[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 92 (Monday, May 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22344-22346]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-09730]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-6030-N-01]


Reducing Regulatory Burden; Enforcing the Regulatory Reform 
Agenda Under Executive Order 13777

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HUD.

ACTION: Notice; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with Executive Orders 13771, ``Reducing 
Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs,'' and

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13777, ``Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda,'' Improving Regulation 
and Regulatory Review,'' HUD is reviewing its existing regulations to 
assess their compliance costs and reduce regulatory burden. As required 
by Executive Order 13777, HUD is in the process of establishing a 
Regulatory Task Force charged with identifying agency regulations that 
should be repealed, replaced, or modified. As part of this review, HUD 
invites public comments to assist in identifying existing regulations 
that may be outdated, ineffective, or excessively burdensome. HUD's 
goal in conducting the review is to make the Department's regulations 
more effective and less burdensome in achieving HUD's mission to create 
strong, sustainable, inclusive communities, and quality affordable 
homes for all.

DATES: Comment Due Date: June 14, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this notice to the Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Room 
10276, Washington, DC 20410-0500. Communications must refer to the 
above docket number and title.
    Electronic Submission of Comments. Interested persons may submit 
comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
www.regulations.gov. HUD strongly encourages commenters to submit 
comments electronically. Electronic submission of comments allows the 
commenter maximum time to prepare and submit a comment, ensures timely 
receipt by HUD, and enables HUD to make them immediately available to 
the public. Comments submitted electronically through the 
www.regulations.gov Web site can be viewed by other commenters and 
interested members of the public. Commenters should follow the 
instructions provided on that site to submit comments electronically.

    Note:  To receive consideration as public comments, comments 
must be submitted through one of the two methods specified above. 
Again, all submissions must refer to the docket number and title of 
the notice.

    No Facsimile Comments. Facsimile (fax) comments are not acceptable.
    Public Inspection of Public Comments. All properly submitted 
comments and communications submitted to HUD will be available for 
public inspection and copying between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays at the 
above address. Due to security measures at the HUD Headquarters 
building, an appointment to review the public comments must be 
scheduled in advance by calling the Regulations Division at 202-708-
3055 (this is not a toll-free number). Individuals with speech or 
hearing impairments may access this number via TTY by calling the 
Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 (this is a toll-free number). 
Copies of all comments submitted are available for inspection and 
downloading at www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ariel Pereira, Associate General 
Counsel for Legislation and Regulations, Office of General Counsel, 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Suite 
10282, Washington, DC 20410; telephone number 202-402-5138 (this is not 
a toll-free number). Persons with hearing or speech impairments may 
access this number through TTY by calling the Federal Information Relay 
Service, toll-free, at 800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

A. HUD's Regulatory Mission

    HUD plays a significant role in the lives of families and in 
communities throughout America. HUD's mission is to create strong, 
sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for 
all. Consistent with that mission, HUD has statutory responsibility for 
a wide variety of regulations. HUD's regulatory programs and 
initiatives aid the creation of suitable living environments, and help 
to ensure that all citizens have access to decent, safe, and sanitary 
housing.

B. The Regulatory Reform Agenda: Executive Orders 13771 and 13777

    On January 30, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13771, 
entitled ``Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs.'' \1\ 
Executive Order 13771 provides that ``it is essential to manage the 
costs associated with the governmental imposition of private 
expenditures required to comply with Federal regulations.'' \2\ Toward 
that end, Executive Order 13771 directs that ``for every one new 
regulation issued, at least two prior regulations be identified for 
elimination.'' \3\
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    \1\ Executive Order 13771 was subsequently published in the 
Federal Register on February 3, 2017, at 82 FR 9339.
    \2\ Section 1 of Executive Order 13371.
    \3\ Id.
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    Consistent with these policy goals, on February 24, 2017, President 
Trump issued Executive Order 13777, entitled ``Enforcing the Regulatory 
Reform Agenda.'' \4\ The purpose of the Executive Order is to alleviate 
unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on the American people. Executive 
Order 13777 builds upon other Administration regulatory reform efforts 
and, in particular, the policy announced by the President in Executive 
Order 13771. Executive Order 13777 directs each agency to establish a 
Regulatory Task Force to evaluate existing regulations and identify 
those that may merit repeal, replacement, or modification. Section 3(d) 
of the Order provides that, at a minimum, each task force must attempt 
to identify regulations that:
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    \4\ The Executive Order was subsequently published in the 
Federal Register on March 1, 2017, at 82 FR 12285.
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    1. Eliminate jobs, or inhibit job creation;
    2. Are outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective;
    3. Impose costs that exceed benefits;
    4. Create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with 
regulatory reform initiatives and policies;
    5. Are inconsistent with the requirements of section 515 of the 
Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2001 (44 U.S.C. 
3516 note), or the guidance issued pursuant to that provision, in 
particular those regulations that rely in whole or in part on data, 
information, or methods that are not publicly available or that are 
insufficiently transparent to meet the standard for reproducibility; or
    6. Derive from or implement Executive Orders or other Presidential 
directives that have been subsequently rescinded or substantially 
modified.

II. This Notice--HUD's Implementation of Executive Order 13777

    HUD is in the process of establishing its Regulatory Task Force. As 
the Task Force commences its work, HUD seeks suggestions for specific 
current regulations that may be outdated, ineffective, or excessively 
burdensome, and, therefore, warranting repeal, replacement, or 
modification. Executive Order 13777 encourages such public input, 
providing that ``each Regulatory Reform Task Force shall seek input and 
other assistance, as permitted by law, from entities significantly 
affected by Federal regulations, including State, local, and tribal 
governments, small businesses, consumers, non-governmental 
organizations, and trade associations.'' \5\
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    \5\ Section 3(e) of Executive Order 13777.
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    The following is the list of topics on which HUD specifically seeks 
comments. The topics represent a preliminary attempt to identify issues

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raised by HUD's effort to evaluate and identify regulations that merit 
repeal, replacement, or modification. Comments should reference a 
specific regulation by citation to the Code of Federal Regulations, and 
provide information on the perceived problem and the rationale for any 
recommended solution. This is a nonexhaustive list that is meant to 
assist in the formulation of comments and is not intended to limit the 
issues that commenters may choose to address.
    1. Are there any regulations that should be repealed, replaced, or 
modified?
    2. For each regulation identified in question number 1, please 
identify whether the regulation:
    (a) Results in the elimination of jobs, or inhibits job creation;
    (b) Is outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective;
    (c) Imposes costs that exceed benefits;
    (d) Creates a serious inconsistency or otherwise interferes with 
regulatory reform initiatives and policies;
    (e) Is inconsistent with the requirements or regulations of section 
515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2001 (44 
U.S.C. 3516 note), which requires that agencies maximize the quality, 
objectivity, and integrity of the information (including statistical 
information) they disseminate; or
    (f) Derives from or implements Executive Orders or other 
Presidential directives that have been subsequently rescinded or 
substantially modified.
    3. What factors should HUD use when considering how to prioritize 
rules when implementing the regulatory offsets required by Executive 
Order 13771?
    4. Are there any HUD regulatory requirements that have been 
overtaken by technological developments? Can new technologies be used 
to modify, streamline, or do away with these requirements?
    5. Are there any existing HUD requirements that duplicate or 
conflict with requirements of another Federal agency? Can the 
requirement be modified to eliminate the conflict?
    6. What are the estimated total compliance costs of the HUD 
regulations to which you or your organization must comply? This should 
include the costs of complying with information collections, 
recordkeeping, and other requirements subject to the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3522).

    Dated: May 9, 2017.
Benjamin S. Carson, Sr.,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-09730 Filed 5-12-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4210-67-P