Extensions of the Application Period for Temporary Housing Assistance

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

44 CFR Part 206

RIN 3067-AC82

Extensions of the Application Period for Temporary Housing

Assistance

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: This proposed rule would authorize the Associate Director/

Executive Associate Director for Response and Recovery to extend beyond

the standard 60-day limit the application period for assistance

provided under the Disaster Housing Program.

DATES: Comments will be accepted until July 6, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Please send comments to the Rules Docket Clerk, Office of

the General Counsel, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street

SW., Washington, DC 20472, (facsimile) 202-646-4536, or e:mail

[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laurence W. Zensinger, Response and

Recovery Directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street

SW., Washington, DC 20472, (202) 646-3642, (facsimile) 202-646-2730.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 44 CFR 206.101(e) currently provides that

the Regional Director may grant additional time to submit applications

for temporary housing ``in order to achieve uniformity of application

periods in contiguous States'' (44 CFR 206.101 (e)(1)). There are,

however, other disaster-specific circumstances under which an extension

of the application period would be appropriate, including when the

volume of anticipated applicants in a catastrophic disaster cannot be

registered within 60 days or when disaster-related damage may not be

ascertained sooner than 60 days from the declaration date. This

proposed rule would provide the Associate Director/Executive Associate

Director with the authority to extend the application period for

disaster housing assistance when circumstances warrant this measure

and, thereby, would better serve the disaster-affected public. For

consistency of implementation, this ad hoc authority will be given to

the Associate Director/Executive Associate Director, Response and

Recovery Directorate at FEMA Headquarters.

National Environmental Policy Act.

This proposed rule would be categorically excluded from the

requirements of 44 CFR Part 10, Environmental Consideration. No

environmental impact assessment has been prepared.

Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review.

This proposed rule would not be a significant regulatory action

within the meaning of Sec. 2(f) of E.O. 12866 of September 30, 1993, 58

FR 51735. To the extent possible, this proposed rule adheres to the

regulatory principles set forth in E.O. 12866 and the Office of

Management and Budget has not reviewed it under the provisions of E.O.

12866.

Paperwork Reduction Act.

This proposed rule would not contain a collection of information

requirement as described in section 3504(h) of the Paperwork Reduction

Act.

Executive Order 12612, Federalism

This proposed rule would not involve any policies that have

federalism implications under E.O. 12612, Federalism, dated October 26,

1987.

Executive Order 12778, Civil Justice Reform

This proposed rule would meet the applicable standards of

Sec. 2(b)(2) of E.O. 12778.

List of Subjects in 44 CFR Part 206

Administrative practice and procedure, Disaster assistance,

Housing.

Accordingly, FEMA proposes to amend 44 CFR part 206 as follows:

PART 206--FEDERAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR DISASTERS DECLARED ON OR

AFTER NOVEMBER 23, 1988

Subpart D--Temporary Housing Assistance

1. The authority citation for part 206 continues to read as

follows:

Authority: The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency

Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.; Reorganization Plan No. 3 of

1978, 43 FR 41943, 3 CFR, 1978 Comp., p. 329; E.O. 12127, 44 FR

19367, 3 CFR, 1979 Comp., p. 376; E.O. 12148, 44 FR 43239, 3 CFR,

1979 Comp., p. 412; and E.O. 12673, 54 FR 12571, 3 CFR, 1989 Comp.,

p. 214.

Section 206.101(e)(1) is revised to read as follows:

Sec. 206.101 Temporary housing assistance.

* * * * *

(e) Applications--(1) Application period. In general, applications

for disaster housing assistance will be the 60 days following the date

an incident is declared a major disaster or an

[[Page 25011]]

emergency by the President. The Mortgage and Rental Assistance

application period will be a 6-month period following the declaration.

When warranted by disaster-specific circumstances, the Associate

Director/Executive Associate Director may extend the application

periods as appropriate. Applications filed after the established period

will not be processed unless the applicant can provide justification

for the delay in applying.

* * * * *

Dated: April 30, 1998.

Lacy E. Suiter,

Executive Associate Director, Response and Recovery.

[FR Doc. 98-12006 Filed 5-5-98; 8:45 am]

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