[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 127 (Thursday, July 2, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36253-36254]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-17585]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4281-N-05]


Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and 
Development, HUD.

ACTION: Notice of proposed information collection.

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SUMMARY: For the Federal Empowerment Zone Initiative (Round One and 
Round Two), the proposed information collection requirements described 
below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review and approval by September 1, 1998 for a three year period. 
as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is 
soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

DATES: Comments due date: August 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB 
Control Number and should be sent to: Sheila Jones, Reports Liaison 
Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, 
SW, Room 7232, Washington, DC 20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Selvaggi, (202) 708-3773, ext 
4647 (this is not a toll-free number) for copies of the proposed forms 
and other available documents.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department is submitting the proposed 
information collections to OMB for review and approval, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended). 
OMB has previously extended its approval of control number 2506-0148 
through August 31, 1998; that extension covers information collections 
for the Round Two 1998 application process as well as for periodic 
reporting and responses to warning letters for Round One (1994) and 
Round Two (1998) programs.
    This Notice solicits comments concerning the proposed collection 
for information for both the Round Two (1998) Urban Empowerment Zone 
Initiative (including the application process, periodic reporting, and 
responding to warning letters) and the Round One (1994) Urban 
Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community Initiative (including 
periodic reporting, and responding to warning letters), during the 
three year period starting September 1, 1998. Commenters may wish to: 
(1) evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper management of the Urban Empowerment Zone 
Initiative by the agency, including whether or not the information has 
practical utility; (2) evaluate the accuracy of HUD's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(4) minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond. This Notice also lists the following information:
    Title of Proposal: 1998 Urban Empowerment Zone Program (Round Two)/
1994 Urban Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community Program (Round 
One).
    OMB Control Number: 2506-0148.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The 
Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 amended the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation 
Act of 1993 to authorize the Secretary of HUD to designate 15 more 
urban empowerment zones. These statutes together require three sets of 
data. First, applicants for EZ designates must submit data (a) 
demonstrating their eligibility to apply, (b) addressing problems/needs 
in the proposed zone area and described in their proposed strategic 
plan, (c) determined by the applicant to be related to measuring 
success of the proposed implementation plan, measuring any lack of 
progress in achieving the activities in the proposed implementation 
plan, and justifying any boundary changes for the zone. Second, the 
statutes require HUD to review, periodically, the progress of 
designated urban communities (both Round 1 of 1994 and Round 2 of 1998) 
in carrying out their implementation programs and achieving the goals 
of their strategic plans. The Secretary is directed to collect such 
periodic and other data as deemed necessary for the review of the 
designees' progress. A third set of data

[[Page 36254]]

is required in those rare cases where HUD would send a decertification 
warning letter to a designee, which then would submit data needed to 
rebut a proposed decertification.
    A. Data for a Round Two 1998 EZ Application. Information to be 
collected consists of statutorily required data related to poverty by 
census tract; other measures of pervasive poverty, unemployment and 
economic/social distress; overall population by tract; and geographic 
data as to size and configuration.
    B. Data for Round One and Round Two Periodic Reports. These data 
consist of a short narrative of progress by the designee and individual 
progress reports on each project they describe in their implementation 
plans.
    C. Data refuting Possible Decertification. In instances where 
warning letters may be sent to Round One or Round Two designees, the 
collection burden would consist of narrative and data they select in 
order to rebut the federal argument for decertification.
    How the information is planned to be used to further the proper 
performance of functions of the agency. HUD will use the applicant 
information as part of its respective review and approval procedures 
for selecting the 1998 EZ designees. This will be a one-time process. 
And for both the 72 Round One designees and the 15 Round Two 
communities which are designated, HUD will require the periodic reports 
to be submitted annually. The designees' annual progress reports 
provide management information for HUD, oversight information for the 
Vice President's Community Empowerment Board, and status reporting for 
the Congress. These periodic reviews also provide the basis for HUD to 
continue or revoke a designation during the ten-year life of the 
federal program. For potential decertifications, HUD would use the 
designees' rebuttal information to make a final decision regarding 
decertification.
    Description of the likely respondents, including the estimated 
number of likely respondents, and proposed frequency of response to the 
collection of information:
    HUD anticipates that 225 communities will apply in 1998 for Round 
Two designation; for the subsequent ten year designation period, HUD 
estimates that 15 Round Two designees will submit annual progress 
reports and 72 Round One designees will submit annual progress reports 
for the remainder of their ten year periods. Possibly five de-
certification warning letters may require rebuttal by designees.
    Agency form numbers, if applicable: Nomination for a Federal 
Empowerment Zone, HUD 40003 (5-98).
    Members of affected public: Units of Local Government and States; 
Non-Profit Organization; Interested Members of the Public.
    Estimate of the total reporting and recordkeeping burden that will 
result from the collection of information:
    Number of Round Two applicants: 225.
    Total burden hours (@ 50 hours per response): 11,250.
    Number of Annual Progress Reports;
      15 Round Two @ 15 hrs: 225.
      72 Round One @ 15 hrs: 1080.
    Number of Rebuttals--5 @ 20 hours: 100.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 12,655.
    Status of the proposed information collection: The public was twice 
invited to comment on the accuracy of this information collection 
burden, via a Notice of Proposed Information Collection published in 
the Federal Register on January 23, 1998, and via an Interim Notice of 
Rulemaking published in the Federal Register in April 16, 1998. HUD 
received no public comments in response to either publication. This 
Notice now informs the public that HUD is seeking OMB approval for 
three years of the control number 2506-0148, for continuing management 
of the urban EZ programs (Round One and Round Two).

    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended.

    Dated: June 26, 1998.
Kenneth Williams,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs, CPD.
[FR Doc. 98-17585 Filed 7-1-98; 8:45 am]
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