Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4281-N-05]

Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and

Development, HUD.

ACTION: Notice of proposed information collection.

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SUMMARY: For the Federal Empowerment Zone Initiative (Round One and

Round Two), the proposed information collection requirements described

below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

for review and approval by September 1, 1998 for a three year period.

as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is

soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

DATES: Comments due date: August 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties 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: Sheila Jones, Reports Liaison

Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street,

SW, Room 7232, Washington, DC 20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Selvaggi, (202) 708-3773, ext

4647 (this is not a toll-free number) for copies of the proposed forms

and other available documents.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department is submitting the proposed

information collections to OMB for review and approval, as required by

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

OMB has previously extended its approval of control number 2506-0148

through August 31, 1998; that extension covers information collections

for the Round Two 1998 application process as well as for periodic

reporting and responses to warning letters for Round One (1994) and

Round Two (1998) programs.

This Notice solicits comments concerning the proposed collection

for information for both the Round Two (1998) Urban Empowerment Zone

Initiative (including the application process, periodic reporting, and

responding to warning letters) and the Round One (1994) Urban

Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community Initiative (including

periodic reporting, and responding to warning letters), during the

three year period starting September 1, 1998. Commenters may wish to:

(1) evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is

necessary for the proper management of the Urban Empowerment Zone

Initiative by the agency, including whether or not the information has

practical utility; (2) evaluate the accuracy of HUD'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. This Notice also lists the following information:

Title of Proposal: 1998 Urban Empowerment Zone Program (Round Two)/

1994 Urban Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community Program (Round

One).

OMB Control Number: 2506-0148.

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

Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 amended the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation

Act of 1993 to authorize the Secretary of HUD to designate 15 more

urban empowerment zones. These statutes together require three sets of

data. First, applicants for EZ designates must submit data (a)

demonstrating their eligibility to apply, (b) addressing problems/needs

in the proposed zone area and described in their proposed strategic

plan, (c) determined by the applicant to be related to measuring

success of the proposed implementation plan, measuring any lack of

progress in achieving the activities in the proposed implementation

plan, and justifying any boundary changes for the zone. Second, the

statutes require HUD to review, periodically, the progress of

designated urban communities (both Round 1 of 1994 and Round 2 of 1998)

in carrying out their implementation programs and achieving the goals

of their strategic plans. The Secretary is directed to collect such

periodic and other data as deemed necessary for the review of the

designees' progress. A third set of data

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is required in those rare cases where HUD would send a decertification

warning letter to a designee, which then would submit data needed to

rebut a proposed decertification.

A. Data for a Round Two 1998 EZ Application. Information to be

collected consists of statutorily required data related to poverty by

census tract; other measures of pervasive poverty, unemployment and

economic/social distress; overall population by tract; and geographic

data as to size and configuration.

B. Data for Round One and Round Two Periodic Reports. These data

consist of a short narrative of progress by the designee and individual

progress reports on each project they describe in their implementation

plans.

C. Data refuting Possible Decertification. In instances where

warning letters may be sent to Round One or Round Two designees, the

collection burden would consist of narrative and data they select in

order to rebut the federal argument for decertification.

How the information is planned to be used to further the proper

performance of functions of the agency. HUD will use the applicant

information as part of its respective review and approval procedures

for selecting the 1998 EZ designees. This will be a one-time process.

And for both the 72 Round One designees and the 15 Round Two

communities which are designated, HUD will require the periodic reports

to be submitted annually. The designees' annual progress reports

provide management information for HUD, oversight information for the

Vice President's Community Empowerment Board, and status reporting for

the Congress. These periodic reviews also provide the basis for HUD to

continue or revoke a designation during the ten-year life of the

federal program. For potential decertifications, HUD would use the

designees' rebuttal information to make a final decision regarding

decertification.

Description of the likely respondents, including the estimated

number of likely respondents, and proposed frequency of response to the

collection of information:

HUD anticipates that 225 communities will apply in 1998 for Round

Two designation; for the subsequent ten year designation period, HUD

estimates that 15 Round Two designees will submit annual progress

reports and 72 Round One designees will submit annual progress reports

for the remainder of their ten year periods. Possibly five de-

certification warning letters may require rebuttal by designees.

Agency form numbers, if applicable: Nomination for a Federal

Empowerment Zone, HUD 40003 (5-98).

Members of affected public: Units of Local Government and States;

Non-Profit Organization; Interested Members of the Public.

Estimate of the total reporting and recordkeeping burden that will

result from the collection of information:

Number of Round Two applicants: 225.

Total burden hours (@ 50 hours per response): 11,250.

Number of Annual Progress Reports;

15 Round Two @ 15 hrs: 225.

72 Round One @ 15 hrs: 1080.

Number of Rebuttals--5 @ 20 hours: 100.

Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 12,655.

Status of the proposed information collection: The public was twice

invited to comment on the accuracy of this information collection

burden, via a Notice of Proposed Information Collection published in

the Federal Register on January 23, 1998, and via an Interim Notice of

Rulemaking published in the Federal Register in April 16, 1998. HUD

received no public comments in response to either publication. This

Notice now informs the public that HUD is seeking OMB approval for

three years of the control number 2506-0148, for continuing management

of the urban EZ programs (Round One and Round Two).

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35, as amended.

Dated: June 26, 1998.

Kenneth Williams,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs, CPD.

[FR Doc. 98-17585 Filed 7-1-98; 8:45 am]

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