Department of Housing and Urban Development August 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. This information is used to ensure that owners assess energy needs in an effort to reduce project operating costs and utility expended through cost-effective energy conservation and efficiency measures. HUD used the information in monitoring the Department's energy strategy and for inclusion in the Department's biannual reporting requirements to Congress as required by Section 154 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

This Notice identifies unutilized, underutilized, excess, and surplus Federal property reviewed by HUD for suitability for possible use to assist the homeless.

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) certify to HUD that contract requirements and standards have been satisfied in project development and HUD may authorize payment of funds due the contractor/developer. The Certification is submitted by a Public Housing Agency (PHA) to indicate to HUD that contract requirements have been satisfied for a specific project. The information is supplied by the project architect to assure the PHA and HUD that construction, which meets codes and HUD standards, has been incorporated into the project. Upon determining a proposed project is completed and that all contract requirements have been satisfied, HUD returns the certification to the PHA authorizing Payment to the contractor.

On May 7, 2007, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) published a proposed rule that would restrict the issuance of physical certificates representing Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and clarify that book-entry securities may be withdrawn from the Federal Reserve book-entry system after Ginnie Mae has approved a request for physical certificates, also known as definitive securities, in the same amount. The rule also proposed to eliminate the requirement for a classified balance sheet. Ginnie Mae did not receive any public comments on this rule. Ginnie Mae is adopting, at this final rule stage, the proposed rule without change.

As described in the Supplementary Information section of this Notice, HUD is authorized by statute to waive statutory and regulatory requirements and specify alternative requirements for disaster recovery grants, upon the request of the state grantee(s). This Notice describes the additional waivers for the disaster recovery grants made to the States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas (the States), which are the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) disaster recovery grantees under the subject appropriations acts.

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. The competitive application Project Budget Summary is used by HOPWA competitive grants applications to identify funding requests by eligible activity and to show how these resources will the used over the three grant periodthis form also includes the accompanying program certifications. HOPWA formula and competitive grantees are required to submit annual performance reports that enables an assessment of grantee progress towards implementing the HOPWA housing stability annual performance outcome measure while measuring project success against planned and actual accomplishments.

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. The purpose of this survey is: (1) Collect moisture load data to support research to better understand the impact of indoor moisture on the durability of homes: (2) Support the development of design criteria, such as ASHRAE Standard 160P, that will minimize durability problems associated with high indoor moisture levels; and (3) Investigate the influence of the interior and exterior conditions on the indoor moisture level of a typical single family home.

This document provides notice that HUD and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have executed an Interagency Agreement (IAA) establishing a pilot grant program called the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP), and that the operating requirements for the DHAP have been issued through HUD Notice. DHAP is a joint initiative undertaken by HUD and FEMA to provide monthly rent subsidies and case management services for individuals and families displaced by Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita who were not receiving housing assistance from HUD prior to the disasters. The operating requirements for the DHAP are found in a HUD Notice PIH 2007, issued August 16, 2007. This notice and related program information on the DHAP is available from HUD's Web site at https://www.hud.gov. To be eligible for DHAP, a family must have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita and consequently is either receiving or is eligible to receive housing assistance from FEMA, and FEMA has determined the family is eligible for DHAP assistance. HUD will invite public housing agencies (PHAs) that currently administer the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program to administer the DHAP based on several factors such as where the DHAP eligible families are currently residing or have indicated they wish to receive DHAP assistance. Monthly rental assistance payments under the DHAP will not commence until November 1, 2007. However, PHAs that agree to administer the DHAP will begin providing pre-transitional case management services on or after September 1, 2007, for those families transitioning to the DHAP during the initial implementation phase. DHAP is a temporary assistance program and will terminate as of March 1, 2009.

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. This information collection will facilitate the collection of Section 3 information to assess the impact of HUD-assisted activities on enhancing the economic opportunities for low-income persons and the use of businesses that employ low-income persons.

The proposed information collection requirement described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

This Notice identifies unutilized, underutilized, excess, and surplus Federal property reviewed by HUD for suitability for possible use to assist the homeless.

This final rule modifies HUD's regulations for transition funding under the Operating Fund Program. The Operating Fund Program, as revised by a September 19, 2005, final rule, adopted a new formula for determining the payment of operating subsidy to public housing agencies (PHAs). Transition funding is based on the difference in subsidy levels between the new formula and the formula in effect prior to the implementation of the September 19, 2005, final rule. As a result of the new formula, PHAs may experience either an increase or decrease in the amount of funding that they receive. This final rule revises the schedule for those PHAs that will experience a decline in funding, by extending the transition phase-in period an additional year. This final rule follows publication of the two proposed rules published on November 24, 2006, and takes into consideration the public comments received on the proposed rules. With the exception of a technical change, this final rule adopts the proposed regulatory changes without change.

HUD proposes to establish a new record system to add to its inventory of systems of records subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended. The proposed new system of records is the Real Estate Management System (REMS/iREMS). The new record system is sponsored by HUD's Office of Multifamily Housing and will be used to provide regulatory control over HUD's multifamily housing portfolio, and to ensure compliance with HUD program requirements. REMS/iREMS will also serve as the Department's repository for HUD's property portfolios of insured, subsidized, HUD-held, HUD-owned, co-insured, elderly and disabled properties, and provides portfolio management for Section 8 contracts, physical property inspection follow-up, and financial assessment reviews.

In compliance with section 202(c) of the National Housing Act, and 24 CFR 25.10, this notice advises of the cause and description of certain administrative actions taken by HUD's Mortgagee Review Board (MRB) against HUD-approved mortgagees. The MRB terminated 123 Title I and Title II lender approvals during the six month period ending March 31, 2007, for failure to submit an acceptable annual audited financial statement and/or payment of the annual fee required to renew their FHA lender approval.

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. HUD has recently undertaken efforts to modernize programs and processes in order to maintain a strong lending position with underserved and underserved borrowers. This information collection will serve to evaluate the level of satisfaction customers have with these new initiatives. The sample will consist of 1,000 FHA originating lenders with a production level of at least 28 loans for FY 2005.

This notice supplements two earlier notices published in the Federal Register that provided guidance to public housing agencies (PHAs) on implementing the authority provided to HUD by section 901 of the ``Emergency Supplemental Appropriations to Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and Pandemic Influenza Act, 2006'' (Pub. L. 109-148, December 30, 2005) to allow PHAs to combine operating and capital funds and use flexibly and efficiently to facilitate disaster recovery in the States of Louisiana and Mississippi. Such authority was provided for calendar year 2006. This notice advises of the extension of such authority through calendar year 2007 by section 4803 of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 (Pub. L. 110-28, May 25, 2007). Eligible PHAs interested in using funds under the authority provided must submit a 2007 Notice of Intent and Fungibility Plan in accordance with the July 28, 2006, and October 30, 2006, Federal Register Notices. Further information on may be found on the Office of Public and Indian Housing Web site at https://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/.

HUD proposes to establish a new record system to add to its inventory of systems of records subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended. The proposed new system of records is the Grants Interface Management System (GIMS/P017), HUD/ADM-08. HUD's Departmental Grants Management and Oversight Office will utilize the GIM system to manage the transmission of electronic grant applications received from the https://www.Grants.gov portal, which is the central storehouse for information on federal government grant programs. HUD will also utilize this new system as the repository for the electronic applications received.

The proposed information collection requirement described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

HUD proposes to establish a new record system to add to its inventory of systems of records subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended. The proposed new system of record is the Single Family Mortgage Notes System (SFMNS), HUD/HS-57. The SFMN system is used to track the mortgagors' remittances and the system's disbursements for protecting HUD's interest in the mortgaged properties. The system contains information about billing, applications, monthly payments to tax escrows, and interest and principal data.