PRIA Logo™
Take the PRIA Score
Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§6104 Enforcement

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 76— - AGE DISCRIMINATION IN FEDERALLY ASSISTED PROGRAMS › § 6104

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Federal department or agency heads who write rules under section 6103 may stop or refuse federal money to any person or government that, after reasonable notice and a hearing, is found not to follow those rules. They can also use other legal methods to get compliance. Any cut-off of funds only applies to the specific recipient and only to the exact program or part of a program that broke the rule. Agencies cannot base a cut-off on programs that do not get federal money. If an agency withholds funds, it may, under rules it creates, pay those funds directly to a public or nonprofit group, or to a State or local government, that can run the program while following the rules. The agency must first tell the person about the violation and try to get voluntary compliance. The agency must send a written report to the House and Senate committees in charge of the program, and the action cannot take effect until 30 days after that report is sent. Anyone who is interested can sue in federal district court where the defendant is found or does business to stop a program that violates this law, but they must give at least 30 days’ registered-mail notice before filing to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Attorney General, and the defendant. That notice must say what the alleged violation is, what relief will be asked for, which court will be used, and whether attorney’s fees will be requested. A suit cannot be filed if the same violation by the same defendant is already pending in any federal court or if administrative remedies have not been exhausted. A plaintiff who asks for attorney’s fees and wins must be paid court costs and a reasonable attorney’s fee. Administrative remedies count as exhausted either when 180 days pass after an administrative complaint with no agency finding, or on the day the agency issues a finding in favor of the recipient of federal assistance, whichever comes first.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §6104

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The head of any Federal department or agency who prescribes regulations under section 6103 of this title may seek to achieve compliance with any such regulation—
(1)by terminating, or refusing to grant or to continue, assistance under the program or activity involved to any recipient with respect to whom there has been an express finding on the record, after reasonable notice and opportunity for hearing, of a failure to comply with any such regulation; or
(2)by any other means authorized by law.
(b)Any termination of, or refusal to grant or to continue, assistance under subsection (a)(1) shall be limited to the particular political entity or other recipient with respect to which a finding has been made under subsection (a)(1). Any such termination or refusal shall be limited in its effect to the particular program or activity, or part of such program or activity, with respect to which such finding has been made. No such termination or refusal shall be based in whole or in part on any finding with respect to any program or activity which does not receive Federal financial assistance. Whenever the head of any Federal department or agency who prescribes regulations under section 6103 of this title withholds funds pursuant to subsection (a), he may, in accordance with regulations he shall prescribe, disburse the funds so withheld directly to any public or nonprofit private organization or agency, or State or political subdivision thereof, which demonstrates the ability to achieve the goals of the Federal statute author­izing the program or activity while complying with regulations issued under section 6103 of this title.
(c)No action may be taken under subsection (a) until the head of the Federal department or agency involved has advised the appropriate person of the failure to comply with the regulation involved and has determined that compliance cannot be secured by voluntary means.
(d)In the case of any action taken under subsection (a), the head of the Federal department or agency involved shall transmit a written report of the circumstances and grounds of such action to the committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate having legislative jurisdiction over the program or activity involved. No such action shall take effect until thirty days after the transmission of any such report.
(e)(1)When any interested person brings an action in any United States district court for the district in which the defendant is found or transacts business to enjoin a violation of this Act by any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance, such interested person shall give notice by registered mail not less than 30 days prior to the commencement of that action to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Attorney General of the United States, and the person against whom the action is directed. Such interested person may elect, by a demand for such relief in his complaint, to recover reasonable attorney’s fees, in which case the court shall award the costs of suit, including a reasonable attorney’s fee, to the prevailing plaintiff.
(2)The notice referred to in paragraph (1) shall state the nature of the alleged violation, the relief to be requested, the court in which the action will be brought, and whether or not attorney’s fees are being demanded in the event that the plaintiff prevails. No action described in paragraph (1) shall be brought (A) if at the time the action is brought the same alleged violation by the same defendant is the subject of a pending action in any court of the United States; or (B) if administrative remedies have not been exhausted.
(f)With respect to actions brought for relief based on an alleged violation of the provisions of this chapter, administrative remedies shall be deemed exhausted upon the expiration of 180 days from the filing of an administrative complaint during which time the Federal department or agency makes no finding with regard to the complaint, or upon the day that the Federal department or agency issues a finding in favor of the recipient of financial assistance, whichever occurs first.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsec. (e)(1), probably means Pub. L. 94–135, Nov. 28, 1975, 89 Stat. 713, known as the Older Americans

Amendments

of 1975. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

of 1975 Amendment note set out under section 3001 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

1978—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 95–478, § 401(d), authorized disbursement of withheld funds directly to organization or agency demonstrating ability to achieve the goals of the Federal statute authorizing the program or activity while complying with the

Regulations

. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 95–478, § 401(c), substituted provisions relating to injunctions, notice of violations, and costs for provision making this section the exclusive remedy for the

Enforcement

of the provisions of this chapter. Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 95–478, § 401(c), added subsec. (f).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

“Secretary of Health and Human Services” substituted for “Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare” in subsec. (e)(1) pursuant to section 509(b) of Pub. L. 96–88, which is classified to section 3508(b) of Title 20, Education.

Effective Date

of 1978 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 95–478 effective at the close of Sept. 30, 1978, see section 504 of Pub. L. 95–478, set out as a note under section 3001 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 6104

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73