30106 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 124 / Wednesday, June 27, 2018 / Notices 

(1) A comparison of actual 

accomplishments to the objectives 

established for that period; 

(2) Problems, delays, or adverse 

conditions, if any, which have affected 

or will affect attainment of overall 

Project objectives, prevent meeting time 

schedules or objectives, or preclude the 

attainment of particular Project work 

elements during established time 

periods. This disclosure shall be 

accompanied by a statement of the 

action taken or planned to resolve the 

situation; 

(3) Objectives and timetable 

established for the next reporting 

period; 

(4) Any special reporting 

requirements, such as jobs supported 

and created, businesses assisted, or 

Economic Development which results in 

improvements in median household 

incomes, and any other specific 

requirements, should be placed in the 

reporting section in the Letter of 

Conditions; and 

(5) Within 90 days after the 

conclusion of the Project, the grantee 

will provide a final Project evaluation 

report. The last quarterly payment will 

be withheld until the final report is 

received and approved by the Agency. 

Even though the grantee may request 

reimbursement on a monthly basis, the 

last 3 months of reimbursements will be 

withheld until a final Project, Project 

performance, and financial status report 

are received and approved by the 

Agency. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) 

For general questions about this 

announcement, please contact your 

USDA Rural Development State Office 

provided in the ADDRESSES section of 

this notice. 

H. Civil Rights Requirements 

All grants made under this notice are 

subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act 

of 1964 as required by the USDA (7 CFR 

part 15, subpart A) and Section 504 of 

the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VIII 

of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, Title IX, 

Executive Order 13166 (Limited English 

Proficiency), Executive Order 11246, 

and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 

1974. 

I. Other Information 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, the information 

collection requirement contained in this 

notice is approved by OMB under OMB 

Control Number 0570–0070. 

Federal Funding Accountability and 

Transparency Act 

All applicants, in accordance with 2 

CFR part 25, must have a DUNS 

number, which can be obtained at no 

cost via a toll-free request line at (866) 

705–5711 or online at http://

fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Similarly, all 

applicants must be registered in SAM 

prior to submitting an application. 

Applicants may register for the SAM at 

http://www.sam.gov. All recipients of 

Federal financial assistance are required 

to report information about first-tier 

sub-awards and executive total 

compensation in accordance with 2 CFR 

part 170. 

Nondiscrimination 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 discriminating 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, AD 

3027, 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 20, 2018. 

Bette B. Brand, 

Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–13752 Filed 6–26–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

Notice of Solicitation of Applications 

for Section 514 Farm Labor Housing 

Loans and Section 516 Farm Labor 

Housing Grants for Off-Farm Housing 

for Fiscal Year 2018 

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service 

(RHS) announces the timeframe to 

submit pre-applications for Section 514 

Farm Labor Housing (FLH) loans and 

Section 516 FLH grants for the 

construction of new off-farm FLH units 

and related facilities for domestic farm 

laborers and for the purchase and 

substantial rehabilitation of non-FLH 

property. The intended purpose of the 

loans and grants are to increase the 

number of available housing units for 

domestic farm laborers. This Notice 

describes the method used to distribute 

funds, the application process, and 

submission requirements. 

The Agency will publish the amount 

of funding received from 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. 

Pursuant to section 759 of the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 

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

Agency will set aside 10 percent of the 

FLH funds for project proposals in 

persistent poverty counties. The Agency 

will also assign additional points to preapplications for projects based in or 

serving census tracts with poverty rates 

equal to or greater than 20 percent over 

the last 30 years. 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. 

DATES: The deadline for receipt of all 

applications in response to this Notice 

is 5:00 p.m., local time to the 

appropriate Rural Development State 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 124 / Wednesday, June 27, 2018 / Notices 30107 

Office on August 27, 2018. Rural 

Development will not consider any 

application that is received after the 

deadline unless the date and time is 

extended by another Notice published 

in the Federal Register. Applicants 

mailing applications must provide 

sufficient time to permit delivery on or 

before the deadline. Acceptance by a 

post office or private mailer does not 

constitute delivery. Facsimile (FAX) and 

postage due applications will not be 

accepted. 

ADDRESSES: Applicants wishing to 

submit an application in response to 

this Notice must contact the Rural 

Development State Office serving the 

State of the proposed off-farm FLH 

project in order to receive further 

information and copies of the 

application package. You may find the 

addresses and contact information for 

each State Office at, http://

www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/stateoffices. Rural Development will date 

and time stamp incoming applications 

to evidence timely receipt and; upon 

request, will provide the applicant with 

a written acknowledgment of receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mirna Reyes-Bible, Senior Finance and 

Loan Analyst, Preservation and Direct 

Loan Division, STOP 0781 (Room 1263– 

S), USDA Rural Development, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–0781, telephone: (202) 720– 

1753 (this is not a toll free number), or 

via email: mirna.reyesbible@

wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Preface 

The Agency encourages applications 

that will support recommendations 

made in the Rural Prosperity Task Force 

report to help improve life in rural 

America 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: Rural Housing 

Service. 

Funding Opportunity Title: Notice of 

Solicitation Applications for Section 

514 Farm Labor Housing Loans and 

Section 516 Farm Labor Housing Grants 

for Off-Farm Housing for Fiscal Year 

2018. 

Announcement Type: Solicitation of 

pre-applications from qualified 

applicants for FY 2018. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Numbers (CFDA): 10.405 and 

10.427. 

A. Federal Award Description 

Pre-applications will only be accepted 

through the date and time listed in this 

Notice. All awards are subject to 

availability of funding. Individual 

requests may not exceed $3 million 

(total loan and grant). A State Office 

may not receive more than 30 percent of 

FLH funding available in FY 2018. 

If there are insufficient applications 

from around the country to exhaust the 

Section 514 and Section 516 funds 

available, the Agency may then exceed 

the 30 percent cap per State. Section 

516 off-farm FLH grants may not exceed 

90 percent of the total development cost 

(TDC) of the housing as defined in 7 

CFR 3560.11. 

If leveraged funds are going to be used 

and are in the form of tax credits, the 

applicant must include in its preapplication written evidence that a tax 

credit application has been submitted 

and accepted by the Housing Finance 

Agency (HFA). All applications that 

receive any leveraged funds must have 

firm commitments in place within 12 

months of the issuance of a ‘‘Notice of 

Pre-Application Review Action,’’ 

Handbook Letter 106 (3560). Applicants 

without written evidence that a tax 

credit application has been submitted 

and accepted by HFA must certify in 

writing they will apply for tax credits to 

HFA and obtain a firm commitment 

within 12 months of the issuance of a 

‘‘Notice of Pre-Application Review 

Action.’’ 

Rental Assistance (RA) and operating 

assistance will be available for new 

construction in FY 2018. Operating 

assistance is explained at 7 CFR 

3560.574 and may be used in lieu of 

tenant-specific RA in off-farm FLH 

projects that serve migrant farm workers 

as defined in 7 CFR 3560.11, that are 

financed under Section 514 or Section 

516 (h) of the Housing Act of 1949, as 

amended (42 U.S.C. 1484 and 1486(h) 

respectively), and otherwise meet the 

requirements of 7 CFR 3560.574. 

In order to maximize the use of our 

limited supply of FLH funds, we may 

contact eligible Notice of Solicitation 

Applications (NOSA) responses selected 

for an award in point score order 

starting with the higher scores, with 

proposals to modify the transaction’s 

proportions of grant and loan funds. In 

addition, if funds remain after the 

highest scoring eligible NOSA responses 

are selected for awards, we may contact 

those eligible responses not selected for 

awards, in point score order starting 

with the highest scores, to ascertain 

whether those respondents will accept 

those remaining funds. 

B. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligibility 

Housing Eligibility—housing that is 

constructed with FLH loans and/or 

grants must meet Rural Development’s 

design and construction standards 

contained in 7 CFR part 1924, subparts 

A and C. Once constructed, off-farm 

FLH must be managed in accordance 

with 7 CFR part 3560. In addition, offfarm FLH must be operated on a nonprofit basis and tenancy must be open 

to all qualified domestic farm laborers, 

regardless at which farm they work. 

Section 514(f)(3) of the Housing Act of 

1949, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1484(f)(3)) 

defines domestic farm laborers to 

include any person regardless of the 

person’s source of employment, who 

receives a substantial portion of his/her 

income from the primary production of 

agricultural or aqua cultural 

commodities in the unprocessed or 

processed stage, and also includes the 

person’s family. 

Tenant Eligibility—tenant eligibility 

is limited to persons who meet the 

definition of a ‘‘disabled domestic farm 

laborer,’’ or a ‘‘domestic farm laborer,’’ 

or ‘‘retired domestic farm laborer,’’ as 

defined in Section 514(f)(3) of the 

Housing Act of 1949, as further 

amended through the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2018. See 42 U.S.C. 

1484(f)(3). 

Applicant Eligibility— 

(a) To be eligible to receive a Section 

516 grant for off-farm FLH, the applicant 

must be a broad-based non-profit 

organization, including community and 

Faith-Based organizations, a non-profit 

organization of farm workers, a 

Federally recognized Indian tribe, an 

agency or political subdivision of a State 

or local Government, or a public agency 

(such as a housing authority). The 

applicant must be able to contribute at 

least one-tenth of the TDC from nonRural Development resources which can 

include leveraged funds. 

(b) To be eligible to receive a Section 

514 loan for off-farm FLH, the applicant 

must be a broad-based non-profit 

organization, including community and 

Faith-Based organizations, a non-profit 

organization of farm workers, a 

Federally recognized Indian tribe, an 

agency or political subdivision of a State 

or local Government, a public agency 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
30108 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 124 / Wednesday, June 27, 2018 / Notices 

(such as a housing authority), or a 

limited partnership which has a nonprofit entity as its general partner, and 

(i) Be unable to provide the necessary 

housing from its own resources; 

(ii) Except for State or local public 

agencies and Indian tribes, be unable to 

obtain similar credit elsewhere at rates 

that would allow for rents within the 

payment ability of eligible residents. 

(iii) Broad-based non-profit 

organizations must have a membership 

that reflects a variety of interests in the 

area where the housing will be located. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching—Section 

516 grants for off-farm FLH may not 

exceed 90 percent of the TDC as 

provided in 7 CFR 3560.562(c)(1). 

3. Other Requirements—the following 

requirements apply to loans and grants 

made in response to this Notice: 

(a) 7 CFR part 1901, subpart E, 

regarding equal opportunity 

requirements; 

(b) For grants only, 2 CFR parts 200 

and 400, which establishes the uniform 

administrative and audit requirements 

for grants and cooperative agreements to 

State and local Governments and to 

non-profit organizations; 

(c) 7 CFR part 1901, subpart F, 

regarding historical and archaeological 

properties; 

(d) 7 CFR part 1970, regarding 

environmental review and 

documentation requirements; 

(e) 7 CFR part 3560, subpart L, 

regarding the loan and grant authorities 

of the off-farm FLH program; 

(f) 7 CFR part 1924, subpart A, 

regarding planning and performing 

construction and other development; 

(g) 7 CFR part 1924, subpart C, 

regarding the planning and performing 

of site development work; 

(h) For construction financed with a 

Section 516 grant, the provisions of the 

Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. 276(a)– 

276(a)–5) and implementing regulations 

published at 29 CFR parts 1, 3, and 5; 

(i) All other requirements contained 

in 7 CFR part 3560, regarding the 

Sections 514/516 off-farm FLH 

programs; and 

(j) Please note that grant applicants 

must obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 

number and maintain registration in the 

Central Contractor Registration (CCR) 

prior to submitting a pre-application 

pursuant to 2 CFR 25.200(b). In 

addition, an entity applicant must 

maintain registration in the CCR 

database at all times during which it has 

an active Federal award or an 

application or plan under consideration 

by the Agency. Similarly, all recipients 

of Federal financial assistance are 

required to report information about 

first-tier sub-awards and executive 

compensation in accordance with 2 CFR 

part 170. So long as an entity applicant 

does not have an exception under 2 CFR 

170.110(b), the applicant must have the 

necessary processes and systems in 

place to comply with the reporting 

requirements should the applicant 

receive funding. See 2 CFR 170.200(b). 

C. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Pre-Application Submission 

The application process will be in two 

phases: The initial pre-application (or 

proposal) and the submission of a final 

application. Only those pre-applications 

or proposals that are selected for further 

processing will be invited to submit 

final applications. In the event that a 

proposal is selected for further 

processing and the applicant declines, 

the next highest ranked unfunded preapplication may be selected for further 

processing. All pre-applications for 

Sections 514 and 516 funds must be 

filed with the appropriate Rural 

Development State Office and must 

meet the requirements of this Notice. 

Incomplete pre-applications will not be 

reviewed and will be returned to the 

applicant. No pre-application will be 

accepted after the deadline unless date 

and time are extended by another Notice 

published in the Federal Register. 

Pre-applications can be submitted 

either electronically using the FLH PreApplication form found at: http://

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

farm-labor-housing-direct-loans-grants 

or in hard copy to the appropriate Rural 

Development Office where the project 

will be located. Follow the link to find 

the appropriate Rural Development 

State Office address for requesting and 

submitting a pre-application at: https:// 

www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/offices/stateoffices. Applicants are strongly 

encouraged; but not required, to submit 

the pre-application electronically. The 

electronic form contains a button 

labeled ‘‘Send Form.’’ By clicking on the 

button, the applicant will see an email 

message window with an attachment 

that includes the electronic form the 

applicant filled out as a data file with 

a .pdf extension. In addition, an autoreply acknowledgement will be sent to 

the applicant when the electronic Loan 

Proposal form is received by the Agency 

unless the sender has software that will 

block the receipt of the auto-reply email. 

The State Office will record preapplications received electronically by 

the actual date and time when all 

attachments are received at the State 

Office. 

Submission of the electronic Section 

514 Loan Proposal form does not 

constitute submission of the entire 

proposal package which requires 

additional forms and supporting 

documentation as listed within this 

Notice. You may use one of the 

following options for submitting the 

entire proposal package comprising of 

all required forms and documents. On 

the Loan Proposal form you can indicate 

the option you will be using to submit 

each required form and document. 

(a) Electronic Media Option. Submit 

all forms and documents as read-only 

Adobe Acrobat files on electronic media 

such as CDs, DVDs or USB drives. For 

each electronic device submitted, the 

applicant should include a Table of 

Contents of all documents and forms on 

that device. The electronic media 

should be submitted to the Rural 

Development State Office listed in this 

Notice where the property is located. 

Any forms and documents that are not 

sent electronically, including the check 

for credit reports, must be mailed to the 

Rural Development State Office. 

(b) Email Option. On the Loan 

Proposal form you will be asked for a 

submission email address. This email 

address will be used to establish a folder 

on the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) server with your unique email 

address. Once the Loan Proposal form is 

processed, you will receive an 

additional email notifying you of the 

email address that you can use to email 

your forms and documents. Please Note: 

All forms and documents must be 

emailed from the same submission 

email address. This will ensure that all 

forms and documents you send will be 

stored in the folder assigned to that 

email address. Any forms and 

documents that are not sent via the 

email option must be submitted on an 

electronic media or in hard copy to the 

Rural Development State Office. 

(c) Hard Copy Submission to the 

Rural Development State Office. If you 

are unable to send the proposal package 

electronically using either of the options 

listed above, you may send a hard copy 

of all forms and documents to the Rural 

Development State Office where the 

property is located. Hard copy preapplications received on or before the 

deadline will receive the close of 

business time of the day received as the 

receipt time. Assistance for filing 

electronic and hard copy preapplications can be obtained from any 

Rural Development State Office. 

For electronic submissions, there is a 

time delay between the time it is sent 

and the time it is received depending on 

network traffic. As a result, last-minute 

submissions sent before the deadline 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 124 / Wednesday, June 27, 2018 / Notices 30109 

date and time could be received after 

the deadline date and time because of 

the increased network traffic. 

Applicants are reminded that all 

submissions received after the deadline 

date and time will be rejected, 

regardless of when they were sent. 

If a pre-application is accepted for 

further processing, the applicant must 

submit a complete, final application, 

acceptable to Rural Development prior 

to the obligation of Rural Development 

funds. If the pre-application is not 

accepted for further processing the 

applicant will be notified of appeal 

rights under 7 CFR part 11. 

2. Pre-Application Requirements 

(a) The pre-application must contain 

the following: 

(1) A summary page listing the 

following items. This information 

should be double-spaced between items 

and not be in narrative form. 

i. Applicant’s name. 

ii. Applicant’s Taxpayer Identification 

Number. 

iii. Applicant’s address. 

iv. Applicant’s telephone number. 

v. Name of applicant’s contact person, 

telephone number, and address. 

vi. Amount of loan and/or grant 

requested. 

vii. For grants of Federal financial 

assistance (including loans and grants, 

cooperative agreements, etc.), the 

applicant’s DUNS number and 

registration in the CCR database in 

accordance with 2 CFR part 25. As 

required by OMB, all grant applicants 

must provide a DUNS number when 

applying for Federal grants, on or after 

October 1, 2003. Organizations can 

receive a DUNS number at no cost by 

calling the dedicated toll-free number at 

(866) 705–5711 or via the internet at: 

http://www.dnb.com/. Additional 

information concerning this 

requirement can be obtained on the 

Grants.gov website at www.grants.gov. 

Similarly, applicants may register for 

the CCR at: https://www.uscontractor

registration.com/ or by calling (877) 

252–2700. 

(2) Awards made under this Notice 

are subject to the provisions contained 

in Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

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

sections 745 and 746 regarding 

corporate felony convictions and 

corporate Federal tax delinquencies. 

(3) A narrative verifying the 

applicant’s ability to meet the eligibility 

requirements stated earlier in this 

Notice. If an applicant is selected for 

further processing, Rural Development 

will require additional documentation 

as set forth in a Conditional 

Commitment in order to verify the 

entity has the legal and financial 

capability to carry out the obligation of 

the loan. 

(4) Standard Form 424, ‘‘Application 

for Federal Assistance,’’ can be obtained 

at: http://www.grants.gov or from any 

Rural Development State Office listed in 

Section VII of this Notice. 

(5) For loan pre-applications, current 

(within 6 months of pre-application 

date) financial statements with the 

following paragraph certified by the 

applicant’s designated and legally 

authorized signer: 

‘‘I/we certify the above is a true and 

accurate reflection of our financial 

condition as of the date stated herein. 

This statement is given for the purpose 

of inducing the United States of 

America to make a loan or to enable the 

United States of America to make a 

determination of continued eligibility of 

the applicant for a loan as requested in 

the loan application of which this 

statement is a part.’’ 

(6) For loan pre-applications, a check 

for $24 from applicants made out to the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. This 

will be used to pay for credit reports 

obtained by Rural Development. 

(7) Evidence that the applicant is 

unable to obtain credit from other 

sources. Letters from credit institutions 

which normally provide real estate 

loans in the area should be obtained and 

these letters should indicate the rates 

and terms upon which a loan might be 

provided. (Note: Not required from State 

or local public agencies or Indian 

tribes.) 

(8) If an FLH grant is desired, a 

statement concerning the need for an 

FLH grant. The statement should 

include preliminary estimates of the 

rents required with and without a grant. 

(9) A statement of the applicant’s 

experience in operating labor housing or 

other rental housing. If the applicant’s 

experience is limited, additional 

information should be provided to 

indicate how the applicant plans to 

compensate for this limited experience 

(i.e., obtaining assistance and advice of 

a management firm, non-profit group, 

public agency, or other organization 

which is experienced in rental 

management and will be available on a 

continuous basis). 

(10) A brief statement explaining the 

applicant’s proposed method of 

operation and management (i.e., on-site 

manager, contract for management 

services, etc.). As stated earlier in this 

Notice, the housing must be managed in 

accordance with the program’s 

management regulation, 7 CFR part 

3560. 

(11) Provide your entity’s projected 

Return on Investment (ROI) for the 

requested funds to demonstrate the 

effectiveness and efficiency of your 

proposal. Please include the 

methodology and assumptions you used 

in the ROI calculation. Also include a 

detailed examination of outputs and 

outcomes. 

(12) Applicants must also provide: 

(i) A copy of, or an accurate citation 

to, the special provisions of State or 

Tribal law under which they are 

organized, a copy of the applicant’s 

charter, Articles of Incorporation, and 

by-laws; 

(ii) The names, occupations, and 

addresses of the applicant’s members, 

directors, and officers; and 

(iii) If a member or subsidiary of 

another organization, the organization’s 

name, address, and nature of business. 

(13) A preliminary market survey or 

market study to identify the supply and 

demand for farm labor housing in the 

market area. The market area must be 

clearly identified and may include only 

the area from which tenants can 

reasonably be drawn for the proposed 

project. Documentation must be 

provided to justify a need within the 

intended market area for the housing of 

domestic farm laborers. The 

documentation must take into account 

disabled and retired farm workers. The 

preliminary survey should address or 

include the following items: 

(i) The annual income level of 

farmworker families in the area and the 

probable income of the farm workers 

who will likely occupy the proposed 

housing; 

(ii) A realistic estimate of the number 

of farm workers who remain in the area 

where they harvest and the number of 

farm workers who normally migrate into 

the area. Information on migratory 

workers should indicate the average 

number of months the migrants reside 

in the area and an indication of what 

type of family groups are represented by 

the migrants (i.e., single individuals as 

opposed to families); 

(iii) General information concerning 

the type of labor intensive crops grown 

in the area and prospects for continued 

demand for farm laborers; 

(iv) The overall occupancy rate for 

comparable rental units in the area and 

the rents charged and customary rental 

practices for these units (i.e., will they 

rent to large families, do they require 

annual leases, etc.); 

(v) The number, condition, adequacy, 

rental rates and ownership of units 

currently used or available to farm 

workers; 

(vi) A description of the units 

proposed, including the number, type, 

size, rental rates, amenities such as 

carpets and drapes, related facilities 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
30110 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 124 / Wednesday, June 27, 2018 / Notices 

such as a laundry room or community 

room and other facilities providing 

supportive services in connection with 

the housing and the needs of the 

prospective tenants such as a health 

clinic or day care facility, estimated 

development timeline, estimated TDC, 

and applicant contribution; and 

(vii) The applicant must also identify 

all other sources of funds, including the 

dollar amount, source, and commitment 

status. (Note: A Section 516 grant may 

not exceed 90 percent of the TDC of the 

housing.) 

(14) The applicant must submit a 

checklist, certification, and signed 

affidavit by the project architect or 

engineer, as applicable, for any energy 

programs the applicant intends to 

participate in. 

(15) The following forms are required: 

(i) A prepared HUD Form 935.2A, 

‘‘Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing 

Plan (AFHM) Multi-Family Housing,’’ in 

accordance with 7 CFR 1901.203(c). The 

plan will reflect that occupancy is open 

to all qualified ‘‘domestic farm 

laborers,’’ regardless of which farming 

operation they work and that they will 

not discriminate on the basis of race, 

color, sex, age, disability, marital or 

familial status or National origin in 

regard to the occupancy or use of the 

units. The form can be found at: http:// 

portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/ 

huddoc?id=935-2a.PDF. 

(ii) A proposed operating budget 

utilizing Form RD 3560–7, ‘‘Multiple 

Family Housing Project Budget/Utility 

Allowance,’’ can be found at: http://

forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/efcommon/ 

eFileServices/eForms/RD3560-7.PDF. 

(iii) An estimate of development cost 

utilizing Form RD 1924–13, ‘‘Estimate 

and Certificate of Actual Cost,’’ can be 

found at: http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/ 

efcommon/eFileServices/eForms/ 

RD1924-13.PDF. 

(iv) Form RD 3560–30, ‘‘Certification 

of no Identity of Interest (IOI),’’ can be 

found at: http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/ 

efcommon/eFileServices/eForms/ 

RD3560-30.PDF and Form RD 3560–31, 

‘‘Identity of Interest Disclosure/ 

Qualification Certification,’’ can be 

found at: http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/ 

efcommon/eFileServices/eForms/ 

RD3560-31.PDF. 

(v) Form HUD 2530, ‘‘Previous 

Participation Certification,’’ can be 

found at: http://portal.hud.gov/ 

hudportal/documents/ 

huddoc?id=2530.pdf. 

(vi) If requesting RA or Operating 

Assistance, Form RD 3560–25, ‘‘Initial 

Request for Rental Assistance or 

Operating Assistance,’’ can be found at: 

http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/ 

efcommon/eFileServices/eForms/ 

RD3560-25.PDF. 

(vii) Form RD 400–4, ‘‘Assurance 

Agreement,’’ can be found at: http://

forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/efcommon/ 

eFileServices/eForms/RD400-4.PDF. 

Applicants for revitalization, repair, and 

rehabilitation funding are to apply 

through the Multifamily Preservation 

and Revitalization (MPR) Demonstration 

program. 

(viii) Evidence of compliance with 

Executive Order 12372. The applicant 

must send a copy of Form SF–424, 

‘‘Application for Federal Assistance,’’ to 

the applicant’s State clearinghouse for 

intergovernmental review. If the 

applicant is located in a State that does 

not have a clearinghouse, the applicant 

is not required to submit the form. 

Applications from Federally recognized 

Indian tribes are not subject to this 

requirement. 

(16) Evidence of site control, such as 

an option contract or sales contract. In 

addition, a map and description of the 

proposed site, including the availability 

of water, sewer, and utilities and the 

proximity to community facilities and 

services such as shopping, schools, 

transportation, doctors, dentists, and 

hospitals. 

(17) Preliminary plans and 

specifications, including plot plans, 

building layouts, and type of 

construction and materials. The housing 

must meet Rural Development’s design 

and construction standards contained in 

7 CFR part 1924, subparts A and C and 

must also meet all applicable Federal, 

State, and local accessibility standards. 

(18) A supportive services plan, 

which describes services that will be 

provided on-site or made available to 

tenants through cooperative agreements 

with service providers in the 

community, such as a health clinic or 

day care facility. Off-site services must 

be accessible and affordable to farm 

workers and their families. Letters of 

intent from service providers are 

acceptable documentation at the preapplication stage. 

(19) A Sources and Uses Statement 

which shows all sources of funding 

included in the proposed project. The 

terms and schedules of all sources 

included in the project should be 

included in the Sources and Uses 

Statement. 

(20) A separate one-page information 

sheet listing each of the ‘‘PreApplication Scoring Criteria,’’ contained 

in this Notice, followed by a reference 

to the page numbers of all relevant 

material and documentation that is 

contained in the proposal that supports 

the criteria. 

(21) Applicants are encouraged, but 

not required, to include a checklist of all 

of the pre-application requirements and 

to have their pre-application indexed 

and tabbed to facilitate the review 

process; 

(22) Evidence of compliance with the 

requirements of the applicable State 

Housing Preservation Office (SHPO), 

and/or Tribal Historic Preservation 

Officer (THPO). A letter from SHPO 

and/or THPO where the off-farm FLH 

project is located, signed by their 

designee will serve as evidence of 

compliance. 

(23) Environmental information 

pursuant to the requirements in 7 CFR 

1970. 

D. Pre-Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria. Section 514 FLH 

loan funds and Section 516 FLH grant 

funds will be distributed to States based 

on a national competition, as follows: 

(a) Rural Development State Office 

will accept, review, and score preapplications in accordance with this 

Notice. The scoring factors are: 

(1) The presence of construction cost 

savings, including donated land and 

construction leverage assistance, for the 

units that will serve program-eligible 

tenants. The savings will be calculated 

as a percentage of the Rural 

Development TDC. The percentage 

calculation excludes any costs 

prohibited by Rural Development as 

loan expenses, such as a developer’s fee. 

Construction cost savings includes, but 

is not limited to, funds for hard 

construction costs, and State or Federal 

funds which are applicable to 

construction costs. A minimum of 10 

percent cost savings is required to earn 

points; however, if the total percentage 

of cost savings is less than 10 percent 

and the proposal includes donated land, 

2 points will be awarded for the donated 

land. To count as cost savings for 

purposes of the selection criteria, the 

applicant must submit written evidence 

from the third-party funder that an 

application for those funds has been 

submitted and accepted points will be 

awarded in accordance with the 

following table using rounding to the 

nearest whole number. 

Percentage Points 

75 or more .................................... 20 

60–74 ............................................ 18 

50–59 ............................................ 16 

40–49 ............................................ 12 

30–39 ............................................ 10 

20–29 ............................................ 8 

10–19 ............................................ 5 

0–9 ................................................ 0 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 124 / Wednesday, June 27, 2018 / Notices 30111 

(2) The presence of operational cost 

savings, such as tax abatements, nonRural Development tenant subsidies or 

donated services are calculated on a perunit cost savings for the sum of the 

savings. Savings must be available for at 

least 5 years and documentation must 

be provided with the application 

demonstrating the availability of savings 

for 5 years. To calculate the savings, 

take the total amount of savings and 

divide it by the number of units in the 

project that will benefit from the savings 

to obtain the per-unit cost savings. For 

non-Rural Development tenant subsidy, 

if the value changes during the 5-year 

calculation, the applicant must use the 

lower of the non-Rural Development 

tenant subsidy to calculate per-unit cost 

savings. For example, a 10-unit property 

with 100 percent designated farm labor 

housing units receiving $20,000 per year 

non-Rural Development subsidy yields a 

cost savings of $100,000 ($20,000 × 5 

years); resulting to a $10,000 per-unit 

cost savings ($100,000/10 units). 

Use the following table to apply 

points: 

Per-unit cost savings Points 

Above $15,000 ............................. 50 

$10,001—$15,000 ........................ 35 

$7,501—$10,000 .......................... 20 

$5,001—$7,500 ............................ 15 

$3,501—$5,000 ............................ 10 

$2,001—$3,500 ............................ 5 

$1,000—$2,000 ............................ 2 

(3) 10 points will be awarded to 

projects in persistent poverty counties. 

A county is considered persistently poor 

if 20 percent or more of its population 

was 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). 

(4) Presence of tenant services. 

Two points will be awarded for each 

resident service included in the tenant 

services plan up to a maximum of 10 

points. Plans must detail how the 

services are to be administered, who 

will administer them, and where they 

will be administered. All tenant service 

plans must include letters of intent that 

clearly state the service that will be 

provided at the project for the benefit of 

the residents from any party 

administering each service, including 

the applicant. These services may 

include, but are not limited to, 

transportation related services, on-site 

English as a Second Language (ESL) 

classes, move-in funds, emergency 

assistance funds, homeownership 

counseling, food pantries, after school 

tutoring, and computer learning centers. 

(5) Energy Initiative Scoring Points 

(the aggregate points for all the Energy 

Initiative categories may not exceed 20 

points). 

Properties may receive points for 

energy initiatives in the categories of 

energy conservation, energy generation, 

water conservation and green property 

management. Depending on the scope of 

work (SOW), properties may earn 

‘‘energy initiative’’ points in either one 

of two categories: (1) New Construction 

or (2) Purchase and Rehabilitation of an 

Existing Non-Farm Labor Housing 

Building. Projects will be eligible for 

one category of the two, but not both. 

Energy programs including LEED for 

Homes, Green Communities, etc., will 

each have an initial checklist indicating 

prerequisites for participation in its 

energy program. The applicable energy 

program checklist will establish 

whether prerequisites for the energy 

program’s participation will be met. All 

checklists must be accompanied by a 

signed affidavit by the project architect 

or engineer stating that the goals are 

achievable and the project has been 

enrolled in these programs if enrollment 

is applicable to that program. In 

addition, projects that apply for points 

under the energy generation category 

must include calculations of savings of 

energy. Compare property energy usage 

of three scenarios: (1) Property built to 

required code of State with no 

renewables, to (2) property as-designed 

with commitments to stated energy 

conservation programs without the use 

of renewables and (3) property asdesigned with commitments to stated 

energy conservation programs and the 

use of proposed renewables. Use local 

average metrics for weather and utility 

costs and detail savings in kilowatts and 

dollars. Provide payback calculations. 

These calculations must be done by a 

licensed engineer or credentialed 

renewable energy provider. Include 

with application, the provider/ 

engineer’s credentials including 

qualifications, recommendations, and 

proof of previous work. The checklist, 

affidavit, calculations and qualifications 

of engineer/energy provider must be 

submitted together with the loan 

application. 

Enrollment in the EPA Portfolio 

Manager Program. All projects awarded 

scoring points for energy initiatives 

must enroll the project in the EPA 

Portfolio Manager Program to track postconstruction energy consumption data. 

More information about this program 

may be found at: http://

www.energystar.gov/buildings/facilityowners-and-managers/existingbuildings/use-portfolio-manager. 

(ii) Energy Conservation for New 

Construction or Purchase and 

Rehabilitation of an Existing Non-Farm 

Labor Housing Building. Projects may 

be eligible for scoring points when the 

pre-application includes a written 

certification by the applicant to 

participate and achieve certification in 

the following energy efficiency 

programs. The points will be allocated 

as follows: 

• Participation in the EPA’s Energy 

Star for Homes V3 program. (2 points) 

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=

bldrs_lenders_raters.pt_bldr. 

OR 

• Participation in the Green 

Communities program by the Enterprise 

Community Partners. (4 points) http://

www.enterprisecommunity.com/ 

solutions-and-innovation/enterprisegreen-communities. 

OR 

• Participation in one of the following 

programs will be awarded points for 

certification. 

Note: Each program has four levels of 

certification. State the level of certification 

that the applicant plans will achieve in their 

certification: 

• LEED for Homes program by the 

United States Green Building Council 

(USGBC): http://www.usgbc.org. 

—Certified Level (2 points), OR 

—Silver Level (4 points), OR 

—Gold Level (6 points), OR 

—Platinum Level (8 points) 

Applicant must state the level of 

certification that the applicant’s plans 

will achieve in their certification in its 

pre-application. 

OR 

• Home Innovation’s and The 

National Association of Home Builders 

(NAHB) ICC 700 National Green 

Building Standard TM: http://

www.nahb.org/. 

—Green-Bronze Level (2 points), OR 

—Silver Level (4 points), OR 

—Gold Level (6 points), OR 

—Emerald Level (8 points). 

Applicant must state the level of 

certification that the applicant’s plans 

will achieve in their certification in its 

pre-application. 

AND 

• Participation in the Department of 

Energy’s Zero Energy Ready program. (2 

points) http://www.energy.gov/eere/ 

buildings/zero-energy-ready-home. 

AND 

• Participation in local green/energy 

efficient building standards. Applicants 

who participate in a city, county, or 

municipality program (2 points). 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
30112 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 124 / Wednesday, June 27, 2018 / Notices 

(iii) Energy Conservation for 

Rehabilitation. Pre-applications for the 

purchase and rehabilitation of nonprogram MFH and related facilities in 

rural areas may be eligible for scoring 

points when the pre-application 

includes a written certification by the 

applicant to participate in one of the 

following energy efficiency programs. 

Again, the certification must be 

accompanied by a signed affidavit by 

the project architect or engineer stating 

that the goals are achievable. Points will 

be awarded as follows: 

• Participation in the Green 

Communities program by the Enterprise 

Community Partners (3 points) http://

www.enterprisecommunity.com/ 

solutions-and-innovation/enterprisegreen-communities. At least 30 percent 

of the points needed to qualify for the 

Green Communities program must be 

earned under the Energy Efficiency 

section of Green Communities. 

AND 

• Participation in local green/energy 

efficient building standards. Applicants 

who participate in a city, county or 

municipality program (2 points). The 

applicant should be aware of and look 

for additional requirements that are 

sometimes embedded in the third-party 

program’s rating and verification 

systems. 

(iv) Energy Generation. Preapplications for new construction or 

purchase and rehabilitation of nonprogram multi-family projects which 

participate in the above-mentioned 

programs and receive scoring points for 

installation of on-site renewable energy 

sources. Energy analysis of preliminary 

building plans using industryrecognized simulation software must 

document the projected total energy 

consumption of all of the building 

components and building site usage. 

Projects with an energy analysis of the 

preliminary or rehabilitation building 

plans that propose a 10 percent to 100 

percent energy generation commitment 

(where generation is considered to be 

the total amount of energy needed to be 

generated on-site to make the building 

a net-zero consumer of energy) will be 

awarded points as follows: 

• 0 to 9 percent commitment to energy 

generation—0 points 

• 10 to 20 percent commitment to 

energy generation—1 point 

• 21 to 40 percent commitment to 

energy generation—2 points 

• 41 to 60 percent commitment to 

energy generation—3 points 

• 61 to 80 percent commitment to 

energy generation—4 points 

• 81–100 percent or more commitment 

to energy generation—5 points 

Projects may participate in Power 

Purchase Agreements or Solar Leases to 

achieve their on-site renewable energy 

generation goals provided that the 

financial obligations of the lease/ 

purchase agreements are clearly 

documented and included in the 

application, and qualifying ratios 

continue to be achieved. 

An additional 1 point will be awarded 

for off-grid systems, or elements of 

systems, provided that at least 5 percent 

of on-site renewable system is off-grid. 

See www.dsireusa.org for State and local 

specific incentives and regulations of 

energy initiatives. 

(v) Water Conservation in Irrigation 

Measures. Projects may be awarded 1 

point for the use of an engineered 

recycled water (gray water or storm 

water) for landscape irrigation covering 

50 percent or more of the property’s site 

landscaping needs. 

(vi) Property Management 

Credentials. Projects may be awarded 1 

point if the designated property 

management company or individuals 

that will assume maintenance and 

operations responsibilities upon 

completion of construction work have a 

Credential for Green Property 

Management. Credentialing can be 

obtained from the National Apartment 

Association (NAA), National Affordable 

Housing Management Association, The 

Institute for Real Estate Management, 

U.S. Green Building Council’s 

Leadership in Energy and 

Environmental Design for Operations 

and Maintenance (LEED OM), or 

another source with a certifiable 

credentialing program. Credentialing 

must be illustrated in the resume(s) of 

the property management team and 

included with the pre-application. 

The National Office will rank all preapplications nationwide and distribute 

funds to States in rank order, within 

funding and RA limits. When proposals 

have an equal score, preference will be 

given first to Indian tribes as defined in 

§ 3560.11 and then local non-profit 

organizations or public bodies whose 

principal purposes include low-income 

housing that meet the conditions of 

§ 3560.55(c) and the following 

conditions: 

• Is exempt from Federal income 

taxes under section 501(c)(3) or 

501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue 

Service code; 

• Is not wholly or partially owned or 

controlled by a for-profit or limitedprofit type entity; 

• Whose members, or the entity, do 

not share an identity of interest with a 

for-profit or limited-profit type entity; 

• Is not co-venturing with another 

entity; and 

• The entity or its members will not 

be receiving any direct or indirect 

benefits pursuant to Low Income 

Housing Tax Credits. 

If there are two or more applications 

that have the same score and both 

cannot be funded, a lottery in 

accordance with 7 CFR 3560.56(c)(2) 

will be used to break the tie. If 

insufficient funds or RA remain for the 

next ranked proposal, that applicant 

will be given a chance to modify their 

pre-application to bring it within 

remaining funding levels. This will be 

repeated for each next ranked eligible 

proposal until an award can be made or 

the list is exhausted. 

Rural Development will notify all 

applicants whether their applications 

have been accepted or rejected and 

provide appeal rights under 7 CFR part 

11, as appropriate. 

E. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices 

Applicants must submit their initial 

applications by the due date specified in 

this Notice. Once the applications have 

been scored and ranked by the National 

Office, the National Office will advise 

State Offices of the proposals selected 

for further processing, State Offices will 

respond to applicants by letter. 

If the application is not accepted for 

further processing, the applicant will be 

notified of appeal rights under 7 CFR 

part 11. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

All FLH loans and grants are subject 

to the Restrictive-Use Provisions 

contained in 7 CFR 3560.72(a)(2). 

3. Reporting 

Borrowers must maintain separate 

financial records for the operation and 

maintenance of the project and for 

tenant services. Tenant services will not 

be funded by Rural Development. Funds 

allocated to the operation and 

maintenance of the project may not be 

used to supplement the cost of tenant 

services, nor may tenant service funds 

be used to supplement the project 

operation and maintenance. Detailed 

financial reports regarding tenant 

services will not be required unless 

specifically requested by Rural 

Development, and then only to the 

extent necessary for Rural Development 

and the borrower to discuss the 

affordability (and competitiveness) of 

the service provided to the tenant. The 

project audit, or verification of accounts 

on Form RD 3560–10, ‘‘Borrower 

Balance Sheet,’’ together with an 

accompanying Form RD 3560–7, 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 124 / Wednesday, June 27, 2018 / Notices 30113 

‘‘Multiple Family Housing Project 

Budget Utility Allowance,’’ must 

allocate revenue and expense between 

project operations and the service 

component. 

F. Equal Opportunity and NonDiscrimination Requirements 

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 discriminating 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, AD– 

3027, 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 a 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 at: program.intake@

usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Dated: June 21, 2018. 

Joel C. Baxley, 

Administrator, Rural Housing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–13761 Filed 6–26–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

[Docket Number USBC–2018–0011] 

Request for Comments on the CrossAgency Priority Goal: Leveraging Data 

as a Strategic Asset 

AGENCY: Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In March 2018, the Trump 

Administration launched the President’s 

Management Agenda (PMA). It lays out 

a long-term vision for modernizing the 

Federal Government in key areas that 

will improve the ability of agencies to 

deliver mission outcomes, provide 

excellent service, and effectively 

steward taxpayer dollars on behalf of 

the American people. The PMA 

established a Cross-Agency Priority 

(CAP) goal of Leveraging Data as a 

Strategic Asset with an intended 

purpose of guiding development of a 

comprehensive long-term Federal Data 

Strategy to grow the economy, increase 

the effectiveness of the Federal 

Government, facilitate oversight, and 

promote transparency (https://

www.performance.gov/CAP/CAP_goal_

2.html). This notice seeks comment on 

best strategies and processes for 

achieving this CAP goal. 

In addition to this request, two 

additional future requests for comment 

in September and December will inform 

draft federal data practices and a year1 action plan. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by July 27, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments through 

the Federal eRulemaking Portal. We will 

not accept comments by fax or paper 

delivery. Include the Docket ID and the 

phrase ‘‘Leveraging Data as a Strategic 

Asset Phase 1 Comments’’ at the 

beginning of your comments. Also 

indicate which questions described in 

the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION of this 

notice are addressed in your comments. 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

www.regulations.gov to submit your 

comments electronically under Docket 

ID USBC–2018–0011. Information on 

using regulations.gov, including 

instructions for accessing documents, 

submitting comments, and viewing the 

docket, is available on the site under 

‘‘How to Use This Site.’’ 

• Privacy Note: Comments and 

information submitted in response to 

this notice may be made available to the 

public through relevant websites. 

Therefore, commenters should only 

include in their comments information 

that they wish to make publicly 

available on the internet. Note that 

responses to this public comment 

request containing any routine notice 

about the confidentiality of the 

communication will be treated as public 

comments that may be made available to 

the public. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

William Hawk, Economist, U.S. 

Department of Commerce, whawk@

doc.gov or (202) 482–2134. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose 

The Under Secretary for Economic 

Affairs, performing the nonexclusive 

duties and functions of the Deputy 

Secretary of the U.S. Department of 

Commerce, along with the Federal Chief 

Information Officer, the Chief 

Statistician of the United States, and 

executives from the U.S. Small Business 

Administration and the White House 

Office of Science and Technology 

Policy, is charged with developing a 

comprehensive Federal Data Strategy 

under the PMA CAP goal of Leveraging 

Data as a Strategic Asset. Under this 

goal, the Federal Government should 

leverage programmatic, statistical, and 

mission-support data as a strategic asset 

to grow the economy, increase the 

effectiveness of the Federal 

Government, facilitate oversight, and 

promote transparency. The Federal 

Government’s role in collecting and 

disseminating data is rooted in the U.S. 

Constitution. Advances in data science 

have transformed the production and 

use of data across society, business, and 

government. The Federal Government 

needs a robust, integrated approach to 

creating, acquiring, using, and 

disseminating data to deliver on 

mission, serve customers, and steward 

resources while respecting privacy and 

confidentiality. Over the next year, an 

interdisciplinary team from multiple 

federal agencies will develop work 

products, including principles, 

practices, and action steps for a unified 

approach to federal data stewardship 

and use, and will test potential plans as 

part of The Data Incubator Project 

(described below). Stakeholder 

engagement is critical to developing a 

data strategy that is viable and 

sustainable. This Federal Register 

notice is the first of three notices and 

requests for comment to seek public 

input on the strategy and process. This 

notice seeks comments on a four-part 

strategy to: 

1. Manage government data as a 

strategic asset; 

2. enable the American public, 

businesses, and researchers to 

effectively and efficiently access and 

use data; 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES