An Act to insure that certain buildings financed with Federal funds are so designed and constructed as to be accessible to the physically handicapped
PL 90-480 (S.222), enacted 08/12/1968

718 
PUBLIC LAW 90-480-AUG. 12, 1968 
[82 STAT. 
59 Stat. 841. 
80 Stat. 416. 
Foreign credits. 
31 use 724-
Publicity or 
propaganda. 
Time limitation. 
Interdepart-
mental boards 
etc., exemption. 
59 Stat. 134. 
Short title. 
amended (31 U.S.C. 841), shall be available, in addition to objects 
for which such funds are otherwise available, for rent in the District 
of Columbia; services in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3109; and the 
objects specified under this head, all the provisions of which .shall be 
applicable to the expenditure of such funds unless otherwise specified 
in the Act by which they are made available: Provided^ That in the 
event any functions budgeted as administrative expenses are .sub-
sequehtly transferred to or paid from other funds, the limitations on 
administrative expenses shall be correspondingly reduced. 
SEC. 507. Pursuant to section 1415 of the Act of July 15, 1952 (66 
Stat. 662), foreign credits (including currencies) owed to or owned 
by the United States may be used by Federal agencies for any p^urpose 
for which appropriations are made for the current fiscal year (includ-
ing the carrying out of Acts requiring or authorizing the use of such 
credits), only when reimbursement therefor is made to the Treasury 
from applicable appropriations of the agency concerned: Provided^ 
That such credits received as exchange allowances or proceeds of sales 
of personal property may be used in whole or part payment for 
acquisition of similar items, to the extent and in the manner author-
ized by law, without reimbursement to the Treasury. 
SEC. 508. No part of any appropriation contained in this or any 
other Act, or of the funds available for expenditure by any corpora-
tion or agency, shall be used for publicity or propaganda purposes 
designed to support or defeat legislation pending before Congress. 
SEC. 509. No part of any appropriation contained in this Act shall 
remain available for obligation beyond the current fiscal year unless 
expressly so provided herein. 
SEC. 510. No part of any appropriation contained in this or any 
other Act, shall be available to finance interdepartmental boards, 
commissions, councils, committees, or similar groups under section 214 
of the Independent Offices Appropriation Act, 1946 (31 U.S.C. 691) 
which do not have prior and specific congressional approval of such 
method of financial support. 
This Act may be cited as the "Public Works for Water and Power 
Resources Development and Atomic Energy Commission Appropria-
tion Act, 1969". 
Approved August 12, 1968. 
August 12, 1968 
[S. 222] 
Public Law 90-480 
AN ACT 
To insure that certain buildings financed with Federal funds are so designed and 
constructed as to be accessible to the phj sically handicapped. 
Public build-
ings. 
Accessibility 
to physically 
handicapped. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That, as used in this 
Act, the term "building" means any building or facility (other than 
(A) a privately owned residential structure and (B) any building or 
facility on a military installation designed and constructed primarily 
for use by able bodied military personnel) the intended use for which 
either will require that such building or facility be accessible to the 
public, or may result in the employment or residence therein of physi-
cally handicapped persons, which building or facility is— 
82 
STAT.] 
PUBLIC LAW 90-480-AUG. 12, 1968 
719 
(1) to be constructed or altered by or on behalf of the United 
States; 
(2) to be leased in whole or in part by the United State,s after the 
date of enactment of this Act after construction or alteration in 
accordance with plans and specifioations of the United States; or 
(3) to be financed in whole or in part by a grant or a loan made 
by the United States after the date of enactment of this Act if such 
building or facility is subject to standards for design, construc-
tion, or alteration issued under authority of the law authorizing 
such grant or loan. 
SEC. 2. The Administrator of Greneral Services, in consultation with 
the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, is authorized to pre-
scribe such standards for the design, construction, and alteration of 
buildings (other than residential structure subject to this Act and 
buildings, structures, and facilities of the Department of Defense 
subject to this Act) as may be necessary to insure that physically hand-
icapped persons will have ready access to, and use of, such buildings. 
SEC. 3. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, is 
authorized to prescribe such standards for the design, construction, and 
alteration of buildings which are residential structures subject to this 
Act as may be necessary to insure that physically handicapped persons 
will have ready access to, and use of, such buildings. 
SEC. 4. The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary 
of Health, Education, and Welfare, is authorized to prescribe such 
standards for the design, construction, and alteration of buildings, 
structures, and facilities of the Department of Defense subject to this 
Act as may be necessary to insure that physically handicapped persons 
will have ready access to, and use of, such buildings. 
SEC. 5. Every building designed, constructed, or altered after the 
effective date of a standard issued under this Act which is applicable 
to such building, shall be designed, constructed, or altered in accord-
ance with such standard. 
SEC. 6. The Administrator of General Services, with respect to 
standards issued under section 2 of this xVct, and the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development, with respect to standards issued 
under section 3 of this Act, and the Secretary of Defense with respect 
to standards issued under section 4 of this Act, is authorized— 
(1) to modify or waive any such standard, on a case-by-case 
basis, upon application made by the head of the department, 
agency, or instrumentality of the United States concerned, and 
upon a determination by the Administrator or Secretary, as the 
case may be, that such modification or waiver is clearly necessary, 
and 
(2) to conduct such surveys and investigations as he deems 
necessary to insure compliance with such standards. 
Approved August 12, 1968. 
Standards. 
Applicability. 
Waiver. 
Surveys and in-
vestigations.