Editorial Note on Part 17
Editorial Note: Nomenclature changes to part 17 appear at 68 FR 51376, Aug. 26, 2003.

§ 17.4 Assurances required. ( a ) *General.* ( 1 ) Every application for Federal financial assistance to which this part applies, except an application to which paragraph (b) of this section applies, and every application for Federal financial assistance to provide a facility shall, as a condition to its approval and the extension of any Federal financial assistance pursuant to the application, contain or be accompanied by, an assurance that the program will be conducted or the facility operated in compliance with all requirements imposed by or pursuant to this part. Every award of Federal financial assistance shall require the submission of such an assurance. In the case where the Federal financial assistance is to provide or is in the form of personal property, or real property or interest therein or structures thereon, or improvement of real property or structures, the assurance shall obligate the recipient, or, in the case of a subsequent transfer, the transferee, for the period during which the property is used for a purpose for which the Federal financial assistance is extended or for another purpose involving the provision of similar services or benefits, or for as long as the recipient retains ownership or possession of the property, whichever is longer. In all other cases the assurance shall obligate the recipient for the period during which Federal financial assistance is extended to the program. In the case where the assistance is sought for the construction of a facility or part of a facility, the assurance shall in any event extend to the entire facility and to facilities operated in connection therewith. The Secretary shall specify the form of the foregoing assurances, and the extent to which like assurances will be required of subgrantees, contractors and subcontractors, transferees, successors in interest, and other participants. Any such assurance shall include provisions which give the United States a right to seek its judicial enforcement.
( 2 ) In the case where Federal financial assistance is provided in the form of a transfer of real property, structures, or improvements thereon, or interest therein, from the Federal Government, the instrument effecting or recording the transfer shall contain a covenant running with the land assuring nondiscrimination for the period during which the real property is used for a purpose for which the Federal financial assistance is extended or for another purpose involving the provision of similar services or benefits. Where no transfer of property or interest therein from the Federal Government is involved, but property is acquired or improved with Federal financial assistance, the recipient shall agree to include such covenant in any subsequent transfer of such property. When the property is obtained from the Federal Government, such covenant may also include a condition coupled with a right to be reserved by the Department to revert title to the property in the event of a breach of the covenant where, in the discretion of the Secretary, such a condition and right of reverter is appropriate to the statute under which the real property is obtained and to the nature of the grant and the grantee. In such event if a transferee of real property proposes to mortgage or otherwise encumber the real property as security for financing construction of new, or improvement of existing facilities on such property for the purposes for which the property was transferred, the Secretary may agree, upon request of the transferee and if necessary to accomplish such financing, and upon such conditions as he deems appropriate, to subordinate such right of reversion to the lien of such mortgage or other encumbrance.
( b ) *Continuing Federal financial assistance.* ( 1 ) Every application by a State or any agency or political subdivision of a State for continuing Federal financial assistance to which this regulation applies shall as a condition to its approval and the extension of any Federal financial assistance pursuant to the application ( i ) contain or be accompanied by a statement that the program is (or, in the case of a new program, will be) conducted in compliance with all requirements imposed by or pursuant to this part, or a statement of the extent to which it is not, at the time the statement is made, so conducted, and
( ii ) provide or be accompanied by provision for such methods of administration for the program as are found by the Secretary or his designee to give reasonable assurance that the applicant and all recipients of Federal financial assistance under such program will comply with all requirements imposed by or pursuant to this regulation, including methods of administration which give reasonable assurance that any noncompliance indicated in the statement under paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section will be corrected.
( 2 ) With respect to some programs which are carried out by States or agencies or political subdivisions of States and which involve continuing Federal financial assistance administered by the Department, there has been no requirement that applications be filed by such recipients. From the effective date of this part no Federal financial assistance administered by this Department will be extended to a State or to an agency or a political subdivision of a State unless an application for such Federal financial assistance has been received from the State or State agency or political subdivision.
( c ) *Elementary and secondary schools.* The requirements of paragraph (a) or (b) of this section with respect to any elementary or secondary school or school system shall be deemed to be satisfied if such school or school system ( 1 ) is subject to a final order of a court of the United States for the desegregation of such school or school system, and provides an assurance that it will comply with such order, including any future modification of such order, or
( 2 ) submits a plan for the desegregation of such school or school system which the responsible official of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare determines is adequate to accomplish the purposes of the Act and this part within the earliest practicable time and provides reasonable assurance that it will carry out such plan; in any case of continuing Federal financial assistance the responsible official of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare may reserve the right to redetermine, after such period as may be specified by him, the adequacy of the plan to accomplish the purposes of the Act and this part. In any case in which a final order of a court of the United States for the desegregation of such school or school system is entered after submission of such a plan, such plan shall be revised to conform to such final order, including any future modification of such order.
( d ) *Assurances from institutions.* ( 1 ) In the case of any application for Federal financial assistance to an institution of higher education (including assistance for construction, for research for a special training project, for student assistance, or for another purpose), the assurance required by this section shall extend to admission practices and to all other practices relating to the treatment of students.
( 2 ) The assurance required with respect to an institution of higher education, or any other institution, insofar as the assurance relates to the institution's practices with respect to admission or other treatment of individuals as students, or clients of the institution or to the opportunity to participate in the provision of services or other benefits to such individuals, shall be applicable to the entire institution.
[29 FR 16293, Dec. 4, 1964, as amended at 38 FR 17976, July 5, 1973; 68 FR 51376, Aug. 26, 2003]