US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

46 U.S.C. § 53702

General authority

(a)

In General.—

(1)

Guarantee of payments .—

The Secretary or Administrator, on terms the Secretary or Administrator may prescribe, may guarantee or make a commitment to guarantee the payment of the principal of and interest on an obligation eligible to be guaranteed under this chapter. A guarantee or commitment to guarantee shall cover 100 percent of the principal and interest.
(2)

Preferred eligible lender .—

The Federal Financing Bank shall be the preferred eligible lender of the principal and interest of the guaranteed obligations issued under this chapter.
(b)

Direct Loans for Fisheries .—

(1)

In general .—

Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any obligation involving a fishing vessel, fishery facility, aquaculture facility, individual fishing quota, or fishing capacity reduction program issued under this chapter after , shall be a direct loan obligation for which the Secretary shall be the obligee, rather than an obligation issued to an obligee other than the Secretary and guaranteed by the Secretary. A direct loan obligation under this subsection shall be treated in the same manner and to the same extent as an obligation guaranteed under this chapter except with respect to provisions of this chapter that by their nature can only be applied to obligations guaranteed under this chapter.
(2)

Interest rate .—

Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the annual rate of interest an obligor shall pay on a direct loan obligation under this subsection is 2 percent plus the additional percent the Secretary must pay as interest to borrow from the Treasury the funds to make the loan.
(3)

Minimum obligations available for historic uses .—

Of the direct loan obligations issued by the Secretary under this chapter, the Secretary shall make a minimum of $59,000,000 available each fiscal year for historic uses.
(4)

Use of obligations in limited access fisheries .—

In addition to the other eligible purposes and uses of direct loan obligations provided for in this chapter, the Secretary may issue direct loan obligations for the purpose of—
(A)
financing the construction or reconstruction of a fishing vessel in a fishery managed under a limited access system; or
(B)
financing the purchase of harvesting rights in a fishery that is federally managed under a limited access system.

Pub. L. 109–304, § 8(c)120 Stat. 1603Pub. L. 109–163, div. C, title XXXV, § 3507(a)(1)(C)119 Stat. 3555Pub. L. 110–181, div. C, title XXXV, § 3522(a)(10)(B)122 Stat. 598Pub. L. 114–120, title III, § 302(a)(2)130 Stat. 52Pub. L. 116–92, div. C, title XXXV, § 3506(b)133 Stat. 1971(, , ; , (d), , , 3557; , (b), , ; , , ; , , .)

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised

Section

Source (U.S. Code)

Source (Statutes at Large)

53702(a)

46 App.:1273(a).

June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title XI, § 1103(a), as added June 23, 1938, ch. 600, § 46, 52 Stat. 969; Aug. 15, 1953, ch. 513, § 1, 67 Stat. 626; Sept. 3, 1954, ch. 1265, § 3, 68 Stat. 1268; June 25, 1956, ch. 438, 70 Stat. 332; Aug. 7, 1956, ch. 1026, § 1(a), (c), (d), 70 Stat. 1087; Pub. L. 91–469, § 30, Oct. 21, 1970, 84 Stat. 1035; restated Pub. L. 92–507, § 3, Oct. 19, 1972, 86 Stat. 910; Pub. L. 97–31, § 12(136), Aug. 6, 1981, 95 Stat. 166; Pub. L. 99–509, title V, § 5002, Oct. 21, 1986, 100 Stat. 1912; Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title XIII, § 1356(5), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1814.

53702(b)

46 App.:1279g.

June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title XI, § 1112, as added Pub. L. 104–297, title III, § 303(a), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3616.

In subsection (a), the words “on terms the Secretary may prescribe” are added based on language in 46 App. U.S.C. 1274(a) (before cl. (1)). The words “the unpaid balance of” are omitted as unnecessary.

Editorial Notes

Codification

Pub. L. 104–297, § 303(a)Pub. L. 109–163, div. C, title XXXV, § 3507(d)119 Stat. 3557Pub. L. 110–181, div. C, title XXXV, § 3522(b)122 Stat. 598section 18(a) of Pub. L. 109–304section 101 of this titleSubsec. (b) of this section was derived from section 1112 of act , as added by , which was classified to section 1279g of the former Appendix to this title. Section 1112 was renumbered section 1114 of the Act by , , , which was repealed by , , . See Historical and Revision notes above and , set out as a Legislative Purpose and Construction note preceding .

Amendments

Pub. L. 116–922019—Subsec. (a). amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Secretary or Administrator, on terms the Secretary or Administrator may prescribe, may guarantee or make a commitment to guarantee the payment of the principal of and interest on an obligation eligible to be guaranteed under this chapter. A guarantee or commitment to guarantee shall cover 100 percent of the principal and interest.”

Pub. L. 114–1202016—Subsec. (b)(3), (4). added pars. (3) and (4).

Pub. L. 110–181, § 3522(b)Pub. L. 109–163, § 3507(a)(1)(C)2008—, repealed , (d). See 2006 Amendment note below and Codification note above.

Pub. L. 110–181, § 3522(a)(10)(B)Pub. L. 109–163, § 3507(a)(1)(C)section 18(a) of Pub. L. 109–304section 101 of this titleSubsec. (a). , incorporated the substance of the amendment by , into this section by inserting “or Administrator” after “Secretary” in two places. See 2006 Amendment note below and , set out as a Legislative Purpose and Construction note preceding .

Pub. L. 109–163, § 3507(a)(1)(C)Pub. L. 110–181, § 3522(b)2006—, which directed the amendment of section 1273(a) of the former Appendix to this title from which subsec. (a) of this section was derived, was repealed by . See 2008 Amendment note for subsec. (a) and Historical and Revision notes above.