[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 186 (Wednesday, September 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66491-66492]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20982]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID: FEMA-2023-0015; OMB No. 1660-0040]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review, Comment Request; Standard Flood Hazard Determination Form 
(SFHDF)

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: 30-day notice of revision and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites 
the general public to take this opportunity to comment on a revision of 
a currently approved information collection. In accordance with the 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks 
comments concerning the conversion of this information collection to a 
common form, and the instrument under it which is used by Federally-
regulated lending institutions when making, increasing, extending, 
renewing or purchasing each loan for the purpose of determining whether 
flood insurance is required and available.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 27, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Bernstein, Insurance Specialist, 
Federal Insurance Directorate, Policyholder Services Division, 
Marketing and Outreach Branch at (303) 701-3595 or 
[email protected]. You may contact the Information 
Management Division for copies of the proposed collection of 
information at email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1365 of the National Flood Insurance 
Act of 1968 (NFIA) (42 U.S.C. 4104b), as added by section 528 of the 
National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-325, Title V), 
requires that FEMA develop a standard hazard determination form for 
recording the determination of whether a structure is located within an 
identified Special Flood Hazard Area and whether flood insurance is 
available. Regulated lending institutions, Federal agency lenders, the 
Federal National Mortgage Association, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage 
Corporation, and the Government National Mortgage Association must 
complete this form for any loan made, increased, extended, renewed or 
purchased by these entities. The requirement for Federally-regulated 
lending institutions to determine whether a building or mobile home 
securing a loan is located in an area having special flood hazards and 
whether flood insurance is available has been in effect since the 
enactment of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, although the 
use of a standard form was not required until the enactment of the 
section 1365 of the NFIA. The establishment of the SFHDF has enabled 
lenders to provide consistent information.
    This proposed information collection previously published in the 
Federal Register on June 7, 2023, at 88 FR 37259 with a 60-day public 
comment period. FEMA received two public comments. One comment 
requested FEMA to finalize the release of the instrument without change 
by the expiration date and the other comment noted that FEMA must 
provide the instrument for Federal agencies and others in the private 
sector to use, but FEMA does not collect any information itself and 
recommended that FEMA discontinue this information collection and have 
the other Federal agencies that actually require the use of the form to 
collect information from the public to create and submit their own 
information collections for OMB's approval.
    FEMA is converting this information collection into a common form 
collection to reflect more accurately that FEMA is providing this 
instrument pursuant to statutory mandate for other entities (including 
other Federal agencies) to use and that FEMA does not use the 
instrument to collect any information from the public. Other Federal 
agencies will be able to request approval from OMB to use the common 
form instrument under this information collection. FEMA will submit 
this revision to OMB before the current expiration date of September 
30, 2023, to prevent the current collection from expiring until OMB can 
review and approve this conversion. The purpose of this notice is to 
notify the public that FEMA will submit the information collection 
abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget for review and 
clearance.

Collection of Information

    Title: Standard Flood Hazard Determination Form (SFHDF).
    Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    OMB Number: 1660-0040.
    FEMA Forms: FEMA Instruction FI-206-FY-22-102, Standard Flood 
Hazard Determination Form (SFHDF); FEMA Form FF-206-FY-21-116 (formerly 
086-0-32), Standard Flood Hazard Determination Form (SFHDF).
    Abstract: This instrument is used by Federally-regulated lending 
institutions, Federal agency lenders, the Federal National Mortgage 
Association, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and the 
Government National Mortgage Association. Federally-regulated lending 
institutions complete this form when making, increasing, extending, 
renewing or purchasing each loan for the purpose is of determining 
whether flood insurance is required and available. FEMA is responsible 
for maintaining the form and making it available but does not collect 
any information itself.
    Affected Public: Federal Government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost: $29.
    Estimated Respondents' Operation and Maintenance Costs: $0.
    Estimated Respondents' Capital and Start-Up Costs: $0.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Federal Government: $1,764.

Comments

    Comments may be submitted as indicated in the ADDRESSES caption 
above. Comments are solicited to (a) evaluate whether the proposed data 
collection is necessary for the proper performance of the Agency, 
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) 
evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) minimize the burden 
of the collection of information on those

[[Page 66492]]

who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.

Millicent Brown Wilson,
Records Management Branch Chief, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, Mission Support, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2023-20982 Filed 9-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-52-P