I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1767
To consolidate in the Administrator of General Services authorities relating
to the control and utilization of excess and surplus property, and for
other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 3, 1997
Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, and in addition
to the Committees on National Security, Small Business, Science, and
International Relations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To consolidate in the Administrator of General Services au-
thorities relating to the control and utilization of excess
and surplus property, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Surplus Prop-
erty Reform Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. SPECIAL AUTHORITIES OF SECRETARY OF DE-
FENSE REGARDING DISPOSAL OF EXCESS
AND SURPLUS PROPERTY.
(a) EXPANSION OF LIMITATION ON USE OF EXCESS
NONLETHAL SUPPLIES FOR INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE
PROGRAMS.—
(1) EXPANSION OF LIMITATION.—Section 2552
of title 10, United States Code, is amended to read
as follows:
‘‘§ 2552. Limitation on use of nonlethal excess sup-
plies from Department of Defense stocks
in foreign assistance, humanitarian as-
sistance, and military sales programs
‘‘(a) LIMITATION.—Nonlethal excess supplies from
the stocks of the Department of Defense may be trans-
ferred to a foreign country or international organization
pursuant to part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
(22 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.) or section 21 of the Arms Export
Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2761) or used for humanitarian
relief purposes under section 2547 of this title only if—
‘‘(1) no department or agency of the Federal
Government (other than the Department of De-
fense), no State, and no other person or entity eligi-
ble to receive excess or surplus property under the
Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of
1949 (40 U.S.C. 472 et seq.) submits to the Admin-
istrator of General Services a request for the non-
lethal excess supplies; or
‘‘(2) the President certifies to Congress that the
transfer is necessary in order to respond to an emer-
gency for which the nonlethal excess supplies are es-
pecially suited.
‘‘(b) NONLETHAL EXCESS SUPPLIES DEFINED.—In
this section, the term ‘nonlethal excess supplies’ means
property, other than real property, of the Department of
Defense—
‘‘(1) that is excess property, as defined in regu-
lations of the Department of Defense; and
‘‘(2) that is not a weapon, ammunition, or other
equipment or material that is designed to inflict seri-
ous bodily harm or death.’’.
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section
2547(a) of such title is amended by striking ‘‘The
Secretary of Defense’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to sec-
tion 2552 of this title, the Secretary of Defense’’.
(3) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of chapter 152 of such title
is amended by amending the item relating to section
2552 to read as follows:
‘‘2552. Limitation on use of nonlethal excess supplies from Department of De-
fense stocks in foreign assistance, humanitarian assistance, and
military sales programs.’’.