[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67076-67078]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-25655]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7041-N-06]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Moving To Work 
Stepped and Tiered Rent Demonstration Evaluation

AGENCY: Office of 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.

[[Page 67077]]


DATES: Comments Due Date: January 24, 2022.

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: Anna P. Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW, Room 4176, Washington, DC 20410-5000; telephone 202-402-5534 
(this is not a toll-free number) or email at [email protected] for a 
copy of the proposed forms or other available information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna P. Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW, Washington, DC 20410; email Anna P. Guido at 
[email protected] or telephone 202-402-5535. 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. Guido.

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: Moving to Work (MTW) Cohort 2 
Stepped and Tiered Rent Demonstration Evaluation.
    OMB Approval Number: Pending.
    Type of Request: New.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: HUD 
has selected 10 Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to participate in the 
second cohort of the Moving to Work (MTW) Expansion, Stepped and Tiered 
Rent Demonstration (STRD). These PHAs will implement an alternative 
rent policy (a stepped rent or tiered rent) that is intended to reduce 
PHA administrative burden and increase self-sufficiency of assisted 
households. Five PHAs will implement a stepped rent and five PHAs will 
implement a tiered rent. HUD's Office of Policy Development and 
Research (PD&R) will evaluate the impacts of those alternative rent 
policies, using a randomized controlled trial. The evaluation will rely 
on data from a variety of sources, including new information collection 
efforts proposed in this Notice. HUD has contracted with MDRC to 
conduct the first phase of the evaluation, including random assignment, 
baseline data collection, and monitoring PHA implementation.
    Within the 10 participating PHAs, eligible households will be 
randomly assigned to have their rent calculated under the new rules 
(stepped/tiered rent) or old rules (the Brooke rent, typically 30% of 
household income). Eligible households will be non-elderly, non-
disabled participants in the public housing and housing choice voucher 
program. Prior to random assignment, each household will be asked to 
complete a baseline information form (BIF) and provide informed consent 
to authorize HUD's evaluator to use their data for the evaluation. The 
BIF will provide important information not otherwise available from 
HUD's administrative data, such as whether the household has 
significant barriers to employment. The BIF will average approximately 
7 minutes long.
    MDRC will also conduct interviews with staff from participating 
PHAs, to better understand their experience implementing the new rent 
policies. For the first phase of the evaluation, MDRC is expected to 
conduct two rounds of staff interviews with each PHA. This collection 
request focuses on the first of the two rounds of staff data 
collection. During the first round, MDRC expects to interview up to ten 
staff per PHA (reflecting a mix of executive management staff, public 
housing and HCV directors, and public housing and HCV specialists). The 
mode will be a mix of one-on-one interviews and group interviews, with 
small groups of 2-3 staff performing similar roles.
    Respondents: Recipients of HUD housing assistance participating in 
the Stepped and Tiered Rent Demonstration; Staff with PHAs 
participating in the Demonstration.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: Up to 25,000 study participants 
who will complete the baseline survey; 100 PHA staff interviewees.
    Frequency of Response: Once (BIF); Once for staff included in Round 
1 staff interviews.
    Average Hours per Response: The BIF will take 7 minutes per 
response (.12 hour). PHA staff interviews will take one hour, on 
average.

                                                                 Total Estimated Burdens
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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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Baseline Information Form                   25,000               1          25,000             .12           3,000           $9.43  $14,145 (12,500
 (household survey).                                                                                                                 Employed sample
                                                                                                                                     members * $9.43 *
                                                                                                                                     0.12 hour).
PHA staff interviews..............             100               1             100               1             100           34.64  $3,464 (100
                                                                                                                                     interviews * $34.64
                                                                                                                                     * 1 hr).
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    Total.........................          25,100  ..............  ..............  ..............           3,100  ..............  $17,609
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    For the Baseline Information Form Hourly Cost Per Response, 
Households in the STRD will range widely in employment position and 
earnings. We have estimated the average prevailing minimum hourly wage 
across the ten STRD sites at $9.43, and further assume that about 50 
percent of the participants to be employed at the time of survey 
response.
    For the PHA staff interviews Hourly Cost Per Response, 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:

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                     Occupation                                 SOC code                Mean hourly wage rate
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Community and Social Service Specialist.............                       21-1099                        $25.64
Social/community Service Manager....................                       11-9151                         44.24
Chief Executives....................................                       11-1011                         59.86
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Source: Occupational Employment Statistics, accessed online September 29, 2021 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 weighted by
  expected respondent distribution for those listed above, or $34.64/hr.

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.
    The General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and 
Research,
    Todd M. Richardson, having reviewed and approved this document, is 
delegating the authority to electronically sign this document to 
submitter, Chaneeka Dessesow, who is the Federal Register Liaison for 
HUD, for purposes of publication in the Federal Register.

Chaneeka Dessesow,
Federal Register Liaison for the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development.
[FR Doc. 2021-25655 Filed 11-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P