[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 248 (Tuesday, December 28, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 72722-72723]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-33500]



[[Page 72721]]

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Part II





Department of Housing and Urban Development





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24 CFR Part 888



Fair Market Rents for Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Program, FY 
2000; Rule

  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 248 / Tuesday, December 28, 1999 / 
Rules and Regulations  

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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

24 CFR Part 888

[Docket No. FR-4496-N-03]


Fair Market Rents for the Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments 
Program--Fiscal Year 2000

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HUD.

ACTION: Notice of Final Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 Fair Market Rents (FMRs) 
for manufactured home spaces.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: FMRs for the rental of manufactured home spaces in the Section 
8 housing choice voucher program are now generally 40 percent of the 
applicable Section 8 existing housing program FMR for a two-bedroom 
unit, rather than 30 percent. This reflects the change in the statute 
(section 545 of the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 
1998) which provides that the rent for the space with respect to which 
assistance payments are to be made shall include tenant-paid utilities.
    This change was made effective in the recent Federal Register 
(October 21, 1999; publication, ``Section 8 Tenant-Based Assistance; 
Statutory Merger of Section 8 Certificate and Voucher Programs; Housing 
Choice Voucher Program; Final Rule'') which revised 24 CFR 888.113.

EFFECTIVE DATE: November 22, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gerald Benoit, Office of Public and 
Indian Housing, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Room 4210, 
451 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410, telephone (202) 708-0477. 
For technical information on the development of schedules for specific 
areas or the method used for the rent calculations, contact Alan Fox, 
Economic and Market Analysis Division, Office of Economic Affairs, 
telephone (202) 708-0590, Extension 5863 (e-mail: [email protected]). 
Hearing-or speech-impaired persons may use the Telecommunications 
Devices for the Deaf (TTY) by contacting the Federal Information Relay 
Service at 1-800-877-8339. (Other than the ``800'' TTY number, 
telephone numbers are not toll free.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 8 of the United States Housing Act 
of 1937 (the Act) (42 U.S.C. 1437f) authorizes housing assistance to 
aid lower income families in renting decent, safe, and sanitary 
housing. Housing assistance payments are limited by FMRs established by 
HUD for different areas. In the voucher program, the FMR is used to 
determine the ``payment standard'' (the maximum monthly subsidy) for 
assisted families (see Sec. 982.503). In general, the FMR for an area 
is the amount that would be needed to pay the gross rent (shelter rent 
plus utilities) of privately owned, decent, safe, and sanitary rental 
housing of a modest (non-luxury) nature with suitable amenities. The 
FMR for the rent of manufactured home spaces (``pad rent'') is 
referenced in Sec. 888.113(e) and Sec. 982.623 of the housing choice 
voucher program rule.

Manufactured Home Space Surveys

    FMRs for the rental of manufactured home spaces in the Section 8 
housing choice voucher program are generally 40 percent of the 
applicable Section 8 existing housing program FMR for a two-bedroom 
unit. HUD accepts public comments requesting modifications of these 
FMRs where 40 percent of the FMRs is thought to be inadequate. In order 
to be accepted as a basis for revising the manufactured home space 
FMRs, comments must contain statistically valid survey data that show 
the 40th percentile space rent (including the cost of utilities) for 
the entire FMR area. Manufactured home space FMR revisions are 
published as final FMRs in Schedule D. Once approved, the revised 
manufactured home space FMRs establish new base year estimates that are 
updated annually using the same data used to update the other FMRs.

Other Matters

Environmental Impact

    A Finding of No Significant Impact with respect to the environment 
as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321-
4374) is unnecessary, since the Section 8 Rental Certificate Program is 
categorically excluded from the Department's National Environmental 
Policy Act procedures under 24 CFR 50.20(d).

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The undersigned, in accordance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act 
(5 U.S.C. 605(b)), hereby certifies that this notice does not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities, 
because FMRs do not change the rent from that which would be charged if 
the unit were not in the Section 8 Program.

Federalism Impact

    The General Counsel, as the Designated Official under section 6(a) 
of Executive Order 13132, Federalism, has determined that this notice 
will not involve the preemption of State law by Federal statute or 
regulation and does not have Federalism implications. The Fair Market 
Rent schedules do not have any substantial direct impact on States, on 
the relationship between the Federal government and the States, or on 
the distribution of power and responsibility among the various levels 
of government.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance program numbers are 
14.855, Section 8 Rental Voucher Program and 14.857, Section 8 Rental 
Certificate Program.
    Accordingly, the Fair Market Rent Schedules, which will not be 
codified in 24 CFR Part 888, are amended as follows:

    Dated: December 17, 1999.
Andrew M. Cuomo,
Secretary.

Fair Market Rents for the Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments 
Program

Schedules B and D--General Explanatory Notes

1. FMRs for Manufactured Home Spaces
    FMRs for manufactured home spaces in the Section 8 housing choice 
voucher program are 40 percent of the two-bedroom Section 8 existing 
housing program FMRs, with the exception of the areas listed in 
Schedule D whose manufactured home space FMRs have been modified on the 
basis of public comments. Schedule D has been revised to reflect the 
new 40 percent standard; exceptions that were less than 40 percent of 
the current FMR have been eliminated, because the area would be better 
off using 40 percent of the FMR. Once approved, the revised 
manufactured home space FMRs establish new base-year estimates that are 
updated annually using the same data used to estimate the Section 8 
existing housing FMRs. The FMR area definitions used for the rental of 
manufactured home spaces in the Section 8 housing choice voucher 
program are the same as the area definitions used for other FMRs.
4. Arrangement of FMR Areas and Identification of Constituent Parts
    a. The exception FMRs for manufactured home spaces in Schedule D 
are listed alphabetically by State, followed by metropolitan areas and 
then nonmetropolitan counties.

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 Schedule D: FY 2000 40th Percentile Fair Market Rents For Manufactured
Home Spaces in the Section 8 Choice Housing Program: Areas With Approved
              Exceptions Above 40 Percent of 2-Bedroom FMR
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Space rent
                          Area name                            including
                                                               utilities
------------------------------------------------------------------------
California:
    Los Angeles, CA.........................................        $383
    Orange County, CA.......................................         468
    Riverside-San Bernardino, CA............................         304
    San Diego, CA...........................................         423
    San Jose, CA............................................         489
Colorado:
    Boulder-Longmont, CO....................................         344
    Denver, CO..............................................         327
Maryland:
    Hagerstown, MD..........................................         220
Minnesota:
    Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI.............................         275
Nevada:
    Reno, NV................................................         289
New York:
    Dutchess County, NY.....................................         371
    Newburgh, NY-PA.........................................         349
    Rochester, NY...........................................         245
    Utica-Rome, NY..........................................         220
Oregon:
    Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA...............................         284
    Deschutes County, OR....................................         259
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Areas listed here have approved mobile home space rents higher than 40
  percent of the 2 bedroom Fair Market Rent for the area.

[FR Doc. 99-33500 Filed 12-27-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-32-P