### §238. Gifts for benefit of Service

#### (a) Acceptance by Secretary

The Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to accept on behalf of the United States gifts made unconditionally by will or otherwise for the benefit of the Service or for the carrying out of any of its functions. Conditional gifts may be so accepted if recommended by the Surgeon General, and the principal of and income from any such conditional gift shall be held, invested, reinvested, and used in accordance with its conditions, but no gift shall be accepted which is conditioned upon any expenditure not to be met therefrom or from the income thereof unless such expenditure has been approved by Act of Congress.

#### (b) Depository of funds; availability for expenditure

Any unconditional gift of money accepted pursuant to the authority granted in subsection (a) of this section, the net proceeds from the liquidation (pursuant to subsection (c) or subsection (d) of this section) of any other property so accepted, and the proceeds of insurance on any such gift property not used for its restoration, shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States and are hereby appropriated and shall be held in trust by the Secretary of the Treasury for the benefit of the Service, and he may invest and reinvest such funds in interest-bearing obligations of the United States or in obligations guaranteed as to both principal and interest by the United States. Such gifts and the income from such investments shall be available for expenditure in the operation of the Service and the performance of its functions, subject to the same examination and audit as is provided for appropriations made for the Service by Congress.

#### (c) Evidences of unconditional gifts of intangible property

The evidences of any unconditional gift of intangible personal property, other than money, accepted pursuant to the authority granted in subsection (a) of this section shall be deposited with the Secretary of the Treasury and he, in his discretion, may hold them, or liquidate them except that they shall be liquidated upon the request of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, whenever necessary to meet payments required in the operation of the Service or the performance of its functions. The proceeds and income from any such property held by the Secretary of the Treasury shall be available for expenditure as is provided in subsection (b) of this section.

#### (d) Real property or tangible personal property

The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall hold any real property or any tangible personal property accepted unconditionally pursuant to the authority granted in subsection (a) of this section and he shall permit such property to be used for the operation of the Service and the performance of its functions or he may lease or hire such property, and may insure such property, and deposit the income thereof with the Secretary of the Treasury to be available for expenditure as provided in subsection (b) of this section: Provided, That the income from any such real property or tangible personal property shall be available for expenditure in the discretion of the Secretary of Health and Human Services for the maintenance, preservation, or repair and insurance of such property and that any proceeds from insurance may be used to restore the property insured. Any such property when not required for the operation of the Service or the performance of its functions may be liquidated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the proceeds thereof deposited with the Secretary of the Treasury, whenever in his judgment the purposes of the gifts will be served thereby.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title II, §231, formerly title V, §501, 58 Stat. 709; July 3, 1946, ch. 538, §10, 60 Stat. 425; June 16, 1948, ch. 481, §6(b), 62 Stat. 469; 1953 Reorg. Plan No. 1, §§5, 8, eff. Apr. 11, 1953, 18 F.R. 2053, 67 Stat. 631; Pub. L. 90–574, title V, §503(b), Oct. 15, 1968, 82 Stat. 1012; Pub. L. 96–88, title V, §509(b), Oct. 17, 1979, 93 Stat. 695; renumbered title XXI, §2101, Pub. L. 98–24, §2(a)(1), Apr. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 176; renumbered title XXIII, §2301, Pub. L. 99–660, title III, §311(a), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3755; renumbered title XXV, §2501, Pub. L. 100–607, title II, §201(1), (2), Nov. 4, 1988, 102 Stat. 3062; renumbered title XXVI, §2601, Pub. L. 100–690, title II, §2620(a), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4244; renumbered title XXVII, §2701, Pub. L. 101–381, title I, §101(1), (2), Aug. 18, 1990, 104 Stat. 576; renumbered title II, §231, Pub. L. 103–43, title XX, §2010(a)(1)–(3), June 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 213.)

#### **Editorial Notes**

#### Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 300aaa of this title prior to renumbering by Pub. L. 103–43, to section 300cc of this title prior to renumbering by Pub. L. 100–607, to section 300aa of this title prior to renumbering by Pub. L. 99–660, and to section 219 of this title prior to renumbering by Pub. L. 98–24.

#### Amendments

1968—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 90–574 struck out subsec. (e) which provided for acknowledgment of donations of $50,000 or more in aid of research by the establishment of suitable memorials within the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Mental Health.

1948—Subsec. (e). Act June 16, 1948, substituted "National Institutes of Health" for "National Institute of Health".

1946—Subsec. (e). Act July 3, 1946, inserted reference to National Institute of Mental Health.

#### **Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries**

#### Change of Name

"Secretary of Health and Human Services" substituted for "Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare" in subsecs. (a), (c), and (d) pursuant to section 509(b) of Pub. L. 96–88, which is classified to section 3508(b) of Title 20, Education.

#### **Executive Documents**

#### Transfer of Functions

Functions of Public Health Service, Surgeon General of Public Health Service, and all other officers and employees of Public Health Service, and functions of all agencies of or in Public Health Service transferred to Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1966, eff. June 25, 1966, 31 F.R. 8855, 80 Stat. 1610, set out as a note under section 202 of this title.

Functions of Federal Security Administrator transferred to Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare and all agencies of Federal Security Agency transferred to Department of Health, Education, and Welfare by section 5 of Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1953, set out as a note under section 3501 of this title. Federal Security Agency and office of Administrator abolished by section 8 of Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1953.