Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4170-N-16]

Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB

AGENCY: Office of Public and Indian Housing--HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The proposed information collection requirement described

below had been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

for emergency review and approval, as required by the Paperwork

Reduction Act. The Department has already solicited public comments on

the subject proposal.

DATES: The due date for comments is January 7, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons were invited to submit comments regarding

this proposal. Comments must be received within seven (7) days from the

date of this Notice. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and

should be sent to: Joseph F. Lackey, Jr., HUD Desk Officer, Office of

Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC

20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reports Management Officer, Department

of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW, Washington,

DC 20410, telephone (202) 708-0050. This is not a toll-free number.

Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained from Ms.

Weaver.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Notice informs the public that the

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has submitted to OMB,

for emergency processing, an information collection package with

respect to proposed Indian Housing Plan (IHP) form for the Native

American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996

(NAHASDA).

On October 26, 1996, the President signed into law the NAHASDA,

which streamlines the process of providing housing assistance to Native

Americans. Specifically, it eliminates several separate programs of

assistance and replaces them with a single block grant program,

effective October 1, 1997.

The collection of information being requested is necessary so that

the Secretary shall allocate any amounts made available for assistance

under this Act for the future fiscal years, in accordance with the

formula established pursuant to section 302, among Indian tribes that

comply with the requirements under this Act for a grant under this Act.

These forms meet the minimum requirements for an IHP required by

the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. To be

eligible for grants, respondents must submit the IHP which meets the

minimum requirements of the NAHASDA. IHPs originally had a submission

deadline of November 3, 1997. On October 1, 1997, the NAHASDA

legislation became effective. The Department concluded that new IHP

submission dates were needed to enable tribes/tribally designated

housing entities (TDHEs) additional time to formulate their plan to

comply with NAHASDA requirements. Language in the transition notice

advises all tribes/TDHEs that an IHP can be submitted no earlier than

the publication of the final regulations implementing NAHASDA and no

later than July 1, 1998.

Additionally, seven comments were received on the paperwork

requirements for the NAHASDA IHP and were submitted to the NAHASDA

Negotiated Rulemaking Committee. The Committee reviewed these comments

and the Department streamlined the IHP forms per these suggestions and

eliminated requirements that were determined to be unnecessary for

submission of a tribe's plan.

The Department has submitted the proposal for the collection of

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

Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). The Department has requested emergency

clearance of the collection of information, as described below, with

approval being sought by January 12, 1998.

(1) Title of the information collection proposal: Indian Housing

Plan (IHP) form.

(2) Summary of the collection of information.

5-Year Plan

For an Indian tribe to receive funding they must submit to the

Secretary, for each fiscal year, a housing plan which shall be in a

form prescribed by the Secretary and shall contain, with respect to the

5-year period beginning without the fiscal year for which the plan is

submitted, the following information:

(A) Mission Statement--A general statement for the mission of the

Indian tribe to serve the needs of the low-income families in the

jurisdiction of the Indian tribe during the period.

(A) Goals and Objectives--A statement of the goals and objectives

of the Indian tribe to enable the tribe to serve the needs identified

in paragraph (1) during the period.

(B) Activities Plan--An overview of the activities planned during

the period including an analysis of the manner in which the activities

will enable tribe to meet its mission, goals, and objectives.

1-Year Plan

For an Indian tribe to receive funding they must submit to the

Secretary, for each fiscal year, a housing plan which shall be in a

form prescribed by the Secretary and shall contain, the following

information relating to the upcoming fiscal year for which

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assistance under this Act is to be made available:

(A) Goals and Objecrtives--A statement of the goals and objectives

of the Indian tribe to enable the tribe to serve the needs identified

in paragraph (1) during the period.

(B) Statement of Needs--A statement of the housing needs of the

low-income Indian families residing in the jurisdiction of the Indian

tribe and the means by which such needs will be addressed during the

period.

(C) Financial Resources--An operating budget for the recipient, in

a form prescribed by the Secretary.

(D) Affordable Housing Resources--A statement of the affordable

housing resources currently available and to be made available during

the period.

(E) Certification of Compliance--Evidence of compliance which shall

include certification that the recipient will comply with title II of

the Civil Rights Act of 1968 in carrying out this Act and other

applicable Federal statues; certification that the recipient will

maintain adequate insurance coverage for housing units; certification

that eligibility, admission and occupancy policies are in effect;

certification that policies are available for review by the Secretary

and the public governing the management and maintenance of housing

assisted with grant amounts provided under this Act.

(3) Description of the need for the information and its proposed

use: The IHP describes how the tribe will implement its affordable

housing activities. The Secretary shall conduct a limited review of

each IHP submitted to the Secretary to ensure that the plan complies

with the requirements of section 102 of the Act. The Secretary shall

have the discretion to review a plan only to the extent that the

Secretary considers review is necessary.

All federally recognized tribes or State recognized tribes are

eligible to apply for NAHASDA funding. The estimated number of

respondents is 400. The proposed frequency of the response to the

collection is one time. A plan under this section may cover more than 1

Indian tribe, but only if the certification requirements under section

102(d)--Participation of Tribally Designated Housing Entity, are

complied with by each such grant beneficiary covered. (5) Estimate of

the total reporting and record keeping burden that will result the

collection of information:

Reporting Burden: Number of respondents: 400.

Total burden hours (@400 per response): 42,000.

Authority: Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

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

Dated December 23, 1997.

David S. Cristy,

Director, IRM Policy and Management Division.

[FR Doc. 97-34083 Filed 12-30-97; 8:45 am]

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