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

This final rule revises the regulations governing the format used for conducting the required environmental reviews for HUD program and policy actions. HUD's current regulations require that HUD staff document environmental review compliance using form HUD-4128. Recipients receiving HUD assistance and other entities responsible for conducting environmental reviews (responsible entities) are currently allowed to either use HUD-recommended formats or develop equivalent formats for documenting environmental review compliance. The reference to a specific form number in part 50 restricts HUD's ability to adopt alternative form designations and forms, while authorizing the use of alternate forms makes it difficult for HUD to assess, compare, and collect data on responsible entities' environmental review records. Despite being applicable to different parties, environmental review responsibilities under parts 50 and 58 are substantively similar. In light of that, the final rule gives the Departmental Environmental Clearance Officer (DECO) the authority to create one standardized format for use in reviews and authorize exceptions, thereby eliminating unnecessary distinctions between reviews completed by HUD employees and responsible entities. This final rule also makes a technical amendment by making the steps required to prepare an environmental assessment in HUD's regulations consistent with the ``Environmental Assessment'' definition provided in the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Section 8(c)(1) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (USHA) requires the Secretary to publish FMRs periodically, but not less than annually, adjusted to be effective on October 1 of each year. The primary uses of FMRs are to determine payment standards for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, to determine initial renewal rents for some expiring project-based Section 8 contracts, to determine initial rents for housing assistance payment contracts in the Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy program, and to serve as rent ceilings in the HOME program. FMRs are also used in the calculation of maximum award amounts for Continuum of Care grantees. Today's notice provides proposed FY 2015 FMRs for all areas that reflect the estimated 40th and 50th percentile rent levels trended to April 1, 2015. The FY 2015 FMRs are based on ``5-year'' data collected by the American Community Survey (ACS) from 2008 through 2012. These data are updated by one-year 2012 ACS data for areas where statistically valid one-year ACS data is available. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rent and utility indexes are used to further update the data from 2012 to the end of 2013. Finally, ACS data on changes national median gross rents from 2007 to 2012 are used to inflate the 2013 estimates to the 2015 levels. HUD continues to use ACS data in different ways according to the statistical reliability of rent estimates for areas of different population sizes and counts of rental units. The proposed FY 2015 FMRs in this notice do not reflect any updates to the methodology used to calculate FMRs. The proposed FY 2015 FMR areas are based on Office of Management and Budget (OMB) metropolitan area definitions as updated through December 1, 2009, and include HUD modifications that were first used in the determination of FY 2006 FMR areas. The February 28, 2013 OMB Area definition update has not been incorporated in this set of proposed FMRs due to the timing of the release and the availability of ACS data. HUD will work toward evaluating the impact of these new area definitions and discuss these findings in the final FY 2015 FMR publication, or, if that is not possible, in a subsequent publication in January 2015. The January 2015 notice will also discuss and solicit comments on several topics related to the calculation of FMRs, including the implementation of the February 28, 2013 OMB Metropolitan Area Definitions and possible measures the Department is considering that would reduce the concentration of Section 8 voucher tenants. For example, HUD is evaluating alternatives to the current 50th percentile FMR program, which was implemented to mitigate excessive geographic concentration of voucher tenants. Comments will be requested to determine interest in a program that is based on different measures for determining how many and which areas would receive special FMRs to encourage deconcentration, as well as on alternative FMR-based tools for promoting deconcentration such as Small Area FMRs estimated at the ZIP code level.

This final rule amends HUD's Manufactured Housing Program Fee regulations to raise the fee for each transportable section of a manufactured home that the manufacturer produces in accordance with HUD's Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. This fee is referred to as a label fee. After considering public comments on HUD's May 2, 2014, proposed rule, this final rule raises the label fee to $100.

HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment.

HUD has submitted the proposed information collection requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of public comment.

HUD has submitted the proposed information collection requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of public comment.

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

HUD has submitted the proposed information collection requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of public comment.

Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974 (U.S.C. 552a(e)(4)), as amended, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Circular No. A-130, notice is hereby given that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) has amended one of its system of records entitled the ``Privacy Act Request and Appeals Files'', previously known as ``HUD/Dept-52, Privacy Act Record Files''. Additionally, the amended notices serve to convey information established under the previously published system of records in a more clear and cohesive format. The amended system of records will be included in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's inventory of systems of records and will replace the HUD/ Dept-52, Privacy Act Record Files system of records reported under HUD's Library of Routine Uses, published in the Federal Register on (July 17, 2012 at 77 FR 41996). The changes under this notice are non- substantive and thus do not meet the threshold requirements for filing a report to OMB and Congress.

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

HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment.

HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment.

HUD has submitted the proposed information collection requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of public comment.

This notice announces that the HUD Environmental Review Online System (HEROS) has completed the notice and comment processes and review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act, and that OMB has assigned a control number to this system, and the system is available for use.

HUD has submitted the proposed information collection requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of public comment.

This final rule amends HUD's regulations governing the eligibility for FHA insurance of mortgages used for the purchase or refinancing of existing multifamily housing projects. Although the statutory language authorizing such insurance does not distinguish between rental or cooperative multifamily projects, HUD's regulations limit FHA insurance to existing rental projects. Given the significant needs identified for multifamily cooperative financing, the Department determined that it was appropriate to reconsider the regulatory imposed limitation. Accordingly, this rule revises HUD's regulations to enable existing multifamily cooperative project owners to obtain FHA insurance for the refinancing of existing indebtedness.

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

HUD has submitted the proposed information collection requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of public comment.

In compliance with Section 202(c)(5) of the National Housing Act, this notice advises of the cause and description of administrative actions taken by HUD's Mortgagee Review Board against HUD-approved mortgagees.

HUD has submitted the proposed information collection requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of public comment.

This notice announces that HUD has completed the notice and comment processes required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of the 1995 (PRA), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has reviewed and approved the FHA-insured multifamily rental closing documents (Closing Documents), as revised, under the previously approved control number: 2502-0598. This notice highlights certain of the revisions to the documents that HUD made based on comments submitted in response to the April 1, 2014, 30-day Federal Register notice (30-day notice). The final versions of the Closing Documents, including redlines against the documents currently in use, can be viewed on HUD's Web site at: https:// portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/programoffices/housing/mfh/ mfhclosingdocuments. Please note that the documents found at this Web site are for informational purposes only; participants must access the official version of the Closing Documents for FHA multifamily loan closings from HUD's forms resource Web page: https://www.hud.gov/ hudclips.

HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment.

This proposed rule would revise HUD's public housing agency (PHA) consortium regulations. These regulations provide the procedures by which PHAs may choose to administer their public housing and Section 8 programs. The changes proposed are intended to increase administrative efficiencies associated with forming a consortium and to help ensure maximum family choice in locating suitable housing. The proposed rule focuses mainly on establishing a new category of consortia for administration of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. This type of consortium would be comprised of multiple PHAs that would become a single PHA, with a single jurisdiction and a single set of reporting and audit requirements, for purposes of administering the Section 8 HCV program. This type of consortium would be in addition to the consortium structure established in current consortium regulations which the Department is referring to as multiple-ACC consortium in this proposed rule. The proposed rule would also revise the categories of Section 8 programs eligible to be administered under a consortium, and establish new requirements regarding the timeframes for the establishment and dissolution of a consortium. Further, HUD has taken the opportunity afforded by this proposed rule to make several technical, nonsubstantive changes to improve the clarity and organization of the consortia regulations. HUD has also taken the opportunity afforded by this proposed rule to amend the definition of ``public housing agency'' to be consistent with amendments to the United States Housing Act of 1937 (1937 Act), as provided for in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014.

On June 18, 2014, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued Mortgagee Letter 2014-11, announcing a limit on the insurability of fixed interest rate mortgages under the HECM program to mortgages with the Single Disbursement Lump Sum payment option. FHA issued this Mortgagee Letter pursuant to the authority granted to it in subsections 202(a) and 255(c) of the National Housing Act and in the Reverse Mortgage Stabilization Act of 2013 to make this change to the HECM program. The limitation on the eligibility for insurance of fixed interest rate mortgages is necessary in order to ensure the financial viability of the HECM program and the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (Fund). These changes took effect for case numbers assigned on or after June 25, 2014. This notice solicits comment for a period of 30 days on the new requirements announced in Mortgagee Letter 2014-11.

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