§1986 — Title 7 Agriculture | U.S. Code

Summary

People who are officers, attorneys, or other employees working for the Secretary must not take any fee, commission, gift, or other payment tied to any business under this chapter. They may only keep the pay they get as part of their job. If an employee acts on or reviews a loan application to buy land, they may not acquire any interest in that land for three years after acting or reviewing, except a former county committee member may if the Secretary finds beforehand they acted in good faith. Members of county committees must not certify loans for land in which they or relatives within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity have or might get an interest, or for applicants who are such relatives. Violators face a fine up to $2,000, up to two years in prison, or both.

Title 7, §1986

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)No officer, attorney, or other employee of the Secretary shall, directly or indirectly, be the beneficiary of or receive any fee, commission, gift, or other consideration for or in connection with any transaction or business under this chapter other than such salary, fee, or other compensation as he may receive as such officer, attorney, or employee.

(b)Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, no officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture who acts on or reviews an application made by any person under this chapter for a loan to purchase land may acquire, directly or indirectly, any interest in such land for a period of three years after the date on which such action is taken or such review is made. This prohibition shall not apply to a former member of a county committee upon a determination by the Secretary, prior to the acquisition of such interest, that such former member acted in good faith when acting on or reviewing such application.

(c)No member of a county committee shall knowingly make or join in making any certification with respect to a loan to purchase any land in which he or any person related to him within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity has or may acquire any interest or with respect to any applicant related to him within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity.

(d)Any persons violating any provision of this section shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than $2,000 or imprisonment for not more than two years, or both.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (b), was in the original “this title”, meaning title III of Pub. L. 87–128, Aug. 8, 1961, 75 Stat. 307, known as the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of title III to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1921 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

2002—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 107–171 struck out “provided for in section 1982 of this title” after “former member of a county committee”. 1984—Pub. L. 98–258 designated first, second, and third sentences of existing provisions as subsecs. (a), (c), and (d), respectively, and added subsec. (b).

§1986 Conflicts of Interests