Title 15 — Commerce and TradeRelease 119-73not60

§1539 Financial Assistance

Title 15 › Chapter 40— DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE › § 1539

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of Commerce must, within 12 months after October 29, 1992, make rules (after asking for public comment) so that a finished application for a grant, contract, or other financial help under a nondiscretionary assistance program is decided — approved or denied — within 75 days after it is filed with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration program office. Within 14 days of getting an application, the Secretary must tell the applicant in writing if it is complete and, if not, what extra materials are needed. A "nondiscretionary assistance program" means either the amount of money and the recipient are set by Congress, or the recipients have normally been a State or an interstate fishery commission.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §1539

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Within 12 months after October 29, 1992, the Secretary of Commerce shall develop and, after notice and opportunity for public comment, promulgate regulations or guidelines to ensure that a completed application for a grant, contract, or other financial assistance under a nondiscretionary assistance program shall be processed and approved or disapproved within 75 days after submission of the application to the responsible program office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

(b)Not later than 14 days after the date on which the Secretary of Commerce receives an application for a contract, grant, or other financial assistance provided under a nondiscretionary assistance program administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Secretary shall indicate in writing to the applicant whether or not the application is complete and, if not complete, shall specify the additional material that the applicant must provide to complete the application.

(c)In the case of a program for which the recipient of a grant, contract, or other financial assistance is specified by statute to be, or has customarily been, a State or an interstate fishery commission, such financial assistance may be provided by the Secretary to that recipient on a sole-source basis, notwithstanding any other provision of law.

(d)In this section, the term “nondiscretionary assistance program” means any program for providing financial assistance—

(1)under which the amount of funding for, and the intended recipient of, the financial assistance is specified by Congress; or

(2)the recipients of which have customarily been a State or an interstate fishery commission.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 1539

Title 15 — Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60