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

HUD gives notice to the public that the City and County of San Francisco's Mayor's Office of Housing (MOH) as the Responsible Entity in accordance with 24 CFR 58.2, intends to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for redevelopment of the Alice Griffith Public Housing as part of its HOPE SF development program. Funding for the project may include HUD funds from programs subject to regulation by 24 CFR part 58; these include, but are not limited to, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 and Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) grants under Title II of the Cranston- Gonzales National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 as amended, Project Based Section 8 Vouchers under the United States Housing Act of 1937, Section 8(o)(13) and Public Housing operating subsidies for mixed income developments authorized under the U.S. Housing Act of 1937, Section 35. This notice is in accordance with regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Federal agencies having jurisdiction by law, special expertise, or other special interest should report their interests and indicate their readiness to aid in the EIS effort as a ``Cooperating Agency.'' A Draft EIS will be prepared for the proposed action described herein. Comments relating to the Draft EIS are requested and will be accepted by the contact person listed below. When the Draft EIS is completed, a notice will be sent to individuals and groups known to have an interest in the Draft EIS and particularly in the environmental impact issues identified therein. Any person or agency interested in receiving a notice and making comment on the Draft EIS should contact the person listed below within 30-days after publication of this notice. This EIS will be a NEPA document intended to satisfy requirements of Federal environmental statutes. In accordance with specific statutory authority and HUD's regulations at 24 CFR part 58 (Environmental Review Procedures for Entities Assuming HUD Environmental Responsibilities), HUD has provided for assumption of its NEPA authority and NEPA lead agency responsibility by the City and County of San Francisco.

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.

Through this notice, HUD announces the availability on its Web site of a draft notice updating HUD's guidance for the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly and Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities Programs. HUD's draft notice provides revised procedures relating to processing activities after selection of Section 202 and Section 811 applications for fund reservations, including mixed-finance transactions. HUD will accept and consider comments from the public. Public comments must be submitted in accordance with the instructions in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. HUD's draft notice will be posted and is available at https:// www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/mfh/progdesc/progdesc.cfm. Comment Due Date: January 18, 2011.

Through this notice, HUD announces the availability on its Web site of the application information, submission deadlines, funding criteria, and other requirements for the Reallocation of Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) funds. This funding opportunity makes approximately $16 million available to assist housing projects that received Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) awards between October 1, 2006, and September 30, 2009. These TCAP funds may be used for capital investment in eligible LIHTC projects in accordance with CPD Notice 09-03. The information regarding the application process, funding criteria and eligibility requirements can be found at the HUD Web site at https://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/recovery/ programs/tax.

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 of Housing and Urban Development announces the appointments of Joseph F. Smith, Patricia A. Hoban-Moore, and Mary K. Kinney, as members; and Frank J. Murphy, and Clifford D. Taffett as alternate members of the Departmental Performance Review Board. The address is: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC 20410-0050.

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 Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended (HCDA), requires grant recipients that receive CDBG funding to retain records necessary to document compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements on an on-going basis. Grantees must also submit an annual performance and evaluation report to demonstrate progress that it has made in carrying out its consolidated plan, and such records as may be necessary to facilitate review and audit by HUD of the grantee's administration of CDBG funds [Section 104(4)]. The statute also requires [Section 104(e)(2)] that HUD conduct an annual review to determine whether states have distributed funds to units of general local government in a timely manner. HUD has re-designed a form by which grantees can report their compliance with this requirement.

HUD announces the availability on its Web site of the applicant information, submission deadlines, funding criteria, and other requirements for HUD's Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP). The FHIP NOFA makes available approximately $40.7 million under the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2010. The purpose of the FHIP program is to investigate allegations of housing discrimination, educate the public and the housing industry about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act and increase compliance with the Fair Housing Act. This year's NOFA funds the following initiatives: Private Enforcement, Education and Outreach, and the Fair Housing Organizations Initiatives. The notice providing information regarding the application process, funding criteria and eligibility requirements can be found using the Department of Housing and Urban Development agency link on the Grants.gov/Find Web site at https://www.grants.gov/search/agency.do. A link to Grants.gov is also available on the HUD Web site at https:// www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/fundsavail.cfm. The Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers for this program are: Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) 14408; Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI) 14418; Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) 14416, Fair Housing Organizations Initiative (FHOI) 14417. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov.

HUD is considering issuing guidance under RESPA to address possible changes in warehouse lending and other financing mechanisms used to fund federally related mortgage loans that have occurred since HUD issued regulations specifically related to this area in 1992 and 1994. In order to assist HUD in determining whether such guidance is needed and to formulate such guidance, HUD is seeking information on how funding mechanisms have evolved in recent years, and especially on how warehouse lending currently operates within residential real estate mortgage transactions. HUD welcomes input from warehouse lenders, retail lenders, mortgage bankers, wholesale lenders, correspondent lenders, mortgage brokers, and others in the mortgage lending industry, as well as from federal, state, and local consumer protection and enforcement agencies; consumer groups; and other members of the public. Based on information received in response to this solicitation, HUD will decide what, if any, additional guidance is needed on the scope of RESPA as applied to current mortgage funding practices.

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 Rural Innovation Fund (Rural Fund) is authorized pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010, Public Law 111-117. Rural Fund is designed to provide support for highly targeted and innovative grants dedicated to addressing the problems of concentrated rural housing distress and community poverty for projects that demonstrate a great likelihood of substantial impact in addressing the housing needs and community poverty in the project area.

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 of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). 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.

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) use this information in budget submissions which are reviewed and approved by HUD field offices as the basis for obligating operating subsidies. This information is necessary to calculate the eligibility for operating subsidies under the Operating Fund Program regulation, as amended. The Operating Fund Program is designed to provide the amount of operating subsidy that would be needed for well-managed PHAs.

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 HOPE for Homeowners Act of 2008, located in Title IV of Division A of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) (Pub. L. 110-289, 122 Stat. 2654, approved July 30, 2008), amended Title II of the National Housing Act to add a new section 257. New section 257 (12 U.S.C. 1701z-22) established within the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), HOPE for Homeowners, a temporary FHA program that offers homeowners and existing mortgage loan holders (or servicers acting on their behalf) insurance on the refinancing of loans for distressed mortgagors. Regulations published in 24 CFR 4001.01 through 24 CFR 4001.408 detail the requirements pertinent to HUD's single family mortgage insurance programs, i.e., the eligibility requirements and underwriting procedures, which are determined by the documents included in this clearance package. ``Under the Program, new mortgages are offered by FHA-approved mortgagees to mortgagors who are at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure. The new FHA-insured mortgages refinance the borrower's existing mortgage at a significant write-down. Eligible borrowers must be unable to afford their existing mortgage payments, must occupy the residence that is the security for the refinanced mortgage as their primary residence, and may not have any present ownership interest in another residence. Investors and investor properties are not eligible for the FHA-insured refinanced mortgages. Under the Program, participating mortgagors share their new equity and future appreciation with FHA. Additionally, participation in this Program is voluntary. No mortgagees, servicers, or investors are compelled to participate.

The Emergency Homeowners' Loan program, originally authorized by a 1975 statute, was reauthorized and revised by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which also made $1 billion in funding available for this program. This program, as recently revised, authorizes the Secretary to allow funds to be administered by a state that has an existing program that provides substantially similar assistance to homeowners, as determined by the Secretary. This notice sets out the key features of HUD's emergency assistance program for homeowners, and solicits applications from states that have programs offering assistance substantially similar to this program.

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 Housing Authority of the County of Cook (HACC) for the purchase and installation of through-the-wall air conditioning units and Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlets for the Riverdale Senior Apartments project.

This Notice advises the public of the allocation of CDBG disaster recovery funds for the purpose of assisting the recovery efforts in areas declared a major disaster under title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) as a result of the severe storms and flooding that occurred from March through May, 2010. 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 HUD's proposal to conduct an FHA Home Energy Retrofit Loan Pilot Program (Retrofit Pilot Program or Pilot Program) known as FHA PowerSaver. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 directs HUD to conduct an Energy Efficient Mortgage Innovation pilot program targeted to the single family housing market. The Retrofit Pilot Program is designed by HUD to meet this statutory directive and provides funding to support that effort. Under the Retrofit Pilot Program, HUD, through FHA-approved lenders, will insure loans for homeowners who are seeking to make energy improvements to their homes. HUD intends to select a limited number of lenders to participate in the Retrofit Pilot Program. The Pilot Program will be for loans originated during a 2-year period, will be restricted to lenders approved by HUD to participate in the Pilot Program, and will be conducted in geographic areas identified by HUD as optimum locations to conduct the Pilot Program. In making these determinations, HUD will consider the factors and criteria that are proposed in this notice to establish the framework for the Pilot Program, and for which HUD specifically solicits public comment.\1\

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 collected from State and local governments to assess the adequacy of their existing housing standards to meet HUD's minimum requirements. These Standards will protect the Department's interest by requiring certain features of design and construction.

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. Residents residing In the public housing and Section 8 voucher programs will submit a HUD approval certification form that attest that the individual is a victim of abuse and that the incidences of abuse are bona fide. Without the certification, a PHA or owner may terminate assistance. The information provided to the PHA and owner is confidential.

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. Each year Congress appropriates funds to approximately 3,200 Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) for modernization, development, financing, and management improvements. The funds are allocated based on a complex formula. The forms in this collection are used to appropriately disburse and utilize the funds provided to PHAs. Additionally, these forms provide the information necessary to approve a financing transaction in addition to any Mixed-Finance and Capital Fund Financing transactions. Respondents include the approximately 3,200 PHA receiving Capital Funds and any other PHAs wishing to pursue financing.

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

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-503), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines on the Conduct of Matching Programs (June 19, 1989, 54 FR 25818), and OMB Bulletin 89-22, ``Instructions on Reporting Computer Matching Programs to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Congress and the Public,'' HUD is issuing a public notice of its intent to conduct a recurring computer matching program with the SBA to utilize a computer information system of HUD, the Credit Alert Interactive Verification System (CAIVRS), with the SBA's debtor files. Additionally, the records to be matched section was updated to reflect HUD's new Privacy Act Systems of Records involved in the CAIVRS matching program. This update does not change the authority and the objectives of the existing HUD and SBA computer matching program.

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. Grantees who receive ARRA funding for projects must report on the status and progress of their projects and activities with respect to compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements and documentation. HUD consolidates and transmits the information received from grantees to the Council on Environmental Quality and OMB for the Administration's reports to the House and Senate committees designated in the legislation.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) gives notice to the public, agencies, and Indian tribes that the Seattle Housing Authority and the City of Seattle Human Services Department (Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Administration Unit) have prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Yesler Terrace Redevelopment Project, located in the City of Seattle, King County, WA. The project proponent is the Seattle Housing Authority. The City of Seattle Human Services Department and the Seattle Housing Authority, acting jointly as lead agencies, have prepared the DEIS under the authority of the City of Seattle Human Services Department as the Responsible Entity for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 1437x and HUD regulations at 24 CFR 58.4, and under the Seattle Housing Authority's role as lead agency in accordance with the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The DEIS is a joint NEPA and SEPA document. The DEIS satisfies requirements of SEPA (RCW 43.21C) and the SEPA Rules (WAC 197-11) which require that all state and local government agencies consider the environmental consequences of projects over which they have discretionary authority before acting on those projects. The proposed action is subject to compliance with NEPA, because funds from the public housing programs under Title I of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (HOPE VI, Capital Funds, Demolition/ Disposition) will be used for this project (24 CFR 58.1(b)(6)(i)). This notice is given in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508. All interested Federal, State, and local agencies, Indian tribes, groups, and the public are also invited to comment on the DEIS. If you are an agency with jurisdiction by law over natural or other public resources affected by the project, the Seattle Housing Authority and the City of Seattle Human Services Department need to know what environmental information germane to your statutory responsibilities should be included in the DEIS.