---
kind: "section"
citation: "20 U.S.C. § 3473"
title: "20"
title_heading: "Education"
number: "3473"
heading: "Reorganization of Department"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/20/3473"
units:
  - "Chapter 48 — Department of Education"
  - "Subchapter IV — Administrative Provisions"
  - "Part B — General Administrative Provisions"
---

# §3473. Reorganization of Department

- (a) **Authorization; limitations—** The [Secretary](/usc/20/3404.md?p=2) is authorized, subject to the requirements of [section 3412(f) of this title](/usc/20/3412.md?p=f), to allocate or reallocate [functions](/usc/20/3404.md?p=4) among the officers of the [Department](/usc/20/3404.md?p=1), and to establish, consolidate, alter, or discontinue such organizational entities within the [Department](/usc/20/3404.md?p=1) as may be necessary or appropriate, but the authority of the [Secretary](/usc/20/3404.md?p=2) under this subsection does not extend to—
  - (1) any [office](/usc/20/3404.md?p=7), bureau, unit, or other entity transferred to the [Department](/usc/20/3404.md?p=1) and established by statute or any [function](/usc/20/3404.md?p=4) vested by statute in such an entity or officer of such an entity, except as provided in [subsection (b)](#b);
  - (2) the abolition of organizational entities established by this chapter; or
  - (3) the alteration of the delegation of [functions](/usc/20/3404.md?p=4) to any specific organizational entity required by this chapter.
- (b) **Alteration, consolidation, or discontinuance of statutory and organizational entities—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/20/3404.md?p=2) may, in accordance with paragraph (2) of this subsection, consolidate, alter, or discontinue any of the following statutory entities, or reallocate any [functions](/usc/20/3404.md?p=4) vested by statute in the following statutory entities:
    - (A) the [Office](/usc/20/3404.md?p=7) of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students;
    - (B) the Teacher Corps;
    - (C) the Community College Unit;
    - (D) the National Center for Education Statistics;
    - (E) the National Institute of Education;
    - (F) the [Office](/usc/20/3404.md?p=7) of Environmental Education;
    - (G) the [Office](/usc/20/3404.md?p=7) of Consumers’ Education;
    - (H) the [Office](/usc/20/3404.md?p=7) of Indian Education;
    - (I) the [Office](/usc/20/3404.md?p=7) of Career Education;
    - (J) the [Office](/usc/20/3404.md?p=7) of Non-Public Education;
    - (K) the bureau for the education and training for the handicapped; and
    - (L) the administrative units for guidance and counseling programs, the veterans’ cost of instruction program, and the program for the gifted and talented children.
  - (2) The [Secretary](/usc/20/3404.md?p=2) may alter, consolidate, or discontinue any organizational entity continued within the [Department](/usc/20/3404.md?p=1) and described in paragraph (1) of this subsection or reallocate any [function](/usc/20/3404.md?p=4) vested by statute in such an entity, upon the expiration of a period of ninety days after the receipt by the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives of notice given by the [Secretary](/usc/20/3404.md?p=2) containing a full and complete statement of the action proposed to be taken pursuant to this subsection and the facts and circumstances relied upon in support of such proposed action.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 96–88, title IV, § 413, Oct. 17, 1979, 93 Stat. 684; Pub. L. 96–496, title II, § 202, Dec. 4, 1980, 94 Stat. 2593; Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(e) [title VII, § 709(c)], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–233, 3009–313; Pub. L. 107–110, title X, § 1072(b), Jan. 8, 2002, 115 Stat. 2089.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2002—Subsec. (b)(1)(A). Pub. L. 107–110 substituted “Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students” for “Office of Bilingual Education”.

1996—Subsec. (b)(1)(H) to (M). Pub. L. 104–208 redesignated subpars. (I) to (M) as (H) to (L), respectively, and struck out former subpar. (H) which authorized Secretary to consolidate, alter, discontinue, or reallocate any functions vested by statute in Office of Libraries and Learning Resources.

1980—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 96–496 redesignated subpar. (N) as (M) and struck out former subpar. (M), which authorized the Secretary to reallocate the functions or to alter or discontinue the Institute of Museum Services.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Change of Name

Committee on Education and Labor of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Education and the Workforce of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, Jan. 9, 2023.

Committee on Labor and Human Resources of Senate changed to Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of Senate by Senate Resolution No. 20, One Hundred Sixth Congress, Jan. 19, 1999.

### Effective Date of 2002 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 107–110 effective Jan. 8, 2002, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 107–110, set out as an Effective Date note under section 6301 of this title.

### National Institute of Education

The National Institute of Education was established by section 1221e of this title which as amended generally by Pub. L. 99–498, title XIV, § 1401(a), Oct. 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 1589, provided objectives and duties for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement and established the National Advisory Council on Educational Research and Improvement, and section 1401(b) of Pub. L. 99–498 transferred the property and records of the National Institute of Education to the Office of Educational Research and Improvement.

### Office of Migrant Education

Pub. L. 98–511, title VII, § 701(b), Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2405, provided that: “For the purposes of section 413(a) of the Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3473), the Office of Migrant Education shall be considered to be an organizational entity established by such Act [20 U.S.C. 3401 et seq.] and shall not be subject to the reorganizational authority of the Secretary of Education under that section or any other provision of law.”