[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 23 (Friday, February 3, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5524-5525]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-2481]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5610-N-02]


Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment; 
Public Housing Agency (PHA) 5-Year and Annual Plan

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian 
Housing, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The proposed information collection requirement described 
below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended). The Department is soliciting public 
comments on the subject proposal. PHAs are required to submit annual 
and 5-Year Plans to HUD as required by section 5A of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437c-1). The purpose of the plan is to 
provide a framework for local accountability and an easily identifiable 
source by which public housing residents, participants in the tenant-
based assistance program, and other members of the public may locate 
basic PHA policies, rules and requirements concerning the PHA's 
operations, programs and services.

DATES: Comment Due Date: April 3, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name/or OMB 
Control number and should be sent to: Colette Pollard, Departmental 
Reports Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 7th Street SW., Room 4160, Washington, DC 20410-5000; 
telephone (202) 402-3400, (this is not a toll-free number) or email Ms. 
Pollard at [email protected]. Persons with hearing or speech 
impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free 
Federal Information Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. (Other than the 
HUD USER information line and TTY numbers, telephone numbers are not 
toll-free.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Arlette Mussington, Office of Policy, 
Programs and Legislative Initiatives, PIH, Department of Housing and 
Urban Development, 490 L'Enfant Plaza, Room 2206, Washington, DC 20024; 
telephone (202) 402-4109, (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department will submit the proposed

[[Page 5525]]

information collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended). This Notice 
is soliciting comments from members of the public and affected agencies 
concerning the proposed collection of information to: (1) Evaluate 
whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (2) evaluate the accuracy 
of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (3) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (4) minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology; e.g., permitting electronic submission 
of responses.
    This Notice also lists the following information:
    Title of Proposal: Public Housing Agency (PHA) 5-Year and Annual 
Plan.
    OMB Control Number, if applicable: 2577-0226.
    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use: The 
PHA Plan is a comprehensive guide to PHA policies, programs, 
operations, and strategies for meeting local housing needs and goals. 
The PHA Plan informs HUD, residents, and the public of the PHA's 
mission for serving the needs of low, very low-income, and extremely 
low-income families and its strategy for addressing those needs. This 
data allows HUD to monitor the performance of programs and the 
performance of public housing agencies that administer the programs. 
The PHA Plan is being revised to address, clarify and provide 
additional guidance on the submission requirements for qualified and 
non-qualified PHAs, as well as to address previous public comments. 
Section 2702 of Title VII--Small Public Housing Authorities Paperwork 
Reduction Act, of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) of 2008 
amends section 5A(b) of the 1937 Act by establishing ``qualified public 
housing agencies,'' a category of PHAs with less than 550 public 
housing units and tenant-based vouchers combined that are provided 
substantial paperwork relief, primarily with respect to the PHA Annual 
Plan requirements in section 5(A)(b) of the United States Housing Act 
of 1937. The paperwork relief exempts qualified PHAs from the 
requirement to prepare and submit an annual PHA plan to HUD for review.
    This Act impacts approximately seventy-four percent, or 2,994 of 
the 4,053 PHAs that are required to submit an annual PHA plan. In 
addition to the exemption from submitting annual plans for qualified 
agencies, because of the different annual plan submission requirements 
of agencies that are considered standard, high-performer, Housing 
Choice Voucher (HCV) only, small, and troubled within 24 CFR part 903, 
the existing approved forms were determined to be incompatible with the 
program requirements. Therefore, some previously approved forms have 
been separated into new forms that will be completed by different 
classes of PHAs. These changes also reflect recommendations made by the 
public in a previous information collection. Specifically, this 
information collection revises previously approved OMB forms HUD-50077-
SL and HUD-50077-CR; adds Certifications of Compliance with PHA Plans 
and Related Regulations (form HUD-50077-SM-HP and HUD-50077-ST-HCV) 
formerly appearing on form HUD 50077 as separate documents; deletes 
approved OMB form HUD-50075, and replaces that form with five new forms 
(form HUD-50075-5Y, HUD-50075-ST, HUD-50075-SM-HP, HUD-50075-HCV, and 
HUD-50075-QA).
    Qualified PHAs no longer submit information on discretionary 
programs (demolition or disposition, HOPE VI, Project-based vouchers, 
required or voluntary conversion, homeownership, or capital 
improvements, etc.) as part of an Annual PHA Plan submission. However, 
Qualified PHAs that intend to implement these activities are still 
subject to the full application and approval processes that exist for 
demolition or disposition, designated housing, conversion, 
homeownership, and other special application processes that will no 
longer be tied to prior authorization in an Annual PHA Plan for a 
Qualified PHA. All PHAs, including the PHAs identified as Qualified 
PHAs under HERA, must continue to submit any demolition or disposition, 
public housing conversion, homeownership, or other special applications 
as applicable to HUD's Special Applications Center (SAC) in Chicago for 
review and approval or to HUD Headquarters for CFFP proposals. It is 
expected that Qualified PHAs, as a matter of good business practice, 
continue to keep their residents, the general public, and the local HUD 
office apprised of any plans to initiate these types of programs and 
activities.
    Agency Form Number, if applicable: HUD-50075-5Y, HUD-50075-ST, HUD-
50075-SM-HP, HUD-50075-HCV, HUD-50075-QA, HUD-50075.1, HUD-50075.2, 
HUD-50077-ST-HCV, HUD-50077-SM-HP, HUD-50077-CR, HUD-50077-SL.
    Members of the Affected Public: Local, Regional and State Body 
Corporate Politic Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) Governments.
    Estimation of the total number of hours needed to prepare the 
information collection including number of respondents, frequency of 
response, and hours of response: The estimated number of annual burden 
hours needed to prepare the information collection is 20,290; estimated 
number of respondents is 4,053; the frequency of response is annually 
for all PHAs. All PHAs may submit updated PHA Plans when amending or 
modifying any PHA policy, rule, regulation or other aspect of the plan.
    Status of the Proposed Information Collection: Reinstatement, with 
change, of a previously approved collection.

    Authority:  Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended.

    Dated: January 26, 2012.
Merrie Nichol-Dixon,
Deputy Director for Office of Policy, Programs, and Legislative 
Initiatives.
[FR Doc. 2012-2481 Filed 2-2-12; 8:45 am]
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