An Act to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to States for the purpose of assisting States to provide children and expectant mothers an opportunity for vaccination against poliomyelitis
PL 84-377 (S.2501), enacted 08/12/1955

704 
PUBLIC LAW 377-AUG. 12, 1955 
[69 ST A T , 
for election of any national committeeman, national committeewoman, 
delegate, or alternate. 
(e) Every candidate and independent committee or party com-
mittee shall, within ten days after the election, file with the Board 
of Elections an itemized statement, subscribed and sworn to, by the 
candidate or committee treasurer, as the case may be, setting forth 
all moneys received and expended in connection with said election, 
the names of persons from whom received and to whom paid, and 
the purpose for which it was expended. 
Such statement shall set 
forth any unpaid debts and obligations incurred by the candidate 
or independent committee or party committee with regard to such 
election, and specify the balance, if any, of such election funds remain-
ing in his or their hands. 
PENALTIES 
SEC. 14. Any person who shall register, or attempt to register, under 
the provisions of this Act and make any false representations as to 
his place of residence or his voting privilege in any other part of 
the United States, or be guilty of bribery or intimidation of any voter 
at the elections herein provided for, or, being registered, shall vote 
or attempt to vote more than once in any election so held, or shall 
purloin or secrete any of the votes cast in such elections, or attempt 
to vote in an election held by a political party other than that to 
which he has declared himself to be affiliated, or, if employed in the 
counting of votes in such elections, make a false report in regard 
thereto, and every candidate, person, or official of any political com-
mittee who shall make any expenditure or contribution in violation 
of this Act, shall upon conviction thereof be fined not more than 
$500 or be imprisoned not more than ninety days, or both. The pro-
visions of this section shall be supplemental to and not in derogation 
of any penalties under other laws of the District of Columbia. 
Approved August 12, 1955. 
August 12, 1955 
[S. 2501] 
Public Law 377 
CHAPTER 863 
AN ACT 
To provide grants to assist States to meet the cost of poliomyelitis vaccination 
programs, and for other purposes. 
P o l i o myelitis 
Vaccination As-
s i s t a n c e Act of 
1955. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and Flouse of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may 
be cited as the "Poliomyelitis Vaccination Assistance Act of 1955". 
AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 
SEC. 2. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated, to remain 
available until February 15, 1956, such sums as may be necessary for 
making payments to States which have submitted, and had approved 
by the Surgeon General, applications for grants under this Act. 
ALLOTMENTS TO STATES 
SEC. 3. (a) From the sums appropriated pursuant to section 2, the 
Surgeon General shall allot to each State which has an application 
approved pursuant to section 4— 
(1) an amount equal to 33% per centum of the number of 
unvaccinated eligible persons in such State multiplied by the 
product of (A) the cost of the poliomyelitis vaccine per eligible 
person, and (B) the State's allotment percentage; and 
69 STAT.] 
PUBLIC LAW 377-AUG. 12, 1955 
705 
(2) an additional amount equal to 20 per centum of allotments 
available to the State under paragraph (1) of this subsection, 
such additional amount to be available for expenditure only in 
accordance with the provisions of section 6 (b) of this Act. 
(b) A State's allotment percentage shall be equal to the per capita 
income of the United States divided by the per capita income of the 
State. Such percentage shall be determined by the Surgebn General 
on the basis of information furnished by the Department of Com-
merce ; except that the allotment percentage for Hawaii shall be 100 
per centum and for Alaska, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, 
American Samoa, and the Canal Zone shall be equal to the allotment 
percentage determined above for the one of the forty-eight States 
which has the lowest per capita income. 
STATE APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDS 
SEC. 4. The Surgeon General shall approve the application of any 
State for payments under this Act if such application— 
(a) provides that all poliomyelitis vaccine purchased with 
funds paid to the State under this Act shall be used for the vac-
cination of eligible persons pursuant to a plan which sets forth 
the method or methods by w^hich vaccinations will be made avail-
able within the State (through public agencies, approved non-
profit organizations, private physicians, or otherwise) : Provided, 
That the Surgeon General may, for the purpose of assui;ing the 
most eifective and equitable distribution and use of available sup-
plies of poliomyelitis vaccine, establish categories of eligible per-
sons to be accorded priority in receiving an opportunity for vacci-
nation against poliomyelitis; and, except to the extent that the 
Surgeon General authorizes deviations from such categories, dur-
ing any period in which any categories have been so established, 
all vaccine acquired by any State through assistance provided pur-
suant to this Act shall be made available only to persons within 
any such category; 
(b) provides that in poliomyelitis vaccination programs con-
ducted by public agencies in the State no means test or other dis-
crimination based on financial ability of individuals will be 
imposed to limit the eligibility of persons to receive vaccination 
against poliomyelitis; 
(c) provides for administration or supervision of administra-
tion of the plan included in the application by a single State 
agency; 
(d) provides that the State agency will make such reports, in 
such form and containing such information, as the Surgeon Gen-
eral may from time to time reasonably require to carry out his 
functions under this Act, and comply with such provisions as he 
may from time to time find necessary to assure the correctness 
and verification of such reports; and 
(e) provides such accounting, budgeting, and other fiscal meth-
ods and procedures as are necessary for the proper and efficient 
administration of the plan. 
PAYMENTS TO STATES 
SEC. 5. The Surgeon General shall from time to time estimate the 
amount to be paid to each State under the provisions of this Act for 
any period, and shall pay such amount to such State, from the allot-
ment available therefor, reduced or increased, as the case may be, 
by any sum (not previously adjusted under this section) by which 
54402 O - 55 - 45 
706 
PUBLIC LAW 377-AUG. 12, 1955 
[69 STAT. 
he finds that his estimate of the amount to be paid to the State for 
any prior period under this Act was greater or less than the amount 
which should have been paid to the State for such prior period under 
this Act. Such payments shall be made in such installments as the 
Surgeon General may determine. 
USE OF FUNDS PAID TO STATES 
SEC. 6. (a) Funds paid to a State from that part of its allotment 
computed in accordance with section 3 (a) (1) of this Act may be 
used solely for the purchase, prior to February 15, 1956, of the polio-
myelitis vaccine for use in carrying out the plan set forth in the appli-
cation of such State approved pursuant to section 4. 
(b) Funds paid to a State from that part of its allotment com-
puted in accordance with section 3 (a) (2) of this Act may be used 
prior to February 15, 1956, only for planning poliomyelitis vaccina-
tion programs within the State and for conducting such programs 
through public agencies in the State in accordance with the plan set 
forth in the application of such State approved pursuant to section 4; 
except that any part of such funds determined by the State to be in 
excess of the amount necessary for such purposes may be used for the 
purposes specified in subsection (a) of this section. 
(c) Nothing in this Act shall limit funds granted to a State under 
other provisions of Federal legislation from being available to pur-
chase poliomyelitis vaccine or to plan and conduct poliomyelitis 
vaccination programs in accordance with approved State plans appli-
cable to such grants. 
FURNISHING OF VACCINE BY SURGEON GENERAL 
SEC. 7. At the request of any State the Surgeon General may use all 
or any portion of the allotment of such State under this Act for the 
purchase, in accordance with State specifications, of the poliomyelitis 
vaccine, to be furnished to the State in lieu of such State's allotment 
(or such portion thereof). Vaccine so furnished shall be subject to 
the same requirements as to use as vaccine purchased from payments 
to States pursuant to this Act. 
DIVERSION o r FEDERAL FUNDS 
SEC. 8. Whenever the Surgeon General, after reasonable notice and 
opportunity for hearing to the State agency administering or super-
vising the administration of the plan included in the application of 
such State approved under section 4, finds that— 
(a) such State agency is not complying substantially with the 
provisions of this Act or the terms and conditions of its approved 
application; or 
(b) any funds paid to such State or supplies of vaccine fur-
nished to it under this Act have been diverted from the purposes 
for which paid or furnished; 
the Surgeon General shall notify such State agency that no further 
payments will be made (or no further supplies of vaccine will be fur-
nished) to the State under this Act until he is satisfied that there is 
no longer any failure to comply or the diversion has been corrected or, 
if compliance or correction is impossible, until such State agency 
repays or arranges for the repayment of Federal funds which have 
been diverted or improperly expended (or for repayment of the cost 
of the vaccine which has been diverted). 
69 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 378-AUG. 12, 1955 
707 
EXERCISE o r FUNCTIONS 
SEC. 9. The functions granted to the Surgeon General under this 
Act shall be exercised under the supervision and direction of the 
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. 
DEFINITIONS 
SEC. 10. For purposes of this Act— 
(a) The term "Surgeon General" means the Surgeon General of 
the Public Health Service. 
(b) (1) The term "eligible person" means any individual who has 
not attained the age of twenty years and any expectant mother. 
(2) The number of eligible persons shall be determined by the 
Surgeon General, as of June 30, 1955, on the basis of estimates devel-
oped after consideration of the latest information furnished by the 
Department of Commerce or any other department or agency of the 
United States. 
(3) The number of unvaccinated eligible persons means the num-
ber of eligible persons, reduced by (A) the number who were vacci-
nated against poliomyelitis during 1954, and (B) two-thirds of the 
number who the Surgeon General estimates will receive vaccination 
under the current program of the National Foundation for Infantile 
Paralysis. 
(c) The term "State" includes Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the 
Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Canal Zone, and the 
District of Columbia. 
(d) Th'^ cost of the poliomyelitis vaccine shall be determined by 
the Surgeon General on the basis of information available to him; 
and such cost may be determined from time to time or as of a specified 
date and may be determined to be a single figure for all States or 
varied in accordance with actual cost. 
(e) The term "approved nonprofit organization" means, in the 
case of any State, a nonprofit organization approved by the State 
agency responsible for administration or supervision of administra-
tion of the State plan. 
Approved August 12, 1955. 
Public Law 378 
CHAPTER 864 
AN ACT 
To provide for settlement of claims resulting from the disaster which occurred 
at Texas City, Texas, on April 16 and 17, 1947. 
August 12, 1955 
[S. 1077] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ The Congress rec-
ognizes and assumes the compassionate responsibility of the United 
States for the losses sustained by reason of the explosions and fires 
at Texas City, Texas, and hereby provides the procedure by which 
the amounts shall be determined and paid. 
SEC. 2. The Secretary of the Army or such persons as he may 
designate shall investigate and settle claims against the United States 
for death, personal injury, and property losses proximately resulting 
from the disaster at Texas City, Texas, on April 16 and 17,1947, com-
monly referred to as the Texas City disaster. 
SEC. 3. (a) Claimants shall submit their claims in writing to the 
Secretary of the Army, under such rules as he prescribes, within one 
hundred eighty days after the enactment of this Act. 
Texas City dis-
aster. 
C l a i m s settle-
ment.