42 U.S.C. § 2991d-1 : US Code - Section 2991D-1: Panel review of applications for assistance

Search 42 U.S.C. § 2991d-1 : US Code - Section 2991D-1: Panel review of applications for assistance

(a) Establishment of formal panel; members
(1) The Commissioner shall establish a formal panel review
process for purposes of -
(A) evaluating applications for financial assistance under
sections 2991b and 2991d of this title; and
(B) determining the relative merits of the projects for which
such assistance is requested.
(2) To implement the process established under paragraph (1), the
Commissioner shall appoint members of review panels from among
individuals who are not officers or employees of the Administration
for Native Americans. In making appointments to such panels, the
Commissioner shall give preference to American Indians, Native
Hawaiians, other Native American Pacific Islanders (including
American Samoan Natives), and Alaska Natives.
(b) Duties of panel
Each review panel appointed under subsection (a)(2) of this
section that reviews any application for financial assistance shall
-
(1) determine the merit of each project described in such
application;
(2) rank such application with respect to all other
applications it reviews for the fiscal year involved, according
to the relative merit of all of the projects that are described
in such application and for which financial assistance is
requested; and
(3) submit to the Commissioner a list that identifies all
applications reviewed by such panel and arranges such
applications according to rank determined under paragraph (2).
(c) Notice to Congressional committee chairman; information
required
Upon the request of the chairman of the Committee on Indian
Affairs of the Senate or of the chairman of the Committee on
Education and Labor of the House of Representatives made with
respect to any application for financial assistance under section
2991b or 2991d of this title, the Commissioner shall transmit to
the chairman written notice -
(1) identifying such application;
(2) containing a copy of the list submitted to the Commissioner
under subsection (b)(3) of this section in which such application
is ranked;
(3) specifying which other applications ranked in such list
have been approved by the Commissioner under sections 2991b and
2991d of this title; and
(4) if the Commissioner has not approved each application
superior in merit, as indicated on such list, to the application
with respect to which such notice is transmitted, containing a
statement of the reasons relied upon by the Commissioner for -
(A) approving the application with respect to which such
notice is transmitted; and
(B) failing to approve each pending application that is
superior in merit, as indicated on such list, to the
application described in subparagraph (A).