§6720 Definitions, application, and administration

Summary

Defines key words and says how the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development must run the program and handle changes. Unit of general local government: a county, township, city, or similar local area as set by the Commerce Secretary, plus Washington, D.C., and tribal or Alaska Native governments that carry out major government duties. Payment period: each one-year span starting October 1 in the years 1994 through 2000. State and local taxes: taxes charged by a State or local government for public purposes, but not employee or employer retirement/social insurance charges or some special capital assessments. State: any State and the District of Columbia. Income: total money income as measured by the Commerce Secretary and, for local areas, reported in the 1990 Census report "Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics." Per capita income: total income divided by population for the U.S., for each State, or for each local unit. Finding of discrimination: an official decision or other evidence that it is more likely than not a local unit failed to follow the no-discrimination rules in section 6711(a) or (b). Holding of discrimination: a court or administrative judge ruling that a local unit excluded, denied, or discriminated against someone because of race, color, national origin, or sex, or otherwise broke the rule in section 6711(b). Secretary: the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The Secretary may let other federal departments run parts of the program. If a local unit lies inside a larger area, it is treated as being in the larger area; if only part lies inside, each part is treated separately and data are split by population share. If boundary changes or reorganizations would defeat the program’s purpose, the Secretary must apply the rules in a way that matches those purposes.