[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 66 (Thursday, April 6, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 20442-20443]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07369]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

24 CFR Parts 5, 91, 92, 93, 570, 574, 576, 903, and 983

[Docket No. FR-6250-N-02]
RIN 2529-AB05


Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing; Extension of Comment 
Period

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development (HUD).

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: On February 9, 2023, HUD published in the Federal Register a 
notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ``Affirmatively Furthering Fair 
Housing'', proposing to implement the obligation to affirmatively 
further the purposes and policies of the Fair Housing Act, which is 
title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, with respect to certain 
recipients of HUD funds. The proposed rule provided for a 60-day 
comment period, which would have ended April 10, 2023. HUD has 
determined that a 14-day extension of the comment period, until April 
24, 2023, is appropriate. This extension will allow interested persons 
additional time to analyze the proposal and prepare their comments.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule published on February 
9, 2023, at 88 FR 8516, is extended. Comments should be received on or 
before April 24, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposed rule 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. There are two methods for submitting 
public comments. All submissions must refer to the above docket number 
and title.
    1. Submission of Comments by Mail. Comments may be submitted by 
mail to the Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, Department 
of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 10276, 
Washington, DC 20410-0500.
    2. 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 website 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 
rule.

    No Facsimile Comments: Facsimile (FAX) comments are not acceptable.
    Public Inspection of 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 advance 
appointment to review the public comments must be scheduled by calling 
the Regulations Division at 202-402-3055 (this is not a toll-free 
number). HUD welcomes and is prepared to receive calls from individuals 
who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as individuals with 
communication disabilities. To learn more about how to make an 
accessible telephone call, please visit https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs. Copies of all comments 
submitted are available for inspection and downloading at 
www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tiffany Johnson, Director, Policy and 
Legislative Initiatives Division, Office of Fair Housing and Equal 
Opportunity, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW, Room 5250, Washington, DC 20410-8000, telephone number 202-
402-2881 (this is not a toll-free number). Individuals who are deaf or 
hard of hearing and individuals with speech impairments may access this 
number via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay

[[Page 20443]]

Service during working hours at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 9, 2023, at 88 FR 8516, HUD 
published a notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ``Affirmatively 
Furthering Fair Housing'', proposing to implement the obligation to 
affirmatively further the purposes and policies of the Fair Housing Act 
with respect to certain recipients of HUD funds (the proposed rule). 
The Fair Housing Act not only prohibits discrimination, but also 
directs HUD to ensure that the agency and its program participants will 
proactively take meaningful actions to overcome patterns of 
segregation, promote fair housing choice, eliminate disparities in 
housing-related opportunities, and foster inclusive communities that 
are free from discrimination.
    The proposed rule builds on the steps previously taken in HUD's 
2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) final rule (``2015 
AFFH Rule'') \1\ to implement the AFFH obligation and ensure that 
Federal funding is used in a systematic way to further the policies and 
goals of the Fair Housing Act. HUD proposed to retain much of the 2015 
AFFH Rule's core planning process, with certain improvements such as a 
more robust community engagement requirement, a streamlined required 
analysis, greater transparency, and an increased emphasis on goal 
setting and measuring progress. It also includes mechanisms to hold 
program participants accountable for achieving positive fair housing 
outcomes and complying with their obligation to affirmatively further 
fair housing, modeled after those processes under other Federal civil 
rights statutes that apply to recipients of Federal financial 
assistance.
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    \1\ 80 FR 42271.
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    While the proposed rule had a 60-day comment period, HUD has 
received feedback from multiple commenters requesting additional time 
to review and provide comments on this rule. Therefore, HUD is 
extending the deadline for comments for an additional 14 days.

Aaron Santa Anna,
Associate General Counsel for Legislation and Regulations.
[FR Doc. 2023-07369 Filed 4-4-23; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P