Revise HUD’s Controlled Unclassified Information Policy to include the anti-gag provision.

Revise HUD’s Controlled Unclassified Information Policy to state that (a) nondisclosure forms and agreements must include the anti-gag provision as required by law and (b) confidentiality clauses in personnel settlement agreements must include the anti-gag provision if the clause restricts disclosure of any other information beyond the terms and conditions of the agreement itself.

HUD’s Privacy Office should require program offices to periodically review systems in all environments (testing, development, production) for unnecessary disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII).

HUD’s Office of Administration, in coordination with OCIO, should update and communicate its PII minimization plan. The plan should include detailed procedures to regularly review and remove unnecessary PII collections in accordance with OMB Circular A-130 (IG FISMA metric 35).

Ensure that future policies and guidance developed to return HUD’s offices to normal operations include the specific criteria, metrics, and defined geographic area to be used by all offices as applicable.

Develop and implement sufficient policies and controls to ensure that (1) applicable criteria in any future guidance are met and all safety measures are sufficiently completed before returning HUD’s offices to normal operations and (2) sufficient documentation is maintained to support that the applicable criteria were met.

We recommend that HUD’s Chief Administrative Officer implement the corrective actions and internal process improvements in internal control developed as a result of the Chief Financial Officer’s investigation addressed in recommendation 1A.

We recommend that HUD’s Chief Administrative Officer provide training to responsible staff and officials to ensure that those that may be involved with negotiating any GSA rent credits, like the credits addressed in this report, identify such potential rent credit transactions and follow the corrective actions and process improvements implemented to resolve recommendation 1B.

The OIG has determined that the contents of this recommendation would not be appropriate for public disclosure and has therefore limited its distribution to selected officials.

Designate a Senior Agency Official for Records Management at the Assistant Secretary level or its equivalent.

Update and issue agency formal records policy, including detailed procedures and requirements for completing and maintaining program office and agencywide inventories of systems, records, and PII.

Update and obtain final NARA approval of all HUD records retention schedules, including the Capstone email schedule, to comply with Federal requirements, including OMB M-19-21.

Develop and approve an enterprise strategy to meet all M-19-21 electronic transition requirements.

Issue a formal policy and requirements for managing CUI.

Establish and disseminate a policy on safeguarding or prohibiting the transportation of PII records out of the office for telework purposes.

Complete the development of performance measures and establish a formal records evaluation process to measure the effectiveness and progress of the records management program.

Standardize processes and duties for all RMLOs.

Conduct a staffing resource assessment for the HUD records program and identify any skills gaps or resource needs.

Deobligate all obligations marked for deobligation during the departmentwide OOR, including as much as $574,511 in 79 administrative obligations marked for deobligation as of September 30, 2018.

Ensure the privacy program is staffed with experienced personnel (such as a Chief Privacy Officer) to manage the operational aspects of the program.