Removing Criminal Conviction Restrictions for Testers in FHIP- and FHAP-Funded Testing Programs; Extension of Comment Period, 85529-85530 [2023-27025]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 235 / Friday, December 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules transcript of the informal hearing will be placed in the rulemaking record. Because there are no ‘‘disputed issues of material fact’’ to resolve at the informal hearing, the presiding officer is not anticipated to make a recommended decision.34 The role of the presiding officer therefore will be to preside over and to ensure the orderly conduct of the informal hearing, including selecting the sequence in which oral statements will be heard, and to place the transcript and any additional written submissions received into the rulemaking record. The presiding officer may prescribe additional procedures or issue rulings in accordance with Commission Rule 1.13, 16 CFR 1.13. In execution of the presiding officer’s obligations and responsibilities under the Commission Rules, the presiding officer may issue additional public notices. VI. Communications by Outside Parties to the Commissioners or Their Advisors Pursuant to Commission Rule 1.18(c)(1), 16 CFR 1.18(c)(1), the Commission has determined that communications with respect to the merits of this proceeding from any outside party to any Commissioner or Commissioner advisor shall be subject to the following treatment. Written communications and summaries or transcripts of oral communications shall be placed on the rulemaking record if the communication is received before the end of the comment period. They shall be placed on the public record if the communication is received later. Unless the outside party making an oral communication is a member of Congress, such communications are permitted only if advance notice is published in the Weekly Calendar and Notice of ‘‘Sunshine’’ Meetings.35 By direction of the Commission. Joel Christie, Acting Secretary. [FR Doc. 2023–26946 Filed 12–7–23; 8:45 am] khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS BILLING CODE 6750–01–P 34 See 16 CFR 1.13(d) (‘‘The presiding officer’s recommended decision will be limited to explaining the presiding officer’s proposed resolution of disputed issues of material fact.’’). 35 See 15 U.S.C. 57a(i)(2)(A); 16 CFR 1.18(c). VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:24 Dec 07, 2023 Jkt 262001 DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 24 CFR Parts 115 and 125 [Docket No. FR–6355–N–02] RIN 2529–AB07 Removing Criminal Conviction Restrictions for Testers in FHIP- and FHAP-Funded Testing Programs; Extension of Comment Period Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, HUD. ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period. AGENCY: On October 31, 2023, HUD published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ‘‘Removing Criminal Conviction Restrictions for Testers in FHIP- and FHAP-Funded Testing Programs,’’ proposing to eliminate the tester restrictions for Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) grantees and for Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) agencies that forbid FHIP and FHAP recipients from using fair housing testers with prior felony convictions or convictions of crimes involving fraud or perjury. The proposed rule provided for a 60-day comment period, which would have ended January 2, 2024. HUD has determined that a 9-day extension of the comment period, until January 11, 2024, is appropriate. This extension will allow interested persons additional time to analyze the proposal and prepare their comments. DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule published on October 31, 2023, at 88 FR 74381, is extended. Comments should be received on or before January 11, 2024. ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding this proposed rule. 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 a comment, ensures timely SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 85529 receipt by HUD, and enables HUD to make them immediately available to the public. Comments submitted electronically through the www.regulations.gov website 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 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. 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 202–402– 3055 (this is not a toll-free number). HUD welcomes and is prepared to receive calls from individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as individuals with communication disabilities. To learn more about how to make an accessible telephone call, please visit https://www.fcc.gov/ consumers/guides/telecommunicationsrelay-service-trs. Copies of all comments submitted are available for inspection and downloading at www.regulations.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Demetria McCain, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, 451 7th Street SW, Room 5250, Washington, DC 20410–8000, telephone number 202–402–7861 (this is not a tollfree number). HUD welcomes and is prepared to receive calls from individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as individuals with speech or communication disabilities. To learn more about how to make an accessible telephone calls, please visit: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/ telecommunications-relay-service-trs. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 31, 2023, at 88 FR 74381, HUD published a notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ‘‘Removing Criminal Conviction Restrictions for Testers in FHIP- and FHAP-Funded Testing Programs,’’ which proposes to eliminate restrictions for Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) grantees and E:\FR\FM\08DEP1.SGM 08DEP1 85530 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 235 / Friday, December 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules for Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) agencies that forbid FHIP and FHAP recipients from using fair housing testers with prior felony convictions or convictions of crimes involving fraud or perjury. This proposed rule would make HUD’s programs as inclusive as possible for people with criminal records, consistent with Secretary Marcia Fudge’s April 12, 2022, Memorandum, ‘‘Eliminating Barriers That May Unnecessarily Prevent Individuals with Criminal Histories from Participating in HUD Program.’’ It would also ensure that FHIP and FHAP funded entities are able to fully investigate criminal background screening policies that are potentially discriminatory under federal civil rights laws by using testers with actual criminal backgrounds. In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(4), a summary of this rule may be found at https://www.regulations.gov/document/ HUD-2023-0091-0076. While the proposed rule had a 60-day comment period, HUD has received feedback from commenters requesting additional time to review and provide comments on this rule. In response, HUD is extending the deadline for comments to January 11, 2024. Aaron Santa Anna, Associate General Counsel for Legislation and Regulations. [FR Doc. 2023–27025 Filed 12–7–23; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4210–67–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 131 [EPA–HQ–OW–2023–0378; FRL–10761–01– OW] RIN 2040–AG31 Water Quality Standards To Protect Human Health in Florida Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Proposed rule. AGENCY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to establish new and revised human health water quality criteria for certain pollutants in the state of Florida. On December 1, 2022, the EPA issued an Administrator’s Determination that Florida’s existing human health criteria (HHC) are not protective of Florida’s designated uses and that additional HHC are needed for certain priority toxic pollutants for which Florida currently lacks any HHC. Accordingly, the EPA is proposing new and revised khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:24 Dec 07, 2023 Jkt 262001 HHC to protect the human health designated uses of Florida’s waters. DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 6, 2024. Public Hearing: The EPA will hold two public hearings during the public comment period. Please refer to the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for additional information on the public hearings. ADDRESSES: You may send comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– OW–2023–0378, by any of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov/ (our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. • Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, Standards and Health Protection Division Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460. • Hand Delivery or Courier (by scheduled appointment only): EPA Docket Center, WJC West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. The Docket Center’s hours of operations are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays). Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket ID No. EPA– HQ–OW–2023–0378 for this rulemaking. Comments received may be posted without change to https:// www.regulations.gov/, including any personal information provided. For detailed instructions on sending comments and additional information on the rulemaking process, see the ‘‘Public Participation’’ heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document. The EPA is offering two public hearings on this proposed rulemaking. Refer to the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for additional information. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erica Weyer, Office of Water, Standards and Health Protection Division (4305T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566–2793; email address: weyer.erica@ epa.gov. Additional information is also available online at https://www.epa.gov/ wqs-tech/water-quality-standardsprotect-human-health-florida. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This proposed rulemaking is organized as follows: I. Public Participation A. Written Comments B. Participation in Public Hearings II. General Information A. Does this action apply to me? PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 III. Background A. Statutory and Regulatory Background B. General Recommended Approach for Deriving Human Health Criteria C. History of Florida’s Human Health Criteria IV. Derivation of Human Health Criteria for Florida A. Scope of EPA’s Proposal B. Tribal Reserved Rights Applicable to Florida’s Waters C. Human Health Criteria Inputs D. Proposed Human Health Criteria for Florida E. Applicability F. Alternative Regulatory Approaches and Implementation Mechanisms V. Economic Analysis A. Identifying Affected Entities B. Method for Estimating Costs C. Results VI. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory Planning and Review and Executive Order 14094: Modernizing Regulatory Review B. Paperwork Reduction Act C. Regulatory Flexibility Act D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act E. Executive Order 13132: Federalism F. Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments G. Executive Order 13045: Protection of Children From Environmental Health and Safety Risks H. Executive Order 13211: Actions That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use I. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 J. Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions To Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations and Executive Order 14096: Revitalizing our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All I. Public Participation A. Written Comments Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OW–2023– 0378, at https://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or the other methods identified in the ADDRESSES section. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from the docket. The EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit to the EPA’s docket at https://www.regulations.gov any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI), Proprietary Business Information (PBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment E:\FR\FM\08DEP1.SGM 08DEP1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 235 (Friday, December 8, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 85529-85530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27025]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

24 CFR Parts 115 and 125

[Docket No. FR-6355-N-02]
RIN 2529-AB07


Removing Criminal Conviction Restrictions for Testers in FHIP- 
and FHAP-Funded Testing Programs; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, HUD.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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

SUMMARY: On October 31, 2023, HUD published in the Federal Register a 
notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ``Removing Criminal Conviction 
Restrictions for Testers in FHIP- and FHAP-Funded Testing Programs,'' 
proposing to eliminate the tester restrictions for Fair Housing 
Initiatives Program (FHIP) grantees and for Fair Housing Assistance 
Program (FHAP) agencies that forbid FHIP and FHAP recipients from using 
fair housing testers with prior felony convictions or convictions of 
crimes involving fraud or perjury. The proposed rule provided for a 60-
day comment period, which would have ended January 2, 2024. HUD has 
determined that a 9-day extension of the comment period, until January 
11, 2024, is appropriate. This extension will allow interested persons 
additional time to analyze the proposal and prepare their comments.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule published on October 
31, 2023, at 88 FR 74381, is extended. Comments should be received on 
or before January 11, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposed rule. 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 a comment, ensures timely 
receipt by HUD, and enables HUD to make them immediately available to 
the public. Comments submitted electronically through the 
www.regulations.gov website 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 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. 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 202-402-3055 (this is not a toll-free 
number). HUD welcomes and is prepared to receive calls from individuals 
who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as individuals with 
communication disabilities. To learn more about how to make an 
accessible telephone call, please visit https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs. Copies of all comments 
submitted are available for inspection and downloading at 
www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Demetria McCain, Principal Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Department 
of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Fair Housing and Equal 
Opportunity, 451 7th Street SW, Room 5250, Washington, DC 20410-8000, 
telephone number 202-402-7861 (this is not a toll-free number). HUD 
welcomes and is prepared to receive calls from individuals who are deaf 
or hard of hearing, as well as individuals with speech or communication 
disabilities. To learn more about how to make an accessible telephone 
calls, please visit: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 31, 2023, at 88 FR 74381, HUD 
published a notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ``Removing Criminal 
Conviction Restrictions for Testers in FHIP- and FHAP-Funded Testing 
Programs,'' which proposes to eliminate restrictions for Fair Housing 
Initiatives Program (FHIP) grantees and

[[Page 85530]]

for Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) agencies that forbid FHIP 
and FHAP recipients from using fair housing testers with prior felony 
convictions or convictions of crimes involving fraud or perjury. This 
proposed rule would make HUD's programs as inclusive as possible for 
people with criminal records, consistent with Secretary Marcia Fudge's 
April 12, 2022, Memorandum, ``Eliminating Barriers That May 
Unnecessarily Prevent Individuals with Criminal Histories from 
Participating in HUD Program.'' It would also ensure that FHIP and FHAP 
funded entities are able to fully investigate criminal background 
screening policies that are potentially discriminatory under federal 
civil rights laws by using testers with actual criminal backgrounds. In 
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(4), a summary of this rule may be found 
at https://www.regulations.gov/document/HUD-2023-0091-0076.
    While the proposed rule had a 60-day comment period, HUD has 
received feedback from commenters requesting additional time to review 
and provide comments on this rule. In response, HUD is extending the 
deadline for comments to January 11, 2024.

Aaron Santa Anna,
Associate General Counsel for Legislation and Regulations.
[FR Doc. 2023-27025 Filed 12-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P
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