[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 244 (Friday, December 18, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82498-82499]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27891]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7029-N-11]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: The Rent Reform 
Demonstration

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and 
Research, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (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: February 16, 2021.

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: Anna P. Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW, Room 4176, Washington, DC 20410-5000; telephone 202-402-5534 
(this is not a toll-free number) or email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e2a38c8c83ccb2cca5978b868da28a9786cc858d94"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="38795656591668167f4d515c5778504d5c165f574e">[email protected]</span></a> 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: Anna P. Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW, Washington, DC 20410; email Anna P. Guido at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#de9fb0b0bff08ef099abb7bab19eb6abbaf0b9b1a8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="42032c2c236c126c05372b262d022a37266c252d34">[email protected]</span></a> or telephone 202-402-5535. 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 
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: The Rent Reform Demonstration: 6-
Year Long-Term Follow-Up.
    OMB Approval Number: 2528-0306.
    Type of Request (i.e., new, revision or extension of currently 
approved collection): Revision or extension of currently approved 
collection.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The 
Department is conducting this study under contract with MDRC and its 
subcontractors (The Bronner Group, Quadel Consulting Corporation, and 
the Urban Institute). The project is a random assignment trial of an 
alternative rent system. Families are randomly assigned to participate 
either in the new/alternative rent system or to continue in the current 
system. For voucher holders, outcomes of the alternative system are 
hypothesized to be increases in earnings, employment, and job retention 
among others. Random assignment will limit the extent to which 
selection bias drives observed results. The evaluation will document 
the progress of a group of housing voucher holders, who will be drawn 
from current residents, and the impact of the alternative rent system 
on the families as well as the administrative burden on Public Housing 
Agencies (PHAs). Three PHAs continue to participate in the long-term 
evaluation:
    (1) Lexington Housing Authority (LHA), Lexington, Kentucky;
    (2) Louisville Metro Housing Authority (LMHA), Louisville, 
Kentucky;
    (3) San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA), San Antonio, Texas; and
    Data collection efforts include the families that are part of the 
treatment and control groups, as well as PHA staff. Data will be 
gathered through a variety of methods including informational 
interviews and discussions, direct observation, and analysis of 
administrative records. The work

[[Page 82499]]

covered under this information request is for data collection proposed 
for the 6-year follow-up phase of the Rent Reform Demonstration.
    Respondents: Public housing agency administrators/staff managing or 
implementing the new rent policy and participants enrolled in the HUD 
Rent Reform Demonstration.
    Estimated Number of Respondents:
    <bullet> Public Housing Authority Staff: A maximum of 33.
    <bullet> Families with housing vouchers participating in the Rent 
Reform Demonstration: A maximum of 60.
    Estimated Time per Response: 90 to 120 minutes, depending on the 
interview.
    Frequency of Response: 1 interview.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 144 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $2,125.62
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: The data collection is conducted under Title 12, 
United States Code, Section.

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                                                                                                         Burden       Annual       Hourly
                Information collection                     Number of     Frequency of     Responses     hour per      burden      cost per       Cost
                                                          respondents      response       per annum     response      hours       response
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Study Participant Interviews and/or Focus Groups......              60               1            60          1.5           90    \1\ $7.25      $652.50
PHA Staff Interviews..................................              24               1            24          1.5           36    \2\ 26.67       960.12
Cost Study Data Collection Activities with PHA staff..               9               1             9            2           18    \3\ 28.50       513.00
                                                       -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.............................................              93  ..............  ............  ...........          144  ...........     2,125.62
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\1\ Households participating in the Rent Reform Demonstration will range widely in employment position and earnings. We have estimated the hourly wage
  at the expected prevailing minimum wage, which is $7.25 per hour in Kentucky and Texas. Moreover, we expect about 50 percent of the participants to be
  employed at the time of the field research (based on analysis of employment data for the study sample). Based on this, we assumed 50% of tenants would
  be working at the federal minimum wage.
\2\ For program staff participating in interviews, the estimate uses the median 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:


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                  Median hourly
                                   Occupation                                       SOC code        wage rate
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community and Social Service Specialist........................................         21-1099           $21.05
Social/community Service Manager...............................................         11-9151            32.28
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Source: Occupational Employment Statistics, accessed online November 20, 2020 at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm.
To estimate cost burden to program staff respondents, we use an average of the occupations listed, or $26.67/hr.
\3\ The Cost Study Data collection assumes 2 managers and 1 specialist will be interviewed by site.

    1701z and Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44, 
U.S.C., 35, as amended.

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.
    The General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and 
Research, Todd M. Richardson, having reviewed and approved this 
document, is delegating the authority to electronically sign this 
document to submitter, Nacheshia Foxx, who is the Federal Register 
Liaison for HUD, for purposes of publication in the Federal Register.

Nacheshia Foxx,
Federal Register Liaison for the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development.
[FR Doc. 2020-27891 Filed 12-17-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P


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