Title 25, IndiansRelease 119-110
§4161 Remedies for Noncompliance
Title 25 › CHAPTER 43 — NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING ASSISTANCE AND SELF-DETERMINATION › SUBCHAPTER IV — COMPLIANCE, AUDITS, AND REPORTS › § 4161
Summary
The Secretary can stop, cut back, or limit grant payments when a recipient does not follow the rules under this law. After giving notice and a chance for a hearing, the Secretary may end payments, reduce them by the amount that was spent wrong, limit funds to parts of the program that were not affected, or, in certain cases, replace the tribal housing entity. A failure to report low-income units alone does not count as major noncompliance. If the Secretary stops, reduces, or limits funds, that action stays in place until the problem is fixed. If the Secretary finds money is being spent in a way not allowed and would keep being misspent, the Secretary may limit funds right away but must give notice and hold a hearing within 60 days to decide whether to continue. If the noncompliance seems to be from a recipient’s limited ability rather than intentional wrongdoing, the Secretary may offer technical help and make a 1-year performance agreement with clear goals. After the year, the Secretary reviews progress. If the recipient tried in good faith, the Secretary may extend the agreement for another year. If not, the Secretary will treat it as serious noncompliance and take action. The Secretary can also send the case to the Attorney General to start a civil lawsuit to recover misspent funds or get court orders. A recipient told about a termination, reduction, or limit has 60 days to ask the U.S. Court of Appeals to review the Secretary’s action; the court will hear the case and its decision is final except for possible Supreme Court review.
Full Legal Text
Title 25, §4161
Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Actions by Secretary affecting grant amounts
(1)In general
Except as provided in subsection (b), if the Secretary finds after reasonable notice and opportunity for hearing that a recipient of assistance under this chapter has failed to comply substantially with any provision of this chapter, the Secretary shall—
(A)terminate payments under this chapter to the recipient;
(B)reduce payments under this chapter to the recipient by an amount equal to the amount of such payments that were not expended in accordance with this chapter;
(C)limit the availability of payments under this chapter to programs, projects, or activities not affected by such failure to comply; or
(D)in the case of noncompliance described in section 4162(b) of this title, provide a replacement tribally designated housing entity for the recipient, under section 4162 of this title.
(2)Substantial noncompliance
The failure of a recipient to comply with the requirements of section 4152(b)(1) of this title regarding the reporting of low-income dwelling units shall not, in itself, be considered to be substantial noncompliance for purposes of this subchapter.
(3)Continuance of actions
If the Secretary takes an action under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall continue such action until the Secretary determines that the failure to comply has ceased.
(4)Exception for certain actions
(A)In general
Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, if the Secretary makes a determination that the failure of a recipient of assistance under this chapter to comply substantially with any material provision (as that term is defined by the Secretary) of this chapter is resulting, and would continue to result, in a continuing expenditure of Federal funds in a manner that is not authorized by law, the Secretary may take an action described in paragraph (1)(C) before conducting a hearing.
(B)Procedural requirement
If the Secretary takes an action described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall—
(i)provide notice to the recipient at the time that the Secretary takes that action; and
(ii)conduct a hearing not later than 60 days after the date on which the Secretary provides notice under clause (i).
(C)Determination
Upon completion of a hearing under this paragraph, the Secretary shall make a determination regarding whether to continue taking the action that is the subject of the hearing, or take another action under this subsection.
(b)Noncompliance because of technical incapacity
(1)In general
If the Secretary makes a finding under subsection (a), but determines that the failure to comply substantially with the provisions of this chapter—
(A)is not a pattern or practice of activities constituting willful noncompliance, and
(B)is a result of the limited capability or capacity of the recipient,
the Secretary may provide technical assistance for the recipient (directly or indirectly) that is designed to increase the capability and capacity of the recipient to administer assistance provided under this chapter in compliance with the requirements under this chapter, if the recipient enters into a performance agreement with the Secretary that specifies the compliance objectives that the recipient will be required to achieve by the termination date of the performance agreement.
(2)Performance agreement
The period of a performance agreement described in paragraph (1) shall be for 1 year.
(3)Review
Upon the termination of a performance agreement entered into under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall review the performance of the recipient that is a party to the agreement.
(4)Effect of review
If, on the basis of a review under paragraph (3), the Secretary determines that the recipient—
(A)has made a good faith effort to meet the compliance objectives specified in the agreement, the Secretary may enter into an additional performance agreement for the period specified in paragraph (2); and
(B)has failed to make a good faith effort to meet applicable compliance objectives, the Secretary shall determine the recipient to have failed to comply substantially with this chapter, and the recipient shall be subject to an action under subsection (a).
(c)Referral for civil action
(1)Authority
In lieu of, or in addition to, any action authorized by subsection (a), if the Secretary has reason to believe that a recipient has failed to comply substantially with any provision of this chapter, the Secretary may refer the matter to the Attorney General of the United States with a recommendation that an appropriate civil action be instituted.
(2)Civil action
Upon such a referral, the Attorney General may bring a civil action in any United States district court having venue thereof for such relief as may be appropriate, including an action to recover the amount of the assistance furnished under this chapter that was not expended in accordance with it, or for mandatory or injunctive relief.
(d)Review
(1)In general
Any recipient who receives notice under subsection (a) of the termination, reduction, or limitation of payments under this chapter—
(A)may, not later than 60 days after receiving such notice, file with the United States Court of Appeals for the circuit in which such State is located, or in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, a petition for review of the action of the Secretary; and
(B)upon the filing of any petition under subparagraph (A), shall forthwith transmit copies of the petition to the Secretary and the Attorney General of the United States, who shall represent the Secretary in the litigation.
(2)Procedure
The Secretary shall file in the court a record of the proceeding on which the Secretary based the action, as provided in section 2112 of title 28. No objection to the action of the Secretary shall be considered by the court unless such objection has been urged before the Secretary.
(3)Disposition
(A)Court proceedings
The court shall have jurisdiction to affirm or modify the action of the Secretary or to set it aside in whole or in part. The findings of fact by the Secretary, if supported by substantial evidence on the record considered as a whole, shall be conclusive. The court may order additional evidence to be taken by the Secretary, and to be made part of the record.
(B)Secretary
The Secretary—
(i)may modify the findings of fact of the Secretary, or make new findings, by reason of the new evidence so taken and filed with the court; and
(ii)shall file—
(I)such modified or new findings, which findings with respect to questions of fact shall be conclusive if supported by substantial evidence on the record considered as a whole; and
(II)the recommendation of the Secretary, if any, for the modification or setting aside of the original action of the Secretary.
(4)Finality
Upon the filing of the record with the court, the jurisdiction of the court shall be exclusive and its judgment shall be final, except that such judgment shall be subject to review by the Supreme Court of the United States upon writ of certiorari or certification as provided in section 1254 of title 28.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 104–330, Oct. 26, 1996, 110 Stat. 4016, known as the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 4101 of this title and Tables.
Amendments
2008—Subsec. (a)(2) to (4). Pub. L. 110–411 added par. (2) and redesignated former pars. (2) and (3) as (3) and (4), respectively. 2000—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 106–568, § 1003(h), and Pub. L. 106–569, § 503(g), amended subsec. (a) identically, designating existing provisions as par. (1), inserting heading, redesignating former pars. (1) to (4) as subpars. (A) to (D), respectively, of par. (1), realigning margins, designating concluding provisions as par. (2), inserting heading, substituting “If the Secretary takes an action under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1)” for “If the Secretary takes an action under paragraph (1), (2), or (3)”, and adding par. (3). Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 106–568, § 1003(i), and Pub. L. 106–569, § 503(h), amended subsec. (b) identically, designating existing provisions as par. (1), inserting heading, redesignating former pars. (1) and (2) as subpars. (A) and (B), respectively, of par. (1), realigning margins of concluding provisions, inserting “, if the recipient enters into a performance agreement with the Secretary that specifies the compliance objectives that the recipient will be required to achieve by the termination date of the performance agreement” before period at end of concluding provisions, and adding pars. (2) to (4).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
Section effective Oct. 1, 1997, except as otherwise expressly provided, see section 107 of Pub. L. 104–330, set out as a note under section 4101 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
25 U.S.C. § 4161
Title 25, Indians
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110