Rules and Regulations. Interim final rule

Agency: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Housing—Federal Housing Commissioner, HUD
Action: Interim final rule
Citation: FR Doc. 2020-17138 · RIN 2502-ZA34 · Docket No. FR-6215-I-02 · 24 CFR 214

Summary

HUD's current rule states that participating agencies and counselors must comply with certification requirements by 36 months after HUD commences the administration of the certification examination. That 36-month grace period ends on August 1, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 national emergency, which has caused the shutdown of the testing centers where housing counselors take the certification examination, a large number of housing counselors will be unable to get certified by the end of the grace period, resulting in a loss of Federal funding for some HUD-approved housing counseling agencies and loss of the ability to provide counseling that is required or provided in numerous HUD programs. Therefore, this interim rule amends the time period in which to become certified to a new deadline of August 1, 2021.

Dates

This extension of the August 1, 2020 housing counseling certification deadline was effective upon the posting of HUD's interim rule. For purposes of providing valid notice of the contents of the interim final rule for any person who has not had actual knowledge of it the effective date is August 5, 2020. Comment due date: September 4, 2020.