60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Opportunity Zone Grant Certification Form

AGENCY:

Office of Field Policy and Management, HUD.

ACTION:

Notice.

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: December 9, 2019.

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: Colette Pollard, Reports Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 4176, Washington, DC 20410-5000; telephone 202-402-3400 (this is not a toll-free number) or email at Colette.Pollard@hud.gov for a copy of the proposed forms or other available information. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Alex Stowe, Advisor, Field Policy and Management, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 20410; email alexander.d.stowe@hud.gov or telephone 202-402-5309. 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 Mr. Stowe.

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: Certification of Consistency With Opportunity Zone Initiative-Related Activity.

OMB Approval Number: 2501-.

Type of Request: New Collection.

Form Number: HUD-XXXX Certification for Opportunity Zone Preference Points.

Description of the need for the information and proposed use: This collection is a new collection regarding information for preference points in certain competitive federal grants and technical assistance applications. In accordance with Executive Order 13853, Establishing the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (“WHORC” or “Council”), signed by President Trump on December 12, 2018, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has added preference points to grants in an effort to strategically target investment in communities designated as Opportunity Zones. To ensure that HUD's resources are being used to further the mission of the Executive Order and the WHORC Implementation Plan (published April 17, 2019), HUD has drafted the proposed certification form. This form will certify that valuable HUD resources are in fact being targeted to and expended in America's most economically distressed areas, including Opportunity Zones. Additionally, it will enable HUD to gather and analyze the most accurate data regarding the use of taxpayer funds; specifically, how they are being utilized by our grantee partners to support the President's mission of revitalizing distressed communities. The collection of this information will help to guide the Department through future grant awards and inform HUD's strategy to maximize non-profit and private sector investment.

Additionally, pending approval of this form on HUD's behalf, we anticipate that the following Agencies will also implement this form: Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Justice, Health and Human Services, Labor, Transportation, Interior, Commerce, Energy, Veterans Affairs, the Small Business Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. Public and private investment in America's historically overlooked communities will be used to increase the supply of affordable housing to bolster economic development, support entrepreneurship, promote neighborhood safety, and expand employment and educational opportunities. For more information about the mission of the WHORC and to learn about the activities and vision of the federal agencies that comprise the Council, visit https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/Main/documents/WHORC-Implementation-Plan.pdf.

Respondents (i.e., affected public): HUD grant applicants applying for preference points for activities conducted within or benefiting designated Qualified Opportunity Zone census tracts.

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.