An Act to amend the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, and for other purposes
PL 86-232 (H.R.8284), enacted 09/08/1959

73 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 86-232-SEPT. 8, 1959 
467 
Public Law 86-232 
AN ACT 
Septetnber 8, 1959 
To amend the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, and for 
[H. R. 8284] 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the National 
Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, is amended as follows: 
Section 3(a) (2) of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as 
amended, is amended to read as follows: 
"(2) To initiate and support basic scientific research and pro-
<^rams to strengthen scientific research potential in the mathemat-
ical, physical, medical, biological, engineering, and other sciences, 
by making contracts or other arrangements (including grants, 
loans, and other forms of assistance) to support such scientific 
activities and to appraise the impact of research upon industrial 
development and upon the general welfare;". 
SEC. 2. Section 4(d) and section 4(e) of the National Science Foun-
dation Act of 1950, as amended, are amended to read as follows: 
"(d) The Board shall meet annually on the third Monday in May, 
unless, prior to May 10 in any year, the Chairman has set the annual 
meeting for a day in May, other than the third Monday, and at such 
other times as the Chairman may determine, but he shall also call a 
meeting Avhenever one-third of the members so request in writing. A 
majority of the voting members of the Board shall constitute a 
quorum. 
Each member shall be given notice, by registered mail mailed 
to his last known address of record not less than fifteen days prior to 
any meeting, of the call of such meeting. 
"(e) An election of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board 
shall take place at the first meeting of the National Science Board fol-
lowing enactment of this legislation. Thereafter such election shall 
take place at the second annual meeting occurring after each such 
election. The Vice Chairman shall perform the duties of the Chair-
man in his absence. In case a vacancy occurs in the chairmanship or 
vice chairmanship, the Board shall elect a member to fill such va-
cancy." 
SEC. 3. Section 5(b) of the National Science Foundation Act of 
1950, as amended, is amended to read as follows: 
"(b) In addition to the powers and duties specifically vested in him 
by this Act, the Director shall, in accordance with the policies estab-
lished by the Board, exercise the powers granted by sections 10 and 
11 of this Act, together with such other powers and duties as may 
be delegated to him by the Board; but no final action shall be taken 
by the Director in the exercise of any power granted by section 10 or 
11(c) unless in each instance the Board has reviewed and approved 
the action proposed to be taken, or such action is taken pursuant to the 
terms of a delegation of authority from the Board or the Executive 
Committee to the Director." 
SEC. 4. Section 6(a) and section 6(b)(1) of the National Science 
Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, are amended to read as follows: 
"(a) The Board is authorized to appoint from among its mem-
bers an Executive Committee, and to assign to the Executive Commit-
tee such of the powers and functions granted to the Board by this 
Act as it deems appropriate; except that the Board may not assign 
to the Executive Committee the function of establishing policies. 
"(b) If an Executive Committee is established by the Board— 
"(1) such Committee shall consist of the Director, as a non-
voting ex officio member, and not less than five nor more than nine 
other members elected by the Board from among their number." 
National Science 
Foundation Act of 
1950, amendment. 
64 Stat. 149. 
42 u s e 1862. 
&c l e n t if i c re-
search si4>port. 
42 u s e 1863. 
Meetings, 
e h a i r m i a n 
and 
Vice Chairman. 
Election. 
42 u s e 1«64. 
Director. 
A d d i t I o n al 
powers and duties. 
42 u s e 1865. 
Executive eom-
mittee. 
Appointment. 
Membership. 
468 
PUBLIC LAW a6-232-SEPT. 8, 1959 
[73 8T A T . 
42 use 1869. 
Scholarships and 
fellowships. 
42 use 1870. 
Property acqui-
sition and dispo-
sition. 
42 use 1872. 
Int ernat ional 
cooperation. 
42 use 1869. 
42 use 1875. 
Restriction. 
42 use 1870. 
Negotiation with 
foreign countries. 
SEC. 5. Section 10 of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, 
as amended, is amended to read as follows: 
"The Foundation is authorized to award, within the limits of funds 
made available specifically for such purpose pursuant to section 17, 
scholarships and graduate fellowships for scientific study or scientific 
work in the mathematical, physical, medical, biological, engineering, 
and other sciences at appropriate nonprofit American or nonprofit 
foreign institutions selected by the recipient of such aid, for stated 
periods of time. Persons shall be selected for such scholarships and 
fellowships from among citizens of the United States, and such selec-
tions shall be made solely on the basis of ability; but in any case in 
which two or more applicants for scholarships or fellowships, as the 
case may be, are deemed by the Foundation to be possessed of sub-
stantially equal ability, and there are not sufficient scholarships or 
fellowships, as the case may be, available to grant one to each of such 
applicants, the available scholarship or scholarships or fellowship or 
fellowships shall be awarded to the applicants in such manner as will 
tend to result in a wide distribution of scholarships and fellowships 
among the States, Territories, possessions, and the District of Colum-
bia." 
SEC. 6. Section 11(e) of the National Science Foundation Act of 
1950, as amended, is amended to read as follows: 
"(e) to acquire by purchase, lease, loan, gift, or condemnation, 
and to hold and dispose of by grant, sale, lease, or loan, real and 
personal property of all kinds necessary for,-or resulting from, 
the exercise of authority granted by this Act." 
SEC. 7. Section 13 of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, 
as amended, is amended to read as follows: 
"(a) The Foundation is hereby authorized to cooperate in any in-
ternational scientific activities consistent with the purposes of this 
Act and to expend for such international scientific activities such 
sums within the limit of appropriated funds as the Foundation may 
deem desirable. The Director, with the approval of the Board, may 
defray the expenses of representatives of Government agencies and 
other organizations and of individual scientists to accredited inter-
national scientific congresses and meetings whenever he deem it nec-
essary in the promotion of the objectives of this Act. In this connec-
tion, with the approval of the Secretary of State, the Foundation may 
undertake programs granting fellowships to, or making other similar 
arrangements with, foreign nationals for scientific study or scientific 
work in the United States without regard to section 10 or the affidavit 
of allegiance to the United States required by section 16(d)(2) of 
this Act. 
"(b)(1) The authority to enter into contracts or other arrange-
ments with organizations or individuals in foreign countries and with 
agencies of foreign countries, as provided in section 11(c), and the 
authority to cooperate in international scientific activities as provided 
in subsection (a) of this section, shall be exercised only with the ap-
proval of the Secretary of State, to the end that such authority shall 
be exercised in such manner as is consistent with the foreign policy 
objectives of the United States. 
" (2) If, in the exercise of the authority referred to in paragraph 
(1) of this subsection, negotiation with foreign countries or agencies 
thereof becomes necessary, such negotiation shall be carried on by the 
Secretary of State in consultation with the Director." 
73 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 86-233-SEPT. 8, 1959 
469 
SEC. 8. Section 15(d) of the National Science Foundation Act of 
^^ "
"
^
"
^ ^^''^' 
1950, as amended, is amended to read as follows: 
" (d) The members of the Board, and the members of each divisional 
compensation. 
committee, or special commission, shall receive compensation at the 
rate of $50 for each day engaged in the business of the Foundation 
pursuant to authorization of the Foundation and shall be allowed 
travel expenses as authorized by section 5 of the Act of August 2, 
1946 (5 U.S.C. 73b-2)." 
eo stat. uos. 
Approved September 8, 1959. 
Public Law 86-233 
AN ACT 
September 8, 1959 
To transfer from the Department of Comuierce to the Department of Labor 
[s. 2334] 
certain functions in respect of insurance benefits and disability payments to 
seamen for World War II service-connected injuries, death, or disability, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the ISenate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemhled^ That the Secretary i^t^^Je and'als-
of Commerce shall certify to the Secretary of Labor amounts payable ability payments. 
under crew life and injury and second seamen's war risk insurance 
policies issued under authority of subtitle "Insurance" of title II 
of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended, extended, and sup-
plemented (Act of June 29, 1940, section 222 (54 Stat. 689) ; Act of 
March 6, 1942 (56 Stat. 140); Act of April 11, 1942 (56 Stat. 214); 
Act of March 24, 1943, section 2 (57 Stat. 45) ; Act of September 30, 
1944 (58 Stat. 758); Act of August 8,1946 (60 Stat. 937)). 
Payments J^^ u s e app. 
of such amounts so certified shall be made by the Secretary of Labor 
from the Employees' Compensation Fund established under the Fed-
eral Employees' Compensation Act of September 7, 1916, as amended 
(5 U.S.C. 751, 785). 
f^usc VsYnlte* 
SEC. 2. The powers, duties, and functions of the Secretary of Com-
merce in respect of permanent total or partial disability benefits 
(allowable upon exhaustion of insurance benefits referred to in section 
1 hereof) under section 2(c) of the Act of March 24,1943 (Public Law 
17, Seventy-eighth Congress; 57 Stat. 45), as amended by the Act of 
September 30, 1944 (Public Law 449, Seventy-eighth Congress; 58 
Stat. 758), are hereby transferred to the Secretary of Labor. 
Pay- j292 ^ ^ ^' ^^^' 
ments of such benefits, including costs and payments on account of 
medical care authorized by the Secretary of Labor, shall be made by 
him from the Employees' Compensation Fund as established under 
the Federal Employees' Compensation Act of September 7, 1916, as 
amended (5 U.S.C. 751, 785). The Secretary of Commerce shall ^// ^ * ^'• ^42. 
furnish to the Secretary of Labor such information, data, and reports 
s use 751 note. 
and certifications in respect of cases within the purview of this section 
as the Secretary of Labor may request. Nothing in this section shall 
be construed to authorize any appeal to, or review or redetermina-
tion by, the Secretary of Labor from any order, finding, determi-
nation, or adjudication in respect of eligibility for benefits made by 
the Secretary of Commerce in force on the effective date of this Act, 
except upon a showing to the satisfaction of the Secretary of Labor 
of a change in the nature and extent of the disability for which bene-
fits were approved for payment in accordance with the provisions of 
such Acts.