Yves Sopngwi Djoko, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Impact

A regulatory impact analysis must accompany every economically significant federal rule or regulation. The Office of Policy Development and Research performs this analysis for all U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rules. An impact analysis is a forecast of the annual benefits and costs accruing to all parties, including the taxpayers, from a given regulation. Modeling these benefits and costs involves use of past research findings, application of economic principles, empirical investigation, and professional judgment.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Proposed regulatory changes would streamline the portability process in the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) and enable public housing authorities (PHAs) to better serve families and expand housing opportunities. The proposed rule would yield intangible benefits to program participants and, if successful, increase financial transfers between PHAs. The regulatory action would not be economically significant under Executive Order 12866 and Office of Management and Budget Circular A-4, however, because the aggregate financial impact is far less than the $100 million annual threshold.