[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 143 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[Unknown Section]
[Pages 48576-48580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14548]
Vol. 88
Thursday,
No. 143
July 27, 2023
Part XII
Department of Labor
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Semiannual Regulatory Agenda
Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 143 / Thursday, July 27, 2023 / UA:
Reg Flex Agenda
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of the Secretary
20 CFR Chs. I, IV, V, VI, VII, and IX
29 CFR Subtitle A and Chs. II, IV, V, XVII, and XXV
30 CFR Ch. I
41 CFR Ch. 60
48 CFR Ch. 29
Semiannual Agenda of Regulations
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Labor.
ACTION: Semiannual Regulatory Agenda.
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SUMMARY: The internet has become the means for disseminating the
entirety of the Department of Labor's semiannual regulatory agenda.
However, the Regulatory Flexibility Act requires publication of a
regulatory flexibility agenda in the Federal Register. This Federal
Register Notice contains the regulatory flexibility agenda.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Albert T. Herrera, Director, Office of
Regulatory and Programmatic Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary
for Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room
S-2312, Washington, DC 20210; (202) 693-5959.
Note: Information pertaining to a specific regulation can be
obtained from the agency contact listed for that particular
regulation.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Executive Order 12866 requires the
semiannual publication of an agenda of regulations that contains a
listing of all the regulations the Department of Labor expects to have
under active consideration for promulgation, proposal, or review during
the coming one-year period. The entirety of the Department's semiannual
agenda is available online at www.reginfo.gov.
The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 602) requires DOL to
publish in the Federal Register a regulatory flexibility agenda. The
Department's Regulatory Flexibility Agenda, published with this notice,
includes only those rules on its semiannual agenda that are likely to
have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities; and those rules identified for periodic review in keeping
with the requirements of section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
Thus, the regulatory flexibility agenda is a subset of the Department's
semiannual regulatory agenda. The Department's Regulatory Flexibility
Agenda does not include section 610 items at this time.
All interested members of the public are invited and encouraged to
let departmental officials know how our regulatory efforts can be
improved and are invited to participate in and comment on the review or
development of the regulations listed on the Department's agenda.
Julie A. Su,
Acting Secretary of Labor.
Wage and Hour Division--Proposed Rule Stage
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Regulation
Sequence No. Title Identifier No.
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125....................... Defining and Delimiting 1235-AA39
the Exemptions for
Executive,
Administrative,
Professional, Outside
Sales and Computer
Employees.
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Employment and Training Administration--Proposed Rule Stage
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Regulation
Sequence No. Title Identifier No.
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126....................... Temporary Employment of H- 1205-AB93
2B Foreign Workers in the
United States.
127....................... Improving Protections For 1205-AC12
Workers in Temporary
Agricultural Employment
in the United States.
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Employee Benefits Security Administration--Completed Actions
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Regulation
Sequence No. Title Identifier No.
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128....................... Implement SECURE Act and 1210-AB97
Related Revisions to
Employee Benefit Plan
Annual Reporting on the
Form 5500.
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Occupational Safety and Health Administration--Prerule Stage
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Regulation
Sequence No. Title Identifier No.
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129....................... Process Safety Management 1218-AC82
and Prevention of Major
Chemical Accidents.
130....................... Prevention of Workplace 1218-AD08
Violence in Health Care
and Social Assistance.
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Occupational Safety and Health Administration--Proposed Rule Stage
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Regulation
Sequence No. Title Identifier No.
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131....................... Infectious Diseases....... 1218-AC46
132....................... Communication Tower Safety 1218-AC90
133....................... Emergency Response........ 1218-AC91
134....................... Tree Care Standard........ 1218-AD04
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)
Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
Proposed Rule Stage
125. Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive,
Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees
[1235-AA39]
Legal Authority: 29 U.S.C. 201 et seq.; 29 U.S.C. 213
Abstract: WHD is reviewing the regulations at 29 CFR 541, which
implement the exemption of bona fide executive, administrative, and
professional employees from the Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage
and overtime requirements.
Timetable:
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Action Date FR Cite
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NPRM................................ 08/00/23
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Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
Agency Contact: Amy DeBisschop, Director of the Division of
Regulations, Legislation, and Interpretation, Department of Labor, Wage
and Hour Division, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP Building, Room S-
3502, Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-0406.
RIN: 1235-AA39
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)
Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
Proposed Rule Stage
126. Temporary Employment of H-2B Foreign Workers in the United States
[1205-AB93]
Legal Authority: 8 U.S.C. 1184; 8 U.S.C. 1103; sec. 655.0 issued
under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(E)(iii), 1101(a)(15)(H)(i) and (ii); 8
U.S.C. 1103(a)(6), 1182(m), (n) and (t), 1184(c), (g), and (j), 1188,
and 1288(c) and (d); sec. 3(c)(1), Pub. L. 101-238; 103 Stat. 2099,
2102 (8 U.S.C. 1182 note); sec. 221(a), Pub. L. 101-649, 104 Stat.
4978, 5027 (8 U.S.C. 1184 note); sec. 303(a)(8), Pub. L. 102-232, 105
Stat. 733, 1748 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note); sec. 323(c), Pub. L. 103-206, 107
Stat. 2428; sec. 412(e); Pub. L. 105-277, 112 Stat. 2681 (8 U.S.C. 1182
note); sec. 2(d), Pub. L. 106-95, 113 Stat. 1312, 1316 (8 U.S.C. 1182
note); 29 U.S.C. 49k; Pub. L. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135, as amended; Pub.
L. 109-423, 120 Stat. 2900; . . .
Abstract: The United States Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment
and Training Administration and Wage and Hour Division, and the United
States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services, are jointly proposing to update the H-2B visa
program regulations at 20 CFR part 655, subpart A, the related
prevailing wage regulations at 20 CFR 656, and 8 CFR 214 governing the
certification of the employment of H-2B non-immigrant workers in
temporary or seasonal non-agricultural employment and the enforcement
of the obligations applicable to employers of such nonimmigrant workers
and U.S. workers in corresponding employment. Specifically, the Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) would update the process by which
employers seeking to employ H-2B workers would obtain temporary
certification from DOL for use in petitioning DHS to employ a
nonimmigrant worker in H-2B status. The updates would also establish
standards and procedures for employers seeking to hire foreign
temporary non-agricultural workers for certain itinerant job
opportunities, including entertainers, tree planting, and utility
vegetation management.
Timetable:
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Action Date FR Cite
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NPRM................................ 08/00/23
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Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
Agency Contact: Brian Pasternak, Administrator, Department of
Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue
NW, Office of Foreign Labor Certification; Room N-5311, FP Building,
Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-8200, Email:
pasternak.brian@dol.gov.
RIN: 1205-AB93
127. Improving Protections for Workers in Temporary Agricultural
Employment in the United States [1205-AC12]
Legal Authority: 8 U.S.C. 1188; 29 U.S.C. 49 et seq.
Abstract: The Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training
Administration and Wage and Hour Division propose to amend regulations
to improve working conditions and protections for workers engaged in
temporary agricultural employment in the United States; and strengthen
protections in the recruitment, job order clearance, and oversight
processes. The proposed regulatory changes involve the Employment
Service and the H-2A non-immigrant visa program at 29 CFR part 501 and
20 CFR parts 651, 653, 654, 655, and 658.
The Department has identified a need to strengthen and clarify
protections for all temporary agricultural workers, including U.S.
workers and workers employed through the H-2A temporary agricultural
program. The H-2A temporary agricultural program allows agricultural
employers to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or
seasonal nature so long as there are not sufficient able, willing, and
qualified U.S. workers to perform the work and the employment of H-2A
workers does not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of
similarly employed workers in the United States. The use of the H-2A
program has grown substantially in recent years and the Department is
committed to protecting agricultural workers in light of their
significant vulnerabilities.
Timetable:
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Action Date FR Cite
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NPRM................................ 08/00/23
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Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
Agency Contact: Brian Pasternak, Administrator, Department of
Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue
NW, Office of Foreign Labor Certification; Room N-5311, FP Building,
Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-8200, Email:
pasternak.brian@dol.gov.
RIN: 1205-AC12
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)
Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
Completed Actions
128. Implement Secure Act and Related Revisions to Employee Benefit
Plan Annual Reporting on the Form 5500 [1210-AB97]
Legal Authority: 29 U.S.C. 1021, 1023-24, 1026-27, and 1029-30; 29
U.S.C. 1135
Abstract: This regulatory action would implement SECURE Act and
related changes to the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report of Employee
Benefit Plan and annual reporting regulations under ERISA.
Timetable:
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Action Date FR Cite
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NPRM................................ 09/15/21 86 FR 51284
NPRM Comment Period End............. 11/01/21
Notice of Proposed Forms Revision... 09/15/21 86 FR 51488
Notice of Proposed Forms Revision 11/01/21
Comment Period End.
Final Rule Phase I.................. 12/29/21 86 FR 73976
Final Rule Phase II................. 05/23/22 87 FR 31133
Final Rule Phase III................ 02/24/23 88 FR 11793
Final Rule Phase III Effective...... 04/25/23
Final Forms Revisions............... 02/24/23 88 FR 11984
Final Forms Effective (for plan 01/01/23
years beginning on or after 1/1/
2023).
Final Rule; Technical Correction 05/18/23 88 FR 31608
(Change to Operational Date).
Final Rule; Technical Correction 05/31/23
Effective.
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Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
Agency Contact: Jeffrey J. Turner, Deputy Director, Office of
Regulations and Interpretations, Department of Labor, Employee Benefits
Security Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP Building, Room
N-5655, Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-8500.
RIN: 1210-AB97
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Prerule Stage
129. Process Safety Management and Prevention of Major Chemical
Accidents [1218-AC82]
Legal Authority: 29 U.S.C. 655; 29 U.S.C. 657
Abstract: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
issued a Request for Information (RFI) on December 9, 2013 (78 FR
73756). The RFI identified issues related to modernization of the
Process Safety Management standard and related standards necessary to
meet the goal of preventing major chemical accidents. OSHA completed
SBREFA in August 2016.
Timetable:
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Action Date FR Cite
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Request for Information (RFI)....... 12/09/13 78 FR 73756
RFI Comment Period Extended......... 03/07/14 79 FR 13006
RFI Comment Period Extended End..... 03/31/14
Initiate SBREFA..................... 06/08/15
SBREFA Report Completed............. 08/01/16
Stakeholder Meeting................. 10/12/22
Analyze Comments.................... 11/00/23
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Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
Agency Contact: Andrew Levinson, Director, Directorate of Standards
and Guidance, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP Building, Room N-3718,
Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-1950, Email:
levinson.andrew@dol.gov.
RIN: 1218-AC82
130. Prevention of Workplace Violence in Health Care and Social
Assistance [1218-AD08]
Legal Authority: 29 U.S.C. 655(b); 5 U.S.C. 609
Abstract: The Request for Information (RFI) (published on December
7, 2016, 81 FR 88147)) provides OSHA's history with the issue of
workplace violence in health care and social assistance, including a
discussion of the Guidelines that were initially published in 1996, a
2014 update to the Guidelines, the agency's use of 5(a)(1) in
enforcement cases in health care. The RFI solicited information
primarily from health care employers, workers and other subject matter
experts on impacts of violence, prevention strategies, and other
information that will be useful to the agency. OSHA was petitioned for
a standard preventing workplace violence in health care by a broad
coalition of labor unions, and in a separate petition by the National
Nurses United. On January 10, 2017, OSHA granted the petitions. OSHA is
preparing for SBREFA.
Timetable:
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Action Date FR Cite
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Request for Information (RFI)....... 12/07/16 81 FR 88147
RFI Comment Period End.............. 04/06/17
Initiate SBREFA..................... 12/29/22
Complete SBREFA..................... 05/01/23
Analyze SBREFA Report............... 12/00/23
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Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
Agency Contact: Andrew Levinson, Director, Directorate of Standards
and Guidance, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP Building, Room N-3718,
Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-1950, Email:
levinson.andrew@dol.gov.
RIN: 1218-AD08
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Proposed Rule Stage
131. Infectious Diseases [1218-AC46]
Legal Authority: 5 U.S.C. 533; 29 U.S.C. 657 and 658; 29 U.S.C.
660; 29 U.S.C. 666; 29 U.S.C. 669; 29 U.S.C. 673
Abstract: Employees in health care and other high-risk environments
face long-standing infectious disease hazards such as tuberculosis
(TB), varicella disease (chickenpox, shingles), and measles, as well as
new and emerging infectious disease threats, such as Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), and
pandemic influenza. Health care workers and workers in related
occupations, or who are exposed in other high-risk environments, are at
increased risk of contracting TB, SARS, Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), COVID-19, and other infectious diseases
that can be transmitted through a variety of exposure routes. OSHA is
examining regulatory alternatives for control
measures to protect employees from infectious disease exposures to
pathogens that can cause significant disease. Workplaces where such
control measures might be necessary include: health care, emergency
response, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, drug treatment
programs, and other occupational settings where employees can be at
increased risk of exposure to potentially infectious people. A standard
could also apply to laboratories, which handle materials that may be a
source of pathogens, and to pathologists, coroners' offices, medical
examiners, and mortuaries.
Timetable:
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Action Date FR Cite
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Request for Information (RFI)....... 05/06/10 75 FR 24835
RFI Comment Period End.............. 08/04/10
Analyze Comments.................... 12/30/10
Stakeholder Meetings................ 07/05/11 76 FR 39041
Initiate SBREFA..................... 06/04/14
Complete SBREFA..................... 12/22/14
NPRM................................ 03/00/24
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Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
Agency Contact: Andrew Levinson, Director, Directorate of Standards
and Guidance, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP Building, Room N-3718,
Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-1950, Email:
levinson.andrew@dol.gov.
RIN: 1218-AC46
132. Communication Tower Safety [1218-AC90]
Legal Authority: 29 U.S.C. 655(b); 5 U.S.C. 609
Abstract: While the number of employees engaged in the
communication tower industry remains small, the fatality rate is very
high. Over the past 20 years, this industry has experienced an average
fatality rate that greatly exceeds that of the construction industry.
Due to recent FCC spectrum auctions and innovations in cellular
technology, there will be a very high level of construction activity
taking place on communication towers over the next few years. A similar
increase in the number of construction projects needed to support
cellular phone coverage triggered a spike in fatality and injury rates
years ago. Based on information collected from an April 2015 Request
for Information (RFI), OSHA concluded that current OSHA requirements
such as those for fall protection and personnel hoisting, may not
adequately cover all hazards of communication tower construction and
maintenance activities. OSHA will use information collected from a
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) panel to
identify effective work practices and advances in engineering
technology that would best address industry safety and health concerns.
The Panel carefully considered the issue of the expansion of the rule
beyond just communication towers. OSHA will continue to consider also
covering structures that have telecommunications equipment on or
attached to them (e.g., buildings, rooftops, water towers, billboards).
Timetable:
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Action Date FR Cite
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Request for Information (RFI)....... 04/15/15 80 FR 20185
RFI Comment Period End.............. 06/15/15
Initiate SBREFA..................... 01/04/17
Initiate SBREFA..................... 05/31/18
Complete SBREFA..................... 10/11/18
NPRM................................ 03/00/24
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Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
Agency Contact: Scott Ketcham, Director, Directorate of
Construction, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room N-3468, FP Building,
Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-2020, Fax: 202 693-1689, Email:
ketcham.scott@dol.gov.
RIN: 1218-AC90
133. Emergency Response [1218-AC91]
Legal Authority: 29 U.S.C. 655(b); 29 U.S.C. 657; 5 U.S.C. 609
Abstract: OSHA currently regulates aspects of emergency response
and preparedness; some of these standards were promulgated decades ago,
and none were designed as comprehensive emergency response standards.
Consequently, they do not address the full range of hazards or concerns
currently facing emergency responders, and other workers providing
skilled support, nor do they reflect major changes in performance
specifications for protective clothing and equipment. The agency
acknowledges that current OSHA standards also do not reflect all the
major developments in safety and health practices that have already
been accepted by the emergency response community and incorporated into
industry consensus standards. OSHA is considering updating these
standards with information gathered through an RFI and public meetings.
Timetable:
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Action Date FR Cite
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Stakeholder Meetings................ 07/30/14
Convene NACOSH Workgroup............ 09/09/15
NACOSH Review of Workgroup Report... 12/14/16
Initiate SBREFA..................... 08/02/21
Finalize SBREFA..................... 12/02/21
NPRM................................ 11/00/23
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Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
Agency Contact: Andrew Levinson, Director, Directorate of Standards
and Guidance, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP Building, Room N-3718,
Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202 693-1950, Email:
levinson.andrew@dol.gov.
RIN: 1218-AC91
134. Tree Care Standard [1218-AD04]
Legal Authority: Not Yet Determined
Abstract: There is no OSHA standard for tree care operations; the
agency currently applies a patchwork of standards to address the
serious hazards in this industry. The tree care industry previously
petitioned the agency for rulemaking and OSHA issued an ANPRM
(September 2008). OSHA completed a Small Business Regulatory
Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) panel in May 2020, collecting
information from affected small entities on a potential standard,
including the scope of the standard, effective work practices, and
arboricultural specific uses of equipment to guide OSHA in developing a
rule that would best address industry safety and health concerns. Tree
care continues to be a high-hazard industry.
Timetable:
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Action Date FR Cite
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Stakeholder Meeting................. 07/13/16
Initiate SBREFA..................... 01/10/20
Complete SBREFA..................... 05/22/20
NPRM................................ 12/00/23
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Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes.
Agency Contact: Andrew Levinson, Director, Directorate of Standards
and Guidance, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, 200 Constitution
Avenue NW, FP Building, Room N-3718, Washington, DC 20210, Phone: 202
693-1950, Email: levinson.andrew@dol.gov.
RIN: 1218-AD04
[FR Doc. 2023-14548 Filed 7-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-HL-P
