[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 120 (Wednesday, June 23, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35054-35055]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-14130]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR 4905-N-02


Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request; 
Housing Discrimination Information Form HUD-903.1, HUD 903.1A, HUD-903-
1B, HUD-903.1F, HUD-903.1K

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal 
Opportunity, HUD.

ACTION: Action.

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SUMMARY: The proposed information collection requirement concerning the 
Housing Discrimination Information Form HUD-903.1, HUD 903.1A, HUD-903-
1B, HUD-903.1F, and HUD-903.1K will be submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act. HUD is soliciting public comments on the subject 
proposal.

DATES: Comments Due Date: August 23, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons 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 Surrell S. Silverman, Reports 
Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451-
7th Street, SW., Room 5124, Washington, DC 20410. Telephone number: 
(202) 708-4150.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Frank, U.S. Department of 
Housing and Urban Development, 451--7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20410, Room 5206, telephone: (202) 619-8041. (This is not a toll-free 
number). Hearing or speech-impaired individuals may access this number 
TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at 1-
800-877-8399.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HUD is submitting the proposed information 
collection to the OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended).

[[Page 35055]]

    This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information 
for: (1) the collection of information relative to the Fair Housing Act 
(Act). The Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, 
advertising, and insuring of residential dwellings, and in residential 
real estate-related transactions, based on race, color, religion, sex, 
handicap [disability], familial status, or national origin.
    Any person who claims to have been injured by a discriminary 
housing practice, or who believes that he or she will be injured by a 
discriminatory housing practice that is about to occur, may file a 
complaint with HUD not later than one year after the alleged 
discriminatory housing practice occurred or terminated. (2) Form HUD-
903.1 was developed in order to promote consistency in the documents 
that, by statute, must be provided to persons against whom complaints 
are filed, as well as for the convenience of the general public. 
Section 103.25 of HUD's Fair Housing Act regulation describes the 
information that must be included in each complaint filed with HUD. For 
purposes of meeting the Act's one-year time limitation for filing 
complaints with HUD, complaints need not initially be submitted on the 
Form that HUD provides. (3) Housing Discrimination Complaint Form HUD-
903.1 (English language), HUD-903.1A (Spanish language), HUD-903-1B 
(Chinese language), HUD-903.1F (Vietnamese language), and HUD.903.1K 
(Korean language) may be filed by mail, in person, by telephone, or via 
the Internet with HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity 
(FHEO). FHEO staff uses the information provided on the Form to verify 
HUD's authority [jurisdiction] to investigate the complainant's 
allegations under the Act.

Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB

    Title of Proposal: Housing Discrimination Information Form.
    Office: Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, HUD.
    OMB Control Number: 2529-0011.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The 
Housing Discrimination Information Form (Form) is used for the 
collection of pertinent information from persons who wish to file 
housing discrimination complaints with HUD under the Fair Housing Act 
(Act). The Act makes it unlawful to discriminate in the sale, rental, 
advertising, or insuring of residential dwellings, or to discriminate 
in residential real estate-related transactions, based on race, color, 
religion, sex, handicap [disability], familial status, or national 
origin.
    Any person who claims to have been injured by a discriminatory 
housing practice, or any person who believes that he or she will be 
injured by a discriminatory housing practice that is about to occur, 
may file a complaint with HUD not later than one year after the alleged 
discriminatory housing practice occurs or terminates. The Form promotes 
consistency in the collection of information necessary to contact 
persons who file housing discrimination complaints with HUD, and in the 
collection of information necessary for making initial assessments of 
HUD's authority [jurisdiction] to investigate under the Act.
    This information may subsequently be provided to persons against 
whom complaints are filed [``respondents''], as required under the Act.
    Agency form numbers, if applicable: Form HUD-903.1 (English), HUD-
903.1A (Spanish), HUD-903-1B (Chinese), HUD-903.1F (Vietnamese), and 
HUD-903.1K (Korean).
    Members of affected public: Individuals or households, businesses 
or other for-profit, not-for-profit institutions, State, Local, or 
Tribal Governments.
    Estimation of the total number of hours needed to prepare the 
information collection, including the number of respondents, frequency 
of response, and hours of responses:
    HUD estimates that during the course of a year, approximately 
10,750 housing discrimination complaints are submitted to HUD. HUD 
further estimates that a complainant takes approximately 20 minutes to 
complete the Form. The Form is completed once by each complainant. 
Therefore, the total number of annual burden hours for this Form is 
3583 hours.
    10,750 x 1 (frequency) x 20 minutes = 3583 hours.
    There is no annualized cost to complainants. Complainants submit 
the Form to HUD by mail, using a postage-paid mailer at no cost to the 
complainant. Complainants also may submit the Form to HUD 
electronically via the Internet.
    Status of the proposed information collection: Reinstatement of a 
currently approved revised collection to reflect the collection of 
information from persons wishing to file Fair Housing Act complaints 
with HUD.

    Authority:  The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
chapter 35, as amended).

    Dated: June 16, 2004.
Turner Russell,
Director, Enforcement Division.
[FR Doc. 04-14130 Filed 6-22-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-28-M