Notice2022-03714
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
February 22, 2022
Issuing agencies
Agriculture Department
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 35 (Tuesday, February 22, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 22, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9564-9566]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03714]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following
information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Comments
are requested regarding: Whether the collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility; the
accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used; ways to enhance the quality,
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Comments regarding this information collection received by March
24, 2022 will be considered. Written comments and recommendations for
the proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days
of the publication of this notice on the following website
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular information
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information
[[Page 9565]]
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays
a currently valid OMB control number.
Rural Housing Service
Title: RD 1924 Construction Common Forms.
OMB Control Number: 0575-NEW.
Summary of Collection: The information collection under OMB Number
0575-New will enable the Agencies to effectively administer the
policies, methods, and responsibilities in the planning and performing
of construction and other development work for the related construction
programs.
The Rural Housing Service (RHS) is authorized under various
sections of Title V of the Housing Act of 1949, as amended, to provides
financial assistance to construct, improve, alter, repair, replace, or
rehabilitate dwellings, which will provide modest, decent, safe, and
sanitary housing to eligible individuals in rural areas. The
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, as amended, authorizes the
credit programs of the RHS, RBCS and RUS to provide financial
assistance for essential community facilities such as construction of
community facilities and water and waste systems; and the improvement,
development, and financing of businesses, industries, and employment.
In several sections of both acts, loan limitations are established
as percentages of development costs, requiring careful monitoring of
those costs. Also, the Secretary is authorized to prescribe regulations
to ensure that Federal funds are not wasted or dissipated and that
construction will be undertaken economically and will not be of
elaborate or extravagant design or materials. The collection of
information covered by the forms allows for the planning and performing
of construction and other development work.
Need and Use of the Information: The applicant/borrower,
contractor, subcontractor, material supplier, equipment lessor,
architect, engineer, manufacturer or sponsor of manufactured housing
collects the required information. Rural Development provides forms
and/or guidelines to assist in the collection and submission of
information; however, most of the information may be collected and
submitted in the form and content which is accepted and typically used
in the normal conduct of planning and performing development work in
private industry when a private lender is financing the activity. The
information is usually submitted via hand delivery or U.S. Postal
Service to the Rural Development Field Office, although receipt through
email or USDA Service Center's eForms website is becoming more common.
Occasionally, information is submitted directly to the Rural
Development State Office. The information is used by Rural Development
to determine whether a loan/grant can be approved, to ensure that Rural
Development has adequate security for the loans financed, to provide
for sound construction and development work and to determine that the
requirements of the applicable acts have been met. The information is
also used to monitor compliance with the terms and conditions of the
loan/grant and to monitor the prudent use of Federal funds.
Applications are submitted through the applicable USDA Rural
Development State Office.
Description of Respondents: Individuals or Households.
Number of Respondents: 15.
Frequency of Responses: Annually.
Total Burden Hours: 7.
Rural Housing Service
Title: 1901-E Civil Rights Common Forms.
OMB Control Number: 0575-NEW.
Summary of Collection: The information collection under OMB Number
0575-New will enable the Agencies to effectively administer the
policies, methods, and responsibilities in the planning and performing
of construction and other development work for the related construction
programs.
The Rural Housing Service (RHS), Rural Business and Cooperative
Service (RBCS) and Rural Utilities service (RUS) agencies within the
Rural Development mission area, hereinafter referred to as Agency, is
the credit Agency for agriculture and rural development for the United
States Department of Agriculture. The Agency offers offer loans, grants
and loan guarantees to help create jobs and support economic
development and essential services such as housing; health care; first
responder services and equipment; and water, electric and
communications infrastructure on an equal opportunity basis. The
information collection requirements in this request are needed to
comply with civil rights laws and Executive Orders that provide
protection and prohibit discrimination on the basis of 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, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil
rights activity.
7 CFR part 1901-E implements the following Civil Rights laws,
Executive Orders, and regulations, to collect the necessary information
and enforce the civil rights requirements of RD's Federally assisted
programs and programs that provide housing. Title VI and Title VIII
have overlapping coverage providing protection on the bases of race,
color and national origin.
Need and use of the Information: The same information is provided
by each program, but it is evaluated differently based on the specific
nature of its benefits and services. This information is used by RD to
comply with the Department of Justice (DOJ) Title VI Regulation 28 CFR
part 42 subpart F to ensure that Federal agencies which extend Federal
financial assistance properly enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
and similar provisions in Federal grant statutes. Additionally, Section
42.407--``Procedures to Determine Compliance'' established RD
requirements to conduct pre-award and post-award compliance reviews.
The requirement to conduct compliance reviews is also based on the
requirements of Executive Order 12250.
Information is also used internally by RD to monitor and analyze
program participation to determine compliance with the civil rights
laws applicable to that recipient. The information is also used by the
Agency to determine Agency compliance. In the case of RD housing
programs, the information will be reported to Congress for the required
annual reporting. A compilation of all RD civil rights activities
implementing the various civil rights laws and regulations and the
number of compliance reviews conducted, including pre-and post-awards,
will be reported on the Implementation Plan and submitted to the
Department of Justice. This information is made available to USDA
officials, officials of other Federal enforcement agencies, and to
Congress for reporting purposes.
To ensure compliance with 28 CFR 42.405, RD compliance officers
conduct compliance reviews which often involve a visual review of the
recipients' posting of the required posters, and review advertising and
community outreach to determine if the general public is made aware of
the facility and that it is Federally financed, and therefore
[[Page 9566]]
eligible for use on an equal opportunity basis. Community contacts are
made with business and community leaders and participants in the
program to obtain their knowledge and opinions of the facility's
operation and determine if there have been allegations of
discrimination made in the community.
Compliance officers utilize compliance review forms such as Form
400-8 to comport with the compliance review requirements of DOJ
regulation 28 CFR part 42, and Executive Order 12250. The frequency of
compliance reviews is based on whether it is a loan or grant and the
specific requirements of the program. Grants-only obligations only
require a pre-award and a post-award compliance review. Where grants
are utilized for revolving loan funds, compliance reviews are done on
recipients every five years.
Description of Respondents: Individuals or Households.
Number of Respondents: 3.
Frequency of Responses: Annually.
Total Burden Hours: 0.
Dated: February 16, 2022.
Levi S. Harrell,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022-03714 Filed 2-18-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 22, 2022.
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