The personnel employed in connection with, and the assets, liabilities, contracts, property, records, and unexpended balances of appropriations, authorizations, allocations, or other funds held, used, arising from, or available or to be made available in connection with, the functions, powers, and duties transferred by section 3534 of this title are hereby transferred with such functions, powers, and duties, respectively.

The Secretary is authorized, subject to the civil service and classification laws, to select, appoint, employ, and fix the compensation of such officers and employees, including attorneys, as shall be necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter and to prescribe their authority and duties: Provided, That any other provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, the Secretary may fix the compensation for not more than six positions in the Department at the annual rate applicable to positions in level V of the Executive Schedule provided by subchapter II of chapter 53 of title 5.

The Secretary may delegate any of his functions, powers, and duties to such officers and employees of the Department as he may designate, may authorize such successive redelegations of such functions, powers, and duties as he may deem desirable, and may make such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out his functions, powers, and duties.

The Secretary may obtain services as authorized by section 3109 of title 5, at rates for individuals not to exceed the per diem equivalent to the highest rate for grade GS–18 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5. The Secretary is authorized to enter into contracts with private companies for the provision of such managerial support to the Federal Housing Administration as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, including but not limited to the management of insurance risk and the improvement of the delivery of mortgage insurance.

The Secretary is authorized to establish a working capital fund, to be available without fiscal year limitation, for expenses necessary for the maintenance and operation of such common administrative services as he shall find to be desirable in the interest of economy and efficiency in the Department, including such services as a central supply service for stationery and other supplies and equipment for which adequate stocks may be maintained to meet in whole or in part the requirements of the Department and its agencies; central messenger, mail, telephone, and other communications services; office space; central services for document reproduction and for graphics and visual aids; and a central library service. In addition to amounts appropriated to provide capital for said fund, which appropriations are hereby authorized, the fund shall be capitalized by transfer to it of such stock of supplies and equipment on hand or on order as the Secretary shall direct. Such fund shall be reimbursed from available funds of agencies and offices in the Department for which services are performed at rates which will return in full all expenses of operation, including reserves for accrued annual leave and for depreciation of equipment.

The Secretary shall cause a seal of office to be made for the Department of such device as he shall approve, and judicial notice shall be taken of such seal.

Except as such authority is otherwise expressly provided in any other Act administered by the Secretary, such financial transactions of the Secretary as the making of loans or grants (and vouchers approved by the Secretary in connection with such financial transactions) shall be final and conclusive upon all officers of the Government. Funds made available to the Secretary pursuant to any provision of law for such financial transactions shall be deposited in a checking account or accounts with the Treasury of the United States. Such funds and any receipts and assets obtained or held by the Secretary in connection with such financial transactions shall be available, in such amounts as may from year to year be authorized by the Congress, for the administrative expenses of the Secretary in connection with such financial transactions. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, the Secretary may, with the approval of the Comptroller General, consolidate into one or more accounts for banking and checking purposes all cash obtained or held in connection with such financial transactions, including amounts appropriated, from whatever source derived.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law the Secretary is authorized to establish fees and charges, chargeable against program beneficiaries and project participants, which shall be adequate to cover over the long run, costs of inspection, project review and financing service, audit by Federal or federally authorized auditors, and other beneficial rights, privileges, licenses, and services. Such fees and charges heretofore or hereafter collected shall be considered nonadministrative and shall remain available for operating expenses of the Department in providing similar services on a consolidated basis.

The Secretary is authorized to appoint, without regard to the civil service laws, such advisory committees as shall be appropriate for the purpose of consultation with and advice to the Department in performance of its functions. Members of such committees, other than those regularly employed by the Federal Government, while attending meetings of such committees or otherwise serving at the request of the Secretary, may be paid compensation at rates not exceeding those authorized for individuals under subsection (e) of this section, and while so serving away from their homes or regular places of business, may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5 for persons in the Government service employed intermittently.

Whenever he shall determine that, because of location, or other considerations, any rental housing project assisted under title II of the National Housing Act [12 U.S.C. 1707 et seq.] or title I of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 could ordinarily be expected substantially to serve the family housing needs of lower income military personnel serving on active duty, the Secretary is authorized to provide for or approve such preference or priority of occupancy of such project by such military personnel as he shall determine is appropriate to assure that the project will serve their needs on a continuing basis notwithstanding the frequency with which individual members of such personnel may be transferred or reassigned to new duty stations.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary is authorized by contract or otherwise to establish, equip, and operate a day care center facility or facilities, or to assist in establishing, equipping, and operating interagency day care facilities for the purpose of serving children who are members of households of employees of the Department. The Secretary is authorized to establish or provide for the establishment of appropriate fees and charges to be chargeable against the Department of Housing and Urban Development employees or others who are beneficiaries of services provided by any such day care center. In addition, limited start-up costs may be provided by the Secretary in an amount limited to 3 per centum of the first year’s operating budget, but not to exceed $3,500.

The Secretary shall ensure that all personnel employed in field offices of the Department who have responsibilities for administering the housing assistance program under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) or the supportive housing program under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q), and an appropriate number of personnel in the headquarters office of the Department who have responsibilities for those programs, have received adequate training regarding how covered families (as that term is defined in section 202 of the LEGACY Act of 2003) can be served by existing affordable housing programs.