[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 13 (Thursday, January 20, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3649-3650]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1156]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. 5482-N-01]


Notice of Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; 
Section 3 Business Self-Certification Application

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The information collection associated with the Section 3 
Business Self-Certification Pilot Program is being submitted to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as a new collection, as required 
by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Office of Fair Housing and Equal 
Opportunity will be implementing a six-month Section 3 Business Self-
Certification pilot program in five metropolitan areas: (1) Washington, 
DC; (2) Los Angeles, CA; (3) New Orleans, LA; (4) Detroit, MI; and (5) 
Miami, FL. The findings from this pilot program will allow HUD to 
determine the feasibility of implementing the Section 3 Business Self-
Certification program nationally. The proposed Section 3 Business Self-
Certification Application Form has been developed to allow eligible 
businesses to self-certify that they meet the regulatory definition of 
a Section 3 Business Concern set forth at 24 CFR part 135. Eligible 
firms will complete and submit the form electronically to HUD, and will 
be placed into a registry of Section 3 Businesses maintained on HUD's 
Web site. Agencies that receive Section 3 covered HUD funding will be 
encouraged to contact the firms listed in HUD's registry of Section 3 
Businesses to facilitate the award of contracts and subcontracts to 
these entities.

DATES: Comments Due Date: March 21, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB 
Control Number and should be sent to: Colette Pollard, Paperwork 
Reduction

[[Page 3650]]

Act Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Department of 
Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW., Room 4178, 
Washington, DC 20410. Telephone number (202) 402-3400.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Staci Gilliam, Director, Economic 
Opportunity Division, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW., Room 
5232, Washington, DC 20410, telephone (202) 402-3468. (This is not a 
toll-free number). Hearing or speech-impaired individuals may access 
this number TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay 
Service at 1-800-877-8399.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Recipients of HUD funding that is subject to 
the requirements of Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act 
of 1968 are required to meet the minimum numerical goals for employment 
and contracting set forth in the Section 3 regulation at 24 CFR 135.30, 
to the greatest extent feasible. The proposed Section 3 Business Self-
Certification pilot program will increase the capacity of covered 
agencies to comply with the requirements of Section 3, and is 
anticipated to result in numerous economic opportunities for low-income 
persons and the businesses that substantially employ them. The proposed 
pilot program will also enhance the Department's ongoing efforts to 
strengthen the overall effectiveness and enforcement of Section 3.
    Title of Proposal: Section 3 Business Self-Certification 
Application.
    Office: Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
    OMB Control Number: 2529-.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The 
information collected from the Section 3 Business Self-Certification 
Application will allow HUD and recipients of covered HUD funding to 
identify Section 3 Businesses within their communities. The overriding 
purpose of this information collection is to ensure that contracting 
opportunities are provided to Section 3 businesses in fulfillment of 
the regulatory requirements set forth at 24 CFR Part 135, and to 
increase the capacity of covered agencies to comply with the 
requirements of Section 3. HUD will use the information to identify 
firms that self-certify that they meet the regulatory definition of a 
Section 3 Business. The information collected from the Section 3 
Business Self-Certification Application will be posted in a registry of 
Section 3 Businesses which will be posted on HUD's webpage. Agencies 
that receive covered HUD funding in the five pilot locations will be 
encouraged to notify the Section 3 Businesses contained in HUD's 
registry about the availability of covered contracting opportunities.
    Agency form numbers, if applicable:
    Members of affected public: Businesses that are either owned by, or 
substantially employ, low- or very low-income persons; low-income 
persons; developers; members of the general public; Public Housing 
Agencies; and State and local governments.
    Estimation of the total numbers of hours needed to prepare the 
information collection including number of respondents, frequency of 
response, and hours of response: The Department estimates that 
approximately 20,000 businesses in the five pilot locations may 
complete the Section 3 Self-Certification Application during the six-
month pilot program. It is estimated that each application will take 
approximately 30 minutes to complete for a total of 10,000 hours.
    Status of the proposed information collection: New information 
collection.

    Authority:  The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended.

    Dated: January 13, 2011.
Bryan Greene,
General Deputy Assistant, Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal 
Opportunity.
[FR Doc. 2011-1156 Filed 1-19-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P