[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 163 (Thursday, August 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52208-52209]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-20520]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. 5685-N-03]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection Section 3 
Business Registry Surveys

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment 
from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. 
The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment.

DATES: Comments Due Date: October 21, 2013.

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: Colette Pollard, Reports 
Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
451 7th Street SW., Room 4176, Washington, DC 20410-5000; telephone 
202-402-3400 (this is not a toll-free number) or email at 
[email protected] for a copy of the proposed forms or other 
available information. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may 
access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay 
Service at (800) 877-8339.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Staci Gilliam, Director, Economic 
Opportunity Division, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Room 
5236, Washington DC 20410; telephone (202) 402-3468. (This is not a 
toll-free number.) Hearing or speech-impaired individuals may access 
this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service 
at 1-800-877-8399.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, as 
amended by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 (Section 
3), contributes to the establishment of stronger, more sustainable 
communities by requiring recipients of certain HUD financial 
assistance, to the greatest extent feasible, to provide training and 
job opportunities generated by such financial assistance to local low- 
and very low-income persons and to award contracts to eligible 
businesses that substantially employ those persons. HUD is statutorily 
charged with the authority and responsibility for implementing and 
enforcing Section 3.

[[Page 52209]]

Recipients of HUD funding that is subject to the requirements of 
Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 are 
required, to the greatest extent feasible, to meet the minimum 
numerical goals for employment and contracting set forth in the Section 
3 regulation at 24 CFR 135.30.
    In November 2011, HUD launched the Section 3 Business Registry 
Pilot program in five metropolitan areas--Detroit, New Orleans, Los 
Angeles, Miami, and Washington, DC as a resource to help agencies that 
receive certain HUD funds to meet their Section 3 obligations at 24 CFR 
part 135 (OMB Approval 2529-0052).
    HUD's Section 3 Business Registry is based on similar federal 
business registries maintained by the Small Business Administration 
(SBA) and the Veterans Administration. It allows firms that meet one of 
the three regulatory definitions of a Section 3 Business to self-
certify their eligibility with HUD. Once registered, these firms are 
placed into a searchable online database of Section 3 Businesses that 
interested parties such as public housing authorities, local government 
agencies, contractors, and others can use to notify these entities 
about the availability of certain HUD-funded contracts.
    This information collection consists of two surveys that assess the 
overall effectiveness of the Section 3 Business Registry. The first 
survey measures the outcomes of the pilot program for Section 3 
Businesses that have registered with HUD. The second survey, evaluates 
feedback from recipients of HUD funding in the five pilot locations on 
the usefulness of the Section 3 Business Registry. Both surveys will be 
issued via web-based survey sites such as www.Surveymonkey.com and will 
produce information that may be useful to HUD for developing policies 
regarding the Section 3 Business Registry. Responding to these surveys 
is voluntary.
    On April 16, 2013, HUD was granted six-month emergency approval for 
this information collection by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB 
approval 2529-0053). At this time, HUD is requesting 3-year approval 
pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act. HUD solicits comment in the 
following areas outlined in Section A on the information collection 
described in Section B.

A. Solicitation of Public Comment

    This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected parties concerning the collection of information described in 
Section B on the following:
    (1) 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) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) Ways to 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.
    HUD encourages interested parties to submit comment in response to 
these questions.

B. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Proposal: Section 3 Business Registry Surveys
    Office: Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
    OMB Control Number: 2529-0053
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: This 
information collection contains two surveys that will provide insights 
into the effectiveness of the Section 3 Business Registry and assess 
potential outcomes. This information may be useful to HUD for 
developing policies regarding the Section 3 Business Registry.
    This information collection will be limited to businesses that have 
self-certified their Section 3 eligibility to HUD and recipients of HUD 
funding (i.e., Public Housing Authorities and local government 
agencies). The surveys will be sent electronically to all certified 
businesses in the Section 3 Business Registry database and HUD funding 
recipients in an effort to produce the greatest amount of responses. 
Random sampling will not be used to identify potential respondents. 
Respondents will have a minimum of 60 days to respond to the surveys. 
Responding to these surveys is voluntary.
    Agency form numbers, if applicable: Form HUD 968 and Form HUD 969
    Members of affected public: Businesses that are either owned by, or 
substantially employ, low- or very low-income persons; low-income 
persons; developers; members of the general public; public housing 
agencies; and State and local governments.
    Estimation of the total numbers of hours needed to prepare the 
information collection including number of respondents, frequency of 
response, and hours of response: At this time, there are approximately 
800 businesses in the five pilot locations that have self-certified 
their eligibility with HUD and 150 HUD-funding recipients in the five 
pilot areas may complete the Section 3 surveys. It is estimated that 
each survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete for a total 
of 475 hours.
    Status of the proposed information collection: Active

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

    Dated: August 13, 2013.
Bryan Greene,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
[FR Doc. 2013-20520 Filed 8-21-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P