Take Action! Conservation and Landscape Health Rule and More
by Meghan Maury
Data Regulation of the Week: Rescission of Conservation and Landscape Health Rule. DOI's Bureau of Land Management is proposing to rescind the 2024 Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, which in addition to requiring the protection of intact landscapes and restoring degraded habitat ecosystems, mandated the use of science and data as the foundation for management decisions across all plans and programs.
Comments due Nov. 10.
Every time the government makes a change to a survey or a form — or introduces a new survey or form — you have the right to weigh in on that decision. The Take Action! newsletter highlights surveys or forms the government is changing, renewing, or introducing. Click the links to tell the government what you think about the changes they are making.
Note: The Take Action tab of DataIndex.us provides information about even more surveys, forms, evaluations, and records notices than are listed in your weekly newsletter.
Surveys
Housing: RFI on the Uses of Rental Housing Finance Survey Data. The RHFS presents a full picture of the financing of rental housing, including the financial, mortgage and property characteristics of single-family and multifamily rental housing properties. HUD is seeking public input on how the survey is used and whether there are any concerns about reducing the scope of or eliminating the RHFS.
Comments due Nov. 10.Housing: RFI on the Uses of Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Apartments (SOMA) Data. The SOMA provides data on the rate at which different types of new rental apartments and new condominiums/cooperative apartments are absorbed, that is, taken off the market, usually by being rented or sold, over the course of the first twelve months following completion of a building. HUD is seeking public input on how the survey is used and whether there are any concerns about reducing the scope of or eliminating the SOMA.
Comments due Nov. 10.Healthcare: Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (HOS) Field Test. Data collected in this field test will be used by CMS to inform decisions on possible changes to HOS content and survey administration procedures. The items in the questionnaire reflect current health priorities and would provide CMS with data to study new longitudinal Patient-Reported Outcome Meausres, cross-sectional measures, and enhancements to existing HOS measures for MA plans to use as a focus of their quality improvement efforts.
Comments due Nov. 4.
Forms
Discrimination: Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance From the Commission. This form is used to report discrimination in NRC programs. Though not technically part of this renewal, earlier in the year NRC processed a "nonsubstantive change" to remove sexual orientation as a basis for a discrimination complaint, ostensibly in response to the Gender Identity Executive Order. Notably, sexual orientation was not addressed in that Executive Order. Because the public was denied an opportunity to comment on those changes at the time, it would be appropriate to comment on that change as a part of this comment period.
Comments due Nov. 10.Labor Unions: Labor Organization and Auxiliary Reports. Labor organizations use this set of forms to meet their annual financial reporting and disclosure requirements under the LMRDA. DOL is raising the filing thresholds for these forms and changing the definition of a "minor child."
Comments due Oct. 24.Public Benefits: Social Security Administration Forms. SSA is revising a number of its forms, including the Statement Regarding Marriage, Disability Report (Child), and its Consent-Based Social Security Number Verification form. It's unclear from the listing what changes are being made to these forms.
Comments due Oct. 28.Education: Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) Minimum Data Elements. MSIX is designed to allow States to share educational and health information on migrant children who travel from State to State and who as a result, have student records in multiple States’ information systems. The listing indicates that changes are being made to the system, but it's unclear from the listing what changes are being made.
Comments due Nov. 10.
Evaluation
Disability: Ticket to Work Evaluation and SSN Application Form. SSA is contracting with Mathematica to conduct an independent evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program, which supports career development for people ages 18 through 64 who receive Social Security disability benefits and want to work, to assess the effects of the program on work outcomes and self-sufficiency and their cost effectiveness. SSA is also revising its SSN Application Form and two other forms, but it's unclear from the listing what changes are being made.
Comments due Nov. 3.Trafficking: Evaluation of the Trafficking Victim Assistance Program (TVAP) and Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Program. ACF is proposing a new evaluation of the TVAP and Aspire programs to better understand organizational characteristics, client enrollment and services provision, and perceptions of program implementation, including challenges, strengths, and successes.
Comments due Nov. 10.
This newsletter is made possible by a very generous donation from the Leadership Conference Education Fund.