Department of Housing and Urban Development April 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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. The Department is looking at ways to reduce Public Housing Agency (PHA) burden through a wide range of activities from resident recertification and PHA unit inspection activities to improving access to HUD systems and information. The purpose of the survey is to determine whether the burden reduction activities have been effective.

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

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 closeout instructions apply to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs (State CDBG Program, CDBG Disaster Recovery Supplemental Funding, CDBG-Recovery Act (CDBG-R)) and Neighborhood Stabilization Programs (NSP) 1, 2, & 3. Section 570.509 of the CDBG regulations contains the grant closeout criteria for Entitlement jurisdictions when HUD determines, in consultation with the recipients that a grant can be closed. The State CDBG program does not have a regulatory requirement for closeouts but has relied on administrative guidance. This is also true for the NSP, CDBG Disaster Recovery and CDBG-R funding approval form. The proposed frequency of the response to the collection of information is annual to initiate the grant closeout reporting and submission of the funding approval agreement. The total annual reporting for grant closeout is estimated at 2399.34 hours for 1,621 grant recipients. The annual submission of the HUD 7082 funding approval form is estimated at 364 hours for 1,456 grant recipients.

This final rule makes changes to several sections of the regulations for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for states (State CDBG program). This final rule streamlines and updates the regulations to reflect statutory changes, clarifies the program income requirements, provides other clarifications to the State CDBG program regulations, and makes a conforming change to the regulations applicable to the CDBG Entitlement program. This final rule also provides additional flexibility to states in their administration of the program. The final rule follows publication of an October 17, 2008, proposed rule and takes into consideration the public comments received on the proposed rule.

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 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. This submission is to request a reinstatement with revisions of an expired information collection for the reporting burden associated with registration requirements that Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance (CoC) program lead agencies will be expected to complete. This submission is limited to the reporting burden under the CoC program, formerly including the Supportive Housing Program, the Shelter Plus Care program, and the Section 8 and Single Room Occupancy Program, and changed to match the new inclusive program name created through the HEARTH Act.

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.

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. (Correction). Section 15.203 of HUD's regulations in 24 CFR specify the manner in which demands for documents and testimony from the Department should be made. Providing the information specified in 24 CFR 15.203 allows the Department to more promptly identify documents and testimony which a requestor may be seeking and determine whether the Department will be able to produce such documents and testimony.

This Notice advises the public of the allocation of CDBG disaster recovery funds for the purpose of assisting recovery in the most impacted and distressed areas declared a major disaster in 2011 under title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.). As described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this Notice, HUD is authorized by statute and regulations to waive statutory and regulatory requirements and specify alternative requirements upon the request of a grantee. Therefore, this Notice describes applicable waivers and alternative requirements, as well as the application process, eligibility requirements, and relevant statutory provisions for grants provided under this Notice.

This notice announces that HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research has the authority to accept unsolicited research proposals that address one of the following research priorities: (1) HUD demonstrations, (2) using housing as a platform for improving quality of life, (3) the American Housing Survey data, or (4) housing technology. In accordance with statutory requirements, the research projects must be funded at least 50 percent by philanthropic entities and/or federal, state or local government agencies.

HUD is amending HUD/PIH.01 to reflect changes in the following sections, which involve participants and PIH program administrators of the Public Housing, Section 8 Certificate, Section 8 Tenant-Based Assistance (Housing Choice Voucher (HCV)), Section 8 Project-Based, and Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation programs: Categories of Individuals Covered by the System, Categories of Records in the System, Purposes of the System, and Routine Uses of Records Maintained in the System, including Categories of Users and purposes of such use. These sections are revised to reflect the present status of the information contained in the system. The existing scope, objectives, and business processes in place for this program remain unchanged. A more detailed description of the present system is contained in this notice. This notice supersedes the previously published notice on October 6, 2008, at 73 FR 58256.

Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) is a processing system introduced in 2000 as a pilot program to facilitate the accelerated processing of loan applications for FHA multifamily mortgage insurance, which generally involve the refinance, purchase, new construction, or rehabilitation of multifamily properties. These transactions are costly, complicated, and time-consuming to process. Prior to MAP, HUD field offices were encouraged to develop and test individual fast-track processing systems for use by qualified FHA- approved lenders that were experienced in processing loan applications for multifamily mortgages. The intent was to considerably reduce the processing time of applications. These test procedures included providing qualified lenders with the option of preparing FHA forms and undertaking preliminary underwriting for certain types of loan applications. Fast-track processing procedures developed by individual HUD offices that facilitated processing applications without sacrificing quality or increasing risk were consolidated into a national test of fast-track style processing of multifamily mortgage insurance applications under the name ``MAP.'' MAP has been administered to date through direct instructions to FHA-approved lenders under a MAP Guide. Given its experience to date with MAP, HUD believes the MAP accelerated processing procedures have been successful. To ensure the continued quality and efficiency of MAP procedures, HUD is codifying in regulations key provisions of MAP and introducing new provisions to strengthen MAP, to assure the integrity and competency of FHA-approved lenders as directed by the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 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. The Department's collection of this information is in compliance with statutory provisions of the Cranston Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 that requires participating jurisdictions to submit a Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (Section 105(b)); the 1974 Housing and Community Development Act, as amended, that requires states and localities to submit a Community Development Plan (Section 104(b)(4) and Section 104(m)); and statutory provisions of these Acts that requires states and localities to submit applications and reports for these formula grant programs. The information is needed to provide HUD with preliminary assessment as to the statutory and regulatory eligibility of proposed grantee projects and for informing citizens of intended uses of program funds.

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 PHA Plan is a comprehensive guide to PHA policies, programs, operations, and strategies for meeting local housing needs and goals. The PHA Plan informs HUD, residents, and the public of the PHA's mission for serving the needs of low, very low-income, and extremely low-income families and its strategy for addressing those needs. This data allows HUD to monitor the performance of programs and the performance of public housing agencies that administer the programs. The PHA Plan is being revised to address, clarify and provide additional guidance on the submission requirements for qualified and nonqualified PHAs, as well as to address previous public comments. Section 2702 of Title VIISmall Public Housing Authorities Paperwork Reduction Act, of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) of 2008 amends section 5A(b) of the 1937 Act by establishing ``qualified public housing agencies,'' a category of PHAs with less than 550 public housing units and tenant-based vouchers combined that are provided substantial paperwork relief, primarily with respect to the PHA Annual Plan requirements in section 5(A)(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937. The paperwork relief exempts qualified PHAs from the requirement to prepare and submit an annual PHA plan to HUD for review. This Act impacts approximately seventy-four percent, or 2,994 of the 4,053 PHAs that are required to submit an annual PHA plan. In addition to the exemption from submitting annual plans for qualified agencies, because of the different annual plan submission requirements of agencies that are considered standard, high-performer, Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) only, small, and troubled within 24 CFR part 903, the existing approved forms were determined to be incompatible with the program requirements. Therefore, some previously approved forms have been separated into new forms that will be completed by different classes of PHAs. These changes also reflect recommendations made by the public in a previous information collection. Specifically, this information collection revises previously approved OMB forms HUD-50077- SL and HUD-50077-CR; adds Certifications of Compliance with PHA Plans and Related Regulations (form HUD-50077-SM-HP and HUD-50077-ST-HCV) formerly appearing on form HUD 50077 as separate documents; deletes approved OMB form HUD-50075, and replaces that form with five new forms (form HUD-50075-5Y, HUD-50075-ST, HUD-50075-SM-HP, HUD-50075-HCV, and HUD-50075-QA). Qualified PHAs no longer submit information on discretionary programs (demolition or disposition, HOPE VI, Project- based vouchers, required or voluntary conversion, homeownership, or capital improvements, etc.) as part of an Annual PHA Plan submission. However, Qualified PHAs that intend to implement these activities are still subject to the full application and approval processes that exist for demolition or disposition, designated housing, conversion, homeownership, and other special application processes that will no longer be tied to prior authorization in an Annual PHA Plan for a Qualified PHA. All PHAs, including the PHAs identified as Qualified PHAs under HERA, must continue to submit any demolition or disposition, public housing conversion, homeownership, or other special applications as applicable to HUD's Special Applications Center (SAC) in Chicago for review and approval or to HUD Headquarters for CFFP proposals. It is expected that Qualified PHAs, as a matter of good business practice, continue to keep their residents, the general public, and the local HUD office apprised of any plans to initiate these types of programs and activities.

In accordance with HUD regulations, this notice announces changes of the mortgage insurance premiums (MIPs) for certain Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Multifamily Housing, Health Care Facilities, and Hospital Mortgage Insurance programs for commitments to be issued or reissued in FY 2013. The MIP for market-rate New Construction/Substantial Rehabilitation loans under Sections 207, 213, 220, 221(d)(4), 231, 232, and 242 is proposed to increase by 20 basis points and 223(a)(7) loans by 5 basis points; with a 15 basis point increase for all other market-rate multifamily housing, health care facility, and hospital loans. The increases will not apply to Low Income Housing Tax Credit Loans, other affordable housing loans for HUD-assisted properties, or loans insured under FHA's Risk Sharing programs. These MIP increases will not only provide additional protection for the GI/SRI fund and increase receipts to the Treasury, but will also encourage private lending to return to the market by ensuring FHA is not under-pricing its risk. In addition to announcing MIPs for FY 2013, this notice also announces that a positive credit subsidy obligation will not be required in FY 2013 for loans under any of the active mortgage insurance programs for multifamily housing or health care facilities.

In accordance with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-05, approved February 17, 2009) (Recovery Act), and implementing guidance of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), this notice advises that certain exceptions to the Buy American requirement of the Recovery Act have been determined applicable for work using Capital Fund Recovery Formula and Competition (CFRFC) grant funds. Specifically, an exception was granted to the Wilmington Housing Authority for the purchase and installation of condensing tankless water heaters for the Southbridge project.

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. Section 15.203 of HUD's regulations in 24 CFR specify the manner in which demands for documents and testimony from the Department should be made. Providing the information specified in 24 CFR 15.203 allows the Department to more promptly identify documents and testimony which a requestor may be seeking and determine whether the Department will be able to produce such documents and testimony.