Part F - General Provisions

20 USC 1068 - Applications for assistance

(a) Applications 

(1) Applications required 
Any institution which is eligible for assistance under this subchapter shall submit to the Secretary an application for assistance at such time, in such form, and containing such information, as may be necessary to enable the Secretary to evaluate the institutions need for the assistance. Subject to the availability of appropriations to carry out this subchapter, the Secretary may approve an application for assistance under this subchapter only if the Secretary determines that
(A) the application meets the requirements of subsection (b) of this section;
(B) the applicant is eligible for assistance in accordance with the part of this subchapter under which the assistance is sought; and
(C) the applicants performance goals are sufficiently rigorous as to meet the purposes of this subchapter and the performance objectives and indicators for this subchapter established by the Secretary pursuant to the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 and the amendments made by such Act.
(2) Preliminary applications 
In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary may develop a preliminary application for use by eligible institutions applying under part A of this subchapter prior to the submission of the principal application.
(b) Contents 
An institution, in its application for a grant, shall
(1) set forth, or describe how the institution (other than an institution applying under part C, D or E of this subchapter) will develop, a comprehensive development plan to strengthen the institutions academic quality and institutional management, and otherwise provide for institutional self-sufficiency and growth (including measurable objectives for the institution and the Secretary to use in monitoring the effectiveness of activities under this subchapter);
(2) set forth policies and procedures to ensure that Federal funds made available under this subchapter for any fiscal year will be used to supplement and, to the extent practical, increase the funds that would otherwise be made available for the purposes of section 1057 (b) or 1062 of this title, and in no case supplant those funds;
(3) set forth policies and procedures for evaluating the effectiveness in accomplishing the purpose of the activities for which a grant is sought under this subchapter;
(4) provide for such fiscal control and fund accounting procedures as may be necessary to ensure proper disbursement of and accounting for funds made available to the applicant under this subchapter;
(5) provide
(A)  for making such reports, in such form and containing such information, as the Secretary may require to carry out the functions under this subchapter, including not less than one report annually setting forth the institutions progress toward achieving the objectives for which the funds were awarded, and
(B)  for keeping such records and affording such access thereto, as the Secretary may find necessary to assure the correctness and verification of such reports;
(6) provide that the institution will comply with the limitations set forth in section 1068e of this title, except that for purposes of section 1059c of this title, paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 1068e of this title shall not apply;
(7) describe in a comprehensive manner any proposed project for which funds are sought under the application and include
(A) a description of the various components of the proposed project, including the estimated time required to complete each such component;
(B) in the case of any development project which consists of several components (as described by the applicant pursuant to subparagraph (A)), a statement identifying those components which, if separately funded, would be sound investments of Federal funds and those components which would be sound investments of Federal funds only if funded under this subchapter in conjunction with other parts of the development project (as specified by the applicant);
(C) an evaluation by the applicant of the priority given any proposed project for which funds are sought in relation to any other projects for which funds are sought by the applicant under this subchapter, and a similar evaluation regarding priorities among the components of any single proposed project (as described by the applicant pursuant to subparagraph (A));
(D) a detailed budget showing the manner in which funds for any proposed project would be spent by the applicant; and
(E) a detailed description of any activity which involves the expenditure of more than $25,000, as identified in the budget referred to in subparagraph (E); and
(8) include such other information as the Secretary may prescribe.
(c) Priority criteria publication required 
The Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register, pursuant to chapter 5 of title 5, all policies and procedures required to exercise the authority set forth in subsection (a) of this section. No other criteria, policies, or procedures shall apply.
(d) Eligibility data 
The Secretary shall use the most recent and relevant data concerning the number and percentage of students receiving need-based assistance under subchapter IV of this chapter and part C of subchapter I of chapter 34 of title 42 in making eligibility determinations under section 1058 of this title and shall advance the base-year forward following each annual grant cycle.

20 USC 1068a - Waiver authority and reporting requirement

(a) Waiver requirements; need-based assistance students 
The Secretary may waive the requirements set forth in section 1058 (b)(1)(A) of this title in the case of an institution
(1) which is extensively subsidized by the State in which it is located and charges low or no tuition;
(2) which serves a substantial number of low-income students as a percentage of its total student population;
(3) which is contributing substantially to increasing higher education opportunities for educationally disadvantaged, underrepresented, or minority students, who are low-income individuals;
(4) which is substantially increasing higher educational opportunities for individuals in rural or other isolated areas which are unserved by postsecondary institutions;
(5) located on or near an Indian reservation or a substantial population of Indians, if the Secretary determines that the waiver will substantially increase higher education opportunities appropriate to the needs of American Indians;
(6) that is a tribally controlled college or university as defined in section 1801 of title 25; or
(7) wherever located, if the Secretary determines that the waiver will substantially increase higher education opportunities appropriate to the needs of Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, or Pacific Islanders, including Native Hawaiians.
(b) Waiver determinations; expenditures 

(1) The Secretary may waive the requirements set forth in section 1058 (b)(1)(B) of this title if the Secretary determines, based on persuasive evidence submitted by the institution, that the institutions failure to meet that criterion is due to factors which, when used in the determination of compliance with such criterion, distort such determination, and that the institutions designation as an eligible institution under part A of this subchapter is otherwise consistent with the purposes of such parts.[1]
(2) Omitted.
(3) The Secretary may waive the requirement set forth in section 1058 (b)(1)(E)2 of this title in the case of an institution located on or near an Indian reservation or a substantial population of Indians, if the Secretary determines that the waiver will substantially increase higher education opportunities appropriate to the needs of American Indians.
[1] So in original. Probably should be “part.”
[2] See References in Text note below.

20 USC 1068b - Application review process

(a) Review panel 

(1) All applications submitted under this subchapter by institutions of higher education shall be read by a panel of readers composed of individuals selected by the Secretary. The Secretary shall assure that no individual assigned under this section to review any application has any conflict of interest with regard to the application which might impair the impartiality with which the individual conducts the review under this section.
(2) The Secretary shall take care to assure that representatives of historically and predominantly Black colleges, Hispanic institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and institutions with substantial numbers of Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Native American Pacific Islanders (including Native Hawaiians) are included as readers.
(3) All readers selected by the Secretary shall receive thorough instruction from the Secretary regarding the evaluation process for applications submitted under this subchapter and consistent with the provisions of this subchapter, including
(A) explanations and examples of the types of activities referred to in section 1057 (b) of this title that should receive special consideration for grants awarded under part A of this subchapter and of the types of activities referred to in section 1062 of this title that should receive special consideration for grants awarded under part B of this subchapter;
(B) an enumeration of the factors to be used to determine the quality of applications submitted under this subchapter; and
(C) an enumeration of the factors to be used to determine whether a grant should be awarded for a project under this subchapter, the amount of any such grant, and the duration of any such grant.
(b) Recommendations of panel 
In awarding grants under this subchapter, the Secretary shall take into consideration the recommendations of the panel made under subsection (a) of this section.
(c) Notification 
Not later than June 30 of each year, the Secretary shall notify each institution of higher education making an application under this subchapter of
(1) the scores given the applicant by the panel pursuant to this section;
(2) the recommendations of the panel with respect to such application; and
(3) the reasons for the decision of the Secretary in awarding or refusing to award a grant under this subchapter, and any modifications, if any, in the recommendations of the panel made by the Secretary.
(d) Exclusion 
The provisions of this section shall not apply to applications submitted under part D of this subchapter.

20 USC 1068c - Cooperative arrangements

(a) General authority 
The Secretary may make grants to encourage cooperative arrangements
(1) with funds available to carry out part A of this subchapter, between institutions eligible for assistance under part A of this subchapter and between such institutions and institutions not receiving assistance under this subchapter; or
(2) with funds available to carry out part B of this subchapter, between institutions eligible for assistance under part B of this subchapter and institutions not receiving assistance under this subchapter;

for the activities described in section 1057 (b) of this title or section 1062 of this title, as the case may be, so that the resources of the cooperating institutions might be combined and shared to achieve the purposes of such parts and avoid costly duplicative efforts and to enhance the development of part A and part B eligible institutions.

(b) Priority 
The Secretary shall give priority to grants for the purposes described under subsection (a) of this section whenever the Secretary determines that the cooperative arrangement is geographically and economically sound or will benefit the applicant institution.
(c) Duration 
Grants to institutions having a cooperative arrangement may be made under this section for a period as determined under section 1059 of this title or section 1062 of this title.

20 USC 1068d - Assistance to institutions under other programs

(a) Assistance eligibility 
Each institution which the Secretary determines to be an institution eligible under part A of this subchapter or an institution eligible under part B of this subchapter may be eligible for waivers in accordance with subsection (b) of this section.
(b) Waiver applicability 

(1) Subject to, and in accordance with, regulations promulgated for the purpose of this section, in the case of any application by an institution referred to in subsection (a) of this section for assistance under any programs specified in paragraph (2), the Secretary is authorized, if such application is otherwise approvable, to waive any requirement for a non-Federal share of the cost of the program or project, or, to the extent not inconsistent with other law, to give, or require to be given, priority consideration of the application in relation to applications from other institutions.
(2) The provisions of this section shall apply to any program authorized by part D of this subchapter or subchapter IV of this chapter or part C of subchapter I of chapter 34 of title 42.
(c) Limitation 
The Secretary shall not waive, under subsection (b) of this section, the non-Federal share requirement for any program for applications which, if approved, would require the expenditure of more than 10 percent of the appropriations for the program for any fiscal year.

20 USC 1068e - Limitations

The funds appropriated under section 1069f1 of this title may not be used
(1) for a school or department of divinity or any religious worship or sectarian activity;
(2) for an activity that is inconsistent with a State plan for desegregation of higher education applicable to such institution;
(3) for an activity that is inconsistent with a State plan of higher education applicable to such institution; or
(4) for purposes other than the purposes set forth in the approved application under which the funds were made available to the institution.
[1] See References in Text note below.

20 USC 1068f - Penalties

Whoever, being an officer, director, agent, or employee of, or connected in any capacity with, any recipient of Federal financial assistance or grant pursuant to this subchapter embezzles, willfully misapplies, steals, or obtains by fraud any of the funds which are the subject of such grant or assistance, shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both.

20 USC 1068g - Continuation awards

The Secretary shall make continuation awards under this subchapter for the second and succeeding years of a grant only after determining that the recipient is making satisfactory progress in carrying out the grant.

20 USC 1068h - Authorization of appropriations

(a) Authorizations 

(1) Part A 

(A) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out part A of this subchapter, $135,000,000 (other than section 1059c of this title) for fiscal year 1999, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
(B) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 1059c of this title, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
(C) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 1059d of this title, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
(2) Part B 

(A) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out part B of this subchapter (other than section 1063b of this title), $135,000,000 for fiscal year 1999, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
(B) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 1063b of this title, $35,000,000 for fiscal year 1999, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
(3) Part C 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out part C of this subchapter, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1999, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
(4) Part D 

(A) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out part D of this subchapter (other than section 1066d (7) of this title, but including section 1066f of this title), $110,000 for fiscal year 1999, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
(B) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 1066d (7) of this title, such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
(5) Part E 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out part E of this subchapter, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1999, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
(b) Use of multiple year awards 
In the event of a multiple year award to any institution under this subchapter, the Secretary shall make funds available for such award from funds appropriated for this subchapter for the fiscal year in which such funds are to be used by the recipient.