Agency Information Collection Activities; Bureau of Indian Affairs Housing Improvement Program

AGENCY:

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is proposing to renew an information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before October 23, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

Send your comments on the information collection request (ICR) by mail to Mr. Les Jensen, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1849 C Street NW., Mail Stop 3645, Washington, DC 20240; or by email to Leslie.Jensen@bia.gov. Please reference OMB Control Number 1076-0084 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Mr. Les Jensen by email at Leslie.Jensen@bia.gov, or by telephone: (907) 586-7397.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we provide the general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.

We are soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper functions of the BIA (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the BIA enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the BIA minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Abstract: Submission of this information allows BIA to determine applicant eligibility for housing services based upon the criteria referenced in 25 CFR 256.9 (repairs and renovation assistance) and 256.10 (replacement housing assistance). Enrolled members of federally recognized tribes, who live within a tribe's designated and approved service area, submit information on an application form. The information is collected on a BIA Form 6407, “Housing Assistance Application,” and includes:

A. Applicant Information including: Name, current address, telephone number, date of birth, social security number, tribe, roll number, reservation, marital status, name of spouse, date of birth of spouse, tribe of spouse, and roll number of spouse.

B. Family Information including: Name, date of birth, relationship to applicant, and tribe/roll number.

C. Income Information: Earned and unearned income.

D. Housing Information including: Location of the house to be repaired, constructed, or purchased; description of housing assistance for which applying; knowledge of receipt of prior Housing Improvement Program assistance, amount to whom and when; ownership or rental; availability of electricity and name of electric company; type of sewer system; water source; number of bathroom facilities.

E. Land Information including: Landowner; legal status of land; or type of interest in land.

F. General Information including: Prior receipt of services under the Housing Improvement Program and description of such; ownership of other housing and description of such; identification of Housing and Urban Development-funded house and current status of project; identification of other sources of housing assistance for which the applicant has applied and been denied assistance, if applying for a new housing unit or purchase of an existing standard unit; and advisement and description of any severe health problem, handicap or permanent disability.

G. Applicant Certification including: Signature of applicant and date, and signature of spouse and date.

Title of Collection: Bureau of Indian Affairs Housing Improvement Program.

OMB Control Number: 1076-0084.

Form Number: BIA-6407.

Type of Review: Extension without change of currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 8,000 per year, on average.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 8,000 per year, on average.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: 1 hour.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 8,000 hours.

Respondent's Obligation: A response is required to obtain a benefit.

Frequency of Collection: Once per year.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $0.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).