[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 120 (Friday, June 25, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33721-33722]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13553]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7037-N-02]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment 
Request; Housing Discrimination Claim Form HUD-903.1, HUD-903.1A, HUD-
903.1B, HUD-903.1C, HUD-903.1F, HUD-903.1CAM, HUD-903.1KOR, HUD-
903.1RUS, HUD-903-1_Somali; OMB Control No.: 2529-0011

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal 
Opportunity, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The proposed reinstatement, with revised title and minor text 
revisions, of an expired, previously approved information collection 
for HUD Form Series HUD-903.1, HUD-903.1A, HUD-903.1B, HUD-903.1C, HUD-
903.1F, HUD-903.1CAM, HUD-903.1KOR, HUD-903.1RUS, and HUD-903-1_Somali 
will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. HUD is 
soliciting comments from all interested parties on the proposed 
reinstatement of this information collection.

DATES: Comment Due Date: August 24, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
the proposed reinstatement of this information collection. Comments 
should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB Control Number, and 
should be sent to Colette Pollard, Departmental Paperwork Reduction Act 
Officer, QMAC, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 
7th Street SW, Room 4186, Washington, DC 20410-2000; telephone number 
(202) 402-3400 (this is not a toll-free number), or email at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b3f0dcdfd6c7c7d69de3dcdfdfd2c1d7f3dbc6d79dd4dcc5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c182aeada4b5b5a4ef91aeadada0b3a581a9b4a5efa6aeb7">[email protected]</span></a> for a copy of the proposed forms or other 
available information. Hearing or speech impaired individuals may 
access this number via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay 
Service at: 1-(800) 877-8339.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erik A. Heins, Director, Enforcement 
Support Division, Office of Enforcement, U.S. Department of Housing and 
Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 5214, Washington, DC 20410-
2000; telephone number (202) 402-5887 (this is not a toll-free number), 
or email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5b1e091210751a75131e1215081b332e3f753c342d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="afeafde6e481ee81e7eae6e1fcefc7dacb81c8c0d9">[email protected]</span></a>. Hearing or speech impaired 
individuals may access this number via TTY by calling the toll-free 
Federal Relay Service at: 1-(800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HUD is submitting this proposed 
reinstatement, with revised title and minor text revisions, of an 
expired, previously approved information collection to the OMB for 
review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 [44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended].
    HUD has revised the previous title of the HUD Form Series HUD-903.1 
information collection from ``Housing Discrimination Information Form'' 
to ``Housing Discrimination Claim Form (``Form'').'' This revised title 
emphasizes that submitting a Housing Discrimination Claim Form to HUD 
is not equivalent to filing a jurisdictional housing discrimination 
complaint with HUD. The proposed minor text revisions comply with the 
procedures described in HUD's Fair Housing Act regulation at 24 CFR 
part 103, subpart B, Subsections 103.10, 103.15, 103.20, 103.25, 
103.30, 103.35, and 103.40. The revised Form also provides a complete 
list of mailing addresses, email addresses, and fax numbers for HUD's 
ten (10) Regional Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) Offices.
    The proposed minor text revisions to HUD Form Series HUD-903.1 will 
not increase the information collection burden for aggrieved persons. 
Both the previous and revised Forms ask an aggrieved person to provide 
their full name; address; phone and/or email contact information; and 
alternative contact information. Both Forms also ask the aggrieved 
person to answer five (5) preliminary questions that may establish 
HUD's authority (jurisdiction) to file and investigate a Fair Housing 
Act complaint.
    The proposed minor text revisions to HUD Form Series HUD-903.1 will 
not increase the total annual burden hours for aggrieved persons who 
submit the Form to HUD via the internet. Therefore, HUD does not 
believe that the time for completing the online version of the Form 
will exceed the current 45-minute time limit for internet submissions.
    This Notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected agencies concerning the proposed reinstatement, with revised 
title and minor text revisions, of an expired, previously approved 
collection of information concerning alleged discriminatory housing 
practices under the Fair Housing Act [42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.]. The Fair 
Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, occupancy, 
advertising, and insuring of residential dwellings; and in residential 
real estate-related transactions; and in the provision of brokerage 
services, based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap [disability], 
familial status, or national origin. The Fair Housing Act also makes it 
unlawful to coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with any person 
who has (1) exercised their fair housing rights; or (2) aided or 
encouraged another person to exercise their fair housing rights.
    Any person who claims to have been injured by a discriminatory 
housing practice, or any person who believes that they will be injured 
by a discriminatory housing practice that is about to occur, may file a 
complaint with HUD not later than one year after the alleged 
discriminatory housing practice occurred or terminated. HUD has 
designed Housing Discrimination Claim Form HUD-903.1 to promote 
consistency in the documents that, by statute, must be provided to 
persons against whom complaints are filed [``respondents''], and for 
the convenience of the general public. Section 103.25 of HUD's Fair 
Housing Act regulation describes the information that must be included 
in each complaint filed with HUD. For purposes of meeting the Act's 
one-year time limitation for filing complaints with HUD, complaints 
need not be initially submitted on the Form that HUD provides. Housing 
Discrimination Claim Form HUD-903.1 (English language), HUD-903.1A 
(Spanish language), HUD-903.1B (Chinese language), HUD-903.1C (Arabic 
language), HUD-903.1F (Vietnamese language), HUD-903.1CAM (Cambodian 
language), HUD-903.1KOR (Korean language), HUD-903.1RUS (Russian 
language), and HUD-903-

[[Page 33722]]

1_(Somali language) may be submitted to HUD by mail, in person, by 
facsimile, by email, or via the internet to HUD's Office of Fair 
Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO). FHEO staff uses the information 
provided on the Form to verify HUD's authority to investigate the 
aggrieved person's allegations under the Fair Housing Act.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Proposed Revised Title of Information Collection: Housing 
Discrimination Claim Form.
    OMB Control Number: 2529-0011.
    Type of Request: Proposed reinstatement, with revised title and 
minor text revisions, of an expired, previously approved information 
collection.
    Form Number: HUD-903.1.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: HUD 
uses the Housing Discrimination Claim Form HUD-903.1 (Form) to collect 
pertinent information from persons wishing to file housing 
discrimination complaints with HUD under the Fair Housing Act. The Fair 
Housing Act makes it unlawful to discriminate in the sale, rental, 
occupancy, advertising, or insuring of residential dwellings; or to 
discriminate in residential real estate-related transactions; or in the 
provision of brokerage services, based on race, color, religion, sex, 
handicap [disability], familial status, or national origin. The Fair 
Housing Act also makes it unlawful to coerce, intimidate, threaten, or 
interfere with any person who has (1) exercised their fair housing 
rights; or (2) aided or encouraged another person to exercise their 
fair housing rights.
    Any person who claims to have been injured by a discriminatory 
housing practice, or any person who believes that they will be injured 
by a discriminatory housing practice that is about to occur, may file a 
complaint with HUD not later than one year after the alleged 
discriminatory housing practice occurs or terminates. The Form promotes 
consistency in the collection of information necessary to contact 
persons who file housing discrimination complaints with HUD. It also 
aids in the collection of information necessary for initial assessments 
of HUD's authority to investigate alleged discriminatory housing 
practices under the Fair Housing Act. This information may subsequently 
be provided to persons against whom complaints are filed 
[``respondents''], as required under section 810(a)(1)(B)(ii) of the 
Fair Housing Act.
    Agency form numbers, if applicable: Form HUD-903.1 (English), Form 
HUD-903.1A (Spanish), Form HUD-903.1B (Chinese), Form HUD-903.1C 
(Arabic), Form HUD-903.1F (Vietnamese), Form HUD-903.1CAM (Cambodian), 
Form HUD-903.1KOR (Korean), Form HUD-903.1RUS (Russian), and Form HUD-
903-1_(Somali).
    Members of affected public: Individuals or households; businesses 
or other for-profit, not-for-profit institutions; State, Local, or 
Tribal Governments.
    Estimation of the total number of hours needed to prepare the 
information collection, including the number of respondents, frequency 
of response, and hours of responses: During FY 2020, HUD staff received 
approximately 21,846 information submissions from persons wishing to 
file housing discrimination complaints with HUD. Of this total, HUD 
received 1,298 complaint submissions by telephone. The remaining 20,548 
complaint submissions were transmitted to HUD by mail, in-person, by 
email, and via the internet. HUD estimates that an aggrieved person 
requires approximately 45 minutes in which to complete this Form. The 
Form is completed once by each aggrieved person. Therefore, the total 
number of annual burden hours for this Form is 15,411 hours.

20,548 x 1 (frequency) x .45 minutes (.75 hours) = 15,411 hours.

    Annualized cost burden to complainants: HUD does not provide 
postage-paid mailers for this information collection. Accordingly, 
aggrieved persons choosing to submit this Form to HUD by regular mail 
must pay the United States Postal Service's (USPS) prevailing First 
Class Postage rate. As of the date of this Notice, the annualized cost 
burden per person, based on a one-time submission of this Form to HUD 
via the USPS's First Class Postage rate, is Fifty-five Cents ($0.55) 
per person. During FY 2020, FHEO staff received approximately 1,533 
submissions of potential complaint information by mail. Based on this 
number, HUD estimates that the total annualized cost burden for 
aggrieved persons who submit this Form to HUD by mail is $843.00. 
Aggrieved persons may also submit this Form to HUD in person, by 
facsimile, by email, or electronically via the internet.
    Status of the proposed information collection: Proposed 
reinstatement, with revised title and minor text revisions, of an 
expired, previously approved collection of pertinent information from 
persons wishing to file Fair Housing Act complaints with HUD.

B. Solicitation of Public Comments

    This Notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected parties concerning the collection of information described in 
Section A on the following:
    (1) Whether the proposed information collection is necessary for 
the performance of the agency's functions;
    (2) Whether the agency's estimate of burdens imposed by the 
information collection is accurate;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) Ways to minimize the burdens of the information collection on 
aggrieved persons, including the use of appropriate automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of responses. HUD encourages 
interested parties to submit comments in response to these questions.

C. Authority

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

Erik Heins,
Director, Enforcement Support Division, FHEO.
[FR Doc. 2021-13553 Filed 6-24-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P


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