---
kind: "section"
citation: "20 U.S.C. § 3508"
title: "20"
title_heading: "Education"
number: "3508"
heading: "Department of Health and Human Services"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/20/3508"
units:
  - "Chapter 48 — Department of Education"
  - "Subchapter V — Transitional, Savings, and Conforming Provisions"
---

# §3508. Department of Health and Human Services

- (a) **Redesignation of Department of Health, Education, and Welfare—** The [Department](/usc/20/3404.md?p=1) of Health, Education, and Welfare is hereby redesignated the [Department](/usc/20/3404.md?p=1) of Health and Human Services, and the [Secretary](/usc/20/3404.md?p=2) of Health, Education, and Welfare or any other official of the [Department](/usc/20/3404.md?p=1) of Health, Education, and Welfare is hereby redesignated the [Secretary](/usc/20/3404.md?p=2) or official, as appropriate, of Health and Human Services.
- (b) **Reference to Department, Secretary, etc., of Health, Education, and Welfare deemed reference to Department, Secretary, etc., of Health and Human Services—** Any reference to the [Department](/usc/20/3404.md?p=1) of Health, Education, and Welfare, the [Secretary](/usc/20/3404.md?p=2) of Health, Education, and Welfare, or any other official of the [Department](/usc/20/3404.md?p=1) of Health, Education, and Welfare in any law, rule, regulation, certificate, directive, instruction, or other official paper in force on May 4, 1980, shall be deemed to refer and apply to the [Department](/usc/20/3404.md?p=1) of Health and Human Services or the [Secretary](/usc/20/3404.md?p=2) of Health and Human Services, respectively, except to the extent such reference is to a [function](/usc/20/3404.md?p=4) or [office](/usc/20/3404.md?p=7) transferred to the [Secretary](/usc/20/3404.md?p=2) or the [Department](/usc/20/3404.md?p=1) under this chapter.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 96–88, title V, § 509, Oct. 17, 1979, 93 Stat. 695; Pub. L. 107–217, § 6(b), Aug. 21, 2002, 116 Stat. 1304; Pub. L. 108–178, § 2(b)(2), Dec. 15, 2003, 117 Stat. 2640.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

In subsec. (b), “May 4, 1980” substituted for “the effective date of this chapter” pursuant to section 601 of Pub. L. 96–88, set out as an Effective Date note under section 3401 of this title.

### Amendments

2003—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 108–178 amended Pub. L. 107–217, § 6(b). See 2002 Amendment note below.

2002—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 107–217, § 6(b), which had repealed subsec. (b) of this section, was itself repealed by Pub. L. 108–178 insofar as it related to subsec. (b) of this section, and Pub. L. 108–178 further provided that subsec. (b) of this section was revived to read as if Pub. L. 107–217, § 6(b), had not been enacted.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 2003 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 108–178 effective Aug. 21, 2002, see section 5 of Pub. L. 108–178, set out as a note under section 5334 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.