An Act to simplify accounting, facilitate the payment of obligations, and for other purposes.
PL 84-798 (H.R.9593), enacted 07/25/1956

70 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 798-JULY 25, 1956 
647 
Building. Any officer or member of the Metropolitan Police force 
or the Fire Department of the District of Columbia living outside 
of the District of Columbia shall have and maintain a telephone at 
all times in his residence. 
(b) For the purposes of this Act, the Commissioners of the District 
of Columbia are hereby authorized, in their discretion, to prescribe 
the area constituting the "Washington, District of Columbia, metro-
politan district" so as to include the District of Columbia and the 
territory within any radius which is greater than twelve miles but 
not more than twenty miles from the United States Capitol Building. 
SEC. 2. No member of the Fire Department of the District of 
Columbia shall, unless on leave of absence, go beyond the confines of 
the District of Columbia, or be absent from duty without permission. 
Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the right of officers 
and members of the Fire Department to reside anywhere within the 
Washington, District of Columbia, metropolitan district. Thirty days 
shall be the term of total sick leave in any one year without disallow-
ance of pay. 
Leaves of absence with pay of members of the Fire 
Department of the District of Columbia may be extended in cases of 
illness or injury incurred in line of duty, upon recommendation of the 
board of surgeons approved by the Commissioners, for such period 
exceeding thirty days in any one year as in the judgment of the 
Commissioners may be necessary. For the purposes of this subsection 
"any one year" shall mean a year from January 1 to December 31, 
both dates inclusive. 
SEC. 3. The following laws or parts of laws are hereby repealed: 
(1) Section 373 of the Revised Statutes of the United States 
relating to the District of Columbia (D. C. Code, sec. 4r-132). 
(2) The Act entitled "An Act to amend section 483 of title 20 of 
the Code of the District of Columbia as to residence of members of 
the Police Department", approved August 9, 1935 (D. C. Code, sec. 
4-132). 
(3) The second paragraph under the heading "FIRE DEPARTMENT" 
of the Act entitled "An Act making appropriations to provide for 
the expenses of the government of the District of Columbia for the 
fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen fourteen, and for other 
purposes", approved March 4, 1913, as amended (D. C. Code, sec. 
4-409). 
(4) The Act entitled "An Act to amend section 559 of title 20 of 
the Code of the District of Columbia as to restriction on residence of 
members of the fire department", approved August 9, 1935 (D. C. 
Code, sec. 4-409). 
Approved July 25, 1956. 
Telephone. 
Fire Department. 
Leave. 
"Any one yeair' 
49 Stat. 568. 
37 Stat. 960. 
49 Stat. 567. 
Public Law 798 
CHAPTER 727 
;AN lACT 
juiy 25,1956 
To simplify accounting, facilitate the payment of obligations, and for other 
[H. R. 9593] 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Semite and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemhled, That (a) the account 
for each appropriation available for obligation for a definite period 
of time shall be closed as follows: 
(1) On June 30 of the second full fiscal year following the fiscal 
year or years for which the appropriation is available for obligation, 
the obligated balance shall be transferred to an appropriation account 
of the agency or subdivision thereof responsible for the liquidation of 
Go vemment obli-
gations. 
Accounting pro-
cedure. 
Merged accounts. 
648 
PUBLIC LAW 798-JULY 25, 1956 
[70 ST A T , 
W i t h d r a w a l of 
u n o b l i g a t e d bal-
ance. 
Reports. 
Time. 
O b l i g a t e d bal-
ance. 
CoUectlons. 
Accounting a n d 
reporting o f with-
drawal s. 
Payment of obli-
gations. 
the obligations, in which account shall be merged the amounts so trans-
ferred from all appropriation accounts for the same general purposes; 
and 
(2) Upon the expiration of the period of availability for obligation, 
the unobligated balance shall be withdrawn and, if the appropriation 
was derived in whole or in part from the general fund, shall revert to 
such fund, but if the appropriation was derived solely from a special 
or trust fund, shall revert, unless otherwise provided by law, to the 
fund from which derived: Provided, That when it is determined nec-
essary by the head of the agency concerned that a portion of the unob-
ligated balance withdrawn is required to liquidate obligations and 
effect adjustments, such portion of the unobligated balance may be 
restored to the appropriate accounts: Provided further^ That prior 
thereto the head of the agency concerned shall make such I'eport with 
respect to each such restoration as the Director of the Bureau of the 
Budget may require, and shall submit such report to the Director, the 
(comptroller General, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
and the President of the Senate. 
(b) The withdrawals required by subsection (a) (2) of this section 
shall be made 
(1) not later than September 30 of the fiscal year immediately 
following the fiscal year in which the period of availability for 
obligation expires, in the case of an appropriation available both 
for obligation and disbursement on or after the date of approval 
of this Act; or 
(2) not later than September 30 of the fiscal year immediately 
following the fiscal year in which this Act is approved, in the 
case of an appropriation, which, on the date of approval of this 
Act, is available only for disbursement. 
(c) For the purposes of this Act, the obligated balance of an appro-
priation account as of the close of the fiscal year shall be the amount 
of unliquidated obligations applicable to such appropriation less the 
amount collectible as repayments to the appropriation; the unobli-
gated balance shall represent the difference between the obligated 
balance reported pursuant to section 1311 (b) of the Supplemental 
Appropriation Act, 1965 (68 Stat. 830: 31 U. S. C. 200 (b)), and the 
total unexpended balance. 
(Collections authorized to be credited to 
an appropriation but not received until after the transfer of the obli-
gated appropriation balance as required by subsection (a) (1) of 
this Act, shall, unless otherwise authorized by law, be credited to the 
account into which the obligated balance has been transferred, except 
that any collection made by the General Accounting Office for other 
Government agencies may be deposited into the Treasury as miscel-
laneous receipts. 
(d) The withdrawals made pursuant to subsection (a) (2) of this 
section shall be accounted for and reported as of the fiscal year in 
which the appropriations concerned expire for obligation. The with-
drawals described in subsection (b) (2) of this section shall be 
accounted for and reported as of the fiscal year in which this Act 
is approved. 
SEC. 2. Each appropriation account established pursuant to this Act 
shall be accounted for as one fund and shall be available without fiscal 
year limitation for payment of obligations chargeable against any of 
the appropriations from which such account was derived. 
Subject 
to regulations to be prescribed by the Comptroller General of the 
United States, payment of such obligations may be made without prior 
action by the General Accounting Office, but nothing contained in this 
Act shall be construed to relieve the Comptroller General of the United 
70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 798-JULY 25, 1956 
649 
States of his duty to render decisions upon requests made pursuant to 
law or to abridge the existing authority of the General Accounting 
Office to settle and adjust claims, demands, and accounts. 
SEC. 3. (a) Appropriation accounts established pursuant to this Act 
shall be reviewed periodically, but at least once each fiscal year, by 
each agency concerned. 
If the undisbursed balance in any account 
exceeds the obligated balance pertaining thereto, the amount of the 
excess shall be withdrawn in the manner provided by section 1 (a) 
(2) of this Act; but if the obligated balance exceeds the undisbursed 
balance, the amount of the excess, not to exceed the remaining unobli-
gated balances of the appropriations available for the same general 
purposes, may be restored to such account. A review shall be made 
as of the close of each fiscal year and the restorations or withdrawals 
required or authorized by this section accomplished not later than 
September 30 of the following fiscal year, but the transactions shall be 
accounted for and reported as of the close of the fiscal year to which 
such review pertains. A review made as of any other date for which 
restorations or withdrawals are accomplished after September 30 in 
any fiscal year shall be accounted for and reported as transactions of 
the fiscal year in which accomplished: Provided^ That prior to any 
restoration under this subsection the head of the agency concerned shall 
make such report with respect thereto as the Director of the Bureau of 
the Budget may require. 
(b) In connection with his audit responsibilities, the Comptroller 
General of the United States shall report to the head of the agency con-
cerned, to the Secretary of the Treasury, and to the Director of the 
Bureau of the Budget, respecting operations under this Act, including 
an appraisal of the unliquidated obligations under the appropriation 
accounts established by this Act. 
Within thirty days after receipt 
of such report, the agency concerned shall accomplish any actions 
required by subsection (a) of this section which such report shows to 
be necessary. 
SEC. 4. During the fiscal year in which this Act becomes effective, 
and under rules and regulations to be prescribed by the Comptroller 
General of the United States, the obligated balance of the appropria-
tion account for payment of certified claims established pursuant to 
section 2 of the Act of July 6, 1949 (63 Stat. 407; 31 U. S. C. 712b), 
shall be transferred to the related appropriation accounts established 
pursuant to this Act and the unobligated balance shall be withdrawn. 
SEC. 5. The obligated balances of appropriations made available for 
obligation for definite periods of time under discontinued appropria-
tion heads may, upon the expiration of the second full fiscal year fol-
lowing the fiscal year or yeafs for which such appropriations are avail-
able for obligation, be merged in the appropriation accounts provided 
for by section 1 hereof, or in one or more other accounts to be estab-
lished pursuant to this Act for discontinued appropriations of the 
agency or subdivision thereof currently responsible for the liquidation 
of the obligations. 
SEC. 6. The unobligated balances of appropriations which are not 
limited to a definite period of time shall be withdrawn in the manner 
provided in section 1 (a) (2) of this Act whenever the head of the 
agency concerned shall determine that the purposes for which the 
appropriation was made has been fulfilled; or in any event, whenever 
disbursements have not been made against the appropriation for two 
full consecutive fiscal years: Provided, That amounts of appropria-
tions not limited to a definite period of time which are withdrawn 
pursuant to this section or were heretofore withdrawn from the appro-
priation account by administrative action may be restored to the 
Agency review. 
GAD r e p o r t to 
agency. Treasury, 
and Budget. 
Certified claims. 
O b l i g a t e d bal-
ances for defln;lte 
periods. 
Unobligated baX-
ances. 
Unlimited p e r i -
ods. 
650 
PUBLIC LAW 799-JULY 25, 1956 
[70 ST A T , 
Repeals. 
N o n applicabil-
ity. 
Authorized 
e x -
ceptions. 
applicable appropriation account for the payment of obligations and 
for the settlement of accounts. 
SEC. 7. The following provisions of law are hereby repealed: 
(a) The proviso under the heading "PAYMENT or CERTIFIED CLAIMS" 
in the Act of April 25,1945 (59 Stat. 90; 31U. S. C. 690) ; 
(b) Section 2 of the Act of July 6, 1949 (63 Stat. 407; 31 U. S. C. 
712b), but the repeal of this section shall not be effective until June 30, 
1957; 
(c) The paragraph under the heading "PAYMENT OF CERTIFIED 
CLAIMS" in the Act of June 30, 1949 (63 Stat. 358; 31 U. S. C. 7l2c); 
(d) Section 5 of the Act of March 3,1875 (18 Stat. 418; 31 U. S. C. 
713a) ; and 
(e) Section 3691 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (31 U. S. C. 
715). 
(f) Any provisions (except those contained in appropriation Acts 
for the fiscal years 1956 and 1957) permitting an appropriation which 
is limited for obligation to a definite period of time to remain avail-
able for expenditure for more than the two succeeding full fiscal years, 
but this subsection shall not be effective until June 30, 1957. 
SEC. 8. The provisions of this Act shall not apply to the appropria-
tions for the District of Columbia or appropriations to be disbursed 
by the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Repre-
sentatives. 
SEC. 9. The inclusion in appropriation Acts of provisions excepting 
any appropriation or appropriations from the operation of the pro-
visions of this Act and fixing the period for which such appropriation 
or appropriations shall remain available for expenditure is hereby 
authorized. 
Approved July 25, 1956. 
July 25, 1956 
[H. R. 5853] 
Public Law 799 
CHAPTER 728 
AN ACT 
To amend the Act entitled "An Act to regulate the practice of veterinary 
medicine in the District of Columbia", approved February 1,1907. 
D. C. veterinary 
medicine. 
C h a n g e o f re-
quirement s. 
D. C. C o d e 2-
801. 
66 Stat. 824. 
D. C. Code tlUe 
1 app. 
D. C. C o d e 
803. 
2-
Be it enacted hy the Senate arid. House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the first section 
of the Act entitled "An Act to regulate the practice of veterinary 
medicine in the District of Columbia", approved February 1, 1907 
(34 Stat. 870; title 2, ch. 8, D. C. Code, 1951 edition), is amended (a) 
by striking from the first sentence thereof.the words "shall have been 
a bona fide resident of said District for three years last past before 
appointment, and each, during said period", and (b) by inserting 
before the period at the end of the first sentence the words "for a 
period of three years immediately prior to such appointment". 
SEC. 2. Where any provision of this Act, or any amendment made 
by this Act, refers to an office or agency abolished by Reorganization 
Plan Numbered 5 of 1952, such reference shall be deemed to be to the 
office, agency, or officer exercising the functions of the office or agency 
so abolished. 
SEC. 3. Section 3 of the said Act of February 1,1907, is amended (a) 
by striking "some veterinary college authorized by law to confer the 
same, which college shall require at least two sessions of study of 
veterinary medicine of not less than six months each prior to the 
issue of such diploma, and graduates of two-year colleges shall accom-
pany their diplomas by satisfactory evidence that they have practiced