Supporting_Statement_A_HCFAC 2_added

Supporting Statement for PRA Submission

Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee (HCFAC)

Office of Housing Counseling

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

OMB Control Number 2502-xxxx

1. HUD will establish a federal advisory committee, as mandated by the Expand and Preserve Homeownership through Counseling Act, Public Law 111–203, title XIV, § 1441, July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 2163 (Act), 42 USC 3533(g). The appropriate sections of the Act are attached.

2. The information to be collected uses The Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee (HCFAC) Membership Application Form 90005-HCFAC. The information will be used by HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling to select and recommend to the Secretary for appointment the members of the Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee to ensure the members meet the requirements of the Expand and Preserve Homeownership through Counseling Act and of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Nominations may be made by agency officials, members of Congress, the general public, professional organizations, and the nominee. Nominations can be made anywhere in the country

3. Interested parties will be able to submit the HCFAC Membership Application Form electronically through email as well as through regular mail. No other automated or electronic methods will be used. The Office of Housing Counseling determined the email submissions make the submission on the HCFAC Membership Application Form easier and therefore reduces burden. A secure SharePoint site will be established for the storage of these data.

4. As this is a new Federal Advisory Committee, there is no similar information available.

5. There is no impact on small business or other small entities as the potential respondents are individuals.

6. If this information on the HCFAC Membership Application Form is not collected, HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling will not be able to select and recommend to the Secretary for appointment the members of the Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee to ensure the members meet the requirements of the Expand and Preserve Homeownership through Counseling Act and of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

7. The information will not be collected more than quarterly and will not require written response, retention of records, submission of confidential information, etc. It is not a statistical survey.

8. This is not applicable as there has been no previous publication of HCFAC Membership Application Form

In accordance with 5 CFR 1320.8(d), this information collection soliciting public comments was announced in the Federal Register on March 5, 2013 (Volume 78, Number 43, Page 14320). No comments were received.

Feedback on the HCFAC Membership Application Form from:

Kelly Gill-Gordon, [email protected]

Penny McPherson [email protected]

Robert Jackson [email protected]

Laura Morgan [email protected]

9. No payment or gifts will be provided to the respondents. Members of the Committee shall serve without pay but shall receive travel expenses including per diem in lieu of subsistence as authorized by 5 U.S.C 5703.

10. The HCFAC Membership Application Form and instructions assures the respondents that all information will be kept confidential. The HCFAC Membership Application Form does not ask for social security numbers nor will the social security numbers be requested at anytime in the process.

Members will be designated as Special Government Employees (SGE). Individuals who serve on advisory committees as SGEs are appointed to a committee to exercise their own individual best judgment on behalf of the Government. It is expected that SGEs will discuss and deliberate in a manner that is free from conflicts of interest.

Members of the Committee shall be screened by HUD prior to appointment. The screening will include conflict of interest issues, financial issues and other ethics issues. Members will be required to adhere to the conflict of interest rules applicable to Special Government Employees as such employees are defined in 18 U.S.C. Section 202(a). The rules include relevant provisions in 18 U.S.C. related to criminal activity, Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (5 CFR part 2635), and Executive Order 12674 (as modified by Executive Order 12731).

Applicants must state in their application that they agree to submit to these pre-appointment screenings which include the submission of form OGE-450 (Confidential Financial Disclosure Report). Any information related to the screening will be kept confidential. A secure SharePoint site will be set-up to store the applications and other member information.

11. There are no questions of a sensitive nature. The respondents are told that any demographic information is optional. They will be asked submit form HUD-27061-H (Race and Ethnicity Data Reporting Form).

Selection of members is based on candidates’ qualifications to contribute to the accomplishment of HCFAC’s as reflected in the Mission Statement  HCFAC membership will be balanced to include a broad representation of geographic areas within the U.S., with equitable representation of the sexes, ethnic and racial minorities, and the handicapped. Nominees must be U.S. citizens, and cannot be full-time employees of the U.S. Government.

The Committee shall consist of no more than 12 individuals. The membership will equally represent the mortgage and real estate industry including consumers, and housing counseling agencies certified by the Secretary

12. Burden Matrix

Information Collection	# of Respondents	Annual Responds	Burden Hour per Respondent	Total Burden Hours	Hourly Cost**	Total Annual Cost
HCFAC Membership Application – 90005-HCFAC	250	250	1.00	250	$34.34	$8,585
OGE-450	20	20	1.50	30	$34.34	$1,030.20
Totals	270	270		280		$13,907.70

** hourly rate for GS 13-1

13. There is no cost to the respondents.

14. The annual cost to the Federal Government is .5 FTE for $35,837.

15. This is new collection. The information to be collected is a HCFAC Membership Application Form. The information will be used by HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling to select and recommend to the Secretary for appointment the members of the Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee to ensure the members meet the requirements of the Expand and Preserve Homeownership through Counseling Act and of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

16. No results will be published.

17. There is no request not to display the expiration date.

18. There are no exceptions to the certificate statement identified in Item 19 of the OMB Form 83-1.

9/13/2013