Title 20, EducationRelease 119-110
§102 Application of Appropriations
Title 20 › CHAPTER 6 — AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND › § 102
Summary
The Secretary of Education must pay half of the yearly appropriation twice a year to the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky, when the house’s president requests it and the treasurer signs. The money must be used to make and supply books and other teaching materials specially adapted for blind students. Each year those materials are shared among all public and private nonprofit schools and programs for the blind in the States, Territories, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. How much each school gets is based on the number of blind pupils it has compared to the total number of blind pupils everywhere, using the count taken on the first Monday in January. State school officers get a share for certain institutions and must pass on the materials to private nonprofit schools in their state based on pupil numbers. All materials must be approved by the proper education authority and must be held and managed by a public agency. No part of the appropriation may be used to build or lease buildings, though a reasonable amount may pay staff, experts, and committee expenses. Books and equipment must be sold only at actual cost, not for profit. The Treasury Secretary can stop payments if there is proof the funds are not being used for the blind in eligible institutions. Before any money is paid, the treasurer of the Printing House must post a bond of $20,000 with two approved sureties, renewed every two years. For administering these rules, each public school for the blind’s superintendent (or a designee) and each State’s chief school officer (or a designee) serve as ex officio members of the Printing House’s board. Definitions: an institution for the education of the blind is a school serving only blind students or blind plus other handicapped students with special classes; the chief State school officer is the state superintendent or a comparable official the Governor names; a blind pupil is a blind student in less-than-college education.
Full Legal Text
Title 20, §102
Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The Secretary of Education is authorized to pay over semiannually, to the trustees of the American Printing House for the Blind, located in Louisville, Kentucky, and chartered in 1858 by the Legislature of Kentucky, upon requisition of their president, countersigned by their treasurer, one-half of such annual appropriation upon the following conditions:
(1)Purposes and methods of expenditures
First. (A) Such appropriation shall be expended by the trustees of the American Printing House for the Blind each year in manufacturing and furnishing books and other materials specially adapted for instruction of the blind; and the total amount of such books and other materials so manufactured and furnished by such appropriation shall each year be distributed among all the public and private nonprofit institutions in the States, Territories, and possessions of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, in which blind pupils are educated. Each public and private nonprofit institution for the education of the blind shall receive, in books and other materials, upon requisition of its superintendent, that portion of the appropriation as is shown by the ratio between the number of blind pupils in that institution and the total number of blind pupils in all of the public and private nonprofit institutions in which blind pupils are educated. Each chief State school officer shall receive, in books and other materials, upon requisition, that portion of the appropriation as is shown by the ratio between the number of blind pupils in public and private nonprofit institutions (in the State) in which blind pupils are educated, other than institutions to which the preceding sentence is applicable, and the total number of blind pupils in the public and private nonprofit institutions in which blind pupils are educated in all of the States, Territories, and possessions of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The ratio referred to in each of the two immediately preceding sentences shall be computed upon the first Monday in January of each year; and for purposes of such sentences the number of blind pupils in public and private nonprofit institutions in which blind pupils are educated shall be authenticated in such manner and as often as the trustees of the American Printing House for the Blind shall require. For purposes of section 101, 102, and 104 of this title, an institution for the education of the blind is any institution which provides education exclusively for the blind, or exclusively for the blind and other handicapped children (in which case special classes are provided for the blind); the chief State school officer of a State is the superintendent of public elementary and secondary schools in such State or, if there is none, such other official as the Governor certifies to have comparable responsibility in the State; and a blind pupil is a blind individual pursuing a course of study in an institution of less than college grade.
(B)The portion of the appropriation received by each chief State school officer, in such books and other materials under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph which represents the number of blind pupils in private nonprofit institutions in such State in which blind pupils are educated shall be distributed among such institutions on the basis of the number of blind pupils in each such institution as compared to the total number of such pupils in all of the private nonprofit institutions in which blind pupils are educated in such State.
(C)All books and other materials furnished pursuant to section 101, 102, and 104 of this title, and control and administration of their use, shall vest only in a public agency. Such books and materials made available pursuant to section 101, 102 and 104 of this title for use of teachers and blind pupils in any State, Territory, or possession of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia in any school shall be limited to those books and materials which have been approved by an appropriate educational authority or agency of such State, Territory, possession, Commonwealth, or District, or any local educational authority thereof, for use, or are used, in a public elementary or secondary school therein.
(2)Buildings
Second. No part of the appropriation shall be expended in the erection or leasing of buildings; but the trustees of the American Printing House for the Blind may use each year a reasonable sum of the annual appropriation for salaries and other expenses of experts and other staff to assist special committees which may be appointed in performance of their functions, and for expenses of such special committees.
(3)Sales of books and apparatus at cost
Third. No profit shall be put on any books or tangible apparatus for the instruction of the blind manufactured or furnished by the trustees of said American Printing House for the Blind, located in Louisville, Kentucky; and the price put upon each article so manufactured or furnished shall only be its actual cost.
(4)Income withheld when not properly used
Fourth. The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States shall have the authority to withhold the appropriation whenever he shall receive satisfactory proof that the trustees of said American Printing House for the Blind, located in Louisville, Kentucky, are not using the appropriation for the benefit of the blind in the public and private nonprofit institutions for the education of the blind in the United States.
(5)Bond of treasurer
Fifth. Before any money be paid to the treasurer of the American Printing House for the Blind by the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, the treasurer of the American Printing House for the Blind shall execute a bond, with two approved sureties, to the amount of $20,000, conditioned that the money so received shall be expended according to this law and all amendments thereto, which shall be held by the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, and shall be renewed every two years.
(6)Ex officio trustees
Sixth. The superintendent of each public institution for the education of the blind (or his designee) and the chief State school officer (or his designee), of each State and possession of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, shall each, ex officio, be a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Printing House for the Blind only for purposes of administering section 101, 102 and 104 of this title.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Codification For purposes of codification, the provisions of section 3 of act Mar. 3, 1879, were changed as follows: provision providing for payment of the semi-annual interest upon the bonds was substituted for one providing for payment of one-half the annual appropriation, the word “income” was substituted for “appropriation”, and the word “interest” was substituted for “money” in par. (5), to conform to the modification of act Mar. 3, 1879, by act June 25, 1906, as shown in the note set out under section 101 of this title.
Amendments
1970—Par. First. Pub. L. 91–230, § 811(a), designated existing provisions as subpar. (A), made provisions applicable to private nonprofit institutions, and added subpars. (B) and (C). Par. Fourth. Pub. L. 91–230, § 811(b), made provisions applicable to private nonprofit institutions. 1961—Pub. L. 87–294, § 1, substituted “Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare” for “Secretary of the Treasury of the United States” and struck out “permanent” before “annual appropriation” in opening clause. Par. Second. Pub. L. 87–294, § 2, authorized the trustees to use each year a reasonable sum of the annual appropriation for salaries and other expenses of experts and other staff to assist special committees which may be appointed in performance of their functions, and for expenses of such special committees. Par. Sixth. Pub. L. 87–294, § 3, substituted “superintendent of each public institution for the education of the blind (or his designee) and the chief State school officer (or his designee), of each State and possession of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, shall” for “superintendents of the various public institutions for the education of the blind in the United States shall”, and limited the duties of the Board to the administration of section 101, 102, and 104 of this title. 1956—Par. First. Act Aug. 2, 1956, authorized wider distribution of books and other special instructional material for the blind.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1961 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 87–294 effective immediately after Sept. 22, 1961, see section 5 of Pub. L. 87–294, set out as a note under section 101 of this title.
Transfer of Functions
“Secretary of Education” substituted for “Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare” in provision preceding par. (1) pursuant to section 301(a)(2)(M) and 507 of Pub. L. 96–88, which are classified to section 3441(a)(2)(M) and 3507 of this title and which transferred functions of Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under this chapter to Secretary of Education.
Executive Documents
Transfer of Functions
Functions of Federal Security Administrator transferred to Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and all agencies of Federal Security Agency transferred to Department of Health, Education, and Welfare by section 5 of Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1953, eff. Apr. 11, 1953, 18 F.R. 2053, 67 Stat. 631, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Federal Security Agency and office of Administrator abolished by section 8 of Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1953. Functions of Secretary of the Treasury over administration of appropriations for American Printing House for Blind (except function relating to administration of perpetual trust fund) transferred to Federal Security Agency, and annual report and vouchers of trustees directed to be furnished to Federal Security Administrator by Reorg. Plan No. II of 1939, § 201(b), eff. July 1, 1939, 4 F.R. 2732, 53 Stat. 1434, set out in the Appendix to Title 5.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
20 U.S.C. § 102
Title 20, Education
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110