(a) The terms “Fair Housing Act,” “HUD,” and “the Department,” as used in this part, are defined in 24 CFR 5.100.
(b) The terms “aggrieved person,” “complainant,” “conciliation,” “conciliation agreement,” “discriminatory housing practice,” “dwelling,” “handicap,” “person,” “respondent,” “secretary,” and “state,” as used in this part, are defined in Section 802 of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3602).
(c) Other definitions. The following definitions also apply to this part:
Act means the Fair Housing Act, as defined in 24 CFR 5.100.
Assistant Secretary means the Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
Certified agency is an agency that has been granted certification by the Assistant Secretary in accordance with the requirements of this part.
Cooperative agreement is the instrument HUD will use to provide funds. The Cooperative Agreement includes attachments and/or appendices establishing requirements relating to the operation and performance of the agency.
Cooperative agreement officer (CAO) is the administrator of the funds awarded pursuant to this part and is a regional director of the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
Dual-filed complaint means a housing discrimination complaint that has been filed with both HUD and the agency that has been granted interim certification or certification by the Assistant Secretary.
FHAP means the Fair Housing Assistance Program.
FHEO means HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
FHEO regional director means a regional director of the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
Fair housing law or Law refers to both state fair housing laws and local fair housing laws.
Final administrative disposition means an agency's completion of a case following a reasonable cause finding, including, but not limited to, an agency-approved settlement or a final, administrative decision issued by commissioners, hearing officers or administrative law judges. Final administrative disposition does not include dispositions in judicial proceedings resulting from election or appeal.
Government Technical Monitor (GTM) means the HUD staff person who has been designated to provide technical and financial oversight and evaluation of the FHAP grantee's performance.
Government Technical Representative (GTR) means the HUD staff person who is responsible for the technical administration of the FHAP grant, the evaluation of performance under the FHAP grant, the acceptance of technical reports or projects, the approval of payments, and other such specific responsibilities as may be stipulated in the FHAP grant.
Impracticable, as used in this part, is when complaint processing is delayed by circumstances beyond the control of the interim or certified agency. Those situations include, but are not limited to, complaints involving complex issues requiring extensive investigations, complaints involving new and complicated areas of law that need to be analyzed, and where a witness is discovered late in the investigation and needs to be interviewed.
Interim agency is an agency that has been granted interim certification by the Assistant Secretary.
Ordinance, as used in this part, means a law enacted by the legislative body of a municipality.
Statute, as used in this part, means a law enacted by the legislative body of a state.
Testing refers to the use of an individual or individuals (“testers”) who, without a bona fide intent to rent or purchase a house, apartment, or other dwelling, pose as prospective renters or purchasers for the purpose of gathering information that may indicate whether a housing provider is complying with fair housing laws.
(a) Authority and responsibility. The Secretary has delegated the authority and responsibility for administering this part to the Assistant Secretary.
(b) Delegation of Authority. The Assistant Secretary retains the right to make final decisions concerning the granting and withdrawal of substantial equivalency interim certification and certification. The Assistant Secretary delegates the authority and responsibility for administering the remainder of this part to the FHEO regional director. This includes assessing the performance of interim and certified agencies as described in § 115.206. This also includes the offering of a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) as described in § 115.210 and the suspension of interim certification or certification due to performance deficiencies as described in § 115.210.
(a) Periodically, the Assistant Secretary will publish the following public notices in the Federal Register:
(1) A list of all interim and certified agencies; and
(2) A list of agencies to which a withdrawal of interim certification or certification has been proposed.
(b) On an annual basis, the Assistant Secretary may publish in the Federal Register a notice that identifies all agencies that have received interim certification during the prior year. The notice will invite the public to comment on the state and local laws of the new interim agencies, as well as on the performance of the agencies in enforcing their laws. All comments will be considered before a final decision on certification is made.