Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4369-N-01]

Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and

Development, 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: July 13, 1998.

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: Ms. Shelia Jones, Reports Liaison

Officer, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and

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

[[Page 26196]]

Street, SW, Room 7230, Washington, DC 20410.

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).

The 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.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will submit

to OMB the information collection requirements for the HOME Program,

previously approved under OMB Control Numbers 2506-0162 and 2501-0013.

The HOME Investment Partnerships Act (Title II of the Cranston-

Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act) was signed into law on

November 28, 1990 (Pub. L. 101-625) and created the HOME Program to

expand the supply of affordable housing. Interim regulations were first

published for the program on December 16, 1991 and this and subsequent

interim rules were codified at 24 CFR Part 92. Paperwork requirements

for these rules were approved under OMB Control Number 2501-0013. On

September 16, 1996, HUD published a final rule for the HOME Program.

Additional paperwork requirements for certain optional reporting

requirements were approved under OMB Control Number 2506-0162.

Title of proposal: HOME Investment Partnerships Program.

OMB Control Number, if applicable: 2501-0013; 2506-0162.

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

HOME statute and related authorities impose a significant number of

data collection and reporting requirements on the Department and on

HOME participating jurisdictions. This information is collected: (1) to

assist HOME participating jurisdictions in managing their programs; (2)

to track performance of participating jurisdictions in meeting fund

commitment and expenditure deadlines; (3) to permit HUD to determine

whether each PJ meets the HOME statutory targeting and affordability

requirements; and (4) to permit HUD to determine compliance with other

statutory and regulatory program requirements e.g., requirements

relating to match, affirmative marketing, lead-based paint, and

displacmeent and relocation.

The recordkeeping and reporting burden hours for each individual

respondent contained herein are largely unchanged from the previous

approvals. The most significant change is in the total number of burden

hours for both recordkeeping and reporting, brought about by the

substantial increase in the number of program participants since the

last major HOME paperwork submission in 1994. The number of

participating jurisdictions has increased from 531 in 1994 to 576 in

1997. During this period, the number of Community Housing Department

Organizations increased from 1,075 to 2,732 and the number of State

recipients increased from 675 to 1,555. Because so many more

organizations are currently participating in the HOME Program than were

participating in the first years of the program, the total number of

burden hours has increased substantially despite the fact that the

burden per respondent has dropped slightly.

Other changes from the earlier paperwork approval include: (1) a

slight reduction in the number of reporting burden hours as a result of

eliminating the HOME Program Description and Annual Performance Report

requirements from 24 CFR Part 92 and adding those requirements to the

Consolidated Plan rule (24 CFR Part 91); (2) a slight reduction in both

record-keeping and reporting hours due to the conversion of HOME

participating jurisdiction from the HOME Cash and Management

Information System to the paperless Integrated Disbursement and

Information (C/MI) System. (Although this conversion is substantially

complete, the notice assumes that the 49 participating jurisdictions

currently in the C/MI will remain so); and (3) a slight increase due to

the fact that three optional reporting requirements approved under OMB

Control Number 2506-0162 are being added to this submission

Agency form numbers: HUD-40094; 40095; 40096; 40096-M; 40097;

40098; 40100; 40100-B; 40100-B; 40107; 40107-A.

Members of affected pubic: States, units of general local

government, nonprofit organizations.

Estimation of the total annual number of hours to prepare the

information collection including number of respondents, frequency of

response, and hours of response:

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Paperwork Number of Frequency Hours of

Section affected requirement respondents of response response Annual total

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92.61.............................. Insular Areas Program 4 1 10 40

Description.

92.66.............................. Insular Areas 4 1 3 12

reallocation.

92.101............................. Consortia Designation 95 1 5 475

92.200............................. Public-Private 580 1 2 1,160

Partnership.

92.201............................. State Designation of 580 1 2 1,160

Local Recipients.

92.201............................. Distribution of 50 1 1.5 75

Assistance.

92.202............................. Site and Neighborhood 580 1 2 1,160

Standards.

92.203............................. Income Determination. 4,867 1 2 9,734

92.206, 92.216, 92.217, 92.218, Documentation 4,867 1 5 24,335

92,250, 92.252, 92.254. required by HUD to

be included in

project file to

determine project

eligibility.

92.206............................. Refinancing.......... 200 1 4 800

92.251............................. Written Property 4,867 1 1 4,867

Standards.

92.253............................. Tenant Protections... 4,867 1 5 24,335

92.254............................. Median Purchase price 20 1 5 100

92.254............................. Alternative to Resale/ 275 1 5 1,375

Recapture Provisions.

92.300............................. CHDO Identification.. 576 1 2 1,152

[[Page 26197]]

92.300............................. Designation of CHDOs. 300 1 1.5 450

92.300............................. CHDO Project 576 1 2 1,152

Assistance.

92.303............................. Tenant Participation 2,732 1 10 27,320

Plan.

92.350............................. Equal Opportunity.... 4,867 1 5 25,335

92.351............................. Affirmative marketing 4,867 1 10 48,670

92.353............................. Displacement, 4,867 1 5 24,335

relocation and

acquisition.

92.354............................. Labor................ 4,867 1 2.5 12,167.5

92.355............................. Lead-Based Paint..... 4,867 1 0.5 2,433.5

92.357............................. Debarment and 4,867 1 1 4,867

suspension.

92.501............................. Investment 580 1 1 580

Partnership

Agreement.

92.502............................. Cash and Management 49 1 10 490

Information system.

92.502............................. Homeownership/Rental 1,604 1 12.5 20,050

Project Set-Up (C/

MI).

92.502............................. Tenant-based rental 30 1 6.25 187.5

assistance Set-Up.

92.502............................. Rental Housing 1,604 1 7.5 12,030

Project Completion

(C/MI).

92.502............................. Homeownership Project 1,604 1 3.75 6,015

Completion (C/MI).

92.502............................. Homeownership/Rental 527 1 16 8,432

Set-Up and

Completion (IDIS).

92.502............................. Tenat-Based Rental 89 1 5.5 489.5

Assistance Set-Up

(IDIS).

92.504............................. Written Agreement.... 4,863 1 10 48,630

92.509............................. Management Reports-- 580 1 2.5 1,450

Annual Performance

Report.

92.509............................. Management Reports-- 576 1 0.76 432

FY Match Report.

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The total annual estimate of burden hours is 315,296.

Status of the proposed information collection: Public comment

requested by HUD.

Contact person and telephone numbers (this is not a toll-free

number) for copies of the proposed forms and other available documents:

Mary Kolesar, Director, Program Policy Division, Office of Affordable

Housing Programs, Room 7162, Department of Housing and Urban

Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410, (This is not

a toll-free number). A telecommunications device for hearing- and

speech-impaired person (TTY) is available at 1-800-877-8229 (Federal

Information Relay Service).

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

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

Dated: May 6, 1998.

Saul N. Ramirez, Jr.,

Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development.

[FR Doc. 98-12618 Filed 5-11-98; 8:45 am]

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