Section 8 Housing Assistance Programs Proposed Management and Occupancy Review Schedule, 1930-1933 [2015-00353]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 14, 2015 / Notices
Analysis
Agency: Office of the Citizenship and
Immigration Services Ombudsman,
DHS.
Title: Case Assistance Form
(Ombudsman Form DHS–7001and
Instructions).
OMB Number: 1601–0004.
Frequency: Annually.
Affected Public: Individuals or
household.
Number of Respondents: 8,800.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 1
hour.
Total Burden Hours: 8,800.
Dated: January 5, 2015.
Carlene C. Ileto,
Executive Director, Enterpirse Business
Management Office.
[FR Doc. 2015–00404 Filed 1–13–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–9B–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
[Docket No. DHS–2014–0077]
The Critical Infrastructure Partnership
Advisory Council
National Protection and
Programs Directorate, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of renewal of the Critical
Infrastructure Partnership Advisory
Council Charter.
AGENCY:
The Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) announced the
establishment of the Critical
Infrastructure Partnership Advisory
Council (CIPAC) in a Federal Register
Notice (71 FR 14930–14933) dated
March 24, 2006, which identified the
purpose of CIPAC, as well as its
membership. This notice provides the
revised charter signed by Secretary Jeh
Johnson on December 7, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Renee Murphy, Designated Federal
Officer, Critical Infrastructure
Partnership Advisory Council, Sector
Outreach and Programs Division, Office
of Infrastructure Protection, National
Protection and Programs Directorate,
U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
245 Murray Lane, Mail Stop 0607,
Arlington, VA 20598–0607; telephone:
(703) 603–5083; email: CIPAC@dhs.gov.
Responsible DHS Official: Renee
Murphy, Designated Federal Officer for
the CIPAC.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of
CIPAC Charter Revisions: The Secretary
of Homeland Security extended the
CIPAC Charter on March 18, 2014 for a
period of two years. This charter has
now been revised to further clarify the
participation by federally registered
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
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lobbyists per the guidance released by
the Office of Management and Budget in
Federal Register Notice 79 FR 47482
released on August 13, 2014. The
revised charter was signed by the
Secretary of Homeland Security on
December 7, 2014. The current CIPAC
charter is available on the CIPAC Web
site (https://www.dhs.gov/cipac).
Purpose and Activity: The CIPAC
facilitates interaction between
government officials and representatives
of the community of owners and/or
operators for each of the critical
infrastructure sectors defined by
Presidential Policy Directive 21 and
identified in National Infrastructure
Protection Plan 2013: Partnering for
Critical Infrastructure Security and
Resilience (NIPP 2013). The scope of
activities covered by the CIPAC
includes: Planning; coordinating among
government and critical infrastructure
owner and operator security partners;
implementing security program
initiatives; conducting operational
activities related to critical
infrastructure protection security
measures, incident response, recovery,
and infrastructure resilience;
reconstituting critical infrastructure
assets and systems for both manmade
and naturally occurring events; and
sharing threat, vulnerability, risk
mitigation, and infrastructure continuity
information.
Organizational Structure: The NIPP
2013 organizes the critical infrastructure
community into 16 critical
infrastructure sectors. Each of these
sectors has a Government Coordinating
Council (GCC) whose membership
includes: (i) A lead Federal agency that
is defined as the Sector-Specific
Agency; (ii) all relevant Federal, State,
local, tribal, and/or territorial
government agencies (or their
representative bodies) whose mission
interests also involve the scope of the
CIPAC activities for that particular
sector; and (iii) a Sector Coordinating
Council (SCC) whose membership
includes critical infrastructure owners
and/or operators or their representative
trade associations.
CIPAC Membership: CIPAC
Membership may include:
(i) Critical Infrastructure (CI) owner
and operator members of a DHSrecognized Sector SCC, including their
representative trade associations or
equivalent organization members of an
SCC as determined by the SCC.
(ii) Federal, State, local, and tribal
governmental entities comprising the
members of the GCC for each sector,
including their representative
organizations; members of the State,
Local, Tribal, and Territorial
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Government Coordinating Council; and
representatives of other Federal agencies
with responsibility for CI activities.
CIPAC membership is organizational.
Multiple individuals may participate in
CIPAC activities on behalf of a member
organization.
Dated: January 7, 2015.
Renee Murphy,
Designated Federal Officer for the CIPAC.
[FR Doc. 2015–00405 Filed 1–13–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–9P–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services
[CIS No. 2550–14; DHS Docket No. USCIS–
2007–0028]
RIN 1615–ZB36
Extension of the Designation of El
Salvador for Temporary Protected
Status
Correction
In notice document 2015–00031
beginning on page 893 in the issue of
Wednesday, January 7, make the
following correction:
On page 893, in the third column, in
the 7th line, ‘‘March 9, 2015March 9,
2015’’ should read ‘‘March 9, 2015’’.
[FR Doc. C1–2015–00031 Filed 1–13–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1505–01–D
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR–5654–N–02]
Section 8 Housing Assistance
Programs Proposed Management and
Occupancy Review Schedule
Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Housing—Federal Housing
Commissioner.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Through this notice, FHA
solicits comment from interested
members of the public on HUD’s
proposed Management and Occupancy
Review (MOR) schedule for the seven
project-based Section 8 programs
administered by the Office of
Multifamily Housing. This proposed
schedule will reduce the frequency of
unnecessary MORs, thereby minimizing
interruptions in property operations
created by onsite reviews, preserving
staff time, and reducing costs. The
proposed schedule ties the project’s
annual MOR rating with HUD’s new
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 14, 2015 / Notices
risk-based asset management model
rating to determine the frequency of a
project’s MOR. This proposed schedule
is being published for comment
concurrently with a proposed rule,
found elsewhere in today’s Federal
Register, proposing to amend the
program regulations to follow this MOR
schedule or any subsequent MOR
schedule published by HUD in the
Federal Register.
DATES: Comment Due Date. March 16,
2015.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit comments regarding
this rule to the Regulations Division,
Office of General Counsel, 451 7th
Street SW., Room 10276, Department of
Housing and Urban Development,
Washington, DC 20410–0500.
Communications must refer to the above
docket number and title. There are two
methods for submitting public
comments. All submissions must refer
to the above docket number and title.
1. Submission of Comments by Mail.
Comments may be submitted by mail to
the Regulations Division, Office of
General Counsel, Department of
Housing and Urban Development, 451
7th Street SW., Room 10276,
Washington, DC 20410–0500.
2. Electronic Submission of
Comments. Interested persons may
submit comments electronically through
the Federal eRulemaking Portal at
www.regulations.gov. HUD strongly
encourages commenters to submit
comments electronically. Electronic
submission of comments allows the
commenter maximum time to prepare
and submit comments, ensures timely
receipt by HUD, and enables HUD to
make them immediately available to the
public. Comments submitted
electronically through the
www.regulations.gov Web site can be
viewed by other commenters and
interested members of the public.
Commenters should follow the
instructions provided on that site to
submit comments electronically.
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Note: To receive consideration as public
comments, comments must be submitted
through one of the two methods specified
above. Again, all submissions must refer to
the docket number and title of the rule.
No Facsimile Comments. Facsimile
(FAX) comments are not acceptable.
Public Inspection of Public
Comments. All properly submitted
comments and communications
submitted to HUD will be available for
public inspection and copying between
8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time
weekdays at the above address. Due to
security measures at the HUD
Headquarters building, an advance
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appointment to review the public
comments must be scheduled by calling
the Regulations Division at 202–708–
3055 (this is not a toll-free number).
Individuals with speech or hearing
impairments may access this number
through TTY by calling the Federal
Relay Service at 800–877–8339. Copies
of all comments submitted are available
for inspection and downloading at
www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information about management and
occupancy reviews contact Lauryn
Alleva, Program Administration Office,
Office of Housing, Department of
Housing and Urban Development, 451
7th Street SW., Washington, DC 20410–
7000; telephone number 202–708–3730
(this is not a toll-free number). Hearingand speech-impaired persons may
access these numbers through TTY by
calling the Federal Relay Service at 800–
877–8339 (this is a toll-free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Section 8 of the United States
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f)
authorizes one of HUD’s primary
programs for providing rental housing
assistance (Section 8). The purpose of
Section 8 is to provide low-income
families with decent, safe, and sanitary
rental housing. There are seven projectbased Section 8 Housing Assistance
Payments (HAP) programs administered
by the Office of Multifamily Housing:
the HAP program for New Construction
(24 CFR part 880) and the HAP program
for Substantial Rehabilitation (24 CFR
part 881), which provide rental
assistance in connection with the
development of newly constructed or
substantially rehabilitated privately
owned rental housing; the HAP Program
for State Housing Agencies (24 CFR part
883); the HAP program for New
Construction financed under Section
515 of the Housing Act of 1949 (24 CFR
part 884), which applies to U.S.
Department of Agriculture rural rental
housing projects; the Loan Management
Set Aside Program (24 CFR part 886,
subpart A), which provides rental
subsidies to HUD-insured or HUD-held
multifamily properties experiencing
immediate or potential financial
difficulties; the Housing Assistance
Program for the Disposition of HUDOwned Projects (24 CFR part 886,
subpart C), which provides Section 8
assistance in connection with the sale of
HUD-owned multifamily rental housing
projects and the foreclosure of HUDheld mortgages on rental housing
projects; and the Section 202/8 Program
(24 CFR part 891, subpart E), which
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1931
provides assistance for housing projects
serving elderly or families and
individuals with disabilities.
Under the Section 8 project-based
program, HUD may enter into an annual
contributions contract (ACC) with a
public housing agency (PHA) through
which HUD commits to provide the
agency with funds to make housing
assistance payments to a project owner.
The PHA, acting as a contract
administrator, then enters into a HAP
contract with the owner. In certain
circumstances HUD may act as the
contract administrator, whereby HUD
will directly enter into a HAP contract
with an owner.
Contract administrators in the abovelisted Section 8 programs are
responsible for assessing the
management and oversight of housing
projects and for ensuring that owners
comply with the requirements of the
HAP contract. To assess an owner’s
compliance with the terms and
conditions of its HAP contract, contract
administrators are required under the
terms of their ACCs to conduct MORs.
Completion of MORs can require
Contract administrators to visit the site
and can cause interruption in project
operations. The Contract administrator
spends approximately 8 hours of staff
time and additional resources to review
every project. HUD has found that over
the last three years projects have been
rated ‘‘Above Average’’ or ‘‘Superior’’ 35
percent of the time, ‘‘Satisfactory’’ 57
percent of the time, and ‘‘Below
Average’’ or ‘‘Unsatisfactory’’ eight
percent of the time. A full or limited
review of all projects, including those
that consistently receive high ratings,
puts a strain on HUD and project
resources.
A proposed rule found elsewhere in
today’s Federal Register proposes to
revise the regulations that govern MORs
for Section 8 HAP projects to provide
consistency across programs and allow
HUD the flexibility to set a schedule
that is more in-line with the needs of
the programs. Reducing the frequency of
MORs for these properties would result
in fewer interruptions in project
operations and would allow HUD to
focus its staff and resources on areas
that require greater attention.
II. This Notice
This notice proposes to require MORs
of projects on a schedule that is based
on both the project’s annual MOR rating
and HUD’s risk-based asset management
model. The purpose of the MOR is to
establish the quality of management at
HUD subsidized projects, and to verify
the project’s compliance with the terms
of the HAP Contract, any HUD
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 14, 2015 / Notices
Regulatory Agreement, and the
Management Agreement and
Management Plan, as applicable. The
project’s annual MOR rating, provided
by the Contract administrator, assists
HUD in its assessment of the project’s
risk of failure. Over the past two years,
HUD has implemented a risk-based
asset management model that
incorporates the evaluation of both
qualitative and quantitative elements
into a comprehensive property level
rating. The risk rating model helps HUD
prioritize resources by identifying the
risk of a project and the allocation of
human capital to riskier assets. This
rating translates to a classification of
Troubled, Potentially Troubled, or Not
Troubled (hereafter referred to as the
risk classification).
The proposed Section 8 Housing
Assistance Payments Program MOR
schedule will use this new risk-based
classification in combination with the
previous MOR score to determine the
future schedule of MORs for all Section
8 projects in the Office of Multifamily
Housing’s portfolio. HUD has found that
when a project is performing well, risk
of failure is lower. Additionally, the
Office of Multifamily Housing has found
that many of the properties receiving
assistance under its Section 8 Housing
Assistance Payments program receive
high marks on the MOR annually
indicating that conducting MORs
annually is not necessary to mitigate
risk at these properties. Using this new
MORs schedule, HUD may focus staff
and resources on projects that warrant
greater attention.
The schedule will be as follows: (1)
Projects with a Below Average or
Unsatisfactory score on the last MOR
and a risk classification of Troubled,
Potentially Troubled, or Not Troubled,
must have a MOR within 12 months of
the last MOR conducted at the project.
(2) Projects with a Satisfactory score on
the last MOR and a risk classification of
Troubled or Potentially Troubled, must
have a MOR within 24 months of the
last MOR conducted at the project.
Additionally, projects with an Above
Average or Superior score on the last
MOR and a risk classification of
Troubled, must have a MOR within 24
months of the last MOR conducted at
the project. (3) Projects with a
Satisfactory score on the last MOR and
a risk classification of Not Troubled,
must have a MOR within 36 months of
the last MOR conducted at the project.
Additionally, projects with an Above
Average or Superior score on the last
MOR and a risk classification of
Potentially Troubled or Not Troubled,
must have a MOR within 36 months of
the last MOR conducted at the project.
Last MOR:
Unsatisfactory
Last MOR:
Satisfactory
Last MOR:
Above average
Last MOR:
Superior
Within 12 months
Within 12 months
Within 12 months
Risk Classification: Troubled ......................
Risk Classification: Potentially Troubled ....
Risk Classification: Not Troubled ...............
Last MOR:
Below average
Within 12 months
Within 12 months
Within 12 months
Within 24 months
Within 24 months
Within 36 months
Within 24 months
Within 36 months
Within 36 months
Within 24 months.
Within 36 months.
Within 36 months.
This notice does not restrict HUD or
the Contract Administrator from
conducting additional MORs outside of
this schedule pursuant to existing and
future administrative guidelines.
III. Findings and Certifications
Paperwork Reduction Act
The information collection
requirements for this notice has been
approved by the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–
3520) and assigned OMB control
number 2502–0178. The collection
requirement will be amended to reflect
this notice’s reduced burden. In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act, an agency may not
conduct or sponsor, and a person is not
required to respond to, a collection of
information, unless the collection
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
This notice would amend the
frequency of the Management and
Occupancy Review (MOR) schedule for
the seven project-based Section 8
programs listed-above. The collection
title is, ‘‘Management Reviews of
Multifamily Housing Programs’’ and the
current burden is 8 hours for each of the
24,366 annual reviews, 194,928 total
burden hours. This notice is estimated
to reduce the burden in the existing
information collection requirement as
follows:
REPORTING AND RECORDKEEPING BURDEN
Information collection
Current: 2102–0178 .........................................................................
Proposed: 2102–0178 .....................................................................
24,366
21,680
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Percentage of Burden Change ........................................................................................
In accordance with 5 CFR
1320.8(d)(1), HUD is soliciting
comments from members of the public
and affected agencies concerning this
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
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13:56 Jan 13, 2015
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24,366
6,598
Frm 00048
Fmt 4703
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8.00
8.00
Estimated net reduction of burden
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.
(4) Minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
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Estimated
average
time for
requirement
(hours)
Number of
annual
responses
Number of
respondents
Estimated
total burden
(hours)
194,928
52,781
73%
are to respond; including through the
use of appropriate automated collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology (e.g., by permitting
electronic submission of responses).
Interested persons are invited to
submit comments regarding the
information collection requirements in
this rule. Comments must refer to the
proposed rule by name and docket
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 14, 2015 / Notices
number (FR–5654–P–01) and must be
sent to:
HUD Desk Officer, Office of
Management and Budget, New
Executive Office Building,
Washington, DC 20503, Fax number:
202–395–6947
and
Reports Liaison Officer, Office of
Housing, Department of Housing and
Urban Development, 451 7th Street
SW., Room 9128, Washington, DC
20410.
Interested persons may submit
comments regarding the information
collection requirements electronically
through the Federal eRulemaking Portal
at https://www.regulations.gov. HUD
strongly encourages commenters to
submit comments electronically.
Electronic submission of comments
allows the commenter maximum time to
prepare and submit a comment, ensures
timely receipt by HUD, and enables
HUD to make them immediately
available to the public. Comments
submitted electronically through the
https://www.regulations.gov Web site can
be viewed by other commenters and
interested members of the public.
Commenters should follow the
instructions provided on that site to
submit comments electronically.
Environmental Review
This notice provides operating
instructions and procedures in
connection with activities under
provisions of Section 8 project-based
assistance program regulations that have
been the subject of a required
environmental review. Accordingly,
under 24 CFR 50.19(c)(4), this notice is
categorically excluded from
environmental review under the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321).
Dated: December 11, 2014.
Biniam Gebre,
Acting Assistant Secretary for HousingFederal Housing Commissioner.
[FR Doc. 2015–00353 Filed 1–13–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210–67–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Office of the Secretary
[ONRR–2012–0003; DS63600000
DR2PS0000.PX8000 156D0102R2]
U.S. Extractive Industries
Transparency Initiative MultiStakeholder Group (USEITI MSG)
Advisory Committee
Office of Natural Resource
Revenue, Interior.
AGENCY:
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13:56 Jan 13, 2015
Jkt 235001
ACTION:
Meetings.
This notice announces the
next four meetings of the United States
Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative (USEITI) Multi-Stakeholder
Group (MSG) Advisory Committee.
Dates and Times: The four meetings
in 2015 will occur on February 24–25,
2015; May 20–21, 2015; September 16–
17, 2015; and December 15–16, 2015; in
Washington, DC, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. Eastern Time, unless we indicate
otherwise at www.doi.gov/eiti/faca,
where we will post agendas, meeting
logistics, and meeting materials prior to
the meeting.
ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held
in the North and South Penthouse of the
Stewart Lee Udall Department of the
Interior Building located at 1849 C
Street NW., Washington, DC 20240.
Members of the public may attend in
person or view documents and
presentations under discussion via
WebEx at https://bit.ly/1cR9W6t and
listen to the proceedings at telephone
number 1–888–455–2910 and
International Toll number 210–839–
8953 (passcode: 7741096).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rosita Compton Christian, USEITI
Secretariat; 1849 C Street NW., MS
4211; Washington, DC 20240. You may
also contact the USEITI Secretariat via
email at useiti@ios.doi.gov, by phone at
202–208–0272, or by fax at 202–513–
0682.
SUMMARY:
The U.S.
Department of the Interior established
the USEITI Advisory Committee
(Committee) on July 26, 2012, to serve
as the USEITI multi-stakeholder group.
More information about the Committee,
including its charter, is available at
www.doi.gov/eiti/faca.
Meeting Agenda: Agenda items for the
February 24–25, 2015, meeting will
include review, discussion, and
agreement on the Independent
Administrator’s (IA) proposed revenue
reporting template, the Data Collection
and Reconciliation, and the Contextual
Data Report Plans for the 2015 USEITI
Report. The agenda for the May 20–21,
2015, meeting will include the review
and discussion of the IA draft
Reconciliation Report and discussion of
the contextual information for the 2015
USEITI Report. The agenda for the
September 16–17, 2015, meeting will
include a review and discussion of the
initial draft USEITI Report and
determination of consistency with EITI
requirements. The agenda for the
December 15–16, 2015, meeting will
include discussion and agreement on
the final USEITI Report, drafting of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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1933
annual work-plan to meet all EITI
requirements, and planning for 2016.
We will post the final agendas and
materials for all meetings on the USEITI
MSG Web site at www.doi.gov/eiti/faca.
All Committee meetings are open to the
public.
Whenever possible, we encourage
those participating by telephone to
gather in conference rooms in order to
share teleconference lines. Please plan
to dial into the meeting and/or log into
WebEx at least 10–15 minutes prior to
the scheduled start time in order to
avoid possible technical difficulties. We
will accommodate individuals with
special needs whenever possible. If you
require special assistance (such as an
interpreter for the hearing impaired),
please notify Interior staff in advance of
the meeting at 202–208–0272 or via
email at useiti@ios.doi.gov.
We will post the minutes from these
proceedings on the USEITI MSG Web
site at www.doi.gov/eiti/faca and they
will also be available for public
inspection and copying at our office at
the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the
Interior Building in Washington, DC, by
contacting Interior staff at useiti@
ios.doi.gov or by telephone at 202–208–
0272. For more information on USEITI,
visit www.doi.gov/eiti.
Dated: December 18, 2014.
Paul A. Mussenden,
Deputy Assistant Secretary—Natural
Resource Revenue Management.
[FR Doc. 2015–00508 Filed 1–13–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4335–30–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R4–ES–2014–N103;
FXES11130400000C2–145–FF04E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
and Plants; Notice of Availability of a
Technical/Agency Draft Recovery Plan
for the Laurel Dace
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability and
request for public comment.
AGENCY:
We, the Fish and Wildlife
Service, announce the availability of the
technical/agency draft recovery plan for
the endangered laurel dace, a small fish
native to the Tennessee River Basin in
Tennessee. The draft recovery plan
includes specific recovery objectives
and criteria to be met in order for us to
downlist the species to threatened status
or delist it under the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).
We request review and comment on this
SUMMARY:
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14JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1930-1933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00353]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR-5654-N-02]
Section 8 Housing Assistance Programs Proposed Management and
Occupancy Review Schedule
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing
Commissioner.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Through this notice, FHA solicits comment from interested
members of the public on HUD's proposed Management and Occupancy Review
(MOR) schedule for the seven project-based Section 8 programs
administered by the Office of Multifamily Housing. This proposed
schedule will reduce the frequency of unnecessary MORs, thereby
minimizing interruptions in property operations created by onsite
reviews, preserving staff time, and reducing costs. The proposed
schedule ties the project's annual MOR rating with HUD's new
[[Page 1931]]
risk-based asset management model rating to determine the frequency of
a project's MOR. This proposed schedule is being published for comment
concurrently with a proposed rule, found elsewhere in today's Federal
Register, proposing to amend the program regulations to follow this MOR
schedule or any subsequent MOR schedule published by HUD in the Federal
Register.
DATES: Comment Due Date. March 16, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding
this rule to the Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, 451
7th Street SW., Room 10276, Department of Housing and Urban
Development, Washington, DC 20410-0500. Communications must refer to
the above docket number and title. There are two methods for submitting
public comments. All submissions must refer to the above docket number
and title.
1. Submission of Comments by Mail. Comments may be submitted by
mail to the Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, Department
of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Room 10276,
Washington, DC 20410-0500.
2. Electronic Submission of Comments. Interested persons may submit
comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at
www.regulations.gov. HUD strongly encourages commenters to submit
comments electronically. Electronic submission of comments allows the
commenter maximum time to prepare and submit comments, ensures timely
receipt by HUD, and enables HUD to make them immediately available to
the public. Comments submitted electronically through the
www.regulations.gov Web site can be viewed by other commenters and
interested members of the public. Commenters should follow the
instructions provided on that site to submit comments electronically.
Note: To receive consideration as public comments, comments must
be submitted through one of the two methods specified above. Again,
all submissions must refer to the docket number and title of the
rule.
No Facsimile Comments. Facsimile (FAX) comments are not acceptable.
Public Inspection of Public Comments. All properly submitted
comments and communications submitted to HUD will be available for
public inspection and copying between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time
weekdays at the above address. Due to security measures at the HUD
Headquarters building, an advance appointment to review the public
comments must be scheduled by calling the Regulations Division at 202-
708-3055 (this is not a toll-free number). Individuals with speech or
hearing impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the
Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Copies of all comments submitted
are available for inspection and downloading at www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about management and
occupancy reviews contact Lauryn Alleva, Program Administration Office,
Office of Housing, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th
Street SW., Washington, DC 20410-7000; telephone number 202-708-3730
(this is not a toll-free number). Hearing- and speech-impaired persons
may access these numbers through TTY by calling the Federal Relay
Service at 800-877-8339 (this is a toll-free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C.
1437f) authorizes one of HUD's primary programs for providing rental
housing assistance (Section 8). The purpose of Section 8 is to provide
low-income families with decent, safe, and sanitary rental housing.
There are seven project-based Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments
(HAP) programs administered by the Office of Multifamily Housing: the
HAP program for New Construction (24 CFR part 880) and the HAP program
for Substantial Rehabilitation (24 CFR part 881), which provide rental
assistance in connection with the development of newly constructed or
substantially rehabilitated privately owned rental housing; the HAP
Program for State Housing Agencies (24 CFR part 883); the HAP program
for New Construction financed under Section 515 of the Housing Act of
1949 (24 CFR part 884), which applies to U.S. Department of Agriculture
rural rental housing projects; the Loan Management Set Aside Program
(24 CFR part 886, subpart A), which provides rental subsidies to HUD-
insured or HUD-held multifamily properties experiencing immediate or
potential financial difficulties; the Housing Assistance Program for
the Disposition of HUD-Owned Projects (24 CFR part 886, subpart C),
which provides Section 8 assistance in connection with the sale of HUD-
owned multifamily rental housing projects and the foreclosure of HUD-
held mortgages on rental housing projects; and the Section 202/8
Program (24 CFR part 891, subpart E), which provides assistance for
housing projects serving elderly or families and individuals with
disabilities.
Under the Section 8 project-based program, HUD may enter into an
annual contributions contract (ACC) with a public housing agency (PHA)
through which HUD commits to provide the agency with funds to make
housing assistance payments to a project owner. The PHA, acting as a
contract administrator, then enters into a HAP contract with the owner.
In certain circumstances HUD may act as the contract administrator,
whereby HUD will directly enter into a HAP contract with an owner.
Contract administrators in the above-listed Section 8 programs are
responsible for assessing the management and oversight of housing
projects and for ensuring that owners comply with the requirements of
the HAP contract. To assess an owner's compliance with the terms and
conditions of its HAP contract, contract administrators are required
under the terms of their ACCs to conduct MORs. Completion of MORs can
require Contract administrators to visit the site and can cause
interruption in project operations. The Contract administrator spends
approximately 8 hours of staff time and additional resources to review
every project. HUD has found that over the last three years projects
have been rated ``Above Average'' or ``Superior'' 35 percent of the
time, ``Satisfactory'' 57 percent of the time, and ``Below Average'' or
``Unsatisfactory'' eight percent of the time. A full or limited review
of all projects, including those that consistently receive high
ratings, puts a strain on HUD and project resources.
A proposed rule found elsewhere in today's Federal Register
proposes to revise the regulations that govern MORs for Section 8 HAP
projects to provide consistency across programs and allow HUD the
flexibility to set a schedule that is more in-line with the needs of
the programs. Reducing the frequency of MORs for these properties would
result in fewer interruptions in project operations and would allow HUD
to focus its staff and resources on areas that require greater
attention.
II. This Notice
This notice proposes to require MORs of projects on a schedule that
is based on both the project's annual MOR rating and HUD's risk-based
asset management model. The purpose of the MOR is to establish the
quality of management at HUD subsidized projects, and to verify the
project's compliance with the terms of the HAP Contract, any HUD
[[Page 1932]]
Regulatory Agreement, and the Management Agreement and Management Plan,
as applicable. The project's annual MOR rating, provided by the
Contract administrator, assists HUD in its assessment of the project's
risk of failure. Over the past two years, HUD has implemented a risk-
based asset management model that incorporates the evaluation of both
qualitative and quantitative elements into a comprehensive property
level rating. The risk rating model helps HUD prioritize resources by
identifying the risk of a project and the allocation of human capital
to riskier assets. This rating translates to a classification of
Troubled, Potentially Troubled, or Not Troubled (hereafter referred to
as the risk classification).
The proposed Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Program MOR
schedule will use this new risk-based classification in combination
with the previous MOR score to determine the future schedule of MORs
for all Section 8 projects in the Office of Multifamily Housing's
portfolio. HUD has found that when a project is performing well, risk
of failure is lower. Additionally, the Office of Multifamily Housing
has found that many of the properties receiving assistance under its
Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments program receive high marks on the
MOR annually indicating that conducting MORs annually is not necessary
to mitigate risk at these properties. Using this new MORs schedule, HUD
may focus staff and resources on projects that warrant greater
attention.
The schedule will be as follows: (1) Projects with a Below Average
or Unsatisfactory score on the last MOR and a risk classification of
Troubled, Potentially Troubled, or Not Troubled, must have a MOR within
12 months of the last MOR conducted at the project. (2) Projects with a
Satisfactory score on the last MOR and a risk classification of
Troubled or Potentially Troubled, must have a MOR within 24 months of
the last MOR conducted at the project. Additionally, projects with an
Above Average or Superior score on the last MOR and a risk
classification of Troubled, must have a MOR within 24 months of the
last MOR conducted at the project. (3) Projects with a Satisfactory
score on the last MOR and a risk classification of Not Troubled, must
have a MOR within 36 months of the last MOR conducted at the project.
Additionally, projects with an Above Average or Superior score on the
last MOR and a risk classification of Potentially Troubled or Not
Troubled, must have a MOR within 36 months of the last MOR conducted at
the project.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last MOR: Last MOR: Below Last MOR: Last MOR: Above
Unsatisfactory average Satisfactory average Last MOR: Superior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risk Classification: Troubled. Within 12 months....... Within 12 months...... Within 24 months...... Within 24 months...... Within 24 months.
Risk Classification: Within 12 months....... Within 12 months...... Within 24 months...... Within 36 months...... Within 36 months.
Potentially Troubled.
Risk Classification: Not Within 12 months....... Within 12 months...... Within 36 months...... Within 36 months...... Within 36 months.
Troubled.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This notice does not restrict HUD or the Contract Administrator
from conducting additional MORs outside of this schedule pursuant to
existing and future administrative guidelines.
III. Findings and Certifications
Paperwork Reduction Act
The information collection requirements for this notice has been
approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520) and assigned OMB
control number 2502-0178. The collection requirement will be amended to
reflect this notice's reduced burden. In accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is
not required to respond to, a collection of information, unless the
collection displays a currently valid OMB control number.
This notice would amend the frequency of the Management and
Occupancy Review (MOR) schedule for the seven project-based Section 8
programs listed-above. The collection title is, ``Management Reviews of
Multifamily Housing Programs'' and the current burden is 8 hours for
each of the 24,366 annual reviews, 194,928 total burden hours. This
notice is estimated to reduce the burden in the existing information
collection requirement as follows:
Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated
Number of Number of average time Estimated total
Information collection respondents annual for requirement burden (hours)
responses (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 2102-0178...................... 24,366 24,366 8.00 194,928
Proposed: 2102-0178..................... 21,680 6,598 8.00 52,781
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percentage of Burden Change................Estimated net reduction of burden 73%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In accordance with 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), HUD is soliciting comments
from members of the public and affected agencies concerning this
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.
(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.,
by permitting electronic submission of responses).
Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding the
information collection requirements in this rule. Comments must refer
to the proposed rule by name and docket
[[Page 1933]]
number (FR-5654-P-01) and must be sent to:
HUD Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office
Building, Washington, DC 20503, Fax number: 202-395-6947
and
Reports Liaison Officer, Office of Housing, Department of Housing and
Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Room 9128, Washington, DC 20410.
Interested persons may submit comments regarding the information
collection requirements electronically through the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. HUD strongly encourages
commenters to submit comments electronically. Electronic submission of
comments allows the commenter maximum time to prepare and submit a
comment, ensures timely receipt by HUD, and enables HUD to make them
immediately available to the public. Comments submitted electronically
through the https://www.regulations.gov Web site can be viewed by other
commenters and interested members of the public. Commenters should
follow the instructions provided on that site to submit comments
electronically.
Environmental Review
This notice provides operating instructions and procedures in
connection with activities under provisions of Section 8 project-based
assistance program regulations that have been the subject of a required
environmental review. Accordingly, under 24 CFR 50.19(c)(4), this
notice is categorically excluded from environmental review under the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321).
Dated: December 11, 2014.
Biniam Gebre,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner.
[FR Doc. 2015-00353 Filed 1-13-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P
