Promise Zones Initiative: Proposed Third Round Selection Process Solicitation of Comment, 45227-45230 [2015-18626]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 145 / Wednesday, July 29, 2015 / Notices Dated: July 13, 2015. Kendall Carpenter, Telecommunications Specialist. [FR Doc. 2015–18582 Filed 7–28–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 9110–9P–P DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Establishment of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Advisory Committee on Family Residential Centers and Solicitation of Nominations for Membership U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS. ACTION: Notice of establishment of advisory committee and solicitation of membership nominations. AGENCY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announces the establishment of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Advisory Committee on Family Residential Centers (ACFRC) and invites the public to nominate individuals for one-year, two-year, and three-year term appointments. DATES: Submit nominations for committee membership by August 1, 2015. SUMMARY: Nominations must be in writing and be submitted to: John Amaya, Senior Advisor to the Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of the Director, 500 12th Street SW., 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20536; or by email to ICE_ACFRC@ice.dhs.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Amaya at the above address or by telephone 202–732–3000 or email ICE_ ACFRC@ice.dhs.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ADDRESSES: tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES I. Background and Authority Under the Secretary of DHS’s authority in Title 6, United States Code (U.S.C.), section 451, this Committee is established in accordance with and operates under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (Title 5, U.S.C., Appendix). The committee will provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary of DHS through the Assistant Secretary of ICE on matters concerning ICE’s family residential centers on matters relating to detention management, family and youth services, health, and education. II. Structure The Committee shall be composed of up to 15 members who are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:33 Jul 28, 2015 Jkt 235001 Secretary of DHS. The membership shall consist of experts and advocates from the fields of primary education, immigration law, physical and mental health, trauma-informed services, family and youth services, detention management, and detention reform, and other fields as the Secretary determines to be appropriate. Members will be appointed to represent their respective academic institution or organization and will not be Special Government Employees (SGEs) as defined in Title 18, U.S.C., section 202(a). For the initial appointments to the Committee, approximately one-third of the members shall serve 1-year terms of office, one-third shall serve 2-year terms of office, and one-third shall serve 3year terms of office. Thereafter, members will serve terms of office of up to three years, with approximately onethird of members’ terms of office expiring each year. A member appointed to fill an unexpired term serves the remainder of that term. ICE and DHS will strive to fill a Committee vacancy no later than six months after the position is vacated. In the event the Committee terminates, all appointments to the Committee terminate. The Designated Federal Official (DFO) may approve the establishment of subcommittees for any purpose consistent the Committee’s charter. Subcommittees shall be composed of Committee members as determined by the DFO. Subcommittees may not work independently of the chartered Committee and must present their work to the Committee for full deliberation and discussion. Subcommittees have no authority to make decisions on behalf of the Committee and may not report directly to the Federal Government or any other entity. The Committee is expected to meet two times each year. Additional meetings may be held with the approval of the DFO. 45227 nominee is willing to serve as a member of the Committee. Potential candidates will be asked to provide detailed information concerning financial interests, consultancies, research grants, and/or contracts that might be affected by recommendations of the Committee to permit evaluation of possible sources of conflicts of interests. A nomination package should include the following information for each nominee: (1) A letter of nomination stating the name, affiliation, and contact information for the nominee, the basis for the nomination (i.e., what specific attributes recommend him/her for service in this capacity), and the nominee’s field(s) of expertise. (2) A biographical sketch of the nominee and a copy of his/her curriculum vitae and/or resume. (3) The name, return mailing address, email address, and daytime phone number at which the nominator can be contacted. To ensure a diverse nominee pool, ICE and DHS encourage nominations for appropriately qualified candidates of every gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and geographic region. All nominations should be provided in a single, complete package. All nominations should be sent to the submission address and contact provided above. Please note this notice is not intended to be the exclusive method by which ICE and DHS will solicit membership nominations and expressions of interest to identify qualified candidates. However, all candidates for membership on the Committee will be subject to the same evaluation criteria. Dated: July 23, 2015. ˜ Sarah R. Saldana, Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. III. Compensation Members may be reimbursed for travel and per diem, and all travel for Committee business must be approved in advance by the DFO. [FR Doc. 2015–18581 Filed 7–28–15; 8:45 am] IV. Nominations ICE and DHS will consider nominations of all qualified individuals to ensure that the Committee includes the areas of subject matter expertise noted above (see ‘‘Structure’’). Individuals may nominate themselves or other individuals, and professional associations and organizations may nominate one or more qualified persons for membership on the Committee. Nominations must state that the [Docket No. 5774–N–03] PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 BILLING CODE 9110–28–P DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT Promise Zones Initiative: Proposed Third Round Selection Process Solicitation of Comment Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, HUD. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: Through this notice, HUD solicits comment, for a period of 60- SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM 29JYN1 45228 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 145 / Wednesday, July 29, 2015 / Notices days, on the proposed selection process, criteria and submissions for the Third Round of the Promise Zones Initiative. DATES: Comments Due Date: September 28, 2015. ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding this proposal. Questions or comments should be directed by email to PromiseZones@hud.gov with ‘‘Third Round Promise Zones selection’’ in the subject line. Questions or comments may also be directed by postal mail to the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street SW., Room 7136, Washington, DC 20410 ATTN: 3nd Round Promise Zones selection. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Bryan Herdliska, Office of Community Planning and Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Washington, DC, 20410; telephone number 202–402–6758. This is not a toll-free number. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the tollfree Federal Relay Service at (800) 877– 8339. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background—Round 1 and 2 Promise Zones In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama announced the establishment of the Promise Zones Initiative to partner with high-poverty communities across the country to create jobs, increase economic security, expand educational opportunities, increase access to quality, affordable housing, and improve public safety.1 On January 8, 2014, the President announced the first five Promise Zones, which are located in: San Antonio, TX; Philadelphia, PA; Los Angeles, CA; Southeastern Kentucky, KY; and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, OK. On April 28, 2015, the Obama Administration announced eight more Promise Zones as part of the second round Promise Zone selection process, which are located in: Camden, NJ; Hartford, CT; Indianapolis, IN; Minneapolis, MN; Sacramento, CA; St. Louis County, MO; Barnwell, SC; and Porcupine, SD. Each of these communities (eight urban, one rural, and one tribal) submitted a plan on how it will partner with local business and community leaders to make investments 1 See https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/ 2013/02/15/fact-sheet-president-s-plan-ensurehard-work-leads-decent-living. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:33 Jul 28, 2015 Jkt 235001 that reward hard work and expand opportunity. In exchange, the Federal government is helping these Promise Zone designees secure the resources and flexibility they need to achieve their goals.2 The first five Promise Zones were selected through a competitive process following an invitation to eligible communities to apply for a designation, which was issued on October 30, 2013 with an application deadline of November 26, 2013.3 The urban designations were conferred by HUD while the rural and tribal designations were conferred by USDA. The pool of eligible applicants was limited to communities with demonstrated capacity in one or more areas of Promise Zone work that would prepare them to broaden their efforts to additional revitalization priorities. Specifically, urban eligibility was limited to communities encompassing a Choice Neighborhoods or Promise Neighborhoods Implementation grant, or a Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation grant, while rural and tribal eligibility was limited to communities encompassing a Stronger Economies Together, Sustainable Communities, Promise Neighborhoods Implementation, or Rural Jobs Accelerator grant. The second round Promise Zone selection process opened on August 29, 2014 with an application deadline of November 21, 2014.4 This second round competition designated 8 more communities meeting the specified eligibility criteria without regard to their prior selection for receipt of federal grants. As with the first round, the urban designations were conferred by HUD while the rural and tribal designations were conferred by USDA. Promise Zone Benefits The Promise Zones Initiative seeks to revitalize high-poverty communities across the country by creating jobs, increasing economic activity, improving educational opportunities, reducing violent crime, leveraging private capital, and assisting local leaders in navigating federal programs. Promise Zones will not receive grant funding. The Promise Zone designation partners the Federal government with local leaders who are addressing multiple community revitalization challenges in a collaborative way and have 2 See https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/ 2014/01/08/fact-sheet-president-obama-s-promisezones-initiative. 3 See www.hud.gov/promisezones. 4 See https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/ press/press_releases_media_advisories/2015/ HUDNo_15-049. PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 demonstrated a commitment to results. Promise Zone Designees will receive: The opportunity to engage Five AmeriCorps VISTA members in the Promise Zone; a federal liaison assigned to assist with navigating federal programs; preferences for certain competitive federal programs; technical assistance from participating agencies; and Promise Zone tax incentives if enacted by Congress. Altogether, this package of assistance will help local leaders accelerate efforts to revitalize their communities. The Promise Zone designation will be for a term of 10 years, and may be extended as necessary to capture the full term of availability of the Promise Zones tax incentives, if enacted by Congress. During this term, the specific benefits made available to Promise Zones will vary from year to year, and sometimes more often than annually, due to changes in an agency’s policies and changes in appropriations and authorizations for relevant programs. All assistance provided to Promise Zones is subject to applicable regulations, statutes, and changes in Federal agency policies, appropriations, and authorizations for relevant programs. Subject to these limitations, the Promise Zone designation commits the Federal government to partner with local leaders who are addressing multiple community revitalization challenges in a collaborative way and have demonstrated a commitment to results. Third Round Promise Zones Selection Process A third and final round of Promise Zone designations is currently in the selection process planning stage with announcements of the designees expected in spring 2016. HUD anticipates making at least seven designations in the third round in the urban, rural and tribal categories, depending on resources available. As a result of the third round competition, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) intends to designate five urban communities and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) intends to designate one rural and one tribal community. This third round of selections with bring the total number of Promise Zone designations to 20, including the five designations announced in January, 2014, and the eight announced in April, 2015. Due to the nature of the Initiative, Promise Zone activities are likely to be carried out by a variety of organizations and organization types. Eligible lead applicants for Urban Promise Zone designations are: E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM 29JYN1 tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 145 / Wednesday, July 29, 2015 / Notices 1. Units of General Local Government (UGLG or local government); 5 2. An office or department within local government or a county government with the support of the UGLG; 3. Non-profit organizations 6 applying with the support of the UGLG; 4. Public Housing Agencies, Community Colleges, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), or Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) applying with the support of the UGLG. For eligible lead applicants for Rural and Tribal Promise Zone designations please refer to the Rural and Tribal Promise Zone Application Guide located at https://www.hud.gov/ promisezones. The selection process under consideration is that any community meeting the community eligibility criteria set forth in the Third Round Application Guide would be eligible to apply for Promise Zone designation. All of the following must be present in an application for a proposed Promise Zone to be eligible for designation: i. Proposed Promise Zone must have one contiguous boundary and cannot include separate geographic areas; ii. The rate of overall poverty or Extremely Low Income rate (whichever is greater) of residents within the Promise Zone must be at or above 32.5 percent; iii. Promise Zone boundaries must encompass a population of at least 10,000 but no more than 200,000 residents; iv. The Promise Zone application must affirmatively demonstrate support from all mayors or chief executives of UGLGs that include any geographical area within the proposed Promise Zone boundary, where such city(is), county(ies), parish(es), or county equivalent(s) is(are) the sole UGLG(s) providing general government services for such geographical area(s), subject to the following conditions: a. The chief executive of a city, county, parish, or county equivalent may only affirmatively demonstrate support for the Promise Zone Plan of one proposed Promise Zone containing a geographical area in which the city, county, parish or county equivalent is the sole provider of general public services; b. Subject to the limitation in paragraph a. above, the chief executive 5 Unit of general local government as defined in section 102(a)(1) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302(a)(1)). See definition (a)(1) Unit of General Local Government. 6 Including Workforce Investment Boards (WIBS) and Community Action Agencies (CAA). Examples are illustrative and not exhaustive. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:33 Jul 28, 2015 Jkt 235001 of a county, parish, or county equivalent may affirmatively demonstrate support for the Promise Zone Plan of any proposed Promise Zone located in the county, parish, or county equivalent where another UGLG also provides general government services; c. With the exception of paragraph b. above, if the Mayor or chief executive of a county, parish or county equivalent demonstrates affirmative support for the Promise Zone Plan of more than one proposed Promise Zone in which the UGLG he or she represents is the sole provider of general government services, all of the applications from that UGLG will be disqualified from the competition; d. Where the proposed Promise Zone boundaries cross UGLG boundaries, one Lead Applicant must be identified for the Promise Zone application, and commitment must be demonstrated by the mayors or chief executives of all of the UGLGs that are sole providers of general government services for any part of the proposed Promise Zone geographical area; and e. If a Promise Zone designated in Round 1 or 2 is located within a UGLG in which a new application is being submitted, the applicant must include an explanation of how, if a second Promise Zone designation is made, the UGLG that is the sole provider of general government services plans to work with both of the Promise Zone designees at the same time and sustain the level of effort, resources and support committed to each Promise Zone under its respective Promise Zone Plan for the full term of each Promise Zone designation. This explanation must be evidenced by commitments from the UGLG in materials submitted by the mayor or chief executive in support of the application. Solicitation of Comment HUD is soliciting public comments on the proposed selection process, criteria, and submissions for the third round of the Promise Zone Initiative that has been announced through this Federal Register Notice. The draft Third Round Urban Application Guide and the draft Third Round Rural and Tribal Application Guide can be found at www.hud.gov/promisezones. Comments are due by September 28, 2015 and may be submitted at PromiseZones@hud.gov with ‘‘Third Round Promise Zone selections’’ in the subject line. HUD has created a MAX Survey stage site in order to allow both applicants and other stakeholders an opportunity to experience the proposed intake mechanism for the third round selection PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 45229 process and provide specific feedback on its operation and functionality. To access the MAX Survey platform, please go to: www.hud.gov/promisezones. Questions or comments may also be directed by postal mail to: Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street SW., Room 7136, Washington, DC 20410, ATTN: Third Round Promise Zone selections. In addition to providing comments on the proposed selection process, criteria, and submissions for the third round of the Promise Zone Initiative, commenters are encouraged to address any or all of the following questions. A. Overarching Questions For communities considering a Promise Zone application: 1. Are the programs that provide preferential access for designated Promise Zones helpful? Are there policy areas or issues that you need to address that are not represented? 2. If your community is not designated, but you and your partners intend to continue community revitalization efforts, please explain what particular types of information, technical assistance, peer exchange, introductions or other non-competitive assistance would be helpful to you as you move your work forward? 3. Do you find the MAX SURVEY sufficiently easy to use compared to other federal application systems (e.g. Grants.Gov)? 4. Would you be willing to provide the type of information requested in the Goals and Activities template for purposes of potentially connecting you to federal and private partners/peers that could facilitate your community’s development work if it were not part of a competition for a federal designation? (See MAX SURVEY at www.hud.gov/ promisezones.) B. Community Development Marketplace For users of the Community Development Marketplace (a database of strategy and activity information Second Round applicants permitted HUD and USDA to share): 5. What kind of potential user are you? HUD has heard from foundations, investors, communities, researchers and national intermediaries and stakeholder networks, but there may be others who can use this data. 6. Does the Third Round template capture information that would be useful to you? (See MAX SURVEY at E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM 29JYN1 45230 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 145 / Wednesday, July 29, 2015 / Notices www.hud.gov/promisezones.) If yes, how is this information useful to you? 7. Are there additional pieces of information that would assist you in filtering and searching for information you would like to have? DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR C. Promise Zone Web site Final Decision on Remand Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Duwamish Tribal Organization 8. Is the Web site clear and easy to use? If not, what elements would be more helpful? (See www.hud.gov/ promisezones and linked program information.) 9. Is the interagency program information presented on the Web site well-matched to your community’s needs? If not, what type of information would be helpful to add? D. Communications and Stakeholder Engagement 10. Do you find Promise Zone communications, through emails, webinars, written documents and other means, useful to organizations working in your community? Please elaborate on what is useful or what could be done to make it more useful. 11. How can HUD communicate more clearly/effectively with residents and community based organizations about the way that the Promise Zone Initiative operates and how it supports local work? 12. How can the Promise Zone Initiative better engage new Americans and immigrant stakeholders? E. Data Collection, Research and Evaluation 13. How can the Promise Zones make use of the EPA Smart Location database? 14. Does the Promise Zone framework for tracking data address the issue of burdening designees in terms of data access and reporting? Are there other ways we could accomplish this? 15. Is the Promise Zone table of core indicators, measures, and data sources useful for community development outcome tracking? Are there other measures that should be added? tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Dated: July 23, 2015. Harriet Tregoning, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development. [FR Doc. 2015–18626 Filed 7–28–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE P VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:33 Jul 28, 2015 Jkt 235001 Bureau of Indian Affairs [156A2100DD/AAKC001030/ A0A501010.999900 253G] Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior. ACTION: Notice of corrections to Final Decision On Remand. AGENCY: This notice announces that the Department of the Interior (Department) through the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs (AS–IA) issued corrections to the ‘‘Summary under the Criteria and Evidence for Final Decision on Judicial Remand’’ dated July 2, 2015 (Final Decision on Remand) that declined to acknowledge that the Duwamish Tribal Organization (DTO), c/o Cecile Maxwell-Hansen, is an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. This notice supplements the notice of final decision on remand published in the Federal Register on July 8, 2015. DATES: The Final Decision on Remand (corrected) is final for the Department on publication of this notice. ADDRESSES: Requests for a copy of the Final Decision on Remand (corrected) should be addressed to the Office of the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs, Attention: Office of Federal Acknowledgment, 1951 Constitution Avenue NW., MS 34B–SIB, Washington, DC 20240. It is also available through www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/OFA/ RecentCases/index.htm. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. R. Lee Fleming, Director, Office of Federal Acknowledgment, (202) 513– 5650. SUMMARY: On July 2, 2015, the Department issued a ‘‘Summary under the Criteria and Evidence for Final Decision on Judicial Remand’’ (Final Decision on Remand) declining to acknowledge that the Duwamish Tribal Organization (DTO), c/o Cecile Maxwell-Hansen, is an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. On July 8, 2015, the Department published a notice of the Final Decision on Remand in the Federal Register at 80 FR 39142. The Final Decision on Remand dated July 2, 2015, was incomplete. It omitted language that the AS–IA has determined should have been included in the final decision and it omitted an appendix referenced in the text. The Final SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PO 00000 Frm 00050 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Decision on Remand dated July 23, 2015, corrects these omissions. This notice announces the corrections to the Final Decision on Remand. The Final Decision on Remand (corrected) dated July 23, 2015 does not affect the determination that the petitioner does not satisfy all seven mandatory criteria in the either the 1978 or 1994 regulations, 25 CFR part 83. This notice supplements the Federal Register notice of the final decision on remand published on July 8, 2015. The Final Decision on Remand (corrected) is final for the Department on publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Dated: July 24, 2015. Kevin K. Washburn, Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs. [FR Doc. 2015–18621 Filed 7–28–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4337–15–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs [156A2100DD/AAKC001030/ A0A501010.999900 253G] Indian Gaming Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior. ACTION: Notice of Tribal-State Class III Gaming Compact taking effect. AGENCY: This notice publishes the Indian Gaming Compact between the State of New Mexico and the Pueblo of Taos governing Class III gaming (Compact) taking effect. DATES: Effective Date: July 29, 2015. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian Gaming, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary—Policy and Economic Development, Washington, DC 20240, (202) 219–4066. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 11 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) Public Law 100– 497, 25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq., the Secretary of the Interior shall publish in the Federal Register notice of approved Tribal-State compacts for the purpose of engaging in Class III gaming activities on Indian lands. As required by 25 CFR 293.4, all compacts are subject to review and approval by the Secretary. The Secretary took no action on the Compact within 45 days of its submission. Therefore, the Compact is considered to have been approved, but only to the extent the Compact is consistent with IGRA. See 25 U.S.C. 2710(d)(8)(C). SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM 29JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 145 (Wednesday, July 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45227-45230]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-18626]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. 5774-N-03]


Promise Zones Initiative: Proposed Third Round Selection Process 
Solicitation of Comment

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and 
Development, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Through this notice, HUD solicits comment, for a period of 60-

[[Page 45228]]

days, on the proposed selection process, criteria and submissions for 
the Third Round of the Promise Zones Initiative.

DATES: Comments Due Date: September 28, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Questions or comments should be directed by email to 
PromiseZones@hud.gov with ``Third Round Promise Zones selection'' in 
the subject line. Questions or comments may also be directed by postal 
mail to the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic 
Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 
Seventh Street SW., Room 7136, Washington, DC 20410 ATTN: 3nd Round 
Promise Zones selection.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryan Herdliska, Office of Community 
Planning and Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 7th Street SW., Washington, DC, 20410; telephone 
number 202-402-6758. This is not a toll-free number. Persons with 
hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by 
calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background--Round 1 and 2 Promise Zones

    In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama announced 
the establishment of the Promise Zones Initiative to partner with high-
poverty communities across the country to create jobs, increase 
economic security, expand educational opportunities, increase access to 
quality, affordable housing, and improve public safety.\1\ On January 
8, 2014, the President announced the first five Promise Zones, which 
are located in: San Antonio, TX; Philadelphia, PA; Los Angeles, CA; 
Southeastern Kentucky, KY; and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, OK. On 
April 28, 2015, the Obama Administration announced eight more Promise 
Zones as part of the second round Promise Zone selection process, which 
are located in: Camden, NJ; Hartford, CT; Indianapolis, IN; 
Minneapolis, MN; Sacramento, CA; St. Louis County, MO; Barnwell, SC; 
and Porcupine, SD. Each of these communities (eight urban, one rural, 
and one tribal) submitted a plan on how it will partner with local 
business and community leaders to make investments that reward hard 
work and expand opportunity. In exchange, the Federal government is 
helping these Promise Zone designees secure the resources and 
flexibility they need to achieve their goals.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ See https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/15/fact-sheet-president-s-plan-ensure-hard-work-leads-decent-living.
    \2\ See https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/08/fact-sheet-president-obama-s-promise-zones-initiative.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The first five Promise Zones were selected through a competitive 
process following an invitation to eligible communities to apply for a 
designation, which was issued on October 30, 2013 with an application 
deadline of November 26, 2013.\3\ The urban designations were conferred 
by HUD while the rural and tribal designations were conferred by USDA. 
The pool of eligible applicants was limited to communities with 
demonstrated capacity in one or more areas of Promise Zone work that 
would prepare them to broaden their efforts to additional 
revitalization priorities. Specifically, urban eligibility was limited 
to communities encompassing a Choice Neighborhoods or Promise 
Neighborhoods Implementation grant, or a Byrne Criminal Justice 
Innovation grant, while rural and tribal eligibility was limited to 
communities encompassing a Stronger Economies Together, Sustainable 
Communities, Promise Neighborhoods Implementation, or Rural Jobs 
Accelerator grant.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ See www.hud.gov/promisezones.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The second round Promise Zone selection process opened on August 
29, 2014 with an application deadline of November 21, 2014.\4\ This 
second round competition designated 8 more communities meeting the 
specified eligibility criteria without regard to their prior selection 
for receipt of federal grants. As with the first round, the urban 
designations were conferred by HUD while the rural and tribal 
designations were conferred by USDA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ See https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/press/press_releases_media_advisories/2015/HUDNo_15-049.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Promise Zone Benefits

    The Promise Zones Initiative seeks to revitalize high-poverty 
communities across the country by creating jobs, increasing economic 
activity, improving educational opportunities, reducing violent crime, 
leveraging private capital, and assisting local leaders in navigating 
federal programs. Promise Zones will not receive grant funding. The 
Promise Zone designation partners the Federal government with local 
leaders who are addressing multiple community revitalization challenges 
in a collaborative way and have demonstrated a commitment to results. 
Promise Zone Designees will receive: The opportunity to engage Five 
AmeriCorps VISTA members in the Promise Zone; a federal liaison 
assigned to assist with navigating federal programs; preferences for 
certain competitive federal programs; technical assistance from 
participating agencies; and Promise Zone tax incentives if enacted by 
Congress.
    Altogether, this package of assistance will help local leaders 
accelerate efforts to revitalize their communities. The Promise Zone 
designation will be for a term of 10 years, and may be extended as 
necessary to capture the full term of availability of the Promise Zones 
tax incentives, if enacted by Congress. During this term, the specific 
benefits made available to Promise Zones will vary from year to year, 
and sometimes more often than annually, due to changes in an agency's 
policies and changes in appropriations and authorizations for relevant 
programs. All assistance provided to Promise Zones is subject to 
applicable regulations, statutes, and changes in Federal agency 
policies, appropriations, and authorizations for relevant programs. 
Subject to these limitations, the Promise Zone designation commits the 
Federal government to partner with local leaders who are addressing 
multiple community revitalization challenges in a collaborative way and 
have demonstrated a commitment to results.

Third Round Promise Zones Selection Process

    A third and final round of Promise Zone designations is currently 
in the selection process planning stage with announcements of the 
designees expected in spring 2016. HUD anticipates making at least 
seven designations in the third round in the urban, rural and tribal 
categories, depending on resources available. As a result of the third 
round competition, the Department of Housing and Urban Development 
(HUD) intends to designate five urban communities and the Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) intends to designate one rural and one tribal 
community. This third round of selections with bring the total number 
of Promise Zone designations to 20, including the five designations 
announced in January, 2014, and the eight announced in April, 2015.
    Due to the nature of the Initiative, Promise Zone activities are 
likely to be carried out by a variety of organizations and organization 
types. Eligible lead applicants for Urban Promise Zone designations 
are:

[[Page 45229]]

    1. Units of General Local Government (UGLG or local government); 
\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ Unit of general local government as defined in section 
102(a)(1) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 
U.S.C. 5302(a)(1)). See definition (a)(1) Unit of General Local 
Government.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. An office or department within local government or a county 
government with the support of the UGLG;
    3. Non-profit organizations \6\ applying with the support of the 
UGLG;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ Including Workforce Investment Boards (WIBS) and Community 
Action Agencies (CAA). Examples are illustrative and not exhaustive.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. Public Housing Agencies, Community Colleges, Local Education 
Agencies (LEAs), or Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) applying 
with the support of the UGLG.
    For eligible lead applicants for Rural and Tribal Promise Zone 
designations please refer to the Rural and Tribal Promise Zone 
Application Guide located at https://www.hud.gov/promisezones.
    The selection process under consideration is that any community 
meeting the community eligibility criteria set forth in the Third Round 
Application Guide would be eligible to apply for Promise Zone 
designation. All of the following must be present in an application for 
a proposed Promise Zone to be eligible for designation:
    i. Proposed Promise Zone must have one contiguous boundary and 
cannot include separate geographic areas;
    ii. The rate of overall poverty or Extremely Low Income rate 
(whichever is greater) of residents within the Promise Zone must be at 
or above 32.5 percent;
    iii. Promise Zone boundaries must encompass a population of at 
least 10,000 but no more than 200,000 residents;
    iv. The Promise Zone application must affirmatively demonstrate 
support from all mayors or chief executives of UGLGs that include any 
geographical area within the proposed Promise Zone boundary, where such 
city(is), county(ies), parish(es), or county equivalent(s) is(are) the 
sole UGLG(s) providing general government services for such 
geographical area(s), subject to the following conditions:
    a. The chief executive of a city, county, parish, or county 
equivalent may only affirmatively demonstrate support for the Promise 
Zone Plan of one proposed Promise Zone containing a geographical area 
in which the city, county, parish or county equivalent is the sole 
provider of general public services;
    b. Subject to the limitation in paragraph a. above, the chief 
executive of a county, parish, or county equivalent may affirmatively 
demonstrate support for the Promise Zone Plan of any proposed Promise 
Zone located in the county, parish, or county equivalent where another 
UGLG also provides general government services;
    c. With the exception of paragraph b. above, if the Mayor or chief 
executive of a county, parish or county equivalent demonstrates 
affirmative support for the Promise Zone Plan of more than one proposed 
Promise Zone in which the UGLG he or she represents is the sole 
provider of general government services, all of the applications from 
that UGLG will be disqualified from the competition;
    d. Where the proposed Promise Zone boundaries cross UGLG 
boundaries, one Lead Applicant must be identified for the Promise Zone 
application, and commitment must be demonstrated by the mayors or chief 
executives of all of the UGLGs that are sole providers of general 
government services for any part of the proposed Promise Zone 
geographical area; and
    e. If a Promise Zone designated in Round 1 or 2 is located within a 
UGLG in which a new application is being submitted, the applicant must 
include an explanation of how, if a second Promise Zone designation is 
made, the UGLG that is the sole provider of general government services 
plans to work with both of the Promise Zone designees at the same time 
and sustain the level of effort, resources and support committed to 
each Promise Zone under its respective Promise Zone Plan for the full 
term of each Promise Zone designation. This explanation must be 
evidenced by commitments from the UGLG in materials submitted by the 
mayor or chief executive in support of the application.

Solicitation of Comment

    HUD is soliciting public comments on the proposed selection 
process, criteria, and submissions for the third round of the Promise 
Zone Initiative that has been announced through this Federal Register 
Notice. The draft Third Round Urban Application Guide and the draft 
Third Round Rural and Tribal Application Guide can be found at 
www.hud.gov/promisezones.
    Comments are due by September 28, 2015 and may be submitted at 
PromiseZones@hud.gov with ``Third Round Promise Zone selections'' in 
the subject line.
    HUD has created a MAX Survey stage site in order to allow both 
applicants and other stakeholders an opportunity to experience the 
proposed intake mechanism for the third round selection process and 
provide specific feedback on its operation and functionality. To access 
the MAX Survey platform, please go to: www.hud.gov/promisezones.
    Questions or comments may also be directed by postal mail to: 
Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development, U.S. 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street SW., 
Room 7136, Washington, DC 20410, ATTN: Third Round Promise Zone 
selections.
    In addition to providing comments on the proposed selection 
process, criteria, and submissions for the third round of the Promise 
Zone Initiative, commenters are encouraged to address any or all of the 
following questions.

A. Overarching Questions

    For communities considering a Promise Zone application:
    1. Are the programs that provide preferential access for designated 
Promise Zones helpful? Are there policy areas or issues that you need 
to address that are not represented?
    2. If your community is not designated, but you and your partners 
intend to continue community revitalization efforts, please explain 
what particular types of information, technical assistance, peer 
exchange, introductions or other non-competitive assistance would be 
helpful to you as you move your work forward?
    3. Do you find the MAX SURVEY sufficiently easy to use compared to 
other federal application systems (e.g. Grants.Gov)?
    4. Would you be willing to provide the type of information 
requested in the Goals and Activities template for purposes of 
potentially connecting you to federal and private partners/peers that 
could facilitate your community's development work if it were not part 
of a competition for a federal designation? (See MAX SURVEY at 
www.hud.gov/promisezones.)

B. Community Development Marketplace

    For users of the Community Development Marketplace (a database of 
strategy and activity information Second Round applicants permitted HUD 
and USDA to share):
    5. What kind of potential user are you? HUD has heard from 
foundations, investors, communities, researchers and national 
intermediaries and stakeholder networks, but there may be others who 
can use this data.
    6. Does the Third Round template capture information that would be 
useful to you? (See MAX SURVEY at

[[Page 45230]]

www.hud.gov/promisezones.) If yes, how is this information useful to 
you?
    7. Are there additional pieces of information that would assist you 
in filtering and searching for information you would like to have?

C. Promise Zone Web site

    8. Is the Web site clear and easy to use? If not, what elements 
would be more helpful? (See www.hud.gov/promisezones and linked program 
information.)
    9. Is the interagency program information presented on the Web site 
well-matched to your community's needs? If not, what type of 
information would be helpful to add?

D. Communications and Stakeholder Engagement

    10. Do you find Promise Zone communications, through emails, 
webinars, written documents and other means, useful to organizations 
working in your community? Please elaborate on what is useful or what 
could be done to make it more useful.
    11. How can HUD communicate more clearly/effectively with residents 
and community based organizations about the way that the Promise Zone 
Initiative operates and how it supports local work?
    12. How can the Promise Zone Initiative better engage new Americans 
and immigrant stakeholders?

E. Data Collection, Research and Evaluation

    13. How can the Promise Zones make use of the EPA Smart Location 
database?
    14. Does the Promise Zone framework for tracking data address the 
issue of burdening designees in terms of data access and reporting? Are 
there other ways we could accomplish this?
    15. Is the Promise Zone table of core indicators, measures, and 
data sources useful for community development outcome tracking? Are 
there other measures that should be added?

    Dated: July 23, 2015.
Harriet Tregoning,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and 
Development.
[FR Doc. 2015-18626 Filed 7-28-15; 8:45 am]
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