[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 183 (Tuesday, September 22, 1998)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 50527-50528]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-25269]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

24 CFR Parts 401 and 402

[Docket No. FR-4298-N-02]
RIN 2502-AH09


Notice of Public Meetings Multifamily Housing Mortgage and 
Housing Assistance Restructuring (Mark-to-Market) Program

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing 
Commissioner, HUD.

ACTION: Notice of public forums.

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SUMMARY: On September 11, 1998 (63 FR 48925), the Department published 
in the Federal Register an interim rule implementing the Mark-to-Market 
Program. The Program was enacted by the Multifamily Assisted Housing 
Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 (MAHRA). The purpose of the 
program is to preserve low-income rental housing affordability while 
reducing the long-term costs of Federal rental assistance, including 
project-based assistance, and minimizing the adverse effect on the FHA 
insurance funds. The authorizing statute provides that before 
publishing the final rule HUD is to conduct at least three public 
forums at which organizations representing various groups identified in 
the statute may express views concerning HUD's proposed disposition of 
recommendations from those groups. This notice announces the time and 
places for these public forums.

DATES: The public forums will be held on Thursday, October 1, 1998, 
from 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. local time.

ADDRESSES: The public forums will be held at the following three 
locations:

Midland Hotel (Adams Room), 175 West Adams, Chicago, Illinois
Holiday Inn Golden Gateway, 1500 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, 
California
The College of Insurance, 101 Murray Street, New York, New York.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leslie Breden, (202) 708-6423, ext. 
5603. For hearing- and speech-impaired persons, this number may be 
accessed via TTY by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-
800-877-8339. For registration information call 1-800-685-8470, the 
Multifamily Housing Clearinghouse, (fax) (301)-519-5161. (Except for 
the 800 numbers, these are not toll-free numbers.) Additional 
information is available on HUD's Internet web site, at http://
www.hud.gov/fha/mfh/pre/premenu.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

What Will Be Discussed at the Forums?

    Section 522(a)(3)(A) of MAHRA directed HUD to seek recommendations 
on implementing the participating administrative entity selection 
criteria (see section 513(b) of MAHRA and Sec. 401.201 of the interim 
rule) and on mandatory renewal of project-based assistance (see section 
515(c)(1) of MAHRA and Sec. 401.420 of the interim rule). In accordance 
with section 513(a)(3)(A), HUD has received recommendations from at 
least the following organizations: State housing finance agencies and 
local housing agencies; other potential participating administering 
entities; tenants; owners and managers of eligible multifamily housing 
projects; States and units of general local government; and qualified 
mortgagees. The recommendations covered the scope of the interim rule.
    In accordance with section 522(a)(3)(B) of MAHRA, HUD is holding 
these public forums to provide participants with an opportunity to 
express their views on Sec. 401.201 and Sec. 401.420 of the interim 
rule. HUD will not be making any presentations at these forums. The 
purpose of these forums is for HUD to listen and record the comments of 
the forum participants for consideration in drafting the final rule.
    How Can I Register for a Forum?
    You can get registration information through HUD's portfolio 
reengineering

[[Page 50528]]

website at http:www.hud.gov/fha/pre/premenu.html. Those wishing to 
attend and to provide oral comments are asked to register in advance.
    To allow for the greatest participation at the forums, we will ask 
you to register for a specified time and to limit your comments to 5 
minutes. Those who do not preregister will be accommodated and given an 
opportunity to comment after those who have preregistered, time and 
space permitting.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1437f note and 3535(d).

    Dated: September 15, 1998.
Ira Peppercorn,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing.
[FR Doc. 98-25269 Filed 9-21-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-27-P