[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 27, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 22550-22552]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-10462]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
24 CFR Part 903
[Docket No. FR-4420-N-02]
RIN 2577-AB89
Public Housing Agency Plans and Section 8 Certificate and Voucher
Merger Announcement of Public Forums; Solicitation of Additional Public
Comment on Relationship of PHA Plans to Consolidated Plan
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian
Housing, HUD.
ACTION: Interim rule; Public forum.
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SUMMARY: This document announces the dates and locations of the public
forums to be held 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
will be published in the next several weeks. 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. This notice also identifies
these organizations and individuals and solicits their recommendations.
DATES: The first public forum will address only the PHA Plan rule and
will be held on May 4, 1999. The second public forum will address both
the PHA Plan rule and the Section 8 merger rule and will be held on May
19, 1999. The third public forum, which also will address both the PHA
Plan rule and the Section 8 merger rule, will be held on June 28, 1999.
An additional public forum that will address only the Section 8 merger
rule will be scheduled for a date after June 28, 1999, and this date
will be announced separately. The exact times of the forums are
provided in the Supplementary Information section of this notice.
ADDRESSES: The first public forum will be held at the Strom Auditorium,
Lower Plaza, Richard B. Russell Federal Building, 75 Spring Street, SW,
Atlanta, Georgia.
The second public forum will be held at Creighton University, Criss
Building (east side of campus), Room 452, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha,
Nebraska.
The third public forum will be held in Syracuse, New York. The
exact location for the third public forum has not yet been determined.
The location for the public forum to be held in Syracuse, New York,
and the location for the additional public forum for the Section 8
merger rule will be announced in a separate notice. (Again, please see
Supplementary Information for times of the meetings.)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: As additional information regarding
these public forums becomes available (specifically, information about
the locations of the third and any subsequent forums), 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
[[Page 22551]]
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 rule provides for a 60-day public comment period which
closed on April 19, 1999.
Section 511 also requires that before HUD issues its final 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
rulemaking recommendations from these three categories of organizations
(see 64 FR 8170, middle column), and again seeks their recommendations
through this notice.
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
sections will be issued within the next several weeks. In accordance
with section 559 of the 1998 Act, HUD will also hold 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 USA;
(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 this notice, HUD specifically seeks recommendations on
implementation from these categories of organizations and individuals.
Announcement of Public Forums
First Public Forum--PHA Plan Rule Only. HUD will hold its first
public forum on the PHA Plan interim rule on May 4, 1999, from 9:30 am
to 1:00 pm at the Strom Auditorium, Lower Plaza, Richard B. Russell
Federal Building, 75 Spring Street, SW, Atlanta, Georgia.
Second Public Forum--PHA Plan Rule & Merger Rule. HUD will hold its
second public forum on the PHA Plan interim rule on May 19, 1999, from
1:30 pm to 4:00 pm.
On this same date, May 19, 1999, HUD will hold its first public
forum on the Section 8 Merger rule. The public forum for the merger
rule will be held from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. (** Please note that the
merger rule will be the first subject of discussion at this second
public forum).
Both public forums will be held at Creighton University, Criss
Building (east side of campus), Room 452, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha,
Nebraska.
Third Public Forum--PHA Plan Rule & Merger Rule. HUD will hold its
third public forum on the PHA Plan interim rule on June 28, 1999, from
9:00 am to 12:00 pm.
On this same date, June 28, 1999, HUD will hold its second public
forum on the Section 8 Merger rule. The public forum for the merger
rule will be held from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
Both public forums will be held in Syracuse, New York, at the same
location. The exact location of the public forums in Syracuse has not
yet been determined. HUD will announce the exact location in a separate
notice.
Fourth Public Forum--Merger Rule Only. As noted earlier in this
notice, HUD will hold an additional public forum on the Merger rule for
a date to be scheduled after June 28, 1999. The date of this public
forum on the Merger rule will be announced separately.
Discussions at Public Forums. So that the discussions at the public
forums can be productive as intended by the statute, comments need to
be submitted in as far in advance of the forum dates as possible. The
address where comments may be submitted is provided later in this
notice.
Solicitation of Additional Comment on Relationship of PHA Annual
Plan to Consolidated Plan
In the February 18, 1999 interim rule, HUD stated under the
``Submission Guidance'' for the Housing Needs component of the PHA
Annual Plan (64 FR 8173, right hand column) that PHAs may obtain
information on housing needs from the Consolidated Plan for their
jurisdiction if the Consolidated Plan accurately describes their
housing needs. HUD is considering whether a PHA must obtain this
information from the Consolidated Plan and provide any additional or
supplementary information to the extent that the Consolidated Plan does
not contain the required housing needs information. HUD is aware that
the intent of the Congress was that reliance on the Consolidated Plan
will ensure that the PHA's statement of housing needs is consistent
with the needs described in the Consolidated Plan (the statute requires
this consistency) and should reduce the administrative burden imposed
on PHAs in providing its statement of housing needs. HUD welcomes any
comment on this specific issue, and also on the treatment of any
situation in which the Consolidated Plan needs or priorities do not
match those the PHA would like to identify in its plan, either
substantively or because the jurisdictions in question are not
identical.
Where To Submit Comments for the Forums
Comments on this issue, and recommendations from the three
[[Page 22552]]
categories of organizations may be submitted 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
interim rule (FR-4420); Public Forum.''
Future Notices
Again, HUD will issue additional notices to provide the public with
the locations of the third and fourth public forums.
Dated: April 21, 1999.
Harold Lucas,
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing.
[FR Doc. 99-10462 Filed 4-26-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-33-P