[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 126 (Friday, June 30, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 37534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-5915]


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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service


Deployment and Implementation of the Preservation Information 
Exchange (PIX) Application

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; Announcement of PIX System.

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

SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service (RHS) announces the deployment and 
implementation of the PIX System. PIX is a web-based automated system 
that will allow interested non-profit organizations and public bodies 
to register to receive e-mail notification of all relevant prepayment 
requests and potential sales to non-profits or public bodies of Section 
515 Rural Rental Housing (RRH) properties.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, applicants 
may contact Cynthia Reese-Foxworth, Senior Loan Officer, Office of 
Rental Housing Preservation, RHS, USDA, Stop 0782, 1400 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250, telephone (202) 720-1940 (voice) 
(This is not a toll free number.) or Anita Kapoor, Program Analyst, 
Program Support Staff, RHS, USDA, Stop 0782, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20250, telephone (202) 690-1337 (voice) (This is 
not a toll free number.) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD-Federal Information 
Relay Service).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Programs Affected

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance numbers for the programs 
impacted by this action are: 10.415, Rural Rental Housing Loans and 
10427, Rural Rental Assistance Payments.

Discussion of Announcement

Authority

    Section 515 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1485) provides 
RHS with the authority to provide written notice of the offer of a sale 
or a request to prepay an RHS loan to interested non-profit 
organizations and to any appropriate State and local agencies.

Accessing the PIX Web Site

    State and Servicing Offices will refer all interested non-profit 
organizations and public bodies to register for participation in 
preserving low-income housing by accessing https://pix.sc.egov.usda.gov. Once interested non-profit organizations and 
public bodies register, Office of Rental Housing Preservation (ORHP) 
will activate their registration by sending an e-mail with their user 
ID and password. A link that provides instructions for navigating PIX 
can be found on the Web site listed above.

External Users

    Access to the Web site is restricted to non-profit organizations 
and public bodies. The purpose of PIX purpose is to replace paper 
listings of interested non-profit organizations and public bodies 
formerly maintained by Agency staff. PIX will also eliminate the need 
for program borrowers to notify non-profit organizations and public 
bodies of the potential sale of their property. Non-profit 
organizations and public bodies of each prepayment request received by 
RHS and of the potential sale of RRH properties. Instead non-profit 
organizations and public bodies can access PIX at anytime in order to 
identify prepayment requests and potential sales. The ORHP will use PIX 
to establish a database of interested non-profit organizations and 
public bodies to assist in the preservation of valuable low-income 
housing stock in rural America.

    Dated: June 26, 2006.
David J. Villano,
Acting Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
[FR Doc. 06-5915 Filed 6-29-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P