Decoupling Rental Assistance: Virtual Public Listening Sessions, 39219-39220 [2023-12778]

Download as PDF 39219 Notices Federal Register Vol. 88, No. 115 Thursday, June 15, 2023 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency statements of organization and functions are examples of documents appearing in this section. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service [Docket No. APHIS–2022–0066] Concurrence With World Organization for Animal Health’s Risk Designation for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy for France Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: We are advising the public of our preliminary concurrence with the World Organization for Animal Health’s (WOAH) bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk designation for France. The WOAH recognizes France as being of negligible risk for BSE. We are taking this action based on our review of information supporting the WOAH’s risk designation for France. DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before August 14, 2023. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS– 2022–0066 in the Search field. Select the Documents tab, then select the Comment button in the list of documents. • Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS–2022–0066, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. Any comments we receive on this docket may be viewed at regulations.gov or in our reading room, which is located in Room 1620 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:54 Jun 14, 2023 Jkt 259001 help you, please call (202) 799–7039 before coming. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Rebecca Gordon, Senior Staff Officer, Regionalization Evaluation Services, Veterinary Services, APHIS, 920 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, NC 27606; (919) 855–7741; email: AskRegionalization@ usda.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 9 CFR part 92 subpart B, ‘‘Importation of Animals and Animal Products; Procedures for Requesting BSE Risk Status Classification With Regard To Bovines’’ (referred to below as the regulations), set forth the process by which the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) classifies regions for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk. Section 92.5 of the regulations provides that all countries of the world are considered by APHIS to be in one of three BSE risk categories: Negligible risk, controlled risk, or undetermined risk. These risk categories are defined in § 92.1. Any region that is not classified by APHIS as presenting either negligible risk or controlled risk for BSE is considered to present an undetermined risk. The list of those regions classified by APHIS as having either negligible risk or controlled risk can be accessed on the APHIS website at https:// www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/ animalhealth/animal-and-animalproduct-import-information/animalhealth-status-of-regions. The list can also be obtained by writing to APHIS at Regionalization Evaluation Services, Veterinary Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 20737– 1238. Under the regulations, APHIS may classify a region for BSE in one of two ways. One way is for regions that have not received a risk classification from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) to request classification by APHIS. The other way is for APHIS to concur with the classification given to a country or region by the WOAH. If the WOAH has classified a region as either BSE negligible risk or BSE controlled risk, APHIS will seek information to support concurrence with the WOAH classification. This information may be publicly available information, or APHIS may request that regions supply the same information given to the WOAH. APHIS will announce in the Federal Register, PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 subject to public comment, its intent to concur with a WOAH classification. In accordance with this process, we are giving notice in this document that APHIS intends to concur with the WOAH risk classification of the country of France as a region of negligible risk for BSE. The WOAH recommendation regarding France can be viewed at https://www.woah.org/en/disease/ bovine-spongiform-encephalopathy/. The conclusions of the WOAH Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases, regarding France, can be viewed in the ‘‘Report of the Meeting of the OIE Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases, Virtual, 7 to 23 February 2022’’ at https://doc.woah.org/ dyn/portal/index.xhtml?page= alo&aloId=42407&espaceId=100 (page 81). After reviewing any comments that we receive, we will announce our final determination regarding the BSE classification of France in the Federal Register, along with a discussion of and response to pertinent issues raised by commenters. If APHIS recognizes France as negligible risk for BSE, the Agency will include this country on the list of regions of negligible risk for BSE that is available to the public on the Agency’s website at https:// www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/ animalhealth/animal-and-animalproduct-import-information/animalhealth-status-of-regions. Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1622 and 8301– 8317; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.4. Done in Washington, DC, this 9th day of June 2023. Michael Watson, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [FR Doc. 2023–12839 Filed 6–14–23; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–34–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Rural Housing Service [Docket No. RHS–23–MFH–0018] Decoupling Rental Assistance: Virtual Public Listening Sessions Rural Housing Service, USDA. Notice of meeting. AGENCY: ACTION: In accordance with a Congressional directive in the FY2023 SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\15JNN1.SGM 15JNN1 39220 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 115 / Thursday, June 15, 2023 / Notices lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 Consolidated Appropriations Act, the Rural Housing Service (RHS or the Agency), a Rural Development agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), will be hosting two virtual listening sessions to obtain stakeholder information on potential decoupling of section 521 Rental Assistance from section 515 Rural Rental Housing loans at the time of loan maturity. Both sessions will be open to the public. DATES: The virtual listening sessions will be held on July 19, 2023, beginning at 2:00 p.m. (ET) and on July 25, 2023, beginning at 2:00 p.m. (ET). ADDRESSES: The listening sessions will convene virtually on the Zoom platform. All participants must pre-register. To register for the July 19, 2023, session, please use the following link: https:// www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/ WN_S8IV8KZ2TjKU-v231VIXhA. To register for the July 25, 2023, session, please use the following link: https:// www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/ WN_A7a3cdjgRy6D6xWguP24Qw. A confirmation email, including the Zoom link and teleconference information for the meeting, will be sent upon receipt of the registration. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Vergin, Policy Advisor, Multifamily Housing, Rural Housing Service, USDA, STOP 0781, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250–0781, telephone: (651) 602– 7820 (this is not a toll-free number); email: Decoupling@usda.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The section 515 Rural Rental Housing program loan portfolio includes nearly 14,000 Multifamily Housing (MFH) properties in rural areas nationwide. Approximately 80 percent of units financed with a section 515 loan also receive section 521 Rental Assistance (RA), a project-based tenant rent subsidy. By statute, when a section 515 mortgage matures or is terminated, the property is no longer eligible to receive section 521 RA, adversely impacting residents and creating an elevated risk of loss of affordable units in the section 515 portfolio. Between 2023 and 2033, approximately 137,000 affordable housing units will be lost due to maturing section 515 mortgages, with a potential to lose approximately 333,000 units by the year 2050. For owners willing to continue providing affordable housing upon mortgage maturity, the agency is currently limited to debt modifications and deferrals to keep the section 515 mortgages in place, which enables the VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:54 Jun 14, 2023 Jkt 259001 continued availability of RA. However, maintaining the section 515 mortgage with currently available preservation tools may adversely impact the property by discouraging critical investments from other local, State, and Federal sources or create a lack of equity for further recapitalization. Decoupling of section 515 from section 521 Rental Assistance is a tool for preservation of rural multifamily housing properties. It will allow for the continuation of the project-based RA to MFH tenants, who had an average annual household income of approximately $13,000 in Fiscal Year 2022, while also encouraging new thirdparty investment and recapitalization of the aging MFH portfolio. Meeting Agenda The Fiscal Year 2023 President’s Budget included a request to decouple section 521 RA from section 515 loans to facilitate the rehabilitation and preservation of the Multifamily Housing loan portfolio. Congress directed USDA to conduct a series of stakeholder meetings and provide a report on how decoupling would be implemented. Therefore, RHS MFH is seeking stakeholder input on how decoupling might impact the current section 515 and section 521 policies, program requirements and operations. In addition to participating in the listening sessions, stakeholders may provide written comments to the agency on MFH decoupling until July 31, 2023. Comments may be submitted to Decoupling@usda.gov. After the listening sessions, a report will be developed for Congress summarizing stakeholder input and identifying strategies for implementation of MFH decoupling. Joaquin Altoro, Administrator, Rural Housing Service. [FR Doc. 2023–12778 Filed 6–14–23; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Economic Development Administration Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Data Collection Instrument The Department of Commerce will submit the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public’s reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on July 5, 2022 (87 FR 39806) during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. Agency: Economic Development Administration (EDA), Commerce. Title: Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Data Collection Instrument. OMB Control Number: New information collection. Form Number(s): None. Type of Request: Regular submission. Estimated Number of Respondents and Frequency: 332 award recipients will respond to the electronic survey. Of these, 30 award recipients will also participate in a phone interview. This will be a one-time survey and interview. Estimated Average Hours per Response: Two hours for the electronic survey and 0.75 hours for each phone interview. Estimated Burden Hours: 664 hours for the electronic survey and 22.5 hours for the phone interviews. Needs and Uses: To effectively administer and monitor its economic development assistance programs, EDA collects certain information from applications for, and recipients of EDA investment assistance. The purpose of this notice is to seek comments from the public and other Federal agencies on a request for a new information collection for recipients of awards under the EDA American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation. This is aligned with ensuring that Federal travel, tourism and outdoor recreation investments are evidence-based and data-driven, and accountable to participants and the public. This survey will collect baseline data from awardees that will lay the foundation for a future evaluation of EDA’s investments in travel, tourism, and outdoor recreation. The survey questions will fall into two categories: project activities and corresponding specific metrics. The categories of project activities include the following: —Planning and Assessment Activities —Expanding the Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Economy —Increasing Quality of Visitation —Stakeholder Outreach —Developing New Products —Marketing E:\FR\FM\15JNN1.SGM 15JNN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 115 (Thursday, June 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39219-39220]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12778]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service

[Docket No. RHS-23-MFH-0018]


Decoupling Rental Assistance: Virtual Public Listening Sessions

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with a Congressional directive in the FY2023

[[Page 39220]]

Consolidated Appropriations Act, the Rural Housing Service (RHS or the 
Agency), a Rural Development agency of the United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA), will be hosting two virtual listening sessions to 
obtain stakeholder information on potential decoupling of section 521 
Rental Assistance from section 515 Rural Rental Housing loans at the 
time of loan maturity. Both sessions will be open to the public.

DATES: The virtual listening sessions will be held on July 19, 2023, 
beginning at 2:00 p.m. (ET) and on July 25, 2023, beginning at 2:00 
p.m. (ET).

ADDRESSES: The listening sessions will convene virtually on the Zoom 
platform. All participants must pre-register. To register for the July 
19, 2023, session, please use the following link: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_S8IV8KZ2TjKU-v231VIXhA. To register 
for the July 25, 2023, session, please use the following link: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_A7a3cdjgRy6D6xWguP24Qw.
    A confirmation email, including the Zoom link and teleconference 
information for the meeting, will be sent upon receipt of the 
registration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Vergin, Policy Advisor, 
Multifamily Housing, Rural Housing Service, USDA, STOP 0781, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-0781, telephone: (651) 
602-7820 (this is not a toll-free number); email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The section 515 Rural Rental Housing program loan portfolio 
includes nearly 14,000 Multifamily Housing (MFH) properties in rural 
areas nationwide. Approximately 80 percent of units financed with a 
section 515 loan also receive section 521 Rental Assistance (RA), a 
project-based tenant rent subsidy. By statute, when a section 515 
mortgage matures or is terminated, the property is no longer eligible 
to receive section 521 RA, adversely impacting residents and creating 
an elevated risk of loss of affordable units in the section 515 
portfolio. Between 2023 and 2033, approximately 137,000 affordable 
housing units will be lost due to maturing section 515 mortgages, with 
a potential to lose approximately 333,000 units by the year 2050.
    For owners willing to continue providing affordable housing upon 
mortgage maturity, the agency is currently limited to debt 
modifications and deferrals to keep the section 515 mortgages in place, 
which enables the continued availability of RA. However, maintaining 
the section 515 mortgage with currently available preservation tools 
may adversely impact the property by discouraging critical investments 
from other local, State, and Federal sources or create a lack of equity 
for further recapitalization.
    Decoupling of section 515 from section 521 Rental Assistance is a 
tool for preservation of rural multifamily housing properties. It will 
allow for the continuation of the project-based RA to MFH tenants, who 
had an average annual household income of approximately $13,000 in 
Fiscal Year 2022, while also encouraging new third-party investment and 
recapitalization of the aging MFH portfolio.

Meeting Agenda

    The Fiscal Year 2023 President's Budget included a request to 
decouple section 521 RA from section 515 loans to facilitate the 
rehabilitation and preservation of the Multifamily Housing loan 
portfolio. Congress directed USDA to conduct a series of stakeholder 
meetings and provide a report on how decoupling would be implemented. 
Therefore, RHS MFH is seeking stakeholder input on how decoupling might 
impact the current section 515 and section 521 policies, program 
requirements and operations. In addition to participating in the 
listening sessions, stakeholders may provide written comments to the 
agency on MFH decoupling until July 31, 2023. Comments may be submitted 
to [email protected].
    After the listening sessions, a report will be developed for 
Congress summarizing stakeholder input and identifying strategies for 
implementation of MFH decoupling.

Joaquin Altoro,
Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-12778 Filed 6-14-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P

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