EMILE 60 day FRN July 16, 2004

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 136 / Friday, July 16, 2004 / Notices
number); fax: (202) 693–3490; e-mail:
[email protected].

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training
Administration
Proposed Information Collection
Request Submitted for Public
Comment and Recommendations; ETA
Management Information and
Longitudinal Evaluation (EMILE)
Reporting System
ACTION:

Notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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, the reporting burden (time and
financial resources) is minimized, the
collection instruments are clearly
understood, and the impact of collection
requirements on respondents can be
properly assessed. The Employment and
Training Administration (ETA) is
soliciting comments on the
establishment of a single, streamlined
reporting and recordkeeping system,
formally called the ETA Management
Information and Longitudinal
Evaluation (EMILE) reporting system, to
replace the current data collection and
reporting requirements for the following
12 employment and training programs:
Employment Service (ES) program,
including reports for the Veterans
Employment and Training Service
(VETS) program, Workforce Investment
Act (WIA) Title I-B Adult program,
Dislocated Worker program, and Youth
program, National Emergency Grant
(NEG) program, Trade Adjustment
Assistance program, National Farm
Worker Jobs Program (NFJP), Indian and
Native American program, Senior
Community Service Employment
Program (SCSEP), H–1B Technical
Skills Training grant (H–1B) program,
and the Responsible Reintegration of
Youth Offenders program.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
September 14, 2004.
ADDRESSEE: Send comments to: Ms.
Esther Johnson, Performance and
Results Office, Employment and
Training Administration, U.S.
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution
Avenue NW., Room S–5206,
Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202)
693–3420 (this is not a toll-free
SUMMARY:

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Ms.
Karen Staha, Performance and Results
Office, Employment and Training
Administration, U.S. Department of
Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW.,
Room S–5206, Washington, DC 20210;
telephone: (202) 693–3420 (this is not a
toll-free number); fax: (202) 693–3490;
e-mail: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jkt 203001

I. Background
This is a request by ETA to replace
current quarterly reporting requirements
for 12 ETA programs with a single,
streamlined system of reporting
performance results. In 2002, under the
President’s Management Agenda, the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) and other Federal agencies
developed common performance
measures to be applied to certain
Federally-funded programs with similar
strategic goals. As part of this initiative,
ETA issued Training and Employment
Guidance Letter (TEGL) 15–03, Common
Measures Policy. This policy guidance,
however, becomes effective only when
it is implemented through changes to
the program reporting systems. The
proposed EMILE reporting system
streamlines 12 ETA program reporting
systems into one comprehensive
reporting structure that will allow for
consistent, comparable analysis across
ETA funded employment and training
programs, using the definitions for
common measures established in TEGL
15–03.
States and other grantees are currently
required to submit separate performance
reports for each of the programs they
administer. There are no standard
forms, definitions, instructions, or
submission procedures. In some
instances, there is confusion regarding
the time periods used for calculating
program performance, what data are to
be reported, and how the data are
prepared for submission to the
Department on a timely basis. The lack
of standardized data collection and
report preparation procedures imposes a
burden on grantees that seek to
coordinate service delivery and
performance measurement in a local
One-Stop environment. Equally
important, these reporting
inconsistencies frustrate many of the
Department’s stakeholders and the
general public at large who want to
understand how to interpret ETA
program performance results and access
the most up-to-date performance
information to effectively inform

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program planning and accountability
and resource allocation decisions.
The need for a comprehensive and
standardized reporting system was also
underscored in reviews conducted by
external oversight agencies, including
the Department’s Office of Inspector
General and the General Accounting
Office. These oversight agencies have
questioned the validity and
comparability of data reported by ETA
to Congress. To address these issues,
ETA is using its statutory and regulatory
authority to redesign and strengthen its
various program performance reporting
systems into a single comprehensive
system, formally called the ETA
Management Information and
Longitudinal Evaluation (EMILE)
reporting system, to replace the current
quarterly reporting requirements of 12
employment and training programs.
This comprehensive reporting structure
features a single quarterly report format
and establishes a common language that
will standardize data collection for
program participants and employer
customers, based on a core set of
information for all program customers.
These standardized individual records
will include information on
demographic characteristics, type of
services received, and common
measures of outcomes defined
consistently across all programs. In
some cases, additional data collection
requirements are necessary for federal
oversight or to comply with existing
statutory requirements, and these are
also included in the proposed EMILE
reporting system.
The EMILE reporting system consists
of three components:
(1) A Workforce Investment Quarterly
Summary Report that provides aggregate
performance information on program
participants, participants who exit the
program, and performance outcomes for
the most recent four-quarter period.
This rolling four-quarter data collection
methodology provides ETA and the
grantees with greater flexibility in
discussing annual performance results
according to any four-quarter reporting
period (e.g., Calendar Year, Program
Year, and Federal Fiscal Year). The
quarterly report format has been
designed in such a way that grantees
who administer multiple ETA grants
can utilize a single report format to
certify program accomplishments on a
quarterly basis. This uniform report
format will not only help facilitate
consistent performance calculations and
reporting by grantees, but provide
management information to the
Administration, Congress and other
stakeholders that focus on the core
functions of the workforce system:

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employment for adults and skills for
youth.
(2) An Employer Individual Record
that provides a list of standardized data
elements, definitions, and specifications
that are considered important to the
management of the programs and the
provision of services to employer
customers. The use of an employer
individual record reflects the current
focus on becoming more demand-driven
as an effective way to provide good
career opportunities for job seekers and
improve economic conditions.
Information contained on the employer
individual record will provide a more
complete picture of the total impact of
the One-Stop system by including the
characteristics of employers served and
the type and frequency of services being
delivered; and
(3) A Job Seeker Individual Record
that provides a list of standardized data
elements, definitions, and specifications
that can be used to describe the
characteristics, services and activities,
and outcomes of job seekers across ETA
programs. This individual record
incorporates data needed to calculate
common measures defined in TEGL 15–
03 as well as other statutorily required
indicators of performance, and
establishes a common language that will
standardize data collection for program
participants, based on a core set of
information for all job seeker customers.
The job seeker individual record has
been designed in such a way that
grantees who administer multiple ETA
grants can utilize this single record
layout to report additional
characteristics, services and activities,
and outcomes for the same program
customer. Information contained on the
job seeker individual record will
facilitate meaningful evaluation,
realistic planning, and effective
management of ETA funded programs.
The EMILE Handbook provides
detailed reporting specifications and
instructions on each of the three
reporting system components. It is
available at http://www.doleta.gov/
performance or by requesting an
electronic copy through e-mail at
[email protected] or by contacting
the office listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
notice.
The EMILE reporting system will
ensure there is consistency across all
ETA programs so all programs are
evaluated using the same criteria. When
job seeker and employer data are
collected, maintained and reported
consistently and accurately at a basic
level (e.g., grantee field office or OneStop Career Center), data can be
aggregated from each program and

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17:00 Jul 15, 2004

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reported to higher levels with greater
confidence that the data are comparable
from customer to customer, from
program to program, and from year to
year. EMILE also incorporates
provisions to ensure the integrity of
reported data, and resolve data
collection and reliability issues raised
by OIG and GAO regarding the
Department’s ability to accurately
evaluate program performance. The
quarterly report and standardized
individual records contained within the
proposed EMILE reporting system will
replace the following 21 ETA reports:
ETA 9090 WIA Quarterly Report; WIA
Customer Satisfaction Survey; WIA
Standardized Record Data; ES 9002 A,
B, C, D, and E Quarterly Reports; ES
Customer Satisfaction Survey; VETS 200
A, B, and C Quarterly Reports; ETA 563
Quarterly Determinations, Allowance
Activities, and Reemployment Services
Under the Trade Act Report; Trade Act
Participant Report; ETA 9095—Section
167 NFJP Status Report; ETA 9098—
Section 167 NFJP Youth Status Report;
WIA Standardized Program Report; ETA
5140 Quarterly Progress Report; SCSEP
Customer Service Survey; ETA 9084
Comprehensive Services Program
Report; and ETA 9085 Supplemental
Youth Program Report. The EMILE
reporting system will also establish
quarterly reporting requirements for the
H–1B, NEG, and Responsible
Reintegration of Youth Offenders grant
program.
While the proposed standardized
individual records and quarterly report
represent a comprehensive data
collection and reporting approach, it is
important to note that every effort has
been made to establish common data
definitions and formats with minimum
burden to grantees. At its foundation,
the proposed reporting structure
organizes information that is maintained
by states and grantees in order to run
their day-to-day operations. The
proposal streamlines and makes
consistent information that ETA
currently collects from states and
grantees. The proposal describes a
minimum level of information
collection that is necessary to comply
with Equal Opportunity requirements,
hold states and grantees appropriately
accountable for the Federal funds they
receive, including common measures,
and allow the Department to fulfill its
oversight and management
responsibilities.
Administration of Federal grant
programs does result in a data collection
and reporting burden on states and
grantees. ETA has developed strategies
to minimize this burden on grantees,
especially smaller grantees who may

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have limited access to technology. First,
the Department will work closely with
the grantees to establish a transition
plan for each program, to phase out
prior reporting requirements to be
replaced by EMILE once these new
reporting requirements have been
approved by OMB. A key component of
this transition plan will include use of
the Department’s existing resources to
provide staff training and technical
assistance on the new report
specifications. Second, the Department
will enhance its current electronic
reporting system and technology
infrastructure to accommodate the new
report specifications. Third, because
grantees are required to utilize wage
records in order to calculate OMB
common measures, the Department will
continue its financial commitment for
the national Wage Record Interchange
System (WRIS) as well as other
mechanisms that will support grantee
access to wage records maintained by
Federal agencies. And finally, to reduce
startup costs related to implementing
EMILE, the Department is planning to
update standardized reporting and
validation software and instructional
handbooks, which may be used by
grantees in calculating and
electronically submitting the quarterly
summary performance report and
individual records.
II. Desired Focus of Comments
Currently, ETA is soliciting comments
concerning the proposed new collection
of information under the EMILE
reporting system. A copy of the
proposed information collection request
can be obtained by contacting the office
listed above in the ADDRESSES section of
this notice. The Department is
particularly interested in comments that
address the following areas about the
EMILE reporting and recordkeeping
specifications:
• 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;
• Discuss how to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
• Suggest how to 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

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techniques or other forms of information
technology (e.g., permitting electronic
submissions of responses).
With regard to the Agency’s estimate
of the burden of the proposed collection
of information, ETA is particularly
interested in receiving public comments
on the efficacy of collecting a
statistically valid sample of individual
records for each program instead of all
individual records. The Agency would
also like to receive public comments
regarding the collection of additional
information on the types of disability of
people being served in the One-Stop.
More specifically, if a person indicates
that he/she has a disability, that person
would also be given the opportunity to
voluntarily disclose whether he/she has
any one or more of the following types
of disability that substantially limits one
or more major life activities: Specific
learning disability, hearing impairment,
visual impairment, speech impairment,
cognitive impairment, orthopedic
impairment, mental/emotional/
psychological impairment, drug
addiction or alcoholism, or other types
of disability. ETA believes that
collection of types of disability will
have practical utility for focusing on,
and evaluating the effectiveness of its
programs in serving persons with a
disability through the One-Stop system.
In summary, ETA’s proposed
reporting system, EMILE, is intended to:

Type of Review: New.

and

Quarterly ................

2,360 ......................

831,835

353

Employer Record ......................
Quarterly Summary Report ......

territories ..........
territories, and

Quarterly ................
Quarterly ................

208 .........................
2,360 1 ....................

832
11,800

4
5

Customer Satisfaction ..............

territories,

and

Quarterly ................

Included in Quarterly Summary
Report.

44,596

19

Totals .................................

590 (unduplicated count of all
respondents).

Quarterly ................

4,928 ......................

889,063

180

590 states,
grantees.
52 states, and
590 states,
grantees.
303 states,
grantees.

territories,

Total annual
hours

Average annual hours/response

Total annual responses

Total respondents

Job Seeker Individual Record ..

satisfaction results are reported in the Quarterly Summary Report.

Total Burden Cost (capital/startup):
$4,576,260.
Total Burden Cost (operating/
maintaining): $26,019,500.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for OMB
approval of the information collection
request; they will also become a matter
of public record.

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III. Current Actions

Agency: Department of Labor,
Employment and Training
Administration.
Title: ETA Management Information
and Longitudinal Evaluation (EMILE)
Reporting System.
OMB Number: 1295–ONEW.
Recordkeeping: Three years for States
and grantees.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households, business or other for-profit,
not-for-profit institutions, Federal, State,
local or tribal government.
Cite/Reference/Form/etc: Workforce
Investment Act of 1998, Wagner-Peyser
Act, Trade Adjustment Assistance Act,
Older Americans Act, Jobs for Veterans
Act, American Competitiveness in the
Twenty-First Century Act of 2000, see
table below for list of forms.
Total Respondents: 590 States and
grantees.
Frequency: Quarterly.
Total Responses: 4,928 submissions
annually—each State and grantee
submits job seeker individual records
and a quarterly summary report each
quarter for each program. Each State
also submits employer individual
records each quarter.
Average Time per Response: Varies by
program and by submission (individual
record or quarterly summary report).
Estimated Total Burden Hours:

Frequency

Form/activity

1 Customer

(1) Eliminate 12 disparate ETA program
reporting requirements and replace
them with a single performance
reporting system that will enable
consistent measurement and
understanding of the overall
effectiveness of ETA programs in
helping job seekers find meaningful
employment and in helping employers
find workers, (2) implement
standardized data collection and report
submission procedures that will allow
for consistent, comparable analysis
across ETA funded employment and
training programs, using the definitions
for common measures established in
TEGL 15–03, (3) collect management
information in order to more fully
understand how the populations served
and services provided through each
program impact performance outcomes,
(4) collect participant information
quarterly so the workforce system can
respond more quickly and effectively to
the oversight and management needs of
Congress, the Administration and the
general public, (5) ensure that
performance information is accurate and
reliable, and (6) support the
establishment of a demand-driven
system by organizing information on
services used by employer customers.

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Signed in Washington, DC, on July 13,
2004.
Emily Stover DeRocco,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and
Training.
[FR Doc. 04–16175 Filed 7–15–04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–30–P

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment Standards
Administration, Wage and Hour
Division
Minimum Wages for Federal and
Federally Assisted Construction;
General Wage Determination Decisions
General wage determination decisions
of the Secretary of Labor are issued in
accordance with applicable law and are
based on the information obtained by
the Department of Labor from its study
of local wage conditions and data made

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