[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 71 (Tuesday, April 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20007-20009]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08538]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5837-N-01]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Rent Reform 
Demonstration (Task Order 2)

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and 
Research, 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: June 15, 2015.

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 
202-402-5564 (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: Colette Pollard, Reports Management 
Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW., Washington, DC 20410; email Colette Pollard at 
[email protected] or telephone 202-402-3400. This is not a toll-
free number. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this 
number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at 
(800) 877-8339.
    Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained from 
Ms. Pollard.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice informs the public that HUD is 
seeking approval from OMB for the information collection described in 
Section A.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Information Collection: Rent Reform Demonstration.
    Type of Request: Revision of existing collection (OMB#2528-0306).
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The 
Department is conducting this study under contract with MDRC and its 
subcontractors (Branch Associates, The Bronner Group, Quadel Consulting 
Corporation, and the Urban Institute). The project is a random 
assignment trial of an alternative rent system. Families will be 
randomly assigned to participate either in the new/alternative rent 
system or to continue in the current system. For voucher holders, 
outcomes of the alternative system are hypothesized to be increases in 
earnings, employment and job retention, among others. Random assignment 
will limit the extent to which selection bias drives observed results. 
The demonstration will document the progress of a group of housing 
voucher holders, who will be drawn from current residents. The intent 
is to gain an understanding of the impact of the alternative rent 
system on the families as well as the administrative burden on Public 
Housing Agencies (PHAs). Four PHAs currently participating in the 
Moving to Work (MtW) Demonstration are participating in the 
demonstration:
    (1) Lexington Housing Authority (LHA), Lexington, Kentucky;
    (2) Louisville Metro Housing Authority (LMHA), Louisville, 
Kentucky;
    (3) San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA), San Antonio, Texas; and
    (4) District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA), Washington, DC
    Data collection will include the families that are part of the 
treatment and control groups, as well as PHA staff. Data for this 
evaluation will be gathered through a variety of methods including 
informational interviews and discussions, direct observation, and 
analysis of administrative records. The work covered under this 
information request is for data collection proposed under the first of 
two required OMB submissions of the Task Order 2 of the Rent Reform 
Demonstration.
    Respondents: 156.
    This includes:
     Public Housing Authority Staff: Up to 44 (i.e., assuming 
up to 11 staff at up to 4 PHAs).
     Families with housing vouchers participating in the Rent 
Reform Demonstration, up to 80.

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                                   Number of       Frequency of     Responses  per     Burden  hour     Annual  burden     Hourly cost
    Information collection        respondents        response            annum         per response          hours        per  response    Annual cost
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Study Participant Interviews   80 participants   Once............  One.............  90 minutes, on    120 (80 * 1.5)..        \1\$8.13  $487.80 (40
 and/or Focus Groups.           (20                                                   average (1.5                                        employed
                                participants *                                        hours).                                             sample members
                                4 sites).                                                                                                 * $8.13 * 1.5
                                                                                                                                          hours).

[[Page 20008]]

 
PHA Staff Interviews.........  32 staff (8       Once............  One.............  90 minutes, on    48 hours (32 *          \3\24.33  1,167.84 (32
                                staff \2\ * 4                                         average (or 1.5   1.50).                            staff * $24.33
                                sites).                                               hours).                                             * 1.5 hours).
Housing Authority Database     4 staff (1 staff  8 responses in    Four in 2015,     60 minutes, on    16 hours (4             \4\33.58  537.28 (4 staff
 Extraction Activities by PHA   * 4 sites).       the covered       two in 2016,      average (or 1     staff * 1 hour                    * $33.58 * 1
 staff.                                           period (monthly   one in 2017,      hour).            * 4 responses                     hour * 4
                                                  through January   one in 2018.                        in 2015).                         responses in
                                                  2015, then                                                                              2015).
                                                  annually
                                                  through 2018).
Cost Study Data Collection     8 staff (2 staff  Three times over  One.............  120 minutes, on   16 hours (8                33.58  537.28 (8 staff
 Activities with PHA staff.     * 4 sites).       the covered                         average (or 2     staff * 2                         * $33.58 * 2
                                                  period.                             hours).           hours).                           hours).
Interviews to understand       32 staff (8       Four times......  Up to four times  30-60 minutes     128 hours (4 one-          24.33  2,983 (32 staff
 implementation of new rent     staff * 4                                             (or .5 to 1       hour meetings *                   * $24.33 * 1
 model. Includes meetings       sites).                                               hours)            32 staff).                        hour * 4
 with PHA staff for technical                                                         Incorporated                                        meetings).
 assistance purposes.                                                                 into technical
                                                                                      assistance,
                                                                                      monitoring
                                                                                      visits and
                                                                                      follow-up.
                              --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    TOTAL....................  156.............  ................  ................  ................  328.............  ..............  $5,844.44
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\1\ Households participating in the Rent Reform Demonstration will range widely in employment position and earnings. We have estimated the hourly wage
  at the expected prevailing minimum wage, which is $7.25 per hour in Kentucky and Texas. The hourly minimum wage in the District of Columbia is
  expected to be $10.50 by Q3 of 2015. (Source: District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, http://does.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/does/page_content/attachments/DC%20Minimum%20Wage%20Increase%20-%20DC%/20Register%20Public%20Notice.pdf.) Accordingly, we assume an hourly rate across
  all sites of $8.13 that represents an average of these two rates, weighted by the pledged sample at each site. (2,000 pledged participants in
  Washington, DC and 5,400 pledged in the remaining sites.) Moreover, we expect about 50 percent of the participants to be employed at the time of study
  entry. A recent report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, some 55 percent of non-elderly, non-disabled households receiving voucher
  assistance reported earned income in 2010. The typical (median) annual earnings for these families were $15,600, only slightly more than the pay from
  full-time, year-round minimum-wage work. (http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3634). Based on this, we assumed 50% of tenants would be working at the
  federal minimum wage.
\2\ Number of PHA staff interviews could increase if the housing agency deploys more staff to work on activities related to Rent Reform implementation.
\3\ For program staff participating in interviews, the estimate uses the median hourly wages of selected occupations (classified by Standard
  Occupational Classification (SOC) codes) was sourced from the Occupational Employment Statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor
  Statistics. Potentially relevant occupations and their median hourly wages are:


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Median  hourly
               Occupation                    SOC Code        wage rate
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Community and Social Service Specialist.         21-1099          $19.26
Social/community Service Manager........         11-9151           29.40
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Source: Occupational Employment Statistics, accessed online March 20,
  2015 at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm.
 
To estimate cost burden to program staff respondents, we use an average
  of the occupations listed, or $24.33/hr.
\4\ For program staff supporting data extraction activities, the
  estimate uses the median hourly wages of selected relevant occupations
  in a manner similar to the above. A standard wage assumption of $33.58
  was created by averaging median hourly wage rates for these
  occupations:


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Median  hourly
               Occupation                    SOC Code        wage rate
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Database Administrator..................         15-1141          $37.75
Social/community Service Manager........         11-9151           29.40
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Source: Occupational Employment Statistics, accessed online March 22,
  2015 at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm.


[[Page 20009]]

B. 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 A 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.

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

    Dated: April 2, 2015.
Katherine O'Regan,
Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.
[FR Doc. 2015-08538 Filed 4-13-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4210-67-P