OMB is approving this addition of the ERA Redirected Funds Form to in the information collections under this OMB control number.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
07/31/2021
6 Months From Approved
07/31/2021
2,330
0
2,300
606
0
576
0
0
0
On December 27, 2020, the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the âActâ). Division N, Title V, Section 501(a)(1) of the Act provides $25 billion for the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to make payments to States (defined to include the District of Columbia), U.S. Territories (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa), Indian tribes or tribally designated housing entities, as applicable, the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, and certain local governments with more than 200,000 residents (collectively the âeligible granteesâ) to provide financial assistance and housing stability services to eligible households.
Section 501(c) requires the eligible grantees to use the funds to provide financial assistance and housing stability services to eligible households. Section 501(b)(1)(A) provides that not later than 30 days after December 27, 2020, the Secretary shall pay each eligible grantee. Treasury intends to begin making payments as soon as possible given the urgent need for the funds being disbursed.
Under the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program, eligible local governments with more than 200,000 residents may elect to receive an ERA award directly from Treasury. If an eligible local government elected to receive an ERA award its allocation of award funds is deducted from the award amount that their State would have otherwise received under the ERA program. Some local governments that received an ERA award from Treasury have now decided to cancel their ERA awards and want to directly transfer their award funds to their respective states for the States to administer the ERA program. To facilitate this process and ensure that Treasuryâs records accurately reflects the cancellation of the local governmentâs ERA award, and the modification of the Stateâs ERA award, local governments and its respective State must complete the Redirected Funds Form and provide it with the relevant supporting documentation to Treasury.
Due to the need to expeditiously document the cancellation of the local governmentâs ERA award and modification of the Stateâs ERA award in Treasuryâs records as well as other government-wide databases, such as USASpending.gov, Treasury requests emergency processing and approval on March 25, 2021 for the Redirected Funds form and related reporting under the Act. Given the inability to seek public comment during such a short timeframe, Treasury requests a waiver from the requirement to publish notice in the Federal Register seeking public comment.
This collection of information is a new statutory requirement. With this request, we are adding an ERA Redirected Funds Form, which will increase the burden hours by 30 hours since the previous approval.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.