80 FR 60406 - Labor Surplus Area Classification Under Executive Orders 12073 and 10582

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 193 (October 6, 2015)

Page Range		60406-60407
FR Document		2015-25311

The purpose of this notice is to announce the annual list of labor surplus areas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016.

Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 193 (Tuesday, October 6, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 193 (Tuesday, October 6, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60406-60407]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-25311]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Labor Surplus Area Classification Under Executive Orders 12073 
and 10582

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to announce the annual list of 
labor surplus areas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016.

DATES: Effective Date: The annual list of labor surplus areas is 
effective October 1, 2015, for all states, the District of Columbia, 
and Puerto Rico.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Samuel Wright, Office of Workforce 
Investment, Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution 
Avenue NW., Room C-4514, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 693-
2870 (This is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Labor's regulations 
implementing Executive Orders 12073 and 10582 are set forth at 20 CFR 
part 654, subpart A. These regulations require the Employment and 
Training Administration (ETA) to classify jurisdictions as labor 
surplus areas pursuant to the criteria specified in the regulations, 
and to publish annually a list of labor surplus areas. Pursuant to 
those regulations, ETA is hereby publishing the annual list of labor 
surplus areas. In addition, the regulations provide exceptional 
circumstance criteria for classifying labor surplus areas when 
catastrophic events, such as natural disasters, plant closings, and 
contract cancellations are expected to have a long-term impact on labor 
market area conditions, discounting temporary or seasonal factors.

Eligible Labor Surplus Areas

    A Labor Surplus Area (LSA) is a civil jurisdiction that has a 
civilian average annual unemployment rate during the previous two 
calendar years of 20 percent or more above the average annual civilian 
unemployment rate for all states during the same 24-month reference 
period. ETA uses only official unemployment estimates provided by the 
Bureau of Labor Statistics in making these classifications. The average 
unemployment rate for all states includes data for the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico. LSA classification criteria stipulate a civil jurisdiction 
must have a ``floor unemployment rate'' of 6.0% or higher to be 
classified a LSA. Any civil jurisdiction that has a ``ceiling 
unemployment rate'' of 10% or higher is classified a LSA.
    Civil jurisdictions are defined as follows:
    1. A city of at least 25,000 population on the basis of the most 
recently available estimates from the Bureau of the Census; or
    2. A town or township in the States of Michigan, New Jersey, New 
York, or Pennsylvania of 25,000 or more population and which possess 
powers and functions similar to those of cities.
    3. All counties, except for the following:
    (a) those counties which contain any type of civil jurisdictions 
defined in ``1'' or ``2'' above,
    (b) a county in the States of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode 
Island.
    4. A ``balance of county'' consisting of a county less any 
component cities and townships identified in ``1'' or ``2'' above; or
    5. A county equivalent which is a town in the States of 
Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, or a municipio in the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Procedures for Classifying Labor Surplus Areas

    The Department of Labor (DOL) issues the LSA list on a fiscal year 
basis. The list becomes effective each October 1, and remains in effect 
through the following September 30. The reference period used in 
preparing the current list was January 2013 through December 2014. The 
national average unemployment rate (including Puerto Rico) during this 
period was rounded to 6.82 percent. Twenty percent higher than the 
national unemployment rate is 8.18 percent. Therefore, areas included 
on the FY 2016 LSA list had a rounded unemployment rate for the 
reference period of 8.18 percent or higher. To ensure that all areas 
classified as labor surplus meet the requirements, when a city is part 
of a county and meets the unemployment qualifier as a LSA, that city is 
identified in the LSA list, the balance of county, not the entire 
county, will be identified as LSAs if the balance of county also meets 
the LSA unemployment criteria. The FY 2016

[[Page 60407]]

LSA list, statistical data on the current and some previous year's 
LSAs, and the list of LSAs in Puerto Rico are available at ETA's LSA 
Web site http://www.doleta.gov/programs/lsa.cfm.

Petition for Exceptional Circumstance Consideration

    The classification procedures also provide criteria for the 
designation of LSAs under exceptional circumstances criteria. These 
procedures permit the regular classification criteria to be waived when 
an area experiences a significant increase in unemployment which is not 
temporary or seasonal and which was not reflected in the data for the 
2-year reference period. Under the program's exceptional circumstance 
procedures, LSA classifications can be made for civil jurisdictions, 
Metropolitan Statistical Areas or Combined Statistical Areas, as 
defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. In order for an 
area to be classified as a LSA under the exceptional circumstance 
criteria, the state workforce agency must submit a petition requesting 
such classification to the Department of Labor's ETA. The current 
criteria for an exceptional circumstance classification are,
    (1) an area's unemployment rate is at least 8.18 percent for each 
of the three most recent months;
    (2) a projected unemployment rate of at least 8.18 percent for each 
of the next 12 months; and
    (3) documentation that the exceptional circumstance event has 
occurred. The state workforce agency may file petitions on behalf of 
civil jurisdictions, Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or Micropolitan 
Statistical Areas.
    The addresses of state workforce agencies are available on the ETA 
Web site at: http://www.doleta.gov/programs/lsa.cfm and https://winwin.workforce3one.org/view/Labor_Surplus_Area_List_Issued/info. 
State Workforce Agencies may submit petitions in electronic format to 
[email protected], or in hard copy to the U.S. Department of 
Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Workforce 
Investment, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room C-4514, Washington, DC 
20210, Attention Samuel Wright. Data collection for the petition is 
approved under OMB 1205-0207, expiration date March 31, 2016.

Portia Wu,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-25311 Filed 10-5-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-FT-P

Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 193 / Tuesday, October 6, 2015 / Notices 60407

LSA list, statistical data on the current DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
and some previous year’s LSAs, and the Contact Celeste Richie by email at
list of LSAs in Puerto Rico are available Office of the Secretary ChiefEvaluationOffice@dol.gov.
at ETA’s LSA Web site http:// SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
www.doleta.gov/programs/lsa.cfm. Agency Information Collection
I. Background: In June 2014, ODEP
Activities; Submission for OMB
Petition for Exceptional Circumstance announced the availability of funds for
Review; Comment Request;
Consideration two cooperative agreements to conduct
Demonstration and Evaluation of
pilot projects to research, develop, test
The classification procedures also Community College Interventions for
and, in coordination with DOL, evaluate
provide criteria for the designation of Youth and Young Adults With
innovative systems models for
LSAs under exceptional circumstances Disabilities
providing inclusive integrated
criteria. These procedures permit the AGENCY: Office of the Assistant education and career development
regular classification criteria to be Secretary for Policy, Chief Evaluation services to youth and young adults with
waived when an area experiences a Office, Labor. disabilities. In September of 2014, ODEP
significant increase in unemployment competitively selected Onondaga
which is not temporary or seasonal and ACTION: Notice.
Community College and Pellissippi
which was not reflected in the data for State Community College for the
SUMMARY: The Department of Labor
the 2-year reference period. Under the Pathways to Careers Grant Program. The
(DOL), as part of its continuing effort to
program’s exceptional circumstance program models are designed to (1)
reduce paperwork and respondent
procedures, LSA classifications can be increase credential and job attainment
burden, conducts a preclearance
made for civil jurisdictions, of students with disabilities, (2) increase
consultation program to provide the
Metropolitan Statistical Areas or their job placement, and (3) decrease the
general public and Federal agencies
Combined Statistical Areas, as defined wage earning differential between
with an opportunity to comment on
by the U.S. Office of Management and students with and without disabilities,
proposed and/or continuing collections
Budget. In order for an area to be and between students with different
of information in accordance with the
classified as a LSA under the types of disabilities.
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
exceptional circumstance criteria, the The grantees are expected to design
(PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This
state workforce agency must submit a approaches that work to shift practice
program helps to ensure that required
petition requesting such classification to and policy across the institution. This
data can be provided in the desired
the Department of Labor’s ETA. The involves transforming the entire
format, reporting burden (time and
current criteria for an exceptional college’s approach for providing
financial resources) is minimized,
circumstance classification are, services, as opposed to a single division,
collection instruments are clearly
(1) an area’s unemployment rate is at understood, and the impact of collection and enlisting support from and
least 8.18 percent for each of the three requirements on respondents can be engagement of administrators, deans,
most recent months; properly assessed. department chairs, faculty, student
(2) a projected unemployment rate of A copy of the proposed Information services, and other divisions that have
at least 8.18 percent for each of the next Collection Request can be obtained by a role in ensuring students’ success. It
12 months; and contacting the office listed below in the is expected that grantees will leverage
(3) documentation that the addressee section of this notice. their partnerships and relationships
exceptional circumstance event has with national affiliates, association
DATES: Written comments must be members or business organizations, and
occurred. The state workforce agency
submitted to the office listed in the a variety of other entities including the
may file petitions on behalf of civil
addressee section below on or before public workforce system. Grantees are
jurisdictions, Metropolitan Statistical
December 7, 2015. also required to capture and use data to
Areas, or Micropolitan Statistical Areas.
The addresses of state workforce ADDRESSES: You may submit comments assess and manage their program
agencies are available on the ETA Web by either one of the following methods: performance, and to participate in an
site at: http://www.doleta.gov/programs/ Email: ChiefEvaluationOffice@dol.gov; independent evaluation.
lsa.cfm and https:// Mail or Courier: Celeste Richie, Chief ODEP has oversight responsibility for
winwin.workforce3one.org/view/Labor_ Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of the Pathways to Careers Grant Program.
Surplus_Area_List_Issued/info. State Labor, Room S–2218, 200 Constitution The Chief Evaluation Office of DOL is
Workforce Agencies may submit Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. conducting the evaluation of the
petitions in electronic format to Instructions: Please submit one copy of Pathways to Careers Grant Program. The
wright.samuel.e@dol.gov, or in hard your comments by only one method. All evaluation consists of an
copy to the U.S. Department of Labor, submissions received must include the implementation study and a descriptive
Employment and Training agency name and OMB Control Number outcomes study. The implementation
Administration, Office of Workforce identified above for this information study will document the institutional
Investment, 200 Constitution Avenue collection. Because we continue to change at the two colleges; assess the
NW., Room C–4514, Washington, DC experience delays in receiving mail in fidelity of the implemented programs to
20210, Attention Samuel Wright. Data the Washington, DC area, commenters the intended program model; assess the
collection for the petition is approved are strongly encouraged to transmit their models for replicability and scalability;
under OMB 1205–0207, expiration date comments electronically via email or to and determine the extent to which the
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

March 31, 2016. submit them by mail early. Comments, grantees used Universal Design for
including any personal information Learning (UDL) principles and the
Portia Wu, provided, become a matter of public Guideposts for Success in the
Assistant Secretary for Employment and record. They will also be summarized development and operation of their
Training Administration. and/or included in the request for OMB programs. The outcomes study will
[FR Doc. 2015–25311 Filed 10–5–15; 8:45 am] approval of the information collection document PTC participant outcomes,
BILLING CODE 4510–FT–P request. examine the extent to which the

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Document Created: 2015-12-15 08:51:27
Document Modified: 2015-12-15 08:51:27

Category		Regulatory Information
Collection		Federal Register
sudoc Class		AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106:
Publisher		Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
Section		Notices
Action		Notice
Contact		Samuel Wright, Office of Workforce Investment, Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room C-4514, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 693- 2870 (This is not a toll-free number).
FR Citation		80 FR 60406

80 FR 60406 - Labor Surplus Area Classification Under Executive Orders 12073 and 10582

DEPARTMENT OF LABOREmployment and Training Administration

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 193 (October 6, 2015)

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration