on or before June 8, 1998.

The Department of Labor 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.

ADDRESSES: John Beverly, Director, U.S. Employment Service, ETA, 200

Constitution Ave., NW, Rm. N-4470, Washington D.C. 20210, (202) 219-

5257 (this is not a toll-free number) fax no. (202) 219-6643.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program created by the Small

Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-188) expired on September

30, 1997. The program was authorized for one year, becoming effective

October 1, 1996, through September 30, 1997. In response to President

Clinton's Welfare Reform initiative and efforts, the Congress on August

5, 1997, signed into law the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997--the Act--

(P.L. 105-34). This legislation reauthorized the WOTC program for nine

additional months and created the Welfare-to-Work (WtW) tax credit,

which became effective January 1, 1998, through April 30, 1999. The law

required no changes in the type of data to be collected on the WOTC

program.

II. Current Actions

Data on the WOTC and the Welfare-to-Work credit will be

collected by the State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs) and

provided to the United States Employment Service (USES), Division of

Planning and Operations, Washington, D.C. through the appropriate U.S.

Department of Labor, Regional Office. The data will be used for program

management, including monitoring, oversight and the identification of

technical assistance and training requirements. The data is also

provided to the Congress through an annual Training and Employment

Report of the Secretary of Labor. The information reported on ETA Forms

9061-9063 and 9065, Individual Characteristics, Conditional

Certification, Employer Certification, and Agency Declaration of

Verification Results, required by P.L. 97-248 will be reported annually

to the Committee House Ways and Means of the House of Representatives.

WOTC Administrative and Quarterly Reporting Forms. WOTC

administrative and reporting procedures are outlined in ETA Handbook

No. 408, Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Program, First Edition,

July 1997. This information has been revised and updated to reflect the

new changes and provisions introduced by the Act in an Addendum, dated

February 1998, to the first edition of ETA Handbook No. 408, July 1997.

In addition, the quarterly report forms are required to

be used without modification to summarize and report to ETA regional

offices--with copies to the national office--on conditional

certifications issued (Report No. 1, ETA 9057), certification workload

and characteristics of certified individuals (Report No. 2, ETA 9058)

including certifications issued, and verification results achieved

(Report No. 3, ETA 9059) during the reporting period stipulated for the

respective forms.

Type of Review: Revision, with changes.

Agency: ETA.

Title: Work Opportunity and Welfare-to-work Tax Credits--ETA

Handbook No. 408, First Edition, July 1997.

OMB Number: 1205-0371

Agency Number: ETA Forms 9061-9063 and 9065 and ETA Forms 9057,

9058, and 9059.

Recordkeeping: 52 States x 997 hours annually = 51,844 hours.

Affected Public: State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs), Other

Federal or State Participating Agencies,

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Private-for-Profit Employers and Jobseekers.

Total Respondents: 52.

Chart for Multiple Forms/Information Collections

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Total Average time Burden

Cite/reference respondents Frequency Total responses response hours

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ETA Forms Nos. 9057, 9058, 52.............. Quarterly....... 624............ 8 hours........ 4,992

9059.

ERA Forms 9061, 9062, 9063 40/day.......... On an ``as 200/week....... 20 mins. per 3,467

and 9065. needed basis''. form.

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Totals................. ................ ................ 10,400/year.... ............... 8,459

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Total Burden Cost (capital/startup: 0.

Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): 0.

Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be

summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and

Budget approval of the information collection request; they will also

become a matter of public record.

Dated: March 31, 1998.

John Beverly, III,

Director, U.S. Employment Service.

[FR Doc. 98-9231 Filed 4-7-98; 8:45 am]

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