Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 63 / Thursday, April 2, 2015 / Notices 17769 

shared or accessed by HUD. All hardcopy materials, including completed 

forms and electronic records on 

transportable media, will be kept in 

locked cabinets when not in use. In 

addition, data on transportable media 

will be encrypted. Records with PII will 

not be printed. Records and the file will 

be destroyed by the Urban Institute at 

the completion of the study. 

RETRIEVABILITY: 

Records within the contact database 

will be retrieved by name, home 

address, telephone number, and 

personal email address. 

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL: 

The retention and disposal 

procedures will be in keeping with 

HUD’s records management statutory 

obligations as described in 44 U.S.C. 

3101 and 3303. Records will be 

maintained for a period not to exceed 

five years. All PII associated with the 

project will be destroyed by Urban 

Institute and their subcontractors or 

otherwise rendered irrecoverable per 

NIST Special Publication 800–88 

‘‘Guidelines for Media Sanitization’’ 

(September 2006) at the end of the 

contract. 

At the end of the contract, paperbased records that do not need to be 

retained will be shredded and the 

remainder of the files will be shredded 

after the three-year retention period 

required in the contract. 

SAFEGUARDS: 

Access to any server, security, storage, 

backup, and infrastructure equipment is 

monitored, restricted to only those with 

a need-to-have system access, including 

being secured by administrative 

password and authentication methods. 

All system users are required to sign a 

confidentiality pledge to abide by 

corporate policies and by HUD policies. 

There are no paper-based records 

associated with this study. 

SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS: 

Carol Star, Director, Division of 

Program Evaluation, Office of Policy 

Development and Research, Department 

of Housing and Urban Development, 

451 Seventh Street SW., Washington, 

DC 20410, Telephone Number (202) 

402–6139. 

NOTIFICATION AND RECORD ACCESS

PROCEDURES: 

For information, assistance, or 

inquiries about the existence of records, 

contact Donna Robinson-Staton, Chief 

Privacy Officer, U.S. Department of 

Housing and Urban Development, 451 

Seventh Street SW., Room 4156, 

Washington, DC 20410 (Attention: 

Capitol View Building, 4th Floor), 

telephone number: (202) 402–8073. 

Verification of your identity must 

include original signature and be 

notarized. Written request must include 

the full name, Social Security Number, 

date of birth, current address, and 

telephone number of the individual 

making the request. 

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES: 

The Department’s rules for contesting 

contents of records and appealing initial 

denials appear in 24 CFR, Part 16. 

Additional assistance may be obtained 

by contacting: Donna Robinson-Staton, 

Chief Privacy Officer, U.S. Department 

of Housing and Urban Development, 

451 Seventh Street SW., Washington, 

DC 20410 (Attention: Capitol View 

Building, 4th Floor), telephone number: 

(202) 402–8073; or the HUD 

Departmental Privacy Appeals Officers, 

Office of General Counsel, Department 

of Housing and Urban Development, 

451 Seventh Street SW., Washington DC 

20410. 

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES: 

The individual study participants in 

the surveys will be recruited through a 

variety of neighborhood-level 

organizations, requesting voluntary 

participation. The data will be gathered 

from and supplied by a limited number 

of in-depth interviews of some members 

of the testing group, and the study 

participants: including recent movers 

and current housing searchers in large 

scale cognitive testing. 

The varied methods, designed to 

reach out to diverse populations, 

include: 

• Media and advertising—A display 

of promotional posters about the study 

on buses in District of Columbia, flyers, 

emails, and Facebook posting. 

• Online presence—Web page hosted 

for the study that explains its purpose, 

incentives, the organization 

implementing the study, and that 

provides instructions for participation. 

• Community partnerships—A 

partnership to be establish with a 

variety of different private and nonprofit 

organizations, including rental 

assistance housing counseling agencies, 

community organizations, and 

businesses to help promote the study 

among their constituents. 

• Snowball sampling—Referrals of 

respondents of cognitive testing who 

may be eligible. 

SYSTEMS EXEMPTED FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS

OF THE ACT: 

None. 

[FR Doc. 2015–07610 Filed 4–1–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR–5843–N–05] 

Implementation of the Privacy Act of 

1974, as Amended; New System of 

Records, Rent Reform Demonstration 

AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information 

Officer, HUD. 

ACTION: New System of Records. 

SUMMARY: The Department’s Office of 

Policy Development and Research 

(PD&R) is proposing to create a new 

system of records (SORN), the ‘‘Rent 

Reform Demonstration.’’ The 

Department’s Office of PD&R is 

responsible for maintaining current 

information on housing needs, market 

conditions and existing programs, as 

well as conducting research on priority 

housing and community development 

issues. The Rent Reform Demonstration 

is a randomized controlled experiment 

designed to test, at the national level an 

evaluation of alternative solutions 

designed to improve the current rent 

subsidy model. The demonstration is 

being implemented at several ‘‘Moving 

to Work’’ (MTW) public housing 

agencies (PHAs) in different parts of the 

country. Pursuant to the federal law 

authorizing MTW, Congress gave local 

public housing agencies the opportunity 

to design and test innovative policies to 

improve the current rent subsidy 

system. All MTW public housing 

agencies have the authority to institute 

new policies system-wide. The Rent 

Reform Demonstration gives 

participating MTW public housing 

agencies the opportunity to adopt new 

policies on a trial basis and to learn 

from a careful evaluation whether they 

achieve benefits for tenants and the 

housing agency. 

The overall objective of the Rent 

Reform Demonstration is to compare the 

current rent structure of the Housing 

Choice Voucher (HCV) program to the 

alternate rent structure’s to examine the 

impact on household employment, 

earnings, hardship, health, and 

homelessness; gain knowledge and 

comprehension on the impact that the 

alternative rent system has on HCV 

program families; and to identify ways 

to simplify and make less expensive the 

PHA’s administrative processes. A more 

detailed description of the new system 

of records is outlined in the ‘‘Purpose’’ 

caption of this system of records notice. 

DATES: Effective Date: The notice will be 

effective May 4, 2015, unless comments 

are received that would result in a 

contrary determination. 

Comments Due Date: May 4, 2015. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
17770 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 63 / Thursday, April 2, 2015 / Notices 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit comments regarding 

this notice to the Rules Docket Clerk, 

Office of the General Counsel, 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, 451 Seventh Street SW., 

Room 10276, Washington, DC 20410– 

0500. Communication should refer to 

the above docket number and title. A 

copy of each communication submitted 

will be available for public inspection 

and copying between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 

p.m. weekdays at the above address. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Donna Robinson-Staton, Chief Privacy 

Officer, 451 Seventh Street SW., 

Washington, DC 20410 (Attention: 

Capitol View Building, 4th Floor), 

telephone number: (202) 402–8073. [The 

above telephone number is not a toll 

free number.] A telecommunications 

device for hearing-and speech-impaired 

persons (TTY) is available by calling the 

Federal Information Relay Service’s tollfree telephone number (800) 877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

system of records will be operated by 

HUD’s Office of PD&R and will include 

personally identifiable information (PII) 

pertaining to participants of the Rent 

Reform Demonstration that will be 

retrieved from the system by a name or 

unique identifier. The new system of 

records will encompass information on 

program and services administered by 

the Department. Publication of this 

notice allows the Department to satisfy 

its reporting requirement and keep an 

up-to-date accounting of its system of 

records publications. The new system of 

records will incorporate Federal privacy 

requirements and Department’s policy 

requirements. The Privacy Act provides 

individuals with certain safeguards 

against an invasion of personal privacy 

by requiring Federal agencies to protect 

records contained in an agency system 

of records from unauthorized 

disclosure, by ensuring that information 

is current and collected only for its 

intended use, and by providing 

adequate safeguards to prevent misuse 

of such information. Additionally, this 

notice demonstrates the Department’s 

focus on industry best practices to 

protect the personal privacy of the 

individuals covered by this system of 

records notice. 

This notice states the name and 

location of the record system, the 

authority for and manner of its 

operations, the categories of individuals 

that it covers, the type of records that it 

contains, the sources of the information 

for the records, the routine uses made of 

the records and the type of exemptions 

in place for the records. In addition, this 

notice includes the business addresses 

of Department officials’ who will inform 

interested persons of the procedures 

whereby they may gain access to and/ 

or request amendments to records 

pertaining to them. 

This publication does meet the SORN 

threshold requirements pursuant to the 

Privacy Act and OMB Circular A–130, 

and a report was submitted to the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB), the 

Senate Committee on Homeland 

Security and Governmental Affairs, and 

the House Committee on Government 

Reform as instructed by Paragraph 4c of 

Appendix l to OMB Circular No. A–130, 

‘‘Federal Agencies Responsibilities for 

Maintaining Records About 

Individuals,’’ July 25, 1994 (59 FR 

37914). 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552a; 88 Stat. 1896; 42 

U.S.C. 3535(d). 

Dated: March 27, 2015. 

Rafael C. Diaz, 

Chief Information Officer. 

SYSTEM OF RECORDS NO.: 

PD&R/RRE.05 

SYSTEM NAME: 

Rent Reform Demonstration. 

SYSTEM LOCATION: 

The Department of Housing and 

Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street 

SW., Washington, DC 20140; MDRC, 16 

East 34 Street, 19th Floor, New York, 

NY 10016 and MDRC, 475 14th Street, 

Suite 750, Oakland, CA 94612–1900; 

eVault, 14944 Pony Express Road, 

Bluffdale, Utah 84065; Branch 

Associates, Inc., 1628 JFK Boulevard, 

Suite 800, 8 Penn Center, Philadelphia, 

PA 19103; Bronner Group, 120 N La 

Salle Street, Room 1300, Chicago, IL 

60602; Quadel Consulting Corporation, 

1200 G Street NW., Suite 700, 

Washington, DC 20005; Urban Institute, 

2100 M Street NW., Washington, DC 

20037; and Ingrid Gould Ellen, New 

York University, Robert F. Wagner 

Graduate School of Public Service, 295 

Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012. 

The storage and archival facility for the 

Rent Reform Demonstration data files is 

located at Datacenter/Windstream, 15 

Shattuck Road Andover, MA 01810. 

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE

SYSTEM: 

The categories of individuals covered 

by this system will include all 

household members enrolled in the 

Rent Reform Demonstration. 

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM: 

The categories of records in the 

system will include the participants 

name, home address, telephone 

numbers, personal email address, Social 

Security Number, date of birth, marital 

status, citizenship status, rental housing 

assistance status and history, date of 

birth and relationship code for minors, 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program (SNAP) status, Temporary 

Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 

status, income, savings level, debt level, 

educational attainment, employment 

status, childcare costs, health insurance 

status, and employment impediments. 

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM: 

The authority for the collection of 

records, and the maintenance of this 

system is authorized by Sections 501– 

502 of the Housing and Urban 

Development Act of 1970 (Pub. L. 91– 

609), 12 U.S.C. 1701z–1, 1701z–2. 

PURPOSE(S): 

The purpose of the Rent Reform 

Demonstration SORN is to allow the 

Department to collect, track, and study 

information gathered on HCV program 

participants, and to analyze the overall 

effectiveness of existing programs and 

policies to examine the impact on HCV 

program families. In order to study the 

sample of up to 9,000 families 

participating in the Demonstration, it is 

necessary to collect their contact 

information and other personal 

identifying information with their 

consent so that the Department can 

match study participants with various 

forms of administrative data for the 

purpose of conducting statistical 

analysis and presenting aggregate 

analysis of impacts of the alternative 

rent model on the study sample. In 

addition, the records collected through 

this evaluation represent HUD’s effort to 

assess and report to Congress on the 

performance and impact of this 

Demonstration. The Department is 

conducting this study under contract 

with MDRC and its subcontractors 

(Branch Associates, The Bronner Group, 

Quadel Consulting Corporation, and the 

Urban Institute). The intent of the 

demonstration is to gain a 

comprehensive understanding of the 

impact that the alternative rent system 

has on families, as well as understand 

the administrative burden on Public 

Housing Agencies (PHAs). The Rent 

Reform Demonstration will rely on 

multiple data sources. The evaluation 

will include a careful assessment of the 

implementation, impacts, and cost of 

the new policy already developed by 

four PHAs in different parts of the 

country. The project is a random 

assignment trial of an alternative rent 

system. Families will be randomly 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 63 / Thursday, April 2, 2015 / Notices 17771 

1http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/

huddoc?id=append1.pdf. 

assigned to either participate in the 

new/alternative rent system or to 

continue in the current system. PHAs 

currently participating in the MTW 

Demonstration are being recruited to 

participate in this demonstration. Data 

collection will include the study sample 

of up to 9,000 families that are part of 

the treatment and control groups. The 

work covered under this information 

request is for the baseline survey. The 

Rent Reform demonstration is 

structured around a two-group random 

assignment study. Using this design, up 

to 9,000 households will be recruited 

and randomly allocated to the program 

group or control group, each of which 

will include up to 4,500 households. 

Four PHAs have agreed to participate in 

this demonstration project: (1) 

Lexington Housing Authority, 

Kentucky; (2) Louisville Metro Housing 

Authority, Kentucky; (3) San Antonio 

Housing Authority, Texas; and (4) 

District of Columbia Housing Authority, 

District of Columbia. 

The fundamental goals of the 

proposed study are: 

1. Increase work effort and reported 

earnings of families 

2. Serve more families 

Ideally, the alternative rent model 

would yield at least as much income to 

the PHAs as the current system and 

would allow administrative savings as 

well. This would allow them to serve at 

least the same number of families and 

continue to meet the goal of preventing 

(or reducing) homelessness and 

minimizing rent burden. In addition, the 

incentive to underreport income would 

be reduced significantly. In order to 

measure the impact of the alternative 

rent model the Department needs to be 

able to track the study sample of up to 

9,000 families to obtain data related to 

employment, earnings, and hardship 

outcomes. 

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE

SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND

THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES: 

In addition to those disclosures 

generally permitted under 5 U.S.C. 

Section 552a(b) of the Privacy Act, all or 

a portion of the records or information 

contained in this system may be 

disclosed outside HUD as a routine use 

pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(3) as 

follows: 

1. To appropriate agencies, entities, 

and persons to the extent that such 

disclosures are compatible with the 

purpose for which the records in this 

system were collected, as set forth by 

Appendix I 1—HUD’s Library of Routine 

Uses published in the Federal Register 

(July 17, 2012, at 77 FR 41996); 

2. To researchers for the purpose of 

producing a dataset to be used to 

support the Rent Reform Demonstration 

and Impact Evaluation of the Rent 

Reform Demonstration. The data 

collection will specifically provide data 

of the household’s characteristics to 

describe the sample and ensure that the 

two study groups are random, and 

provide information that allows for the 

initial triennial calculations to be 

verified; and 

3. To appropriate agencies, entities, 

and persons when: (a) HUD suspects or 

has confirmed that the security or 

confidentiality of information in a 

system of records has been 

compromised; (b) HUD has determined 

that as a result of the suspected or 

confirmed compromise, there is a risk of 

harm to economic or property interests, 

identity theft or fraud, or harm to the 

security or integrity of systems or 

programs (whether maintained by HUD 

or another agency or entity) that rely 

upon the compromised information; and 

(c) the disclosure made to such 

agencies, entities, and persons is 

reasonably necessary to assist in 

connection with HUD’s efforts to 

respond to the suspected or confirmed 

compromise and prevent, minimize, or 

remedy such harm for purposes of 

facilitating responses and remediation 

efforts in the event of a data breach. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, 

RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND

DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM: 

STORAGE: 

All data collected will be input and 

stored in a secure database. Hard-copy 

materials containing respondent 

identifying information will be locked 

up when not in use. All hard-copy 

materials, including completed forms 

and electronic records on transportable 

media, will be kept in locked cabinets 

when not in use. In addition, data on 

transportable media will be encrypted. 

Records with PII will not be printed. 

Records and the file will be destroyed 

by MDRC at the completion of the 

study. 

RETRIEVABILITY: 

Records will be retrieved by social 

security number, entity ID and/or 

unique study identifier. Data will be 

retrieved from the initial data files using 

social security number, entityID, and/or 

unique study identifier. After receiving 

all data, another unique household ID 

will be assigned to each household 

known by the research team only (called 

the SampleID); records will be pulled by 

SampleID when possible. 

SAFEGUARDS: 

Access protections: Access to any 

server, security, storage, backup, 

security and infrastructure equipment 

requires an administrative password. 

These passwords are only available to 

senior IT staff and never shared. MDRC 

workstation and laptop configuration: 

MDRC employees use as a work station 

a standard laptop that is configured by 

authorized members of MDRC’s IT 

Group. Laptops include a fingerprint 

scanner and application. Network 

access passwords system: MDRC uses a 

strong password system to control 

access to its secure data transfer. An 

application associates each employee’s 

fingerprint with his/her network 

password. Wireless Access: No wireless 

access will be available to files, folders 

or servers involved with this project, 

except within MDRC’s offices. Screen 

locking: MDRC’s IT department has 

configured all MDRC computers to lock 

after 10 minutes without use and 

require a password or fingerprint scan to 

unlock. MDRC confidentiality pledge: 

All MDRC staff must sign a 

Confidentiality Pledge to abide by the 

corporate policies on data security and 

confidentiality. 

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL: 

The retention and disposal 

procedures will be in keeping with 

HUD’s records management statutory 

obligations as described in 44 U.S.C. 

3101 and 3303. Records will be 

maintained for a period not to exceed 

five years. All PII associated with the 

project will be destroyed by MDRC and 

their subcontractors or otherwise 

rendered irrecoverable per NIST Special 

Publication 800–88 ‘‘Guidelines for 

Media Sanitization’’ (September 2006) 

at the end of the contract. At the end of 

the contract, MDRC will destroy all 

electronic and paper-based records with 

PII unless otherwise instructed by HUD. 

All incoming files will be accounted for 

at the end of the project—deleted or 

permanently archived per agreement 

with HUD and with data providers. 

SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS: 

Carol Star, Director, Division of 

Program Evaluation, Office of Policy 

Development and Research, Department 

of Housing and Urban Development, 

451 Seventh Street SW., Washington, 

DC 20410, Telephone Number (202) 

402–6139. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
17772 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 63 / Thursday, April 2, 2015 / Notices 

1Links to the Prior Notices, the text of the 

Appropriations Act, and additional guidance 

prepared by the Department for CDBG–DR grants, 

are available on the HUD Exchange Web site: 

https://www.hudexchange.info/cdbg-dr/cdbg-drlaws-regulations-and-federal-register-notices/. 

NOTIFICATION AND RECORD ACCESS

PROCEDURES: 

For information, assistance, or 

inquiries about the existence of records, 

contact Donna Robinson-Staton, Chief 

Privacy Officer, U.S. Department of 

Housing and Urban Development, 451 

Seventh Street SW., Room 4156, 

Washington, DC 20410 (Attention: 

Capitol View Building, 4th Floor), 

telephone number: (202) 402–8073. 

Verification of your identity must 

include original signature and be 

notarized. Written request must include 

the full name, Social Security Number, 

date of birth, current address, and 

telephone number of the individual 

making the request. 

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES: 

The Department’s rules for contesting 

contents of records and appealing initial 

denials appear in 24 CFR part 16. 

Additional assistance may be obtained 

by contacting: Donna Robinson-Staton, 

Chief Privacy Officer, U.S. Department 

of Housing and Urban Development, 

451 Seventh Street SW., Room 4156, 

Washington, DC 20410 (Attention: 

Capitol View Building, 4th Floor), 

telephone number: (202) 402–8073 or 

the HUD Departmental Privacy Appeals 

Officers, Office of General Counsel, 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, 451 Seventh Street SW., 

Washington DC 20410. 

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES: 

Data for this evaluation will be 

gathered through a variety of methods 

including informational interviews, 

direct observation, surveys, and analysis 

of administrative records. PHAs will 

provide program participants records, as 

well as information obtained through an 

interview of voucher holders that 

includes: (1) Output of random 

assignment process data, and (2) 

Responses provided to baseline 

information form. Administrative data 

will come from the participating PHAs’ 

data systems and HUD’s Inventory 

Management System, also known as the 

Public and Indian Housing Information 

Center (PIC). This information will be 

entered into MDRC’s on-line system. 

SYSTEMS EXEMPTED FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS

OF THE ACT: 

None. 

[FR Doc. 2015–07613 Filed 4–1–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR–5696–N–15] 

Additional Clarifying Guidance, 

Waivers, and Alternative Requirements 

for Grantees in Receipt of Community 

Development Block Grant Disaster 

Recovery Funds Under the Disaster 

Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Community Planning and 

Development, HUD. ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This Notice provides a waiver 

and alternative requirement for the State 

of New Jersey’s tenant-based rental 

assistance program funded through its 

Community Development Block Grant 

disaster recovery (CDBG–DR) grant 

pursuant to the Disaster Relief 

Appropriations Act, 2013 (Pub. L. 113– 

2) (the Appropriations Act). In addition, 

this Notice provides an alternative 

requirement for Major (Covered) 

Infrastructure Projects funded by 

grantees receiving an allocation for 

disasters occurring in 2013 under the 

Appropriations Act. This Notice also 

modifies a requirement for Disaster 

Recovery Grant Reporting System 

(DRGR) reporting requirements for all 

grantees receiving an allocation of 

CDBG–DR grants pursuant to the 

Appropriations Act. 

DATES: Effective Date: April 7, 2015. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stanley Gimont, Director, Office of 

Block Grant Assistance, Department of 

Housing and Urban Development, 451 

7th Street SW., Room 7286, Washington, 

DC 20410, telephone number 202–708– 

3587. Persons with hearing or speech 

impairments may access this number 

via TTY by calling the Federal Relay 

Service at 800–877–8339. Facsimile 

inquiries may be sent to Mr. Gimont at 

202–401–2044. (Except for the ‘‘800’’ 

number, these telephone numbers are 

not toll-free.) Email inquiries may be 

sent to disaster_recovery@hud.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. Background 

II. Applicable Rules, Statutes, Waivers, and 

Alternative Requirements 

III. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

IV. Finding of No Significant Impact 

I. Background 

The Appropriations Act made 

available $16 billion in Community 

Development Block Grant disaster 

recovery (CDBG–DR) funds for 

necessary expenses related to disaster 

relief, long-term recovery, restoration of 

infrastructure and housing, and 

economic revitalization in the most 

impacted and distressed areas resulting 

from a major disaster declared pursuant 

to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

and Emergency Assistance Act of 1974 

(42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) (Stafford Act), 

due to Hurricane Sandy and other 

eligible events in calendar years 2011, 

2012, and 2013. On March 1, 2013, the 

President issued a sequestration order 

pursuant to Section 251A of the 

Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit 

Control Act, as amended (2 U.S.C. 

901a), and reduced the amount of 

funding for CDBG–DR grants under the 

Appropriations Act to $15.18 billion. To 

date, a total of $15.18 billion has been 

allocated or set aside: $13 billion in 

response to Hurricane Sandy, $514 

million in response to disasters 

occurring in 2011 or 2012, $655 million 

in response to 2013 disasters, and $1 

billion set aside for the National 

Disaster Resilience Competition. 

This Notice specifies a waiver and 

modifies requirements for grantees in 

receipt of allocations under the 

Appropriations Act, which are 

described within the Federal Register 

Notices published by the Department on 

March 5, 2013 (78 FR 14329), April 19, 

2013 (78 FR 23578), May 29, 2013 (78 

FR 32262), August 2, 2013 (78 FR 

46999), November 18, 2013 (78 FR 

69104), December 16, 2013 (78 FR 

76154), March 27, 2014 (79 FR 17173), 

June 3, 2014 (79 FR 31964), July 11, 

2014 (79 FR 40133), October 7, 2014 (79 

FR 60490), October 16, 2014 (79 FR 

62182), and January 8, 2015 (80 FR 

1039), referred to collectively in this 

Notice as the ‘‘Prior Notices.’’ The 

requirements of the Prior Notices 

continue to apply, except as modified 

by this Notice.1

II. Applicable Rules, Statutes, Waivers, 

and Alternative Requirements 

The Appropriations Act authorizes 

the Secretary to waive, or specify 

alternative requirements for, any 

provision of any statute or regulation 

that the Secretary administers in 

connection with HUD’s obligation or 

use by the recipient of these funds 

(except for requirements related to fair 

housing, nondiscrimination, labor 

standards, and the environment). 

Waivers and alternative requirements 

are based upon a determination by the 

Secretary that good cause exists and that 

the waiver or alternative requirement is 

not inconsistent with the overall 

purposes of Title I of the Housing and 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES