Title 20, EducationRelease 119-110

§3607 Recovery of Costs by United States

Title 20 › CHAPTER 49 — ASBESTOS SCHOOL HAZARD DETECTION AND CONTROL › § 3607

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Requires people who get a grant under section 3604 or a loan under section 3605 to let the United States sue, on their behalf, anyone the Attorney General finds must pay for costs the recipient incurred. If the government (or the recipient) wins money in that suit, the money must be used to pay back the U.S. for the grant amount, the loan balance, and interest equal to what a commercial lender would have charged at prevailing rates set by the Secretary, but only up to the amount recovered. The Attorney General must investigate whether the United States can and should recover these costs and send a report with findings and recommendations to Congress within one year after June 14, 1980. If the Attorney General decides to seek recovery, the government must act quickly to get the money.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §3607

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Suit by United States on behalf of grant or loan recipient for recovery of costs of activities of recipient; proceeds of judgment

(1)As a condition of the award of any grant under section 3604 of this title or loan under section 3605 of this title, the recipient of any such grant or loan shall permit the United States to sue on behalf of such recipient any person determined by the Attorney General to be liable to the recipient for the costs of any activities undertaken by the recipient under such sections.

(2)The proceeds from any judgment recovered in any suit brought by the United States under paragraph (1) (or, if the recipient files a similar suit on its own behalf, the proceeds from any judgment recovered by the recipient in such suit) shall be used to repay to the United States, to the extent that the proceeds are sufficient to provide for such repayment, an amount equal to the sum of—

(A)the amount of any grant made to the recipient under section 3604 of this title;

(B)the amount outstanding on any loan made to the recipient under section 3605 of this title; and

(C)an amount equal to the interest which would have been charged on such loan were the loan made by a commercial lender at prevailing interest rates (as determined by the Secretary).

(b)Investigation and report by Attorney General respecting feasibility of recovery of costs from any person determined by Attorney General to be liable

The Attorney General shall conduct an investigation to determine whether, by using all available means, the United States should or could recover, from any person determined by the Attorney General to be liable for such costs, the amounts expended by the United States to carry out this chapter. Within one year after June 14, 1980, the Attorney General shall submit to the Congress a report containing the results of the study, together with any appropriate recommendations.

(c)Expeditious proceedings by Attorney General

If the Attorney General determines in the report under subsection (b) that the United States should seek to recover the amounts expended by the United States to carry out this chapter, the Attorney General shall proceed in an expeditious manner to recover such amounts from the persons referred to in subsection (b).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 3607

Title 20, Education

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110