[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 127 (Thursday, July 2, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36253-36254]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-17585]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR-4281-N-05]
Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and
Development, HUD.
ACTION: Notice of proposed information collection.
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SUMMARY: For the Federal Empowerment Zone Initiative (Round One and
Round Two), the proposed information collection requirements described
below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
for review and approval by September 1, 1998 for a three year period.
as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is
soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.
DATES: Comments due date: August 31, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments regarding
this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB
Control Number and should be sent to: Sheila Jones, Reports Liaison
Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street,
SW, Room 7232, Washington, DC 20410.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Selvaggi, (202) 708-3773, ext
4647 (this is not a toll-free number) for copies of the proposed forms
and other available documents.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department is submitting the proposed
information collections to OMB for review and approval, as required by
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended).
OMB has previously extended its approval of control number 2506-0148
through August 31, 1998; that extension covers information collections
for the Round Two 1998 application process as well as for periodic
reporting and responses to warning letters for Round One (1994) and
Round Two (1998) programs.
This Notice solicits comments concerning the proposed collection
for information for both the Round Two (1998) Urban Empowerment Zone
Initiative (including the application process, periodic reporting, and
responding to warning letters) and the Round One (1994) Urban
Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community Initiative (including
periodic reporting, and responding to warning letters), during the
three year period starting September 1, 1998. Commenters may wish to:
(1) evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper management of the Urban Empowerment Zone
Initiative by the agency, including whether or not the information has
practical utility; (2) evaluate the accuracy of HUD'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. This Notice also lists the following information:
Title of Proposal: 1998 Urban Empowerment Zone Program (Round Two)/
1994 Urban Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community Program (Round
One).
OMB Control Number: 2506-0148.
Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The
Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 amended the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation
Act of 1993 to authorize the Secretary of HUD to designate 15 more
urban empowerment zones. These statutes together require three sets of
data. First, applicants for EZ designates must submit data (a)
demonstrating their eligibility to apply, (b) addressing problems/needs
in the proposed zone area and described in their proposed strategic
plan, (c) determined by the applicant to be related to measuring
success of the proposed implementation plan, measuring any lack of
progress in achieving the activities in the proposed implementation
plan, and justifying any boundary changes for the zone. Second, the
statutes require HUD to review, periodically, the progress of
designated urban communities (both Round 1 of 1994 and Round 2 of 1998)
in carrying out their implementation programs and achieving the goals
of their strategic plans. The Secretary is directed to collect such
periodic and other data as deemed necessary for the review of the
designees' progress. A third set of data
[[Page 36254]]
is required in those rare cases where HUD would send a decertification
warning letter to a designee, which then would submit data needed to
rebut a proposed decertification.
A. Data for a Round Two 1998 EZ Application. Information to be
collected consists of statutorily required data related to poverty by
census tract; other measures of pervasive poverty, unemployment and
economic/social distress; overall population by tract; and geographic
data as to size and configuration.
B. Data for Round One and Round Two Periodic Reports. These data
consist of a short narrative of progress by the designee and individual
progress reports on each project they describe in their implementation
plans.
C. Data refuting Possible Decertification. In instances where
warning letters may be sent to Round One or Round Two designees, the
collection burden would consist of narrative and data they select in
order to rebut the federal argument for decertification.
How the information is planned to be used to further the proper
performance of functions of the agency. HUD will use the applicant
information as part of its respective review and approval procedures
for selecting the 1998 EZ designees. This will be a one-time process.
And for both the 72 Round One designees and the 15 Round Two
communities which are designated, HUD will require the periodic reports
to be submitted annually. The designees' annual progress reports
provide management information for HUD, oversight information for the
Vice President's Community Empowerment Board, and status reporting for
the Congress. These periodic reviews also provide the basis for HUD to
continue or revoke a designation during the ten-year life of the
federal program. For potential decertifications, HUD would use the
designees' rebuttal information to make a final decision regarding
decertification.
Description of the likely respondents, including the estimated
number of likely respondents, and proposed frequency of response to the
collection of information:
HUD anticipates that 225 communities will apply in 1998 for Round
Two designation; for the subsequent ten year designation period, HUD
estimates that 15 Round Two designees will submit annual progress
reports and 72 Round One designees will submit annual progress reports
for the remainder of their ten year periods. Possibly five de-
certification warning letters may require rebuttal by designees.
Agency form numbers, if applicable: Nomination for a Federal
Empowerment Zone, HUD 40003 (5-98).
Members of affected public: Units of Local Government and States;
Non-Profit Organization; Interested Members of the Public.
Estimate of the total reporting and recordkeeping burden that will
result from the collection of information:
Number of Round Two applicants: 225.
Total burden hours (@ 50 hours per response): 11,250.
Number of Annual Progress Reports;
15 Round Two @ 15 hrs: 225.
72 Round One @ 15 hrs: 1080.
Number of Rebuttals--5 @ 20 hours: 100.
Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 12,655.
Status of the proposed information collection: The public was twice
invited to comment on the accuracy of this information collection
burden, via a Notice of Proposed Information Collection published in
the Federal Register on January 23, 1998, and via an Interim Notice of
Rulemaking published in the Federal Register in April 16, 1998. HUD
received no public comments in response to either publication. This
Notice now informs the public that HUD is seeking OMB approval for
three years of the control number 2506-0148, for continuing management
of the urban EZ programs (Round One and Round Two).
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C.
Chapter 35, as amended.
Dated: June 26, 1998.
Kenneth Williams,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs, CPD.
[FR Doc. 98-17585 Filed 7-1-98; 8:45 am]
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