Source: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?mc=true&node=pt24.1.115&rgn=div5
Timestamp: 2020-01-26 00:58:36
Document Index: 264885001

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 115', '§115', '§115', '§115', '§115', '§115', '§115', '§115', '§115', '§115', '§115', '§115', '§115']

Title 24 → Subtitle B → Chapter I → Subchapter A → Part 115
§115.101 Program administration.
§115.302 Capacity building funds.
§115.304 Agencies eligible for contributions funds.
§115.306 Training funds.
§115.311 Testing.
Source: 72 FR 19074, Apr. 16, 2007, unless otherwise noted.
(a) Authority and responsibility. The Secretary has delegated the authority and responsibility for administering this part to the Assistant Secretary.
(b) Delegation of Authority. The Assistant Secretary retains the right to make final decisions concerning the granting and withdrawal of substantial equivalency interim certification and certification. The Assistant Secretary delegates the authority and responsibility for administering the remainder of this part to the FHEO regional director. This includes assessing the performance of interim and certified agencies as described in §115.206. This also includes the offering of a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) as described in §115.210 and the suspension of interim certification or certification due to performance deficiencies as described in §115.210.
(a) Capacity building (CB) funds are funds that HUD may provide to an agency with interim certification.
(b) CB funds will be provided in a fixed annual amount to be utilized for the eligible activities established pursuant to §115.303. When the fixed annual amount will not adequately compensate an agency in its first year of participation in the FHAP due to the large number of fair housing complaints that the agency reasonably anticipates processing, HUD may provide the agency with additional funds.
(c) HUD may provide CB funds during an agency's first three years of participation in the FHAP. However, in the second and third year of the agency's participation in the FHAP, HUD has the option to permit the agency to receive contribution funds under §115.304, instead of CB funds.
(d) In order to receive CB funding, agencies must submit a statement of work prior to the signing of the cooperative agreement. The statement of work must identify:
(2) A plan for training all of the agency's employees involved in the administration of the agency's fair housing law;
(3) A statement of the agency's intention to participate in HUD-sponsored training in accordance with the training requirements set out in the cooperative agreement;
(4) A description of the agency's complaint processing data and information system, or, alternatively, whether the agency plans to use CB funds to purchase and install a data system;
(5) A description of any other fair housing activities that the agency will undertake with its CB funds. All such activities must address matters affecting fair housing enforcement that are cognizable under the Fair Housing Act. Any activities that do not address the implementation of the agency's fair housing law, and that are therefore not cognizable under the Fair Housing Act, will be disapproved.
(a) An agency that has received CB funds for one to three consecutive years may be eligible for contributions funding. Contributions funding consists of five categories:
(2) Special enforcement effort (SEE) funds (see §115.305);
(3) Training funds (see §115.306);
(4) Administrative cost (AC) funds; and
(5) Partnership (P) funds.
(b) CP funds. (1) Agencies receiving CP funds will receive such support based solely on the number of complaints processed by the agency and accepted for payment by the FHEO regional director during a consecutive, specifically identified, 12-month period. The 12-month period will be identified in the cooperative agreement between HUD and the agency. The FHEO regional office shall determine whether or not cases are acceptably processed based on requirements enumerated in the cooperative agreement and its attachments/appendices, performance standards set forth in 24 CFR 115.206, and provisions of the interim agreement or MOU.
(2) The amount of funding to agencies that are new to contributions funding will be based on the number of complaints acceptably processed by the agency during the specifically identified 12-month period preceding the signing of the cooperative agreement.
(c) AC funds. (1) Agencies that acceptably process 100 or more cases will receive no less than 10 percent of the agency's total FHAP payment amount for the preceding year, in addition to CP funds, contingent on fiscal year appropriations. Agencies that acceptably process fewer than 100 cases will receive a flat rate, contingent on fiscal year appropriations.
(2) Agencies will be required to provide HUD with a statement of how they intend to use the AC funds. HUD may require that some or all AC funding be directed to activities designed to create, modify, or improve local, regional, or national information systems concerning fair housing matters (including the purchase of state-of-the-art computer systems, obtaining and maintaining Internet access, etc.).
(d) P funds. The purpose of P funds is for an agency participating in the FHAP to utilize the services of individuals and/or public, private, for-profit, or not-for-profit organizations that have expertise needed to effectively carry out the provisions of the agency's fair housing law. P funds are fixed amounts and shall be allocated based on the FHAP appropriation. Agencies must consult with the CAO and GTR in identifying appropriate usage of P funds for the geographical area that the agency services. Some examples of proper P fund usage include, but are not limited to:
(1) Contracting with qualified organizations to conduct fair housing testing in appropriate cases;
(2) Hiring experienced, temporary staff to assist in the investigation of complex or aged cases;
(3) Partnering with grassroots, faith-based or other community-based organizations to conduct education and outreach to people of different backgrounds on how to live together peacefully in the same housing complex, neighborhood, or community;
(4) Contracting with individuals outside the agency who have special expertise needed for the investigation of fair housing cases (e.g., architects for design and construction cases or qualified individuals from colleges and universities for the development of data and statistical analyses).
The following requirements apply to testing activities funded under the FHAP:
(a) The testing must be done in accordance with a HUD-approved testing methodology;
(b) Testers must not have prior felony convictions or convictions of any crimes involving fraud or perjury.
(c) Testers must receive training or be experienced in testing procedures and techniques.
(d) Testers and the organizations conducting tests, and the employees and agents of these organizations may not:
(2) Be a relative or acquaintance of any party in a case;
(3) Have had any employment or other affiliation, within five years, with the person or organization to be tested; or
(4) Be a competitor of the person or organization to be tested in the listing, rental, sale, or financing of real estate.