Notice of Request for Extension of Currently Approved Information Collection, 3411 [2019-02047]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Rural Housing Service

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 29 (Tuesday, February 12, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 3411]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-02047]


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Notices
                                                Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 29 / Tuesday, February 12, 2019 / 
Notices

[[Page 3411]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service


Notice of Request for Extension of Currently Approved Information 
Collection

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Rural Housing Service (RHS) invites comments on this information 
collection for the Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) Program, which 
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be 
requested.

DATES: Comments on this Notice must be received by April 15, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas P. Dickson, Rural Development 
Innovation Center--Regulatory Team 2, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue 
SW, STOP 1522, Room 5164, South Building, Washington, DC 20250-1522. 
Telephone: (202) 690-4492. Email Thomas.dickson@usda.gov.
    For program inquires, contact Bonnie Edwards-Jackson, Finance and 
Loan Analyst, Multi-Family Housing Preservation and Direct Loan 
Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, STOP 0781, 
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-0782, telephone (202) 
690-0759 (voice) (this is not a toll-free number) or (800) 877-8339 
(TDD-Federal Information Relay Service) or via email at, 
bonnie.edwards@wdc.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) 
regulation (5 CFR 1320) implementing provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) requires that interested members 
of the public and affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on 
information collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an information collection that the 
Agency is submitting to OMB for revision.
    Comments are invited on (a) whether the collection of information 
is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of 
the methodology and assumption used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques on other forms 
and information technology.
    Comments may be sent to: Thomas P. Dickson, Rural Development 
Innovation Center--Regulatory Team 2, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue 
SW, STOP 1522, Room 5164, South Building, Washington, DC 20250-1522. 
Telephone: (202) 690-4492. Email Thomas.dickson@usda.gov.
    Title: 7 CFR part 1944-N Housing Preservation Grants.
    OMB Control Number: 0575-0115.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: The primary purpose of the HPG Program is to repair or 
rehabilitate individual housing, rental properties, or co-ops owned or 
occupied by very low- and low-income rural persons. Grantees will 
provide eligible homeowners, owners of rental prope1iies and owners of 
co-ops with financial assistance through loans, grants, interest 
reduction payments or other comparable financial assistance for 
necessary repairs and rehabilitation of dwellings to bring them up to 
code or minimum property standards. Where repair and rehabilitation 
assistance are not economically feasible or practical the replacement 
of existing, individual owner-occupied housing is available.
    These grants were established by Public Law 98-181, the Housing 
Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983, which amended the Housing Act of 1979 
(Pub. L. 93-383) by adding section 533, 42 U.S.C. S 2490(m), Housing 
Preservation Grants. In addition, the Secretary of Agriculture has 
authority to prescribe rules and regulations to implement the HPG and 
other programs under 42 U.S.C. S 1480(G). Section 533(d) is 
prescriptive about the information applicants are to submit to RHS as 
part of their application and in the assessments and criteria RHS is to 
use in selecting grantees. An applicant is to submit a ``statement of 
activity'' describing its proposed program, including the specific 
activities it will undertake, and its schedule. RHS is required in turn 
to evaluate proposals on a set of prescribed criteria, for which the 
applicant will also have to provide information, such as: (1) Very low- 
and low-income persons proposed to be served by the repair and 
rehabilitation activities; (2) participation by other public and 
private organizations to leverage funds and lower the cost to the HPG 
program; (3) the areas to be served in terms of population and need: 
(4) cost data to assure greatest degree of assistance at lowest cost; 
(5) administrative capacity of the applicant to carry out the program. 
The information collected will be the minimum required by law and by 
necessity for RHS to assure that it funds responsible grantees 
proposing feasible projects in areas of greatest need. Most data are 
taken from a localized area, although some are derived from census 
reports of city, county and Federal governments showing population and 
housing characteristics.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 8,262 hours.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,093.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 7.55.
    Copies of this information collection can be obtained from MaryPat 
Daskal, Rural Development Innovation Center--Regulations Team. 
Telephone: (202) 720-7853. Email: MaryPatDaskal@usda.gov.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.

Joel C. Baxley,
Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-02047 Filed 2-11-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P