80 FR 52619 - Housing Choice Voucher Program: Streamlining the Portability Process

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 169 (September 1, 2015)

This document corrects an inadvertent omission of regulatory text in HUD's final rule on Housing Choice Voucher Program: Streamlining the Portability Process, published on August 20, 2015.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 1, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 52619-52620]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21487]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

24 CFR Part 982

[Docket No. FR-5453-C-03]
RIN 2577-AC86


Housing Choice Voucher Program: Streamlining the Portability 
Process

AGENCY: Office of General Counsel, HUD.

ACTION: Final rule, technical correction.

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SUMMARY: This document corrects an inadvertent omission of regulatory 
text in HUD's final rule on Housing Choice Voucher Program: 
Streamlining the Portability Process, published on August 20, 2015.

DATES: Effective Date: September 21, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this 
technical correction, contact Camille E. Acevedo, Associate General 
Counsel for Legislation and Regulations, Office of General Counsel, 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Room 
10282, Washington, DC 20410-0500, telephone number 202-708-1793 (this 
is not a toll-free number). Individuals with speech or hearing 
impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the Federal 
Relay Service at 800-877-8339 (this is a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 20, 2015, at 80 FR 50564, HUD 
published a final rule to streamline the portability process. 
Portability is a feature of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program 
that allows an eligible family with a housing choice voucher to use 
that voucher to lease a unit anywhere in the United States where there 
is a public housing agency (PHA) operating an HCV program. The purpose 
of the changes made to the portability regulations made by HUD's final 
rule published on August 10, 2015, is to enable PHAs to better serve 
families and expand housing opportunities by improving portability 
processes.
    HUD received comments about the requirement and content of HCV 
family briefings. The majority of commenters, commenting on the 
briefings, expressed opposition to expanding the briefing requirements, 
stating that the existing briefing requirements are already complex and 
any expansion would increase administrative burden. In response to 
these comments, HUD stated that it determined that providing 
information about the factors the family should consider when 
determining where to lease a unit with voucher assistance will only be 
required as part of the briefing should HUD make such information 
available to PHAs for distribution. HUD stated that if required, PHAs 
are to provide such information as part of the oral briefing and the 
information packet provided to families selected to participate in the 
program, and that HUD would revised the regulation at Sec.  982.301 
accordingly. HUD further stated that an explanation of the benefits of 
living in low-poverty census tracts should be provided to all families, 
not just those families living in high-poverty census tracts. This 
explanation of benefits should also be included in the information 
packet provided to families selected to participate in the HCV program. 
(See 80 FR 50569, first column.) While HUD stated that it would amend 
Sec.  982.301 accordingly, the corresponding amendments were 
inadvertently omitted from the regulatory text. Therefore, this 
document revises Sec.  982.301 to include the missing regulatory text.

Correction

    In the issue of August 20, 2015, at 80 FR 50564, FR Rule Doc. No. 
2015-20551 is corrected as follows:
    On page 50572, in the third column, amendatory instruction 4. and 
its amendatory text are corrected to read as follows:

0
4. In Sec.  982.301, revise paragraphs (a)(1)(iii), (a)(2), (a)(3), 
(b)(1), (b)(4), (b)(9), (b)(11), and (b)(15) to read as follows:


Sec.  982.301  Information when family is selected.

    (a) * * *
    (1) * * *
    (iii) Where the family may lease a unit, including renting a 
dwelling unit inside or outside the PHA jurisdiction, and any 
information on selecting a unit that HUD provides.
    (2) An explanation of how portability works. The PHA may not 
discourage the family from choosing to live anywhere in the PHA 
jurisdiction, or outside the PHA jurisdiction under portability 
procedures, unless otherwise expressly authorized by statute, 
regulation, PIH Notice, or court order. The family must be informed of 
how portability may affect the family's assistance through screening, 
subsidy standards, payment standards, and any other elements of the 
portability process which may affect the family's assistance.
    (3) The briefing must also explain the advantages of areas that do 
not have a high concentration of low-income families.
* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (1) The term of the voucher, voucher suspensions, and PHA policy on 
any extensions of the term. If the PHA allows extensions, the packet 
must explain how the family can request an extension;
* * * * *
    (4) Where the family may lease a unit and an explanation of how 
portability works, including information on how portability may affect 
the family's assistance through screening, subsidy standards, payment 
standards, and any other elements of the portability process which may 
affect the family's assistance.
* * * * *
    (9) Materials (e.g., brochures) on how to select a unit and any 
additional information on selecting a unit that HUD provides.
* * * * *
    (11) A list of landlords known to the PHA who may be willing to 
lease a unit to the family or other resources (e.g., newspapers, 
organizations, online search tools) known to the PHA that may assist 
the family in locating a unit. PHAs must ensure that the list of 
landlords or other resources covers areas outside of poverty or 
minority concentration.
* * * * *
    (15) The advantages of areas that do not have a high concentration 
of low-income families.


[[Page 52620]]


    Dated: August 25, 2015.
Camille E. Acevedo,
Associate General Counsel for Legislation and Regulations.
[FR Doc. 2015-21487 Filed 8-31-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P