An Act to amend the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to make temporary provision for making payments in lieu of taxes with respect to certain real property transferred by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and its subsidiaries to other Government departments
PL 84-388 (H.R.6182), enacted 08/12/1955

69 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 388-AUG. 12, 1955 
721 
SEC. (). There are hereby authorized to be appropriated for con-
struction of the Trinity River division $225,000,000, plus or minus 
such amounts, if any, as may be justified by reason of ordinary 
fluctuations 
in construction costs as indicated by engineering cost 
indexes applicable to the type of construction involved herein, and, 
in addition thereto, such sums as may be required to carry out the 
provisions of section 5 of this Act and to operate and maintain the 
said development. 
Approved August 12, 1955. 
Appropriation. 
Public Law 387 
CHAPTER 873 
AN ACT 
To reempbasize trade development as the primary purpose of title I of the 
Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954. 
August 12, 1955 
[S, 2253] 
Be it enojcted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled. That section 103 (b) 
of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 is 
amended by striking out "$700,000,000-' and inserting in lieu thereof 
""$1,500,000,000. This limitation shall not be apportioned by year or 
by country, but shall be considered as an objective as well as a limita-
tion, to be reached as rapidly as possible so long as the purposes of 
this Act can be achieved within the safeguards established." 
SEC. 2. Section 106 of such Act is amended by adding the following: 
"The Secretary of Agriculture is also authorized to determine the 
nations with whom agreements shall be negotiated, and to determine 
the commodities and quantities thereof which may be included in the 
negotiations with each country after advising with other agencies of 
Government affected and within broad policies laid down by the Presi-
dent for implementing this Act." 
Approved August 12, 1955. 
A gri c u l t u r e I 
trade developments 
68 Stat. 456. 
7 u s e 170 3(b). 
68 Stat. 457. 
7 u s e 1706. 
Public Law 388 
CHAPTER 
874 
AN ACT 
August 12, 1955 
[H. R. 6182] 
To amend the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to 
make temporary provision for making payments in lieu of taxes with respect 
to certain real property transferred by the Reconstruction Finance Corpora-
tion and its subsidiaries to other Government departments. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and, House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the table of tran**8ffr?ed^f%m 
contents contained in the first section of the Federal Property and RFC. 
Administrative Services Act of 1949 is hereby amended by inserting st^f. Issl* ^^^' ^^ 
immediately below "Sec. 605. Effective date." 
40 use 47 mote, 
the follow^ing: 
"TITLE 
VII—PROPERTY TRANSFERRED FROM THE RECONSTRUCTION 
FINANCE CORPORATION 
"Sec. 
"Sec. 
"Sec. 
"Sec. 
"Sec. 
701. Declaration of Policy. 
702. Definitions. 
703. Property transferred by the Reconstruction Finance Cor-
poration. 
704. Limitations. 
705. Effective date." 
54402 O - 55 - 46 
722 
PUBLIC LAW 388-AUG. 12, 1955 
[69 S T A T . 
40 use 4 72. 
SEC. 2. Section 3 of such Act is hereby amended by inserting imme-
diately after "As used in" the following: "titles I through VI of" 
SEC. 3. Such Act is hereby further amended by adding at the end 
thereof the following: 
"TITLE 
VII—PEOPERTY 
TRANSFERRED 
FROM T H E 
RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE 
CORPORATION 
"DECI^RATION OF POLICY 
•'SEC, 701. The Congress recognizes that the transfer of real prop-
erty having a taxable status from the Reconstruction Finance Corpo-
ration or any of its subsidiaries to another Government department 
has often operated to remove such property from the tax rolls of 
States and local taxing authorities, thereby creating an undue and 
unexpected burden upon such States and local taxing authorities, 
and causing disruption of their operations. It is the purpose of this 
title to furnish temporary measures of relief for such States and 
local taxing authorities by providing that payments in lieu of taxes 
shall be made with respect to real property so transferred on or after 
January 1, 1946. 
"DEFINITIONS 
"SEC. 702. As used in this title 
"(a) The term 'State' means each of the several States of the 
United States and the Territories of Alaska and Hawaii. 
"(b) The term 'real property' means (1) any interest in land, and 
(2) any improvement made thereon prior to any transfer thereof 
occurring on or after January 1, 1946, from the Reconstruction 
Finance Corporation to any other Government department, if for 
the purpose of taxation such interest or improvement is characterized 
as real property under the applicable law of the State in which such 
land is located. 
"(c) The term 'local taxing authority' means any county ox munici-
pality, and any subdivision of any State, county, or municipality, 
which is authorized by law to levy and collect taxes upon real 
property. 
"(d) The terms 'real property tax' and 'real property taxes' do not 
include any special assessment levied upon real property after the 
date of a transfer of such real property occurring on or after January 
1, 1946, from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to any other 
Government department. 
"(e) The term 'Government department' means any department, 
agency, or instrumentality of the United States, except the Recon-
struction Finance Corporation. 
"(f) The term'transfer'means— 
" (1) a transfer of custody and control of, or accountability for 
the care and handling of, any real property, or 
" (2) a transfer of legal title to any real property. 
"(g) The term 'Reconstruction Finance Corporation' includes all 
subsidiaries of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. 
"PROPERTY TRANSFERRED BY THE RECONSTRUCTION 
FINANCE CORPORATION 
"SEC. 703. Where real property has been transferred on or after 
January 1, 1946, from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to any 
69 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 3 8 8 - A U G . 12, 1955 
723 
Government department, and the title to such real property has been 
held by the United States continuously since such transfer, then on 
each date occurring on or after January 1,1955, and prior to January 
1, 1959, on which real property taxes levied by any State or local 
taxing authority with respect to any period become due, the Govern-
ment department which has custody and control of such real prop-
erty shall pay to the appropriate State and local taxing authorities 
an amount equal to the amount of the real property tax which would 
be payable to each such State or local taxing authority on such date 
if legal title to such real property had been held by a private citizen 
on such date and during all periods to which such date relates. 
a LIMITATIONS 
"SEC. 704. (a) The failure of any Government department to make, 
or to make timely payment of, any payment authorized by section 703 
shall not subject— 
"(1) any Government department, or any person who is a 
subsequent purchaser of any real property from any Government 
department, to the payment of any penalty or penalty interest, 
or to any payment in lieu of any penalty or penalty interest; or 
"(2) any real estate or other property or property right to any 
lien, attachment, foreclosure, garnishment, or other legal pro-
ceeding. 
"(b) No payment shall be made under section 703 with respect to 
any real property of any of the following categories: 
"(1) Real property taxable by any State or local taxing au-
thority under any provision of law, or with respect to which any 
payment in lieu of taxes is payable under any other provision of 
law. 
"(2) Real property used or held primarily for any purpose for 
which real property owned by any private citizen would be ex-
empt from real property tax under the constitution or laws of the 
State in which the property is situated. 
"(3) Real property used or held primarily for the rendition of 
service to or on behalf of the local public, including (but not lim-
ited to) the following categories of real property: courthouses; 
post offices and other property used for purposes incidental to 
postal operations; and federally owned airports maintained and 
operated by the Civil Aeronautics Administration. 
"(4) Office buildings and facilities which are an integral part 
of, or are used for purposes incidental to the use made of, any 
properties described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of this sub-
section. 
"(c) Nothing contained in this title shall establish any liability of 
any Government department for the payment of any payment in lieu 
of taxes with respect to any real property for any period before Janu-
ary 1, 1955, or after December 31, 1958. 
"EFFECTIVE DATE 
"SEC. 705. This title shall take effect as of January 1, 1955." 
Approved August 12, 1955.