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34 USC § 12494 - Prohibition on retaliation

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t34/s12494"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "34 USC § 12494 - Prohibition on retaliation"
title_number: 34
title_name: "CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT"
section_number: "12494"
section_name: "Prohibition on retaliation"
chapter_number: 121
chapter_name: "VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT"
subchapter_number: "III"
subchapter_name: "VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN"
part_number: "L"
part_name: "Addressing the Housing Needs of Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 103–322, title IV, § 41414, as added Pub. L. 117–103, div. W, title VI, § 602, Mar. 15, 2022, 136 Stat. 884.)"
---

# § 12494. Prohibition on retaliation

**(a)** **Non-retaliation requirement** No public housing agency or owner or manager of housing assisted under a covered housing program shall discriminate against any person because that person has opposed any act or practice made unlawful by this part, or because that person testified, assisted, or participated in any matter related to this subpart.

**(b)** **Prohibition on coercion** No public housing agency or owner or manager of housing assisted under a covered housing program shall coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with, or retaliate against, any person in the exercise or enjoyment of, on account of the person having exercised or enjoyed, or on account of the person having aided or encouraged any other person in the exercise or enjoyment of, any rights or protections under this subpart, including—

**(1)** intimidating or threatening any person because that person is assisting or encouraging a person entitled to claim the rights or protections under this subpart; and

**(2)** retaliating against any person because that person has participated in any investigation or action to enforce this subpart.

**(c)** **Implementation** 42 U.S.C. 3601

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Attorney General shall implement and enforce this subpart consistent with, and in a manner that provides, the rights and remedies provided for in title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 ( et seq.).

---

**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 103–322, title IV, § 41414, as added Pub. L. 117–103, div. W, title VI, § 602, Mar. 15, 2022, 136 Stat. 884.)

## Editorial Notes

### References in Text

The Civil Rights Act of 1968, referred to in subsec. (c), is , , . Title VIII of the Act, known as the Fair Housing Act, is classified principally to subchapter I (§ 3601 et seq.) of chapter 45 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under  and Tables.

### Codification

, which directed the addition of this section to chapter 2 of subtitle N of title IV of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 ( et seq.), was executed by adding this section to chapter 2 of subtitle N of title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section not effective until Oct. 1 of the first fiscal year beginning after , see , set out as a note under , Commerce and Trade.