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Title 25, IndiansRelease 119-110

§4191 Authority and Requirements

Title 25 › CHAPTER 43 — NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING ASSISTANCE AND SELF-DETERMINATION › SUBCHAPTER VI — FEDERAL GUARANTEES FOR FINANCING FOR TRIBAL HOUSING ACTIVITIES › § 4191

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary may back loans or other debt issued by Indian tribes or tribally designated housing entities with tribal approval to pay for affordable housing and related community development. That can only happen if Congress provides the money and under rules the Secretary sets. The program must also protect rental housing units that were built under HUD contracts. The Secretary sets the loan forms, sizes, and terms by regulation and cannot refuse a guarantee just because the repayment term is proposed, unless the term is over 20 years or creates an unacceptable financial risk. A guarantee cannot be made if it would raise the issuer’s total guaranteed debt above 5 times its grant approval under subchapter III (excluding certain defeased amounts). Each guarantee covers 95 percent of the unpaid principal and interest.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §4191

Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Authority
To such extent or in such amounts as provided in appropriations Acts, the Secretary may, subject to the limitations of this subchapter (including limitations designed to protect and maintain the viability of rental housing units owned or operated by the recipient that were developed under a contract between the Secretary and an Indian housing authority pursuant to the United States Housing Act of 1937 [42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.]), and upon such terms and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe, guarantee and make commitments to guarantee, the notes or other obligations issued by Indian tribes or tribally designated housing entities with tribal approval, for the purposes of financing affordable housing activities described in section 4132 of this title and housing related community development activity as consistent with the purposes of this chapter.
(b)Terms of loans
Notes or other obligations guaranteed pursuant to this subchapter shall be in such form and denominations, have such maturities, and be subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by regulations issued by the Secretary. The Secretary may not deny a guarantee under this subchapter on the basis of the proposed repayment period for the note or other obligation, unless the period is more than 20 years or the Secretary determines that the period causes the guarantee to constitute an unacceptable financial risk.
(c)Limitation on outstanding guarantees
No guarantee or commitment to guarantee shall be made with respect to any note or other obligation if the total outstanding notes or obligations of the issuer guaranteed under this subchapter (excluding any amount defeased under the contract entered into under section 4192(a)(1) of this title) would thereby exceed an amount equal to 5 times the amount of the grant approval for the issuer pursuant to subchapter III.
(d)Limitation on percentage
A guarantee made under this subchapter shall guarantee repayment of 95 percent of the unpaid principal and interest due on the notes or other obligations guaranteed.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The United States Housing Act of 1937, referred to in subsec. (a), is act Sept. 1, 1937, ch. 896, as revised generally by Pub. L. 93–383, title II, Aug. 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 653, which is classified generally to chapter 8 (§ 1437 et seq.) of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1437 of Title 42 and Tables. This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a), 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

2004—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 108–393 added subsec. (d). 2002—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 107–292, § 7(1), inserted “and housing related community development activity as consistent with the purposes of this chapter” after “section 4132 of this title”. Subsecs. (b) to (d). Pub. L. 107–292, § 7(2), (3), redesignated subsecs. (c) and (d) as (b) and (c), respectively, and struck out heading and text of former subsec. (b). Text read as follows: “A guarantee under this subchapter may be used to assist an Indian tribe or housing entity in obtaining financing only if the Indian tribe or housing entity has made efforts to obtain such financing without the use of such guarantee and cannot complete such financing consistent with the timely execution of the program plans without such guarantee.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 104–330, title VI, § 606, Oct. 26, 1996, 110 Stat. 4048, provided that: “This title [enacting this subchapter] shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 26, 1996].” [Another section 606 of Pub. L. 104–330 is classified to section 4196 of this title.]

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 4191

Title 25, Indians

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110