Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Federal Contractor
Veterans’ Employment Reports VETS-100 and VETS-100A
[10/02/2007]
Volume 72, Number 190, Page 56103-56104
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Veterans' Employment Training Service
Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Federal Contractor
Veterans' Employment Reports VETS-100 and VETS-100A
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 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.
Currently, the Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) is
soliciting comments concerning the proposed revision of the currently
approved information collection request for the ``Federal Contractor
Veterans'' Employment Report VETS-100'' to include the ``Federal
Contractor Veterans'' Employment Report VETS-100A.'' A copy of the
proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting
the office listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this Notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section below on or before December 3, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Comments are to be submitted to Robert Wilson, Chief,
Division of Investigation and Compliance, VETS, U.S. Department of
Labor, Room S-1316, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210.
Electronic transmission is the preferred method for submitting
comments. E-mail may be sent to FCP-PRA-04-VETS@dol.gov. Include
''VETS-100A'' in the subject line of the message. Written comments of
10 pages or fewer also may be transmitted by facsimile to (202) 693-
4755 (this is not a toll free number). Receipt of submissions, whether
by U.S. Mail, e-mail or FAX transmittal, will not be acknowledged;
however, the sender may request confirmation that a submission has been
received, by telephoning VETS at (202) 693-4719 (VOICE) (this is not a
toll-free number) or (202) 693-4753 (TTY/TDD).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974
(``VEVRAA''), 38 U.S.C. 4212(d), requires Federal contractors and
subcontractors subject to the Act's affirmative action provisions in 38
U.S.C. 4212(a) to track and report annually to the Secretary of Labor
the number of employees in their workforces, by job category and hiring
location, who belong to the specified categories of covered veterans.
VETS has issued regulations set forth in 41 CFR part 61-250 that
currently require contractors to use the Federal Contractor Veterans'
Employment Report VETS-100 (``VETS-100 Report'') form for reporting
information on the number of covered veterans in their workforces. The
VETS-100 Report is currently approved under OMB No. 1293-0005.
The Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA) (Pub. L. 107-288), which was
enacted in 2002, amended VEVRAA by making two changes to the reporting
requirements applicable to contracts entered into on or after December
1, 2003. The JVA amendments: (1) Increased from $25,000 to $100,000,
the dollar amount of the contract that subjects a Federal contractor to
the requirement to report on veterans' employment; and (2) changed the
categories of covered veterans under VEVRAA, and thus the categories of
veterans that contractors are required to track and report on annually.
The JVA amendments to the reporting requirements under VEVRAA apply
only to contracts entered into on or after December 1, 2003. Some
contractors have Government contracts that were entered into before
December 1, 2003, and are still subject to the reporting requirements
in 41 CFR part 61-250. Therefore, VETS has determined that it will be
necessary to maintain two sets of regulations to implement the
reporting requirements under VEVRAA, and use two different forms for
providing the required information on the employment of covered
veterans.
On August 8, 2006, VETS published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
(NPRM), (71 FR 44945), to implement the changes made by JVA to the
reporting requirements under VEVRAA. The NPRM proposed to adopt a new
set of regulations that would be codified in a new 41 CFR part 61-300.
The NPRM also proposed to adopt a new form for reporting the
information on veterans' employment required by the JVA amendments to
VEVRAA and name it the Federal Contractor Veterans' Employment Report
VETS-100A. The existing regulations at 41 CFR part 60-250 and the VETS-
100 reporting requirements will continue to apply to Government
contracts entered into before December 1, 2003.
II. Desired Focus of Comments
Currently VETS is soliciting comments concerning the proposed
revision of the currently approved information collection request to
include the ``Federal Contractor Veterans' Employment Report VETS-
100A.'' 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
[[Page 56104]]
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 Actions
The Department of Labor seeks approval of the revision of the
currently approved information collection request to include the
Federal Contractor Veterans' Employment Report VETS-100A in order to
carry out its responsibilities to administer and enforce compliance
with the contractor reporting requirements under VEVRAA, as amended by
the JVA.
Type of Review: Revision of currently approved collection.
Agency: Veterans' Employment and Training Service.
Title: Federal Contractor Veterans' Report VETS-100.
OMB Number: 1293-0005.
Affected Public: Government contractors and subcontractors with a
contract of $25,000 or more entered into before December 1, 2003, that
are required to comply with the affirmative action provisions of the
Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act.
Title: Federal Contractor Veterans' Report VETS-100A.
OMB Number: 1293-0005.
Affected Public: Government contractors and subcontractors with a
contract of $100,000 or more entered into or modified on or after
December 1, 2003, that are required to comply with the affirmative
action provisions of the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance
Act.
Federal Contractor Veterans' VETS-100 and VETS-100A OMB Number: 1293-0005
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Submission from Federal Both VETS-100 VETS- Total
contractors VETS-100 only VETS-100A only 100A reporting
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Total Respondents................ 6,000.............. 10,000............. 4,000.............. 20,000
Total Annual Responses........... 66,000............. 110,000............ 88,000............. 264,000
Avg. Paper Response (35%)........ 1 hr............... 1 hr............... 45 min............. ..............
Avg. Electronic Response (65%)... 30 min............. 30 min............. 15 min............. ..............
Burden Hours
Paper........................ 23,100............. 38,500............. 23,100*............ 84,700
Electronic....................... 21,450............. 35,750............. 14,300**........... 71,500
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Total Filing Burden Hours 44,550............. 74,250............. 37,400............. 156,200
One-Time Implementation Burden 308,000............ 308,000
(VETS-100).
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Total Filing Burden Cost..... $712,800........... $1,188,000......... $598,400........... $2,499,200
One Time Implementation Burden $0................. $4,180,000......... $1,672,000......... $5,852,000
Cost (VETS-100A).
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*Paper both 88,000*.35 x 0.75 = 23,100.
**Electronic both: 88,000 x 0.65 x 0.25 = 14,300.
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 will also become a
matter of public record.
Dated: September 25, 2007.
John M. McWilliam,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employment and Training.
[FR Doc. E7-19331 Filed 10-1-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-79-P
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