Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-3967-N-03]

Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian

Housing, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: 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.

DATES: Comments due: February 18, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding

this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB

Control Number and should be sent to: Mildred M. Hamman, Reports

Liaison Officer, Public and Indian Housing, Department of Housing and

Urban Development, 451--7th Street, SW, Room 4240, Washington, D.C.

20410-5000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mildred M. Hamman, (202) 708-0846,

(This is not a toll-free number.) for copies of the proposed forms and

other available documents.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department will submit the proposed

information collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended).

This Notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and

affecting agencies concerning the proposed collection of information

to: (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is

necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,

including whether the information will have practical utility; (2)

Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information; (3) Enhance the quality, utility,

and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Minimize the

burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond;

including through the use of appropriate automated collection

techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting

electronic submission of responses.

This Notice also lists the following information:

[[Page 66291]]

Title of Proposal: Public and Indian Housing--Economic Development

and Supportive Services Program (EDSS).

OMB Control Number: 2577-0211.

Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The

information is necessary so that applicants can apply and compete for

funding opportunities. Under the program, grants will be provided to

Public and Indian Housing Authorities (collectively HAs) to provide

economic development and supportive services to assist public and

Indian housing residents, the elderly and handicapped persons to become

economically self-sufficient and to live independently.

Agency forms numbers, if applicable: N/A.

Members of affected public: State or Local Governments, Non-profit

institutions.

Estimation of the total number of hours needed to prepare the

information collection including number of respondents, frequency of

response, and hours of response: 350 respondents, on occasion, 42

average hours per response, 14,212 hours for a total reporting burden.

In addition, this year the Department is combining the EDSS and

Tenant Opportunity Program (TOP) NOFAs in one announcement for a number

of reasons. With the recent passage of The Personal Responsibility and

Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 and the transformation of

the former Aid to Families with Dependent children (AFDC) program to a

state administered block grant program, it is imperative that the

limited funding that the EDSS and TOP programs provide has the maximum

effectiveness possible. The Department believes that it is in the best

interests of public housing to encourage increased coordination between

these two programs that share many similar goals. The Department also

has concluded that it is more useful to potential applicants that HUD

announce the NOFAs for the two programs simultaneously. Similarly, the

information collection period for public comment for these two programs

will also be combined.

Authority: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended.

Dated: December 11, 1996.

MaryAnn Russ,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Assisted Housing Operations.

[FR Doc. 96-31983 Filed 12-16-96; 8:45 am]

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