Supporting Statement: OFLC SWA Grants for Foreign Labor Certification Programs

Generic Solicitation for Grant Applications

Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications

For Office of Foreign Labor Certification

State Workforce Agency Annual Plans

Abstract:

The Department of Labor administers Foreign Labor Certification programs through the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC), with the assistance of State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). This ICR seeks to clear the unique information collection requirements in the OFLC guidance to SWAs submitting Annual Plans to receive grants to perform the necessary work for the Foreign Labor Certification programs run by OFLC for Fiscal Years 2015 and 2016. Congress appropriates funding to OFLC, through the Wagner-Peyser Act allocations under the State Unemployment Insurance and Employment Service Operations provisions, to meet certain obligations mandated by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). OFLC provides annual guidance and funding levels to the SWAs to support foreign labor certification activities. In accordance with the Wagner Peyser Act, the Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration makes grant funds available for use in each state to support the foreign labor certification process. In order to receive funding, states must submit an application for a grant that contains a narrative annual plan. The OFLC grants are non-competitive grants awarded to the SWA in each state; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Governments of the Virgin Islands and Guam; and the District of Columbia. The OFLC grant amounts are determined based on a funding formula provided in annually provided guidance in the form of a Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL). Attachment 2 of the TEGL requests information that is subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act. This data collection will not duplicate any information currently collected.

Electronic availability:

This grant solicitation will be sent out electronically and the SWAs will be able to submit it electronically via email or through the U.S. Postal Service. Based on past DOL experience, the Department anticipates 80 percent of responses will be submitted electronically.

Small Entities:

This information collection will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities because this information collection is specific to SWAs.

Assurances of confidentiality:

These grant solicitations do not offer applicants assurances of confidentiality.

Special circumstances:

This information collection complies with 5 CFR 1320.5(b).

Burden:

Based on past experience, the DOL expects to receive approximately 55 applications. Public reporting burden for the information collection is estimated to average 4 hours per response for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

55 applications x 4 hours = 220 hours.

The total annual cost of collecting information ($9,910) is based on the average hourly rate of $22.94 for Survey Researchers based on the median national wage as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in O*Net Online at http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/19-3022.00 increased by 40 percent to account for employee benefits and other non-wage compensation for a total of $32.12 an hour.

The estimated total hourly burden and cost is:

220 hours x $32.12 = $7,066.

The DOL associates no other burden costs with this information collection. In addition to the application, each grantee will be required to submit quarterly financial, performance, and narrative reports to ETA. Those information collection requirements are cleared under a separate Control Number – 1205-0457.

Total burden: 55 respondents, 55 responses, 220 hours, $0 other cost burden.

Supporting Statement B; Statistical Methods

This information collection does not employ statistical methods.

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