Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration

[Docket No. N-94-3829: FR-3808-N-01]

Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: Housing and Urban Development Department, (HUD).

ACTION: Notice of a Computer Matching Program--HUD and the United

Postal Service (USPS).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: 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, as

amended, (Pub. L. 100-503), and the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) Guidelines on the Conduct of Matching Programs (54 FR 25818 (June

19, 1989)), and OMB Bulletin 89-22, ``Instructions on Reporting

Computer Matching Programs to the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB), Congress and the Public,'' the Department of Housing and Urban

Development (HUD) is issuing a public notice of its intent to conduct a

recurring computer matching program with the United Postal Service

(USPS).

EFFECTIVE DATE: Computer matching is expected to begin at least 40 days

from the date this computer matching notice is published, provided no

comments are received which would result in a contrary determination.

It will be accomplished 18 months from the beginning date.

Comments Due Date: November 28, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding

this notice to the Rules Docket Clerk, Office of General Counsel, Room

10276, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street,

SW, Washington, DC 20410. Communications should refer to the above

docket number and title. A copy of each communication submitted will be

available for public inspection and copying between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30

p.m. weekdays at the above address.

FOR PRIVACY ACT INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, Departmental

Privacy Act Officer, 451 7th Street, SW, Room 4178, Washington, DC

20410, telephone number (202) 708-2374. (This is not a toll-free

number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION FROM SOURCE AGENCY CONTACT:

Mary Felton, Office of Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing

Commissioner, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th

Street, SW, Room 2118, Washington, DC 20410, telephone number (202)

708-4256. (This is not a toll-free number).

Reporting: In accordance with Pub. L. 100-503, the Computer

Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, as amended, and Office of

Management and Budget Bulletin 89-22, ``Instructions on Reporting

Computer Matching Programs to the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB), Congress and the Public;'' copies of this Notice and a report,

in duplicate, are being provided to the Committee on Government

Operations of the House of Representatives, the Committee on

Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the Office of Management and

Budget.

Authority: The matching program may be conducted pursuant to Pub.

L. 100-503, ``The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of

1988,'' as amended, the Debt Collection Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-276),

which authorizes Federal agencies to offset a Federal employee's salary

as a means of satisfying delinquent debts owed to the United States (5

U.S.C. 5514 (a)); 26 CFR 301.6402-6 et. seq., chapter I, subchapter F--

Procedure and Administration (Tax Refund Regulations issued by Internal

Revenue Service); and 24 CFR part 17, Administrative Claims, subpart C

17.60 and 17.125 through 17.140, Salary Offset Provisions (HUD).

Objectives to be met by the matching program: The matching program

will allow HUD to discover the identities and locations of postal

employees who are indebted to the Department and to collect debts owed

to the Federal Government.

Records to be matched: HUD will provide extracts from its systems

of records entitled HUD/DEPT-2, Accounting Records, last published in

the Federal Register at 55 FR 17676 on April 26, 1990, containing

records of more than 250,000 debtors of the records to be matched.

Disclosures will be made under routine uses of the records maintained

in that system (including categories of users and the purposes of such

users).

Notice procedures: As a condition of matching, HUD has made

modifications to the loan application forms for the participating

programs to expand the Privacy Act Statements on these forms.

Incorporated within the Privacy Act statements on the individual

application forms is the notation ``that the information provided by

the applicant can be used for computer matching purposes and to collect

debts owed to the Federal government.'' Any deficiencies as to direct

notice procedures to the individual for the matching program are cured

by the indirect or constructive notice that will be afforded to the

subjects when the public notice of the proposed match is published by

HUD in the Federal Register as required by subsection (e)(12) of the

Privacy Act.

Categories of records/individuals involved: The debtor records

include these data elements: SSN, claim number, program code, and

indication of indebtedness. Categories of records include: Records of

claims and defaults, repayment agreements, credit reports, financial

statements, and records of foreclosures. Categories of individuals

include: Former mortgagors and purchasers of HUD-owned properties

manufactured (mobile) home and home improvement loan debtors who are

delinquent or in default on their loans, and rehabilitation loan

debtors who are delinquent or in default on their loans.

Period of the match: Matching will begin at least 40 days from the

date copies of the signed (by both Data Integrity Boards) computer

matching agreement are sent to both Houses of Congress or at least 30

days from the date this Notice is published in the Federal Register,

whichever is later, providing no comments are received which would

result in a contrary determination.

Issued at Washington, DC October 21, 1994.

Willie H. Gilmore,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Resource Planning and Operations.

[FR Doc. 94-26682 Filed 10-27-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4210-01-M