[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55275-55277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14624]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7080-N-29]


30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Stepped and 
Tiered Rent Demonstration Evaluation OMB Control No.: 2528-0339

AGENCY: Office of Policy Development and Research, Chief Data Officer, 
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 an additional 30 days of 
public comment.

DATES: Comments Due Date: August 2, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. 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. Interested 
persons are also invited to submit comments regarding this proposal and 
comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB Control Number 
and should be sent to: Anna Guido, Clearance Officer, REE, Department 
of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 8210, 
Washington, DC 20410-5000; email [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna P. Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, REE, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW, Room 8210, 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

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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.
    The Federal Register notice that solicited public comment on the 
information collection for a period of 60 days was published on March 
12, 2024 at 89 FR 17862.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Information Collection: 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 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.

                                                            Exhibit A--Total Estimated Burden
            [Note: Rows 1 through 8 are unchanged from the previously approved ICR. Rows 9 and 10 are being added with this ICR modification]
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                                                                                                      Burden hour     Annual    Hourly cost
                    Information collection                      Number of    Frequency    Responses       per         burden        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 Managers/Supervisors/Policy Informants Interview Guide              40            1           40          1.5           60        46.83     2,809.80
 (Round 2)...................................................
Housing Specialist and Property Manager Interview Guide                 80            1           80          1.5          120        27.00     3,240.00
 (Round 2)...................................................
                                                              ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total....................................................       48,230  ...........  ...........  ...........        7,605  ...........    80,668.95
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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

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information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of 
responses.
    (5) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    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. 
Chapter 35.

Anna P. Guido,
Department Reports Management Office, Office of Policy Development and 
Research, Chief Data Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-14624 Filed 7-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P