The Secretary may charge such fees as the Secretary considers appropriate, so long as those fees are proportionally equal for each rural business investment company, with respect to any guarantee or grant issued under this subchapter.

Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Secretary shall not collect a fee for any guarantee of a trust certificate under section 2009cc–5 of this title, except that any agent of the Secretary may collect such fees as the Secretary considers appropriate, so long as those fees are proportionally equal for each rural business investment company, for the functions described in section 2009cc–5(e)(2) of this title.

Fees collected under this subsection—

(1) In general Except as provided in paragraph (3), the Secretary may prescribe fees to be paid by each applicant for a license to operate as a rural business investment company under this subchapter.

Fees collected under this subsection—

(A) shall be deposited in the account for salaries and expenses of the Secretary;

(B) are authorized to be appropriated as the Secretary considers appropriate; and

(C) shall be in such amounts as the Secretary considers appropriate.

(3) Prohibition on collection of certain fees In the case of a license described in paragraph (1) that was approved before July 1, 2007, the Secretary shall not collect any fees due on or after the date of enactment of this paragraph.

(Pub. L. 87–128, title III, § 384G, as added Pub. L. 107–171, title VI, § 6029, May 13, 2002, 116 Stat. 395; amended Pub. L. 110–234, title VI, § 6027(b), May 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 1182; Pub. L. 110–246, § 4(a), title VI, § 6027(b), June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, 1943; Pub. L. 115–334, title VI, § 6426(d), Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4771.)