Department of Housing and Urban Development April 11, 2012 – 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. 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.