An Act to authorize the sale of certain vessels to Brazil for use in the coastwise trade of Brazil
PL 83-496 (S.2370), enacted 07/15/1954

68 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 496-JULY 15, 1954 
481 
herein. 
No reimbursement, however, shall be made under this section 
for any expenses incurred prior to the date of the enactment of this 
Act which would not have oeen a proper charge against the Govern-
ment at the time of the incurring of such expenses. The reimburse-
ments authorized herein shall be in lieu of but not in addition to 
reimbursements for like purposes which may be otherwise authorized 
by Federal law or regulation, but a person entitled to any reimburse-
ment under this section may elect under which provision of Federal 
law or regulation to claim such reimbursement. 
SEC. 12. The Secretary may issue such regulations as may be neces-
sary to carry out the purposes of this Act. 
The person recognized 
under such regulations as the person to direct the disposition of the 
remains of a deceased person shall be either a surviving spouse, a 
blood relative, or an adoptive relative of the deceased person, or, if 
none of such persons can be ascertained and located, a person stand-
ing in loco parentis to the deceased person. 
SEC. 13. There are authorized to be appropriated from time to time 
such amounts as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of 
this Act. 
SEC. 14. (a) Section 212 (a) (1) of the Public Health Service Act, 
approved July 1, 1944 (58 Stat. 682), is amended by deleting there-
from the phrase "burial payments in the event of death,". 
(b) Section 506 of the Public Health Service Act, approved July 1, 
1944 (58 Stat. 682), is amended by adding at the end thereof a new 
sentence reading as follows: "Appropriations available for carrying 
out the provisions of this Act shall also be available for the payment 
of such expenses relating to the recovery, care, and disposition of the 
remains of personnel or their dependents as may be authorized under 
other provisions of law." 
(c) The following laws or parts of laws are hereby repealed: 
(1) The Act of March 9, 1928 (45 Stat. 251, ch. 162), as amended 
by the Act of May 17,1938 (52 Stat. 398) ; 
(2) The Act of May 26,1928 (45 Stat. 767, ch. 779); 
(3) The fourth sentence and the first proviso of the Act of June 15, 
1936 (49 Stat. 1507); 
(4) The Act of April 20,1940 (54 Stat. 144); and 
(5) Title 14, United States Code, sections 504, 505, and 506. 
SEC. 15. Section 9 of the Act of January 19, 1942 (56 Stat. 6), as 
amended by section 4 of the Act of March 29, 1944 (58 Stat. 129), is 
further amended by deleting the words "provisions of sections 1 to 5, 
inclusive, of the Act of April 20, 1940 (54 Stat. 144), relating to the 
burial expenses of Navy personnel, and the". 
Approved July 15, 1954. 
Regulations. 
Appropriations. 
Military bene-
fits. 
42 use 213. 
Trans porta tion 
of remains. 
42 use 224. 
Repeals. 
louse 91&916d. 
34 use 923. 
10 u s e 4 5Sa, 
455d. 
34 use 924-929. 
63 Stat. 937. 
33 use 870. 
34 use 924-928. 
Public Law 496 
CHAPTER 508 
AN ACT 
3sels to Br 
of Brazil, 
July 15.1954 
To authorize the sale of certain vessels to Brazil for use in the coastwise trade 
[=• 2370] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary 
of Commerce is authorized, at any time prior to twenty-four months 
from the date of enactment of this Act, to transfer to the Government 
of Brazil or to citizens of Brazil title to not more than twelve 
Cl-MAV-1 type merchant vessels under the following conditions: 
(a) After consultation with the Secretary of State it is determined 
that the sale of such ships to Brazil will contribute to the economic 
development of Brazil, and such sales would serve the interest of the 
foreign policy of the United States; 
Brazil. 
Sale of vessels^ 
Conditions. 
39777 O—55—pt. 1-
-33 
482 
PUBLIC LAW 497-JULY 15, 1954 
[68 S T A T * 
60 Stat. 41. 
50 u s e 
app 
1736. 
(b) After consultation with the Secretary of Defense it is deter-
mined that the sale of such vessels would not adversely affect the 
defense of the United States; 
(c) After investigation it is determined that there are no privately 
owned Cl-MAV-1 type vessels offered and available for sale by Ameri-
can citizens as defined in section 2 of the Shipping Act, 1916, as 
amended, at prices equal to or less than, and upon credit terms similar 
to, those provided for below; 
(d) The sale of such vessels shall be at prices determined under 
section 3 of the Merchant Ship Sales Act, 1946, as amended, as-is, 
where-is; 
(e) At the time of sale the purchasers shall pay at least 25 per 
centum of the price determined under subsection (d). 
The Secretary 
of Commerce, after consultation with the National Advisory Council 
on International Monetary and Financial Problems, shall fix the terms 
of payment on unpaid balances, which terms shall in no event be 
more favorable than the terms applicable in the case of sales to citizens 
of the United States; 
(f) The obligation of the purchasers with respect to the payment 
of such unpaid balance of the purchase price and interest thereon 
shall be secured by a mortgage which shall contain, among others, 
provisions according to such mortgage, the priorities over other liens 
and encumbrances accorded such mortgages on merchant vessels under 
the laws of the country to which the registry of the vessels is trans-
ferred; and 
(g) Every transfer under the authority of this Act, including trans-
fers under the authority of section 9, or section 37, of the Snipping 
Stat 9^1** ^^^' *° ^^^^ 1916, within the intent of subsection (c) hereof, shall be subject 
46*usc*808, 835. to an agreement by the Government of Brazil that the vessels whether 
under mortgage to the United States or not shall not engage in inter-
national trade or in other than the coastwise trade of Brazil. 
Approved July 15, 1954. 
July 15,1954 
[S.2728] 
Public Law 497 
CHAPTER 509 
AN ACT 
To authorize the collection of indebtedness of military and civilian personnel 
resulting from erroneous payments, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
F^*^*em"'io''^M'* United /States of America in Congress assembled, That, when it is 
s'^i^y "deductfon determined by the Secretary of the department concerned or the head 
menu'°"*°"° ^^^ of the agency or independent establishment concerned, or one of their 
designees, that an employee of the United States or any member of the 
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, or a reserve 
component thereof, is indebted to the United States as the result of 
any erroneous payment made by the department, agency, or independ-
ent establishment concerned to or on behalf of any such person, the 
amount of the indebtedness may be collected in monthly installments, 
or at officially established regular pay period intervals, by deduction 
in reasonable amounts from the current pay account of such person. 
The deductions may be made only from basic compensation, basic pay, 
special pay, and incentive pay, retired pay, retainer pay, or in the case 
of persons not entitled to basic pay, other authorized pay. Collection 
shall be eflPected over a period not greater than the anticipated period 
of active duty or period of employment, as the case may be. 
The 
amount deducted for any period shall not exceed an amount equal to 
two-thirds of the pay from which the deduction is made, unless the