Rural Housing Service 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This joint interim final rule implements for all Federal award-making agencies the final guidance Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) published by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on December 26, 2013. This rule is necessary in order to incorporate into regulation and thus bring into effect the Uniform Guidance as required by OMB. Implementation of this guidance will reduce administrative burden and risk of waste, fraud, and abuse for the approximately $600 billion per year awarded in Federal financial assistance. The result will be more Federal dollars reprogrammed to support the mission, new entities able to compete and win awards, and ultimately a stronger framework to provide key services to American citizens and support the basic research that underpins the United States economy.

On September 25, 2014, Rural Development published a notice concerning the 2014 Farm Bill Implementation Listening SessionRural Community College Coordinated Strategy. The phone number for the conference was incorrectly stated in one location.

The Rural Housing Service of Rural Development previously announced in a Notice published June 5, 2013, (78 FR 33800), the availability of funds and the timeframe to submit applications for loans to both private non-profit organizations, and State and local housing finance agencies, to carry out a demonstration program to provide revolving loans for the preservation and revitalization of low- income Multi-Family Housing (MFH). Rural Development did not receive sufficient applications to use all the available funds. As a result, Rural Development is soliciting additional applications under this Notice for the remaining funding. This Notice also eliminates the $1 million cap on subsequent loans for existing intermediaries. Housing that is assisted by this demonstration program must be financed by Rural Development through its MFH loan program under Sections 515, 514 and 516 of the Housing Act of 1949. The goals of this demonstration program will be achieved through loans made to intermediaries. The intermediaries will establish their programs for the purpose of providing loans to ultimate recipients for the preservation and revitalization of low-income Sections 515, 514 and 516 MFH as affordable housing.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) is publishing this final rule for allocating program funds to its State Offices. This final rule adds two programsthe Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and the Intermediary Relending Program (IRP). In addition, this final rule revises State allocation formulae to account for changes in data reported by the U.S. Bureau of the Census' decennial Census. Finally, this final rule revises the weight percentages associated with each of the allocation criteria; provides flexibility in determining when not to make State allocations for a program; restricts the use of the transition formula and changes the limitations on how much program funds can change when the transition formula is used; adds provisions for making State allocation for other RBS programs, including new ones; and provides consistency, where necessary, in the allocation of RBS program funds to State Offices.

Rural Development (RD) is proposing to amend the regulations so that an obligation date for all guaranteed loans, direct loans, and grants will no longer be 6 working days from the date of request for reservation of authority. This action is necessary as the 6-day reservation period will be permanently removed from the Commercial Loan Servicing System (CLSS), Guaranteed Loan System (GLS), and Program Loan Accounting System (PLAS). The effect of this action will reduce system or manual intervention when legislative mandates direct cutoff for obligations and/or funding; eliminate program waivers on obligation date; increase consistency with other RD programs; reduce risks with new system implementations, such as the Financial Modernization Management Initiative; and eliminate numerous reconciliation issues between processed obligations and actual obligations for internal RD reports and USDA reporting requirements.

This Notice announces the availability of $5,967,000 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 funding for competitive grant funds for the Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) program through the Rural Housing Service (RHS), an agency within the USDA Rural Development mission area herein referred to as the Agency. Applicants must provide matching funds in an amount at least equal to the Federal grant. These grants will be made to qualified intermediary organizations that will provide financial and technical assistance to recipients to develop their capacity and ability to undertake projects related to housing, community facilities, or community and economic development that will support the community. This Notice lists the information needed to submit an application for these funds.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Fiscal Year 2006 established the demonstration Rural Development Voucher Program, as authorized under Section 542 of the Housing Act of 1949 as amended (42 U.S.C. 1490R) (without regard to Section 542(b)). This Notice informs the public that funding is available for the Rural Development Voucher Program and also sets forth the general policies and procedures for use of these vouchers for Fiscal Year 2014. Pursuant to the requirements in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, Public Law 113-76, Rural Development Vouchers are only available to low-income tenants of Rural Development-financed multifamily properties where Rural Rental Housing loan (Section 515 loan) has been prepaid (either through prepayment or foreclosure action), prior to the loan's maturity date and after September 30, 2005.

The Rural Housing Service published a document in the Federal Register on June 11, 2014, (79 FR 33495) announcing that it is soliciting competitive applications under its Housing Preservation Grant program. The listing for the Central Contractor Registration, Rural Development Vermont State Office address, West Virginia State Office address, and Wyoming State Office telephone and TDD number were incorrectly identified in the notice.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces Rural Development's intention to request a revision for a currently approved information collection in support of loan programs administered by the Rural Housing Service, Business Cooperative Service, and Rural Utilities Service.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) amends its regulations for the Intermediary Relending Program (IRP). This action is critical to immediately address three major items. First, the Agricultural Act of 2014 incorporates the IRP into the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (Con Act). Therefore the IRP will now be subject to the Con Act, Section 343(a)(13) ``rural and rural area'' definition. Second, the Agency is making the following changes based on an Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit: Removing part of the definition of revolved funds to eliminate public confusion on its applicability; providing stronger guidance on items that should be taken into consideration when approving subsequent loans; defining what is meant by promptly relending collections from loans made from the revolving loan fund account; and providing clarification when prior Agency concurrence is needed to make loans. Finally, the Agency is removing provisions for Rural Development Loan Fund (RDLF) servicing as there are no longer any active RDLF accounts.

This is a request for proposals for guaranteed loans under the Section 538 Guaranteed Rural Rental Housing Program (GRRHP) pursuant to 7 CFR 3565.4 for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, Public Law 113-76 (January 17, 2014) appropriated $150 million in FY 2014. The commitment of program dollars will be made first to approved and complete applications from prior years' notices, then to applicants of selected responses in the order they are ranked under this Notice that have fulfilled the necessary requirements for obligation. Successful applications will be selected by the Agency for funding and subsequently awarded to the extent that funding may ultimately be made available to the Agency through appropriations. Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the applicant's risk. The following paragraphs outline the timeframes, eligibility requirements, lender responsibilities, and the overall response and application processes. Eligible lenders are invited to submit responses for new construction and acquisition with rehabilitation of affordable rural rental housing. The Agency will review responses submitted by eligible lenders, on the lender's letterhead, and signed by both the prospective borrower and lender. Although a complete application is not required in response to this Notice, eligible lenders may submit a complete application concurrently with the response. Submitting a complete application will not have any effect on the respondent's response score.

Through this action, the Rural Housing Service (RHS or Agency) proposes to amend its regulations for the section 502 direct single family housing loan program by reinstating language pertaining to payment assistance method 1 that was inadvertently changed or omitted when the payment subsidy regulation was revised on December 27, 2007. This action will make clear to the public that under this method, the amount of subsidy granted is the difference between the installment due on the promissory note and the greater of the payment amortized at the equivalent interest rate or the payment calculated based on the required floor payment.

Through this action, the Rural Housing Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Rural Utilities Service, and Farm Service Agency is extending the comment period for the proposed rule, ``Environmental Policies and Procedures'' by 30 days from April 7, 2014 to May 7, 2014.

This Notice announces a series of Teleconferences and/or Web Conference Meetings regarding the USDA Multi-Family Housing Program. The Teleconference and/or Web Conference Meetings will be scheduled on a quarterly basis, but may be held more often at the Agency's discretion. This Notice also outlines suggested discussion topics for the meetings and is intended to notify the general public of their opportunity to participate in the Teleconference and/or Web Conference Meetings.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Rural Housing Service's intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection in support of the program of the Agency's use of supervised bank accounts (SBA).

Rural Development, a mission area within the U.S. Department of Agriculture comprised of the Rural Housing Service (RHS), Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) and Rural Utilities Service (RUS), hereafter referred to as the Agency, is proposing to unify and update environmental policies and procedures covering all Agency programs by consolidating two existing Agency regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other applicable environmental requirements. These rules supplement the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the regulations of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), associated environmental statutes, Executive orders and Departmental Regulations. The majority of the proposed changes relate to the categorical exclusion provisions in the Agency's procedures for implementing NEPA. These proposed changes are intended to better align the Agency's regulations, particularly for those actions listed as categorical exclusions, to the Agency's current activities and recent experiences and to the CEQ's Memorandum for Heads of Federal Departments and Agencies entitled ``Establishing, Applying, and Revising Categorical Exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act'' issued on November 23, 2010, and to consolidate the provisions of the Agency's two current NEPA rules at 7 CFR parts 1794 and 1940, subpart G.