Public Housing Agency Plan and Section 8 Certificate and Voucher Merger Announcement of Public Forum

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4420-N-03]

RIN 2577-AB89

Public Housing Agency Plan and Section 8 Certificate and Voucher

Merger Announcement of Public Forum

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian

Housing, HUD.

ACTION: Public forums announcement.

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SUMMARY: This document announces the (1) exact location of the public

forum to be held in Syracuse, New York, on HUD's Public Housing Agency

(PHA) Plan interim rule that was published on February 18, 1999, and on

HUD's Section 8 certificate and voucher merger interim rule (Section 8

merger) that was published on May 14, 1999, and (2) an additional

public forum to be held on both rules in Washington, DC. The statute

authorizing these two rules requires that before HUD issues final rules

on these subjects, HUD will convene at least two public forums for each

rule, and specifically seek recommendations from certain organizations

and individuals, as specified in the statute.

DATES: June 28, 1999, and July 28, 1999. The exact times for discussion

of each rule at these two forums is provided in the Supplementary

Information section of this document.

ADDRESSES: The June 28, 1999 public forum will be held at Grant

Auditorium, E.I. White Hall, College of Law, Syracuse University,

Syracuse, New York. The July 28, 1999 public forum will be held at HUD

Headquarters, 451 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: This information will be posted on the

QHWRA page of HUD's website (www.hud.gov/pih/legis/titlev.html).

Information also may be obtained by contacting your local HUD office,

or by contacting the Office of Policy, Program and Legislative

Initiatives, in the Office of Public and Indian Housing, Department of

Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW, Room 4116,

Washington, DC 20410; telephone (202) 708-0713 (this is not a toll-free

number). Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access that

number via TTY by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at

(800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

PHA Plan Interim Rule

Section 511 of the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of

1998 (Pub.L. 105-276, 112 Stat. 2461, approved October 21, 1998) (the

1998 Act) added a new section 5A to the United States Housing Act of

1937 (USHA) (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.). This new section provides for

public housing agencies (PHAs) to develop and submit to HUD two plans--

a five-year plan and an annual plan on their goals and objectives and

current PHA operations. Section 511 also required HUD to publish,

within 120 days of enactment of the statute, an interim rule

implementing the requirements of the PHA plans and the submission

process. HUD published its interim rule on February 18, 1999 (64 FR

8170) (the PHA Plan rule). The PHA Plan rule provided a 60-day public

comment period which closed on April 19, 1999.

Section 511 also requires that before HUD issues its final PHA Plan

rule, HUD will seek recommendations on implementation of the PHA plans

from organizations representing:

(1) State or local public housing agencies;

(2) Residents, including resident management corporations;

(3) Other appropriate parties.

Section 511 also requires HUD to convene not less than two public

forums at which the person or organization making recommendations may

express their views concerning the proposed disposition of their

recommendations.

Through its February 18, 1999 interim rule, HUD specifically sought

recommendations from these categories of organizations (see 64 FR 8170,

middle column), and again seeks their recommendations through this

document.

Section 8 Certificate and Voucher Merger Rule

Section 545 of the 1998 Act amended section 8(o) of the USHA to

provide for the merger of the Section 8 certificate and voucher

programs. HUD's interim rule implementing the merger of these two

programs was published on May 14, 1999 (64 FR 26632) (Merger rule). The

Merger rule provides for a 60-day public comment period which closes on

July 13, 1999. In accordance with section 559 of the 1998 Act, HUD will

also hold a minimum of two public forums on this rule.

Section 559 provides that the Secretary of HUD shall issue interim

regulations as may be necessary to implement the amendments made by the

1998 Act as these amendments relate to section 8(o) of the USHA.

Section 559 also provides that before the publication of final

regulations, in addition to public comment invited in connection with

the publication of the interim rule, the Secretary shall seek

recommendations on the implementation of sections 8(o)(6(B), 8(o)(7)(B)

and 8(o)(10)(D) of the USHA and on the implementation of the renewals

of expiring tenant-based assistance from organizations representing:

(1) State or local public housing agencies;

(2) Owners and managers of tenant-based housing assisted under section

8 of the USHA;

(3) Families receiving tenant-based assistance under section 8 of the

USHA; and

(4) Legal services organizations.

Section 559 also requires HUD to hold not less than two public

forums at which the individuals and organizations described above may

express views concerning the proposed disposition of the

recommendations.

Through its May 14, 1999 interim rule, HUD specifically sought

rulemaking recommendations from these categories of organizations (see

64 FR 26635, middle column), and again seeks their recommendations

through this document.

Public Forum Dates and Locations

June 28, 1999 Public Forum. The June 28, 1999 public forum in

Syracuse, New York, will be HUD's third public forum on the PHA Plan

rule, and its second

[[Page 33112]]

public forum on the Merger rule. (HUD's public forum announcement,

published on April 27, 1999, provided the dates and locations of the

earlier public forums (see 64 FR 22550).)

The public forum on the PHA Plan rule will be held from 9:00 am to

12:00 pm.

The public forum for the Merger rule will be held from 1:00 pm to

4:00 pm.

Both public forums will be held at Grant Auditorium, E.I. White

Hall, College of Law, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York.

July 28, 1999 Public Forum. The July 28, 1999 public forum in

Washington, DC, will be HUD's fourth public forum on the PHA Plan rule,

and its third public forum on the Merger rule. On this date, the

discussion of the Merger rule will precede the discussion of the PHA

Plan rule.

The public forum for the Merger rule will be held from 9:00 am to

12:00 pm.

The public forum on the PHA Plan rule will be held from 1:00 pm to

4:00 pm.

Both public forums will be held at HUD Headquarters, 451 Seventh

Street, SW, Washington, DC.

Discussions at Public Forums

So that the discussions at the public forums can be productive,

recommendations from the categories of organizations specified in the

statute need to be submitted in as far in advance of the forum date as

possible to: the Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, Room

10276, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street,

SW, Washington, DC 20410. Communications should include the following

reference: ``PHA Plan rule (FR-4420); Public Forum'' or ``Section 8

Merger rule (FR-4428); Public Forum.''

Dated: June 15, 1999.

Harold Lucas,

Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing.

[FR Doc. 99-15628 Filed 6-18-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4210-33-P