2012-2481. Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment; Public Housing Agency (PHA) 5-Year and Annual Plan

AGENCY:

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, HUD.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The proposed information collection requirement described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended). The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. PHAs are required to submit annual and 5-Year Plans to HUD as required by section 5A of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437c-1). The purpose of the plan is to provide a framework for local accountability and an easily identifiable source by which public housing residents, participants in the tenant-based assistance program, and other members of the public may locate basic PHA policies, rules and requirements concerning the PHA's operations, programs and services.

DATES:

Comment Due Date: April 3, 2012.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name/or OMB Control number and should be sent to: Colette Pollard, Departmental Reports Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Room 4160, Washington, DC 20410-5000; telephone [phone], (this is not a toll-free number) or email Ms. Pollard at [e-mail]. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at [phone]. (Other than the HUD USER information line and TTY numbers, telephone numbers are not toll-free.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Arlette Mussington, Office of Policy, Programs and Legislative Initiatives, PIH, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 490 L'Enfant Plaza, Room 2206, Washington, DC 20024; telephone [phone], (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department will submit the proposed information collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended). This Notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information to: (1) 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; (2) evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

This Notice also lists the following information:

Title of Proposal: Public Housing Agency (PHA) 5-Year and Annual Plan.

OMB Control Number, if applicable: 2577-0226.

Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use: The PHA Plan is a comprehensive guide to PHA policies, programs, operations, and strategies for meeting local housing needs and goals. The PHA Plan informs HUD, residents, and the public of the PHA's mission for serving the needs of low, very low-income, and extremely low-income families and its strategy for addressing those needs. This data allows HUD to monitor the performance of programs and the performance of public housing agencies that administer the programs. The PHA Plan is being revised to address, clarify and provide additional guidance on the submission requirements for qualified and non-qualified PHAs, as well as to address previous public comments. Section 2702 of Title VII—Small Public Housing Authorities Paperwork Reduction Act, of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) of 2008 amends section 5A(b) of the 1937 Act by establishing “qualified public housing agencies,” a category of PHAs with less than 550 public housing units and tenant-based vouchers combined that are provided substantial paperwork relief, primarily with respect to the PHA Annual Plan requirements in section 5(A)(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937. The paperwork relief exempts qualified PHAs from the requirement to prepare and submit an annual PHA plan to HUD for review.

This Act impacts approximately seventy-four percent, or 2,994 of the 4,053 PHAs that are required to submit an annual PHA plan. In addition to the exemption from submitting annual plans for qualified agencies, because of the different annual plan submission requirements of agencies that are considered standard, high-performer, Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) only, small, and troubled within 24 CFR part 903, the existing approved forms were determined to be incompatible with the program requirements. Therefore, some previously approved forms have been separated into new forms that will be completed by different classes of PHAs. These changes also reflect recommendations made by the public in a previous information collection. Specifically, this information collection revises previously approved OMB forms HUD-50077-SL and HUD-50077-CR; adds Certifications of Compliance with PHA Plans and Related Regulations (form HUD-50077-SM-HP and HUD-50077-ST-HCV) formerly appearing on form HUD 50077 as separate documents; deletes approved OMB form HUD-50075, and replaces that form with five new forms (form HUD-50075-5Y, HUD-50075-ST, HUD-50075-SM-HP, HUD-50075-HCV, and HUD-50075-QA).

Qualified PHAs no longer submit information on discretionary programs (demolition or disposition, HOPE VI, Project-based vouchers, required or voluntary conversion, homeownership, or capital improvements, etc.) as part of an Annual PHA Plan submission. However, Qualified PHAs that intend to implement these activities are still subject to the full application and approval processes that exist for demolition or disposition, designated housing, conversion, homeownership, and other special application processes that will no longer be tied to prior authorization in an Annual PHA Plan for a Qualified PHA. All PHAs, including the PHAs identified as Qualified PHAs under HERA, must continue to submit any demolition or disposition, public housing conversion, homeownership, or other special applications as applicable to HUD's Special Applications Center (SAC) in Chicago for review and approval or to HUD Headquarters for CFFP proposals. It is expected that Qualified PHAs, as a matter of good business practice, continue to keep their residents, the general public, and the local HUD office apprised of any plans to initiate these types of programs and activities.

Agency Form Number, if applicable: HUD-50075-5Y, HUD-50075-ST, HUD-50075-SM-HP, HUD-50075-HCV, HUD-50075-QA, HUD-50075.1, HUD-50075.2, HUD-50077-ST-HCV, HUD-50077-SM-HP, HUD-50077-CR, HUD-50077-SL.

Members of the Affected Public: Local, Regional and State Body Corporate Politic Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) Governments.

Estimation of the total number of hours needed to prepare the information collection including number of respondents, frequency of response, and hours of response: The estimated number of annual burden hours needed to prepare the information collection is 20,290; estimated number of respondents is 4,053; the frequency of response is annually for all PHAs. All PHAs may submit updated PHA Plans when amending or modifying any PHA policy, rule, regulation or other aspect of the plan.

Status of the Proposed Information Collection: Reinstatement, with change, of a previously approved collection.

Authority: Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended.

Dated: January 26, 2012.

Merrie Nichol-Dixon,

Deputy Director for Office of Policy, Programs, and Legislative Initiatives.