[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17862-17864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05175]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7090-N-04]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Moving to Work 
Stepped and Tiered Rent Demonstration Evaluation, OMB Control No.: 
2528-0339

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.

DATES: Comments Due Date: May 13, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection can be submitted within 60 days of publication 
of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this 
particular information collection by selecting, ``Currently under 60-
day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. 
Interested persons are also invited to submit comments regarding this 
proposal by name and/or OMB Control Number and can be sent to: Anna 
Guido, Reports Management Officer, REE, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 8210, Washington, DC 20410-5000 or 
email at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street 
SW, Washington, DC 20410; email; [email protected]; telephone (202) 
402-5535 (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 speech or 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 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: 2528-0339.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    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), review the informed consent 
form, 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 and reviewing the 
consent form is expected to take approximately 11 minutes.
    MDRC will also conduct interviews with staff from participating 
PHAs, to better understand their experience implementing the new rent 
policies. For

[[Page 17863]]

the first phase of the evaluation, MDRC is expected to conduct two 
rounds of staff interviews with each PHA. 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 second round will focus on 
staff most directly involved with implementing the new rent policies 
(public housing and HCV directors and/or managers, and public housing 
and HCV specialists). The mode in Round 1will be a mix of one-on-one 
interviews and group interviews, with small groups of 2-3 staff 
performing similar roles. The mode in Round 2 will be group interviews, 
with groups of 2-4 staff performing similar roles.
    MDRC will collect data extracts that will include a small subset of 
data elements captured by the PHAs exclusively for the demonstration, 
called the ``Rent Policy Implementation Data Tracking Tool.'' MDRC will 
collect these data fields along with MTW Expansion 50058 data, which is 
collected under OMB control number 2577-0083, directly from PHAs during 
the early implementation period to ensure that the new rent rules are 
being implemented correctly and throughout the demonstration to track 
hardship requests and collect updated contact information for ongoing 
communications and reminders about the demonstration and for potential 
follow-up surveys.
    Respondents (i.e., affected public): 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 in a 
first round (which occurred in 2023) and up to 120 PHA staff 
interviewees in a second round of data collection with staff.
    Frequency of Response: Once (BIF); Once for staff included in Round 
1 staff interviews; Once for staff included in Round 2 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, in Round 1. Round 2 staff interviews will take up to 90 
minutes.
    Total Estimated Burdens:

 
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                                                                                                         Burden       Annual       Hourly
                    Information collection                      Number of    Frequency    Responses     hour per      burden      cost per   Annual cost
                                                               respondents  of response   per annum     response      hours       response
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Baseline Information Form (household survey).................       24,000            1       24,000          .12        2,880        $9.43   $27,158.40
Stepped Rent Informed Consent Form...........................        7,000            1        7,000          .18        1,260         9.43    11,881.80
Tiered Rent Informed Consent Form............................       17,000            1       17,000          .18        3,060         9.43    28,855.80
PHA Executive Director Interviews (Round 1)..................           10            1           10          .75          7.5        59.86       448.95
PHA Program Director Interviews (Round 1)....................           20            1           20          1.5           30        44.24     1,327.20
PHA MTW Coordinator Interviews (Round 1).....................           10            1           10          .75          7.5        44.24       331.80
PHA Housing Specialist Interviews (Round 1)..................           60            1           60          1.5           90        25.64     2,307.60
Rent Policy Implementation Data Tracking Tool................           10            1           10            9           90        25.64     2,307.60
PHA Program Director/Manager Interviews (Round 2)............           40            1           40          1.5           60        46.83     2,809.80
PHA Housing Specialist Interviews (Round 2)..................           80            1           80          1.5          120        27.00     3,240.00
                                                              ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total....................................................       48,230  ...........  ...........  ...........        7,605  ...........    80,668.95
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    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.
    For program staff participating in interviews in Round 1, the 
estimate uses the mean 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 in the ``Local Government, excluding 
Schools and Hospitals'' industry are:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Mean hourly wage
            Occupation                   SOC code             rate
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community and Social Service                  21-1099             $25.64
 Specialist.......................
Social and Community Service                  11-9151              44.24
 Manager..........................
Chief Executives..................            11-1011              59.86
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Source: Occupational Employment Statistics, accessed online December 20,
  2021 at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm.

    For program staff participating in interviews in Round 2, the 
estimate uses the mean 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:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Mean hourly wage
            Occupation                   SOC code             rate
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community and Social Service                  21-1099             $27.00
 Specialist (Local Government)....
Social/community Service Manager              11-9151              46.83
 (Local Government)...............
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: 2022 Occupational Employment Statistics, accessed online
  December 21, 2023 at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm.


[[Page 17864]]

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 comments in response to 
these questions.

C. Authority

    Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
3507.

Todd M. Richardson,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Development and 
Research.
[FR Doc. 2024-05175 Filed 3-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P