View Rule
View EO 12866 Meetings | Printer-Friendly Version Download RIN Data in XML |
DOL/ETA | RIN: 1205-AB32 | Publication ID: Spring 2004 |
Title: Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers | |
Abstract: The Trade Act of 2002, enacted on August 6, 2002, contains provisions amending title 2, chapter 2 of the Trade Act of 1974, entitled Adjustment Assistance for Workers. The amendments, effective 90 days from enactment (November 4, 2002), make additions to where and by whom a petition may be filed, expand eligibility to workers whose production has been shifted to certain foreign countries and to worker groups secondarily affected, and make substantive amendments regarding trade adjustment assistance (TAA) program benefits. It is the agency's intention to create a new 20 CFR part 618 to incorporate the amendments and be written in plain English, while amending WIA regs at 20 CFR parts 665 and 671 regarding Rapid Response and National Emergency Grants as they relate to the TAA program. | |
Agency: Department of Labor(DOL) | Priority: Other Significant |
RIN Status: Previously published in the Unified Agenda | Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Proposed Rule Stage |
Major: No | Unfunded Mandates: No |
CFR Citation: 29 CFR 90 20 CFR 617 20 CFR 618 20 CFR 665 20 CFR 671 ... (To search for a specific CFR, visit the Code of Federal Regulations.) | |
Legal Authority: 19 USC 2320 Secretary's Order No. 3-81, 46 FR 31117 |
Legal Deadline:
None |
||||||
Statement of Need: The Trade Act of 2002, enacted August 6, 2002, repeals the North American Free Trade Agreement-Transitional Adjustment Assistance provisions for workers affected by the NAFTA Implementation Act and adds significant amendments to worker benefits under Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, as provided for in the Trade Act of 1974. The Department is mandated to implement the amendments in 90 days from enactment, November 4, 2002. The 2002 Trade Act amends where and by whom a petition may be filed. Program benefits for TAA eligible recipients are expanded to include for the first time a health care tax credit, and eligible recipients now include secondarily affected workers impacted by foreign trade. Income support is extended by 26 weeks and by up to one year under certain conditions. Waivers of training requirements in order to receive income support are explicitly defined. Job search and relocation benefit amounts are increased. Within one year of enactment, the amendments offer an Alternative TAA Program for Older Workers that targets older worker groups at firms who are certified as TAA eligible and provides the option of a wage supplement instead of training, job search, and income support. State agencies rely on the regulations to make determinations as to individual eligibility for TAA program benefits. TAA program regulations as written have been described as complicated to interpret. With the new TAA program benefit amendments contained in the Trade Act of 2002, it is imperative that the regulations be in an easy to read and understandable format. |
||||||
Summary of the Legal Basis: These regulations are authorized by the Trade Act of 2002 amendments to the Trade Act of 1974. |
||||||
Alternatives: The public will be afforded an opportunity to provide comments on the TAA program changes when the Department publishes the interim final rule in the Federal Register. |
||||||
Anticipated Costs and Benefits: Preliminary estimates of the anticipated costs of this regulatory action have not been determined at this time and will be determined at a later date. |
||||||
Risks: This action does not affect public health, safety, or the environment. |
||||||
Timetable:
|
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: No | Government Levels Affected: Federal, State |
Small Entities Affected: No | Federalism: No |
Included in the Regulatory Plan: Yes | |
Agency Contact: Terry Clark Acting Director, Trade Adjustment Assistance Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Room S4231, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., FP Building, Washington, DC 20210 Phone:202 693-3707 Email: clark.terry@dol.gov |