Title 20, EducationRelease 119-110

§3604 Asbestos Hazards Detection Program

Title 20 › CHAPTER 49 — ASBESTOS SCHOOL HAZARD DETECTION AND CONTROL › § 3604

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Gives money to local school districts and to states to pay part of the cost of checking school buildings for asbestos, but only for programs that follow the testing standards the Secretary sets. Grants were allowed only during the two-year period that began on June 14, 1980. The federal share is usually 50 percent, but the Secretary can pay more if a school or state cannot afford its share. The Secretary will give money to a state only if the state is making grants to local districts for these detection programs and the programs meet the Secretary’s standards. Applicants must send an approved application to the Secretary after the Secretary talks with the Task Force. The application must explain how testing will be done, give cost estimates, name who will do the testing and their qualifications, and promise to follow the Secretary’s standards. No grant can pay for work finished before January 1, 1976, and grants for work done before June 14, 1980, need extra assurances that the work met the standards. The Secretary decides how much to award and can fund administrative costs, visual inspections, sampling, and tests, including tests to find imminent dangers. Recipients must report to the Secretary within 120 days with results, plans to fix dangers, and a detailed accounting. Up to 20 percent of the money can be used by the Task Force for education and technical help while grants are available.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §3604

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Grants to local and State educational agencies for Federal share; duration of granting authority; amount of Federal share

(1)(A)The Secretary may make grants to local educational agencies for the Federal share of the costs of carrying out an asbestos detection program meeting the standards established by the Secretary under section 3606(a)(1) of this title. Grants may be made under this section only during the two-year period beginning on June 14, 1980.

(B)The Secretary may make grants to State educational agencies for the Federal share of the costs of carrying out any asbestos detection program if—

(i)the State, through the State educational agency or some other appropriate State agency, is making grants to local educational agencies for asbestos hazard detection programs, and

(ii)such programs meet the standards established by the Secretary under section 3606(a)(1) of this title.

(C)Grants may be made under this section only during the two-year period beginning after June 14, 1980.

(2)Subject to the second sentence of this paragraph, the Federal share of the costs referred to in paragraph (1) shall be 50 percent. Upon a determination by the Secretary that an applicant has limited fiscal resources and would be unable to participate in the program under this section without receiving from the Federal Government, as its Federal share of such costs, an amount greater than the amount permitted under the first sentence of this paragraph, the Secretary may increase the Federal share which may be paid to such applicant by such amount as the Secretary considers appropriate to permit the applicant to participate in the program.

(b)Application for grants; procedures applicable for approval; programs completed before January 1, 1976; determinations respecting amount of grant

(1)No grant may be made under this section unless an application has been submitted to and approved by the Secretary, after consultation with the Task Force. The Secretary may not approve an application unless the application—

(A)contains a description of the methods to be used by the local educational agency, or in the case of an application by the State educational agency the methods to be used by the local educational agencies receiving grants from the State, to determine whether hazardous concentrations of asbestos fibers or materials emitting such fibers exist in school buildings under the jurisdiction of such agency;

(B)contains an estimate of the total cost of the detection program, including such detailed descriptions of the costs of each component of the program as the Secretary may require;

(C)designates the party which shall conduct the testing for the detection program and describes such party’s qualifications for conducting such testing;

(D)contains assurances that the program shall be carried out in accordance with standards established by the Secretary under section 3606(a)(1) of this title and that any party employed to conduct such testing shall satisfy the competency standards established under such section; and

(E)contains such other information or assurances as the Secretary may require.

(2)The Secretary shall provide the Task Force with a copy of any application submitted to the Secretary under paragraph (1).

(3)No grant may be awarded by the Secretary under this section for asbestos hazards detection programs conducted before June 14, 1980, unless the applicant has submitted an application to the Secretary—

(A)containing the information required under paragraph (1); and

(B)providing assurances that any program for which a grant is sought was carried out in a manner which substantially conforms to the requirements established by the Secretary under section 3606(a)(1) of this title.

No grant may be awarded under this section for any asbestos hazards detection program completed before January 1, 1976.

(4)After reviewing the application submitted under this section, together with any recommendations made by the Task Force, the Secretary shall determine the amount of any grant to be awarded under this section. Funds may be awarded by the Secretary for the administrative costs incurred in the preparation and supervision of the asbestos detection program and for the following activities:

(A)Visual inspections of school buildings.

(B)The sampling of building and insulation materials.

(C)Appropriate tests to determine the level of asbestos content in suspected materials, and tests determined to be essential to detect the likelihood of imminent danger to persons within school buildings.

(c)Reporting requirements for recipients

Local and State educational agencies receiving grants under this section shall file a report with the Secretary, not later than 120 days after the award of such grant, describing the detection activities which were undertaken, the results of the asbestos detection program, and plans for mitigating any imminent hazards which were detected by the testing. The report shall include a detailed accounting of the funds used to carry out the detection program.

(d)Availability of appropriated funds for education and technical assistance programs

During the period in which grants may be made under this section, not more than 20 percent of the funds appropriated to carry out this section may be made available by the Secretary to the Task Force to conduct education and technical assistance programs related to the detection of asbestos hazards in school buildings and the implementation of appropriate actions to mitigate such hazards.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 3604

Title 20, Education

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110