Notice of Public Hearing on Rural Rental Housing (RRH) Assistance

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

Rural Utilities Service

Farm Service Agency

7 CFR Parts 1930, 1944, 1951, and 1965

Notice of Public Hearing on Rural Rental Housing (RRH) Assistance

AGENCIES: Rural Housing Service (RHS), Rural Business-Cooperative

Service, Rural Utilities Service, and Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public hearing on interim final rule.

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SUMMARY: This Notice announces a Public Hearing on Congressionally

mandated reforms to the Section 515 Rural Rental Housing new

construction loan program. The intent of this hearing is to receive

public comments on the Interim Final Rule, ``Rural Rental Housing (RRH)

Assistance,'' which was published in the Federal Register on May 7,

1997, at page 25062. Interested users of the Section 515 Rural Rental

Housing Program are invited.

ADDRESSES: The Hearing will be conducted at the Jamie L. Whitten

Federal Building, located at 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, DC 20250, room 107-A.

DATES: The Hearing will be conducted on June 11, 1997, from 10:00 a.m.

to 2:00 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Persons wishing to attend the Hearing

should contact Cynthia L. Reese-Foxworth, Senior Loan Officer, Multi-

Family Housing Processing Division, USDA, Stop 0781, Washington, DC

20250, telephone (202) 720-1940 (this is not a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Programs Affected

The Rural Rental Housing Program is listed in the Catalog of

Federal Domestic Assistance under Number 10.415, Rural Rental Housing

Loans. Rental assistance for the Rural Rental Housing Program is listed

in the Catalog under Number 10.427, Rural Rental Assistance Payments.

Discussion of Notice

The Rural Housing Service (RHS), formerly Rural Housing and

Community Development Service (RHCDS), a successor Agency to the

Farmers Home Administration (FmHA), has amended its regulations for the

Rural Rental Housing (RRH) Program to implement legislative reforms

mandated by the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug

Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997, Public

Law 104-180, enacted August 6, 1996 (herein referred to as the Act.)

The Act included reforms in six areas of the Multi-Family Housing

Program. The Act required that one of these reforms, determining the

amount of assistance necessary to develop the proposed rental housing,

be implemented within 60 days through negotiated rulemaking as a means

of assuring that the public was both informed and consulted regarding

the Agency's intentions and requirements that would impact them as

potential users of the program. Unfortunately, such process takes an

estimated 18 months and could not be accomplished within the confines

of the Act. In order to meet the spirit of negotiated rulemaking, the

Agency sought extensive public input through several informal meetings

with developers, major housing groups, and Agency personnel so that the

Agency would gain a full measure of public input before developing the

regulations. Based on these meetings, regulations were developed and

published as an Interim Final Rule in the Federal Register on May 7,

1997. The Act further required the Agency to promulgate regulations in

accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 557 if negotiated rulemaking

could not be timely accomplished. As part of that process, the Agency

is conducting a public hearing to receive feedback and comments from

developers, major housing groups, Agency personnel, and other

interested parties in a public hearing format to complement the 60-day

comment period provided by the Interim Rule. Persons making

presentations are requested to leave a written copy of their comments

with the hearing official to assure accuracy of the public record.

Dated: May 22, 1997.

Jan E. Shadburn,

Acting Administrator, Rural Housing Service.

[FR Doc. 97-14063 Filed 5-28-97; 8:45 am]

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