Office of the Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity; Revision of HUD's Fair Housing Complaint Processing

This interim rule amends HUD's regulations governing fair housing complaint processing. Specifically, this rule removes the provision allowing a respondent to request a subpoena during a fair housing investigation. The removal of this provision will eliminate the delays associated with subpoena requests and expedite the investigation process. Further, the rule will prevent the appearance of a conflict of interest between HUD's dual role as investigator and impartial arbiter of discovery disputes between complainants and respondents. This interim rule will also conform HUD's investigation practices with those of other Federal administrative agencies.