---
kind: "section"
citation: "15 U.S.C. § 1539"
title: "15"
title_heading: "Commerce and Trade"
number: "1539"
heading: "Financial assistance"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/15/1539"
units:
  - "Chapter 40 — Department of Commerce"
---

# §1539. Financial assistance

- (a) **Processing of applications—** Within 12 months after October 29, 1992, the Secretary of Commerce shall develop and, after notice and opportunity for public comment, promulgate regulations or guidelines to ensure that a completed application for a grant, contract, or other financial assistance under a nondiscretionary assistance program shall be processed and approved or disapproved within 75 days after submission of the application to the responsible program office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric [Administration](/usc/15/636e.md?p=1).
- (b) **Notification of applicant—** Not later than 14 days after the date on which the Secretary of Commerce receives an application for a contract, grant, or other financial assistance provided under a nondiscretionary assistance program administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric [Administration](/usc/15/636e.md?p=1), the Secretary shall indicate in writing to the [applicant](/usc/15/7a.md?p=3) whether or not the application is complete and, if not complete, shall specify the additional material that the [applicant](/usc/15/7a.md?p=3) must provide to complete the application.
- (c) **Exemption—** In the case of a program for which the recipient of a grant, contract, or other financial assistance is specified by statute to be, or has customarily been, a [State](/usc/15/15g.md?p=2) or an interstate fishery commission, such financial assistance may be provided by the Secretary to that recipient on a sole-source basis, notwithstanding any other provision of law.
- (d) **“Nondiscretionary assistance program” defined—** In this section, the term “nondiscretionary assistance program” means any program for providing financial assistance—
  - (1) under which the amount of funding for, and the intended recipient of, the financial assistance is specified by Congress; or
  - (2) the recipients of which have customarily been a [State](/usc/15/15g.md?p=2) or an interstate fishery commission.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 102–567, title IV, § 404, Oct. 29, 1992, 106 Stat. 4292.)