---
kind: "section"
citation: "7 U.S.C. § 8790"
title: "7"
title_heading: "Agriculture"
number: "8790"
heading: "Signature authority"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/7/8790"
units:
  - "Chapter 113 — Agricultural Commodity Support Programs"
  - "Subchapter V — Administration"
---

# §8790. Signature authority

- (a) **In general—** In carrying out this title and title II and amendments made by those titles, if the [Secretary](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-2) approves a document, the [Secretary](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-2) shall not subsequently determine the document is inadequate or invalid because of the lack of authority of any [person](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-1) signing the document on behalf of the applicant or any other individual, entity, general partnership, or joint venture, or the documents relied upon were determined inadequate or invalid, unless the [person](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-1) signing the program document knowingly and willfully falsified the evidence of signature authority or a signature.
- (b) **Affirmation—**
  - (1) **In general—** Nothing in this section prohibits the [Secretary](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-2) from asking a proper party to affirm any document that otherwise would be considered approved under [subsection (a)](#a).
  - (2) **No retroactive effect—** A denial of benefits based on a lack of affirmation under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) shall not be retroactive with respect to third-party [producers](/usc/7/8702.md?p=13-A) who were not the subject of the erroneous representation of authority, if the third-party [producers](/usc/7/8702.md?p=13-A)—
    - (A) relied on the prior approval by the [Secretary](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-2) of the documents in good faith; and
    - (B) substantively complied with all program requirements[^1]

## Footnotes

[^1]: So in original. Probably should be followed by a period.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 110–234, title I, § 1617, May 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 1021; Pub. L. 110–246, § 4(a), title I, § 1617, June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, 1750.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

This title and title II, referred to in subsec. (a), are titles I and II of Pub. L. 110–246, June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, 1753, which enacted this chapter and enacted, amended, and repealed numerous other sections and notes in the Code. For complete classification of titles I and II to the Code, see Tables.

### Codification

Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 enacted identical sections. Pub. L. 110–234 was repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Enactment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as a note under section 8701 of this title.