2018-19706. 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Public Housing Reform Act: Changes to Admission and Occupancy Requirements

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment.

DATES:

Comments Due Date: November 13, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons 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: Colette Pollard, Reports Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 4176, Washington, DC 20410-5000; telephone [phone] (this is not a toll-free number) or email at [e-mail] for a copy of the proposed forms or other available information. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Arlette Mussington, Office of Policy, Programs and Legislative Initiatives, PIH, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW (L'Enfant Plaza, Room 2206), Washington, DC 20410; telephone [phone] (this is not a toll-free number). Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number via TTY by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at [phone]. Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained from Ms. Mussington.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This notice informs the public that HUD is seeking approval from OMB for the information collection described in Section A.

A. Overview of Information Collection

Title of Information Collection: Public Housing Reform Act: Changes to Admission and Occupancy Requirements.

OMB Approval Number: 2577-0230.

Type of Request: Revision of currently approved collection.

Form Number: N/A.

Description of the need for the information and proposed use:

This collection of information implements changes to the admission and occupancy requirements for the public housing program made by the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility (QHWRA) Act of 1998 (Title V of the FY 1999 HUD appropriations Act, Pub. L. 105-276, 112 Stat. 2518, approved October 21, 1998), and the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA), section 103, which amends the United States Housing Act of 1937. Both QHWRA and HOTMA made comprehensive changes to HUD's public housing program. These changes include defining an `over-income family' as one having an annual income 120 percent above the median income for the area for two consecutive years and includes new mandatory annual reporting requirements on the number of over-income families residing in public housing and the total number of families on the public housing waiting lists at the end of each reporting year.

The purpose of the admission and occupancy policy requirement is to ensure that public housing agencies have written documentation of their respective admission and occupancy policies for both the public and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Public housing authorities must have on hand and available for inspection, policies related to admission and occupancy, to respond to inquiries from tenants, legal-aid services, HUD, and other interested parties informally or through the Freedom of Information Act of policies relating to eligibility for admission and continued occupancy, local preferences, income limitations, and rent determination. HOTMA now requires PHAs to make a one-time update to their Admission and Occupancy policy to apply local over-income limits, and annually report on the number of over-income families living in their public housing units as well as the number of families on the public housing waiting list.

Revisions are made to this collection to reflect adjustments in calculations based on the total number of current, active public housing agencies (PHAs) to date. The number of active public housing agencies has changed from 3,946 to 2,897 since the last approved information collection which inadvertently also included voucher only PHAs. In general, the number of PHAs can fluctuate due to many factors, including but not limited to the merging of two or more PHAs or the termination of the public housing programs due to the Rental Assistance Demonstration.

Respondents (i.e., affected public): State, Local or Tribal Government.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,897.

Estimated Number of Responses: 2,897.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Average Hours per Response: 24.

Total Estimated Burdens: 69,528.

B. Solicitation of Public Comment

This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and affected parties concerning the collection of information described in Section A on the following:

(1) 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) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information;

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Ways to 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.

HUD encourages interested parties to submit comment in response to these questions.

C. Authority

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

Dated: August 27, 2018.

Merrie Nichols-Dixon,

Director, Office of Policy, Program and Legislative Initiatives.