81 FR 24630 - Notice of establishment of the Moving to Work Research Federal Advisory Committee

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 80 (April 26, 2016)

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, this provides notice that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will establish the Moving to Work Research Federal Advisory Committee (Committee). The Committee will advise HUD on specific policy proposals and methods of research and evaluation for expansion of the Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration, as provided by Congress.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24630-24631]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09754]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5932-N-02]


Notice of establishment of the Moving to Work Research Federal 
Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian 
Housing, and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development 
and Research, HUD.

ACTION: Notice of Establishment of the Moving to Work Research Federal 
Advisory Committee.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 
this provides notice that the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development (HUD) will establish the Moving to Work Research Federal 
Advisory Committee (Committee). The Committee will advise HUD on 
specific policy proposals and methods of research and evaluation for 
expansion of the Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration, as provided by 
Congress.

ADDRESSES: The Public is welcome to submit written comment to HUD by 
electronic mail at [email protected]. Comments must be 
received by May 11, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of Public and Indian Housing, 
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th St. SW., 
Washington, DC 20410, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background and Authority for the MTW Expansion: The Fiscal Year 
2016 Appropriations Act, Section 239 (Public Law 114-113), signed by 
the President in December 2015, authorizes HUD to expand the MTW 
demonstration by an additional 100 public housing agencies (PHA) over 
seven years. Agencies selected as part of the MTW expansion must be 
high performers, meet certain site selection requirements as described 
below, and represent geographic diversity across the country.
    The key principles for the expansion of the MTW demonstration are 
to: Simplify, learn, and apply. The vision for the MTW expansion is to 
learn from MTW interventions in order to improve the delivery of 
federally assisted housing and promote self-sufficiency for low-income 
families across the nation. In developing the framework for the MTW 
expansion, HUD will balance the deregulation desired by the industry 
with the need for a strong evaluative component. Certain MTW 
flexibilities will be provided to all new MTW PHAs when they are 
designated. Other MTW flexibilities will only be available to specific 
cohorts, depending on which policy will be tested and evaluated by that 
cohort.
    In order to inform the MTW expansion, HUD published a Notice to 
solicit feedback on the policy proposals and methods of research and 
evaluation in the Federal Register on April 4, 2016 (81 FR 19233) and 
anticipates posting a summary of the comments on its Web site in Spring 
2016. Today's Federal Register Notice announces the establishment of 
the Committee, as described below, and HUD plans to hold two conference 
calls with the Committee throughout this Summer, and will have one in-
person meeting in late-Summer 2016. HUD plans to post a Notice to 
solicit applications for the first cohort of the MTW Expansion in the 
Fall of 2016. This Notice will include all of the policies to be 
studied throughout the MTW expansion. The initial cohort of new MTW 
PHAs will be announced in the Spring/Summer 2017, and additional 
cohorts will be added through 2020 through additional notices.
    Background and Authority for the Committee: Establishment of the 
Committee implements a statutory requirement of Public Law 114-113. The 
Committee is governed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 
Appendix 2), which sets forth standards for the formation and use of 
advisory committees. The Committee shall advise HUD on specific policy 
proposals and methods of research and evaluation related to the 
expansion of the MTW demonstration to an additional 100 high-performing 
PHAs.
    The Committee shall advise HUD, at the request of the Secretary, on 
the following: Specific policy proposals and evaluation methods for the 
MTW demonstration; rigorous research methodologies that will 
effectively

[[Page 24631]]

measure the impact of the policy changes identified; policy changes 
adopted by MTW PHAs that have proven successful and can be applied more 
broadly to all PHAs; and statutory and/or regulatory changes necessary 
to implement policy changes for all PHAs. The Committee shall have no 
role in reviewing or selecting the MTW PHAs. Each year, the Committee 
shall provide a report to the HUD Secretary that describes the 
activities, status, and changes in composition of the Committee since 
the previous year. A draft of the Committee's Charter and Membership 
Balance Plan can be found on HUD's Web site at www.hud.gov/mtw.
    Structure: The Committee shall consist of up to fourteen (14) 
members, as the Secretary will appoint. Members will be reappointed at 
the discretion of the Secretary. When appropriate, HUD will provide 
stipends to members selected as former or current residents of MTW PHAs 
as compensation for their time. All other members shall serve without 
compensation.
    Membership of the Committee shall include program and research 
experts from HUD; a fair representation of PHAs with an MTW 
designation, including current and/or former residents; and independent 
subject matter experts in housing policy research. No person who is a 
federally-registered lobbyist may serve on the Committee. Members of 
the Committee shall be chosen to ensure balance, diversity, and a broad 
representation of ideas, in accordance with HUD's Membership Balance 
Plan for the Committee. In general, subject matter expertise in the 
programs operated by HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing, and 
specifically the MTW Demonstration Program, is beneficial in helping 
the Committee accomplish its mission. Membership on the Committee is 
personal to the appointee. Committee members representing MTW agency 
Executive Directors may designate an alternate member of their MTW 
agency to attend in their place, should they be unable to participate 
in a Committee meeting.
    The Committee will meet in person at least one (1) time per fiscal 
year and by conference call up to six (6) times as needed to render 
advice to HUD. Meetings shall be coordinated by a Designated Federal 
Officer who shall approve the agenda and chair Committee meetings.
    Committee members will be required, as applicable, to provide 
disclosures and certifications regarding conflicts of interest and 
eligibility for membership prior to final appointment.

    Dated: April 19, 2016.
Lourdes Castro Ram[iacute]rez,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing.
Katherine M. O'Regan,
Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.
[FR Doc. 2016-09754 Filed 4-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4210-67-P