Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 122 / Monday, June 25, 2018 / Notices 29529 

throughout the United States. The fruits 

and vegetables regulations allow the 

importation of commercial shipments of 

fresh longan with stems from Taiwan 

into the United States. As a condition of 

entry, the longan will be subject to cold 

treatment and special port-of-arrival 

inspection procedures for certain 

quarantine pests. 

Need and Use of the Information: 

APHIS will use the following 

information collection activities to 

allow the import of commercial 

shipment of fresh longan with stems 

from Taiwan into the United States: 

Phytosanitary Certificate, Inspection by 

NPPOs in Taiwan, Stamping of Boxes 

and Emergency Action Notification. 

Failing to collect this information would 

cripple APHIS ability to ensure that 

longan from Taiwan are not carrying 

plant pests. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for-profits; Federal 

Government. 

Number of Respondents: 2. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

On occasion. 

Total Burden Hours: 33. 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

Title: Importation of Fresh Pitaya 

Fruit from Central America into the 

Continental United States. 

OMB Control Number: 0579–0378. 

Summary of Collection: Under the 

Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701– 

7772), the Secretary of Agriculture is 

authorized to carry out operations or 

measures to detect, eradicate, suppress, 

control, prevent, or retard the spread of 

plant pests new to the United States or 

not known to be widely distributed 

throughout the United States. The 

regulations ‘‘Subpart-Fruit and 

Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56–1 through 

319 56–71), prohibit or restrict the 

importation of fruits and vegetables into 

the United States from certain parts of 

the world to prevent the introduction 

and dissemination of plant pests that are 

not widely distributed within the 

United States. The Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

allows the importation of fresh pitaya 

fruit from Central America into the 

continental United States. 

Need and Use of the Information: The 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service uses the following activities to 

collect information: Production Site 

Certification, Production Site 

Registration, Review and Maintain 

Documents, Registration of 

Packinghouses, Packinghouse 

Inspections and Investigations, Bilateral 

Workplans, Records of Fruit Fly 

Detections and Update Records, 

Shipping Documents Identifying the 

Places of Production, Phytosanitary 

Certificates with Additional 

Declarations, Box Markings, Production 

Site Training Program, Emergency 

Action Notifications, and Notices of 

Arrival. If the information is not 

collected, APHIS’ ability to protect the 

United States from plant pest would be 

severely compromised. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for-profit; Federal Government. 

Number of Respondents: 66. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting, 

Recordkeeping, Third-party disclosure: 

On occasion. 

Total Burden Hours: 1,289. 

Ruth Brown, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2018–13551 Filed 6–22–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

Notice of Solicitation of Applications 

for the Section 533 Housing 

Preservation Grants for Fiscal Year 

2018 

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service 

(RHS), an Agency within Rural 

Development, announces that it is 

soliciting competitive applications 

under its Housing Preservation Grant 

(HPG) program. This action is taken to 

comply with Agency regulations which 

requires the Agency to announce the 

opening and closing dates for receipt of 

pre-applications for HPG funds from 

eligible applicants. 

The Agency has published the 

amount of funding received in the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 

(Pub. L. 115–141, March 23, 2018) on its 

website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

newsroom/notices-solicitationapplications-nosas. Expenses incurred 

in developing applications will be at the 

applicant’s risk. 

DATES: The closing deadline for receipt 

of all pre-applications in response to 

this Notice is 5:00 p.m., local time for 

each Rural Development State Office on 

August 9, 2018 regardless of delivery 

method (hand delivered, electronic, 

mail, or a combination thereof). Rural 

Development State Office locations can 

be found at: http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

contact-us/state-offices. RHS will not 

consider any application that is received 

after the closing deadline. Applicants 

intending to mail applications must 

provide sufficient time to permit 

delivery on or before the closing 

deadline date and time. Acceptance by 

the United States Postal Service or 

private mailer does not constitute 

delivery. Facsimile (FAX) and postage 

due applications will not be accepted. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

general information, applicants may 

contact Bonnie Edwards-Jackson, 

Finance and Loan Analyst, MultiFamily Housing Preservation and Direct 

Loan Division, USDA Rural 

Development, STOP 0781, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–0781, telephone (202) 690– 

0759 (voice) (this is not a toll-free 

number) or (800) 877–8339 (TDDFederal Information Relay Service) or 

via email at, bonnie.edwards@

wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Preface 

The Agency encourages applications 

that will help improve life in rural 

America. See information on the 

Interagency Task Force on Agriculture 

and Rural Prosperity found at 

www.usda.gov/ruralprosperity. 

Applicants are encouraged to consider 

projects that provide measurable results 

in helping rural communities build 

robust and sustainable economies 

through strategic investments in 

infrastructure, partnerships and 

innovation. Key strategies include: 

• Achieving e-Connectivity for Rural 

America 

• Developing the Rural Economy 

• Harnessing Technological Innovation 

• Supporting a Rural Workforce 

• Improving Quality of Life 

Overview 

Federal Agency Name: USDA Rural 

Housing Service. 

Funding Opportunity Title: Housing 

Preservation Grants. 

Announcement Type: Notice. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 10.433. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

The reporting requirements contained 

in this Notice have been approved by 

the Office of Management and Budget 

under Control Number 0575–0115. 

A. Program Description 

The HPG program is a grant program, 

authorized under 42 U.S.C. 1490m and 

implemented at 7 CFR part 1944, 

subpart N, which provides qualified 

public agencies, private non-profit 

organizations including, but not limited 

to, Faith-Based and neighborhood 

partnerships, and other eligible entities, 


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grant funds to assist low- and very lowincome homeowners in repairing and 

rehabilitating their homes in rural areas. 

In addition, the HPG program assists 

rental property owners and cooperative 

housing complexes in rural areas in 

repairing and rehabilitating their units if 

they agree to make such units available 

to low- and very low-income persons. 

B. Federal Award Information 

The funding instrument for the HPG 

program will be a grant agreement. The 

term of the grant can vary from 1 to 2 

years, depending on available funds and 

demand. No maximum or minimum 

grant levels have been established at the 

National level. In accordance with 7 

CFR 1944.652, coordination and 

leveraging of funding for repair and 

rehabilitation activities with housing 

and community development 

organizations or activities operating in 

the same geographic area are expected, 

but not required. You should contact the 

Rural Development State Office to 

determine the allocation. HPG 

applicants who were previously 

selected for HPG funds are eligible to 

submit new applications to apply for 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 HPG program 

funds. New HPG applications must be 

submitted for the renewal or 

supplementation of existing HPG repair 

and/or rehabilitation projects that will 

be completed with FY 2018 HPG funds. 

The amount of funding available for 

the HPG program may be found at the 

following link: http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

programs-services/housingpreservation-grants. Priorities such as 

Rural Economic Area Partnership Zones 

and other funds will be distributed 

under a formula allocation to states 

pursuant to 7 CFR part 1940, subpart L, 

‘‘Methodology and Formulas for 

Allocation of Loan and Grant Program 

Funds.’’ Decisions on funding will be 

based on pre-application scores. Anyone 

interested in submitting an application 

for funding under this program is 

encouraged to consult the Rural 

Development website periodically for 

updated information regarding the 

status of funding authorized for this 

program. 

The commitment of program dollars 

will be made to selected applicants that 

have fulfilled the necessary 

requirements for obligation. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants. Eligible entities 

for these competitively awarded grants 

include State and local Governments, 

non-profit corporations, which may 

include, but not be limited to FaithBased and community organizations, 

federally recognized Indian Tribes, and 

consortia of eligible entities. HPG 

applicants who were previously 

selected for HPG funds are eligible to 

submit new applications to apply for FY 

2018 HPG program funds. More 

eligibility requirements can be found at 

7 CFR 1944.658, 1944.661, and 

1944.662. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching. Pursuant 

to 7 CFR 1944.652, grantees are 

expected to coordinate and leverage 

funding for repair and rehabilitation 

activities, as well as replacement 

housing, with housing and community 

development organizations or activities 

operating in the same geographic area. 

While HPG funds may be leveraged with 

other resources, cost sharing or 

matching is not a requirement for the 

HPG applicant as the HPG applicant 

would not be denied an award of HPG 

funds if all other project selection 

criteria have been met. 

3. Other. Awards made under this 

Notice are subject to the provisions 

contained in the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2018 (Pub. L. 115– 

141, March 23, 2018) sections 745 and 

746 regarding corporate felony 

convictions and corporate Federal tax 

delinquencies. To comply with these 

provisions, only applicants that are or 

propose to be corporations will submit 

this form as part of their preapplication. Form AD–3030 can be 

found here: http://www.ocio.usda.gov/ 

document/ad3030. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: Applicants wishing to submit 

a paper application in response to this 

Notice must contact the Rural 

Development State Office serving the 

State of the proposed HPG housing 

project in order to receive further 

information and copies of the paper 

application package. You may find the 

addresses and contact information for 

each State Office following this web 

link, http://www.rd.usda.gov/contactus/state-offices. Rural Development will 

date and time stamp incoming paper 

applications to evidence timely receipt 

and, upon request, will provide the 

applicant with a written 

acknowledgment of receipt. You may 

access the electronic grant preapplication for Housing Preservation 

Grants at: http://www.grants.gov. 

2. Content and Form of Application: 

7 CFR part 1944, subpart N provides 

details on what information must be 

contained in the pre-application 

package. Entities wishing to apply for 

assistance should contact the Rural 

Development State Office to receive 

further information, the State allocation 

of funds, and copies of the preapplication package. Unless otherwise 

noted, applicants wishing to apply for 

assistance must make its statement of 

activities available to the public for 

comment. The applicant(s) must 

announce the availability of its 

statement of activities for review in a 

newspaper of general circulation in the 

project area and allow at least 15 days 

for public comment. The start of this 15- 

day period must occur no later than 16 

days prior to the last day for acceptance 

of pre-applications by the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA)- 

Rural Development. Federally 

recognized Indian Tribes, pursuant to 7 

CFR 1944.674, are exempt from the 

requirement to consult with local 

leaders including announcing the 

availability of its statement of activities 

for review in a newspaper. 

All applicants will file an original and 

two copies of Standard Form (SF) 424, 

‘‘Application for Federal Assistance,’’ 

and supporting information with the 

appropriate Rural Development State 

Office. A pre-application package, 

including SF–424, is available in any 

Rural Development State Office. All preapplications shall be accompanied by 

the following information which Rural 

Development will use to determine the 

applicant’s eligibility to undertake the 

HPG program and to evaluate the preapplication under the project selection 

criteria of 7 CFR 1944.679. 

(a) A statement of activities proposed 

by the applicant for its HPG program as 

appropriate to the type of assistance the 

applicant is proposing, including: 

(1) A complete discussion of the type 

of and conditions for financial 

assistance for housing preservation, 

including whether the request for 

assistance is for a homeowner assistance 

program, a rental property assistance 

program, or a cooperative assistance 

program; 

(2) The process for selecting 

recipients for HPG assistance, 

determining housing preservation needs 

of the dwelling, performing the 

necessary work, and monitoring/ 

inspecting work performed; 

(3) A description of the process for 

coordinating with other public and 

private organizations and programs that 

provide assistance in rehabilitation of 

historic properties in accordance with 7 

CFR 1944.673; 

(4) The development standard(s) the 

applicant will use for the housing 

preservation work; and, if not the Rural 

Development standards for existing 

dwellings, the evidence of its 

acceptance by the jurisdiction where the 

grant will be implemented; 


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(5) The time schedule for completing 

the program; 

(6) The staffing required to complete 

the program; 

(7) The estimated number of very lowand low-income minority and 

nonminority persons the grantee will 

assist with HPG funds; and, if a rental 

property or cooperative assistance 

program, the number of units and the 

term of restrictive covenants on their 

use for very low- and low-income; 

(8) The geographical area(s) to be 

served by the HPG program; 

(9) The annual estimated budget for 

the program period based on the 

financial needs to accomplish the 

objectives outlined in the proposal. The 

budget should include proposed direct 

and indirect administrative costs, such 

as personnel, fringe benefits, travel, 

equipment, supplies, contracts, and 

other cost categories, detailing those 

costs for which the grantee proposes to 

use the HPG grant separately from nonHPG resources, if any. The applicant 

budget should also include a schedule 

(with amounts) of how the applicant 

proposes to draw HPG grant funds, i.e., 

monthly, quarterly, lump sum for 

program activities, etc.; 

(10) A copy of an indirect cost 

proposal when the applicant has 

another source of Federal funding in 

addition to the Rural Development HPG 

program; 

(11) A brief description of the 

accounting system to be used; 

(12) The method of evaluation to be 

used by the applicant to determine the 

effectiveness of its program which 

encompasses the requirements for 

quarterly reports to Rural Development 

in accordance with 7 CFR 1944.683(b) 

and the monitoring plan for rental 

properties and cooperatives (when 

applicable) according to 7 CFR 

1944.689; 

(13) The source and estimated amount 

of other financial resources to be 

obtained and used by the applicant for 

both HPG activities and housing 

development and/or supporting 

activities; 

(14) The use of program income, if 

any, and the tracking system used for 

monitoring same; 

(15) The applicant’s plan for 

disposition of any security instruments 

held by them as a result of its HPG 

activities in the event of its loss of legal 

status; 

(16) Any other information necessary 

to explain the proposed HPG program; 

and 

(17) The outreach efforts outlined in 

7 CFR 1944.671(b). 

(b) Complete information about the 

applicant’s experience and capacity to 

carry out the objectives of the proposed 

HPG program. 

(c) Evidence of the applicant’s legal 

existence, including, in the case of a 

private non-profit organization, which 

may include, but not be limited to, 

Faith-Based and community 

organizations, a copy of, or an accurate 

reference to, the specific provisions of 

State law under which the applicant is 

organized; a certified copy of the 

applicant’s Articles of Incorporation and 

Bylaws or other evidence of corporate 

existence; certificate of incorporation for 

other than public bodies; evidence of 

good standing from the State when the 

corporation has been in existence 1 year 

or more; and the names and addresses 

of the applicant’s members, directors 

and officers. If other organizations are 

members of the applicant-organization, 

or the applicant is a consortium, preapplications should be accompanied by 

the names, addresses, and principal 

purpose of the other organizations. If the 

applicant is a consortium, 

documentation showing compliance 

with paragraph (4)(ii) under the 

definition of ‘‘organization’’ in 7 CFR 

1944.656 must also be included. 

(d) For a private non-profit entity, 

which may include, but not be limited 

to, Faith-Based and community 

organizations, the most recent audited 

statement and a current financial 

statement dated and signed by an 

authorized officer of the entity showing 

the amounts and specific nature of 

assets and liabilities together with 

information on the repayment schedule 

and status of any debt(s) owed by the 

applicant. 

(e) A brief narrative statement which 

includes information about the area to 

be served and the need for improved 

housing (including both percentage and 

the actual number of both low-income 

and low-income minority households 

and substandard housing), the need for 

the type of housing preservation 

assistance being proposed, the 

anticipated use of HPG resources for 

historic properties, the method of 

evaluation to be used by the applicant 

in determining the effectiveness of its 

efforts. 

(f) A statement containing the 

component for alleviating any 

overcrowding as defined by 7 CFR 

1944.656. 

(g) A signed copy of the 

documentation in accordance with 7 

CFR 1944.673 (as a companion to (a)(3) 

above); 

(h) The applicant must submit written 

statements and related correspondence 

reflecting compliance with 7 CFR 

1944.674(a) and (c) regarding 

consultation with local Government 

leaders in the preparation of its program 

and the consultation with local and 

State Government pursuant to the 

provisions of Executive Order 12372. 

(i) The applicant is to make its 

statement of activities available to the 

public for comment prior to submission 

to Rural Development pursuant to 7 CFR 

1944.674(b). The application must 

contain a description of how the 

comments (if any were received) were 

addressed. 

(j) The applicant must submit an 

original and one copy of Form RD 400– 

1, ‘‘Equal Opportunity Agreement,’’ and 

Form RD 400–4, ‘‘Assurance 

Agreement,’’ in accordance with 7 CFR 

1944.676. 

Applicants should review 7 CFR part 

1944, subpart N for a comprehensive list 

of all application requirements. 

3. Address unique entity identifier 

and System for Award Management 

(SAM): As part of the application, all 

applicants, except for individuals or 

agencies excepted under 2 CFR 

25.110(d), must be: (1) Registered in the 

System for Award Management (SAM); 

(2) provide a valid unique entity 

identifier in its applications; and (3) 

maintain an active SAM registration 

with current information at all times 

during which it has an active Federal 

award or application. An award may not 

be made to the applicant until the 

applicant has complied with the unique 

entity identifier and SAM requirements. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: The 

HPG program is subject to the 

provisions of Executive Order 12372, 

which requires intergovernmental 

consultation with State and local 

officials. 

5. Funding Restrictions: There are no 

limits on proposed direct and indirect 

costs. Expenses incurred in developing 

pre-applications will be at the 

applicant’s risk. 

6. Other Submission Requirements: 

To comply with the President’s 

Management Agenda, USDA is 

participating as a partner in the 

Government-wide grants.gov site. 

Housing Preservation Grants [Catalog of 

Federal Domestic Assistance #10.433] is 

one of the programs included at this 

website. If you are an applicant under 

the HPG program, you may submit your 

pre-application to the Agency in either 

electronic or paper format. Please be 

mindful that the pre-application 

deadline for electronic format differs 

from the deadline for paper format. The 

electronic format deadline will be based 

on Eastern Standard Time. The paper 

format deadline is local time for each 

Rural Development State Office. 

Users of Grants.gov will be able to 

download a copy of the pre-application 


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package, complete it off line, and then 

upload and submit the application via 

the Grants.gov site. You may not email 

an electronic copy of a grant preapplication to USDA Rural 

Development; however, the Agency 

encourages your participation in 

Grants.gov. 

The following are useful tips and 

instructions on how to use the website: 

• When you enter the Grants.gov site, 

you will find information about 

submitting an application electronically 

through the site as well as the hours of 

operation. USDA-Rural Development 

strongly recommends that you do not 

wait until the application deadline date 

to begin the application process through 

Grants.gov. To use Grants.gov, 

applicants must have a DUNS number. 

• You may submit all documents 

electronically through the website, 

including all information typically 

included on the Application for 

Housing Preservation Grants, and all 

necessary assurances and certifications. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application through the website, 

you will receive an automatic 

acknowledgement from Grants.gov that 

contains a Grants.gov tracking number. 

• RHS may request that you provide 

original signatures on forms at a later 

date. 

• If you experience technical 

difficulties on the closing date and are 

unable to meet the 5:00 p.m. (Eastern 

Standard Time) deadline, print out your 

application and submit it to your State 

Office, you must meet the closing date 

and local time deadline. 

• Please note that you must locate the 

downloadable application package for 

this program by the CFDA Number or 

FedGrants Funding Opportunity 

Number, which can be found at http:// 

www.grants.gov. 

In addition to the electronic preapplication at the http://www.grants.gov 

website, all applicants must complete 

and submit the FY 2018 pre-application 

package, detailed later in this Notice, for 

the Section 533 HPG program. A copy 

of a suggested coversheet is included 

with this Notice. Applicants are 

encouraged to submit this preapplication coversheet electronically by 

accessing the website: http://

www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/ 

housing-preservation-grants. Click on 

the Forms & Resources tab to access the 

‘‘FY 2018 Pre-application for Section 

533 Housing Preservation Grants 

(HPG).’’ 

Applicants are encouraged, but not 

required, to also provide an electronic 

copy of all hard copy forms and 

documents submitted in the preapplication/application package as 

requested by this Notice. The forms and 

documents must be submitted as readonly Adobe Acrobat PDF files on an 

electronic media such as CDs, DVDs or 

USB drives. For each electronic device 

that you submit, you must include a 

Table of Contents listing all of the 

documents and forms on that device. 

The electronic medium must be 

submitted to the local Rural 

Development State Office where the 

project will be located. 

Please Note: If you receive a loan or 

grant award under this Notice, USDA 

reserves the right to post all information 

that is not protected by the Privacy Act 

submitted as part of the pre-application/ 

application package on a public website 

with free and open access to any 

member of the public. 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria. All paper applications for 

Section 533 HPG funds must be filed 

with the appropriate Rural Development 

State Office and all paper or electronic 

applications must meet the 

requirements of this Notice and 7 CFR 

part 1944, subpart N. Pre-applications 

determined not eligible and/or not 

meeting the selection criteria will be 

notified by the Rural Development State 

Office. 

2. Review and Selection Process. The 

Rural Development State Offices will 

utilize the following threshold project 

selection criteria for applicants in 

accordance with 7 CFR 1944.679: 

(a) Providing a financially feasible 

program of housing preservation 

assistance. ‘‘Financially feasible’’ is 

defined as proposed assistance which 

will be affordable to the intended 

recipient or result in affordable housing 

for very low- and low-income persons. 

(b) Serving eligible rural areas with a 

concentration of substandard housing 

for households with very low- and lowincome. 

(c) Being an eligible applicant as 

defined in 7 CFR 1944.658. 

(d) Meeting the requirements of 

consultation and public comment in 

accordance with 7 CFR 1944.674. 

(e) Submitting a complete preapplication as outlined in 7 CFR 

1944.676. 

3. Scoring. For applicants meeting all 

of the requirements listed above, the 

Rural Development State Offices will 

use weighted criteria in accordance with 

7 CFR part 1944, subpart N as selection 

for the grant recipients. Each preapplication and its accompanying 

statement of activities will be evaluated 

and, based solely on the information 

contained in the pre-application, the 

applicant’s proposal will be numerically 

rated on each criteria within the range 

provided. The highest-ranking 

applicant(s) will be selected based on 

allocation of funds available to the 

State. 

(a) Points are awarded based on the 

percentage of very low-income persons 

that the applicant proposes to assist, 

using the following scale: 

(1) More than 80%: 20 points 

(2) 61% to 80%: 15 points 

(3) 41% to 60%: 10 points 

(4) 20% to 40%: 5 points 

(5) Less than 20%: 0 points 

(b) The applicant’s proposal may be 

expected to result in the following 

percentage of HPG fund use (excluding 

administrative costs) to total cost of unit 

preservation. This percentage reflects 

maximum repair or rehabilitation with 

the least possible HPG funds due to 

leveraging, innovative financial 

assistance, owner’s contribution or other 

specified approaches. Points are 

awarded based on the following 

percentage of HPG funds (excluding 

administrative costs) to total funds: 

(1) 50% or less: 20 points 

(2) 51% to 65%: 15 points 

(3) 66% to 80%: 10 points 

(4) 81% to 95%: 5 points 

(5) 96% to 100%: 0 points 

(c) The applicant has demonstrated its 

administrative capacity in assisting very 

low- and low-income persons to obtain 

adequate housing based on the 

following: 

(1) The organization or a member of 

its staff has at least one or more years’ 

experience successfully managing and 

operating a rehabilitation or 

weatherization type program: 10 points. 

(2) The organization or a member of 

its staff has at least one or more years’ 

experience successfully managing and 

operating a program assisting very lowand low-income persons obtain housing 

assistance: 10 points. 

(3) If the organization has 

administered grant programs, there are 

no outstanding or unresolved audit or 

investigative findings which might 

impair carrying out the proposal: 10 

points. 

(d) The proposed program will be 

undertaken entirely in rural areas 

outside Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 

also known as MSAs, identified by 

Rural Development as having 

populations below 10,000 or in remote 

parts of other rural areas (i.e., rural areas 

contained in MSAs with less than 5,000 

population) as defined in 7 CFR 

1944.656: 10 points. 

(e) The program will use less than 20 

percent of HPG funds for administration 

purposes: 

(1) More than 20%: Not eligible 

(2) 20%: 0 points 


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(3) 19%: 1 point 

(4) 18%: 2 points 

(5) 17%: 3 points 

(6) 16%: 4 points 

(7) 15% or less: 5 points 

(f) The proposed program contains a 

component for alleviating overcrowding 

as defined in 7 CFR 1944.656: 5 points. 

In the event more than one preapplication receives the same amount of 

points, those pre-applications will then 

be ranked based on the actual 

percentage figure used for determining 

the points. Further, in the event that 

pre-applications are still tied, then those 

pre-applications still tied will be ranked 

based on the percentage for HPG fund 

use (low to high). Further, for 

applications where assistance to rental 

properties or cooperatives is proposed, 

those still tied will be further ranked 

based on the number of years the units 

are available for occupancy under the 

program (a minimum of 5 years is 

required). For this part, ranking will be 

based from most to least number of 

years. 

Finally, if there is still a tie, then a 

lottery system will be used. After the 

award selections are made, all 

applicants will be notified of the status 

of their applications by mail. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices. The Agency 

will notify, in writing, applicants whose 

pre-applications have been selected for 

funding. At the time of notification, the 

Agency will advise the applicant what 

further information and documentation 

is required along with a timeline for 

submitting the additional information. If 

the Agency determines it is unable to 

select the application for funding, the 

applicant will be so informed in writing. 

Such notification will include the 

reasons the applicant was not selected. 

The Agency will advise applicants, 

whose pre-applications did not meet 

eligibility and/or selection criteria, of 

their review rights or appeal rights in 

accordance with 7 CFR 1944.682. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements. Rural Development is 

encouraging applications for projects 

that will support rural areas with 

persistent poverty. This emphasis will 

support Rural Development’s mission of 

improving the quality of life for Rural 

Americans and commitment to directing 

resources to those who most need them. 

3. Reporting. Post-award reporting 

requirements can be found in the Grant 

Agreement. 

G. Non-Discrimination Statement 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, the USDA, its 

Agencies, offices, and employees and 

institutions participating in or 

administering USDA programs are 

prohibited from discrimination based on 

race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity, (including gender 

expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/ 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, political 

beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior 

civil rights activity, in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by USDA 

(not all bases apply to all programs). 

Remedies and complaint filing 

deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means of communication for 

program information (e.g., Braille, large 

print, audiotape, American Sign 

Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

TTY) or contact USDA through the 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form (PDF), 

found online at http://

www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_

cust.html, and at any USDA office or 

write a letter addressed to USDA and 

provide in the letter all of the 

information requested in the form. To 

request a copy of the complaint form, 

call (866) 632–9992. Submit your 

completed form or letter to USDA by: 

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410; 

(2) Fax: (202) 690–7442; or 

(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Dated: June 18, 2018. 

Joel C. Baxley, 

Administrator, Rural Housing Service. 

Fiscal Year 2018 Pre-Application for 

Section 533 Housing Preservation 

Grants (HPG) Instructions 

Applicants are encouraged; but not 

required, to submit this pre-application 

form electronically by accessing the 

website: http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

programs-services/housingpreservation-grants. Click on the Forms 

& Resources tab to access the ‘‘Fiscal 

Year 2018 Pre-Application for Section 

533 Housing Preservation Grants 

(HPG).’’ Please note that electronic 

submittals are not on a secured website. 

If you do not wish to submit the form 

electronically by clicking on the Send 

Form button, you may still fill out the 

form, print it and submit it with your 

application package to the State Office. 

You also have the option to save the 

form, and submit it on an electronic 

media to the State Office. 

Supporting documentation required 

by this pre-application may be attached 

to the email generated when you click 

the Send Form button to submit the 

form. However, if the attachments are 

too numerous or large in size, the email 

box will not be able to accept them. In 

that case, submit the supporting 

documentation for this pre-application 

to the State Office with your complete 

application package under item IX. 

Documents Submitted, indicate the 

supporting documents that you are 

submitting either with the preapplication or to the State Office. 

BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P 


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I. Applicant Information 

a. Applicant's Name: ___________________ _ 

b. Applicant's Address: 

Address, Line 1: ______________________ _ 

Address, Line 2: -----------------------

City: __________ _ State: Zip: 

c. Name of Applicant's Contact Person: ____________ _ 

d. Contact Person's Telephone Number: 

e. Contact Person's E-Mail Address: 

f. Entity Type: D State Government 

(Check One) D Non-Profit Corporation 

D Local Government 

D Federally Recognized Indian 

Tribes 

D Faith-Based and neighborhood partnership 

D Community Organization 

D Other consortia of an eligible entity 

II. Project Information 

a. Project Name: ____________________ _ 

b. Project Address: 

Address, Line 1: ______________________ _ 

Address, Line 2: -----------------------

City: ___________ _ State: Zip: ___ _ 

c. Organization DUNS Number: 

d. Grant Amount Requested: $ ______ _ 

e. This grant request is for one of the following types of assistance: 

D Homeowner assistance program 

D Rental property assistance program 

D Cooperative assistance program 

f. In response to e. above, answer one of the following: 

The number of low- and very low-income persons that the grantee will assist in 

the Homeowner assistance program: ____ OR 
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The number of units for low- and very low-income persons in the Rental property 

or Cooperative assistance program: 

g. This proposal is for one of the following: 

D Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) program (no set-aside) 

D Set-Aide for grant located in a Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) 

Zone 

III. Low-Income Assistance 

Check the percentage of very low-income persons that this pre-application 

proposes to assist in relation to the total population of the project: 

D More than 80 percent (20 points) 

D 61 percent to 80 percent (15 points) 

D 41 percent to 60 percent ( 1 0 points) 

D 20 percent to 40 percent ( 5 points) 

D Less than 20 percent (0 points) 

Points: 

IV. Percent ofHPG Fund Use 

Check the percentage ofHPG fund use (excluding administrative costs) in 

comparison to the total cost of unit preservation. This percentage reflects maximum 

repair or rehabilitation results with the least possible HPG funds due to leveraging, 

innovative financial assistance, owner's contribution or other specified approaches. 

D 50 percent or less ofHPG funds (20 points) 

D 51 percent to 65 percent ofHPG funds (15 points) 

D 66 percent to 80 percent ofHPG funds (10 points) 

D 81 percent to 95 percent ofHPG funds (5 points) 

D 96 percent to 100 percent ofHPG funds (0 points) 

Points: 
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V. Administrative Capacity 

The following three criteria demonstrate your administrative capacity to assist very lowand low-income persons to obtain adequate housing (30 points maximum). 

a. Does this organization or a member of its staff have at least one or more 

years of experience successfully managing and operating a rehabilitation or 

weatherization type of program? (10 points) Yes _ No _ Points: __ 

b. Does this organization or a member of its staff have at least one or more 

years of experience successfully managing and operating a program assisting very lowor low-income persons obtain housing assistance? (1 0 points) Yes No 

Points: 

c. If this organization has administered grant programs, are there any 

outstanding or unresolved audit or investigative findings which might impair carrying out 

the proposal? (10 points for No) No _ Yes Points: 

If Yes, please explain: 

VI. Area Served 

Will this proposal be undertaken entirely in rural areas outside Metropolitan 

Statistical Areas, also known as MSAs, and identified by Rural Development as having 

populations below 10,000 or in remote parts of other rural areas (i.e., rural areas 

contained in MSAs with a population of less than 5,000) as defined in 7CFR 1944.656? 

(10 points) 

Yes No Points: 

VII. Percent of HPG Funds for Administration 

Check the percentage ofHPG funds that will be used for Administration 

purposes: 

D More than 20 percent (Not eligible) 

D 20 percent (0 points) 
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D 19 percent (1 point) 

D 18 percent (2 points) 

D 17 percent (3 points) 

D 16 percent ( 4 points) 

D 15 percent or 1 ess ( 5 points) 

Points: 

VIII. Alleviating Overcrowding 

Does the proposed program contain a component for alleviating overcrowding as 

defined in 7 CFR 1944.656? (5 points) Yes _ No Points: 

IX. Persistent Poverty Counties 

Persistent Poverty Counties. Points will be awarded to projects located in 

persistent poverty counties. The USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) 

(http://ers.usda.govl) is the main source of economic information and research for 

USDA and a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System located in 

Washington, D.C. ERS has defined counties as being persistently poor if20 

percent or more of their populations were living in poverty over the last 30 years 

(measured by the 1990, 2000 and 2010 decennial censuses and 2007-2011 

American Community Survey 5-year estimates): (20 points) 

Yes No Points: 

X. Documents Submitted 

Check if the following documents are being submitted electronically with this 

pre-application or will be mailed to the State Office with your complete pre-application 

package. 

NOTE: You are only required to submit supporting documents for programs in 

which you will be participating as indicated in this pre-application. Points will be 

assigned for the items that you checked based on a review of the supporting documents. 

Please refer to the NOSA for the complete list of documents that you are 

required to submit with your complete pre-application package. 
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Submitted With Submitted to 

Reference Item This Pre- State Office 

Application 

I. Applicant Information 

II. Project Information 

III. Low-Income Assistance 

IV. Percent of HPG Fund Use 

v. Administrative Capacity 

VI. Area Served 

VII. Percent of HPG Funds for 

Administration 

VIII. Alleviating Overcrowding 

IX. Persistent Poverty County 

B. HPG 2018 Scoring 

PLEASE NOTE: The scoring below is based on the responses that you have 

provided on this pre-application form and may not accord with the final score that the 

Agency assigns upon evaluating the supporting documentation that you submit. Your 

score may change from what you see here if the supporting documentation does not 

adequately support your answer or, if required documentation is missing. 
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 122 / Monday, June 25, 2018 / Notices 29539 

[FR Doc. 2018–13458 Filed 6–22–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XV–C 

ARCHITECTURAL AND 

TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS 

COMPLIANCE BOARD 

Meetings 

AGENCY: Architectural and 

Transportation Barriers Compliance 

Board. 

ACTION: Notice of meetings. 

SUMMARY: The Architectural and 

Transportation Barriers Compliance 

Board (Access Board) plans to hold its 

regular committee and Board meetings 

in Washington, DC, Monday through 

Wednesday, July 9–11, 2018 at the times 

and location listed below. 

DATES: The schedule of events is as 

follows: 

Monday, July 9, 2018 

11:00 a.m.–Noon—Technical Programs 

Committee 

1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.—Ad Hoc 

Committee on Design Guidance 

2:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m.—Ad Hoc 

Committee on Frontier Issues 

Wednesday, July 11, 2018 

9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.—Planning and 

Evaluation Committee 

10:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.—Budget 

Committee 

1:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m.—Board Meeting 

ADDRESSES: Meetings will be held at the 

Access Board Conference Room, 1331 F 

Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 

20004. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information regarding the 


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