An Act to provide for the regulation of closing-out and fire sales in the District of Columbia
PL 86-219 (H.R.2318), enacted 09/01/1959

73 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 86-219-SEPT. 1, 1959 
449 
the west arm of the South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago 
Eiver, as established by the ordinance of the city of Chicago on July 17, 
1911, in the southwest (juarter of section 32, township 39 north, range 14 
east of the third principal meridian, in the city of Chicago, county of 
Cook, State of Illinois, lying westerly of a straight line drawn from a 
point in south dock line of the said west arm 203.94 feet westerly of the 
point of intersection of the south dock line of the said west arm with the 
west dock line of the east arm of the South Fork of the South Branch of 
the Chicago River as established by said city of Chicago ordinance of 
July 17, 1911, measured along the south dock line of said west arm, 
thence to a point in the north dock line of the said west arm said point 
being 278 feet westerly of the intersection of the north dock line of the 
said west arm with the west dock line of the South Fork of the South 
Branch of the Chicago Eiver as established by said city of Chicago 
ordinance of July 17,1911, measured along the north dock line of said 
west arm of the South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River, 
is hereby declared to be and is hereafter to be regarded as a nonnavi-
gable water of the United States within the meaning of the Constitu-
tion and laws of the United States: Provided, That plans for a suit-
able bulkhead to retain any fill to be placed in the waterway shall be 
submitted to and approved by the Corps of Engineers, United States 
Army, prior to the placing of such fill. 
Approved September 1, 1959. 
Public Law 86-219 
AN A C T 
September I, 1959 
To provide for the regulation of elosing-out and fire sales in the District of 
[H. R. 2;(18] 
Oolumbia. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress asserribled, That, for the pur-
poses of this Act, (1) "closing-out sale" shall mean and include any 
sale in connection with which there is any representation by the person 
conducting such sale that the sale is being conducted, or is required 
or compelled to be conducted, for reasons of economic or business dis-
tress, inability to continue business at the same location, or the age 
or health of the owner or owners of the business, and the term "closing-
out sale" shall include but not be limited to, all sales advertised, repre-
sented, or held forth under the designation of "going out of business," 
"discontinuance of business," "selling out," "liquidation," "lost our 
lease," "must vacate," "forced out," "removal," or any other designa-
tion of like meaning; and (2) "person" shall mean and include indi-
viduals, partnerships, voluntary associations, and corporations. 
SEC. 2. (^a) No person shall advertise or offer for sale in the District 
of Columbia a stock of goods, wares, or merchandise under the descrip-
tion of closing-out sale, or a sale of goods, wares, or merchandise dam-
aged by fire, smoke, water, or otherwise, unless he shall have obtained 
a license to conduct such sale from the Commissioners of the District 
of Columbia. The applicant for such a license shall make an appli-
cation therefor, in writing and under oath at least 14 days prior to the 
opening date of sale, showing all the facts relating to the reasons and 
character of such sale, including the opening and terminating dates 
of the proposed sale, a complete inventory of the goods, wares, or 
merchandise actually on hand in the place whereat such sale is to be 
conducted, and all details necessary to locate exactly and identify fully 
the goods, wares, or merchandise to be sold. 
Fire and c:iosing-
out sales. El. C. 
Regulation. 
Definitions. 
Licensing provi-
sions. 
450 
PUBLIC LAW 86-219-SEPT. 1, 1959 
[73 STAT. 
Fee. 
statement. 
Prohibitions. 
(b) If the Commissioners shall be satisfied from said application 
that the proposed sale is of the character which the applicant desires 
to advertise and conduct, the Commissioners shall issue a license, upon 
the payment of a fee of $100 therefor, together with a bond, payable 
to the District of Columbia in the penal sum of $1,000, conditioned 
upon compliance with this Act, to the applicant authorizing him to ad-
vertise and conduct a sale of the particular kind mentioned in the ap-
plication. Any merchant who shall have been conducting a business 
in the same location where the sale is to be held for a period of not 
less than one year, prior to the date of holding such sale shall be 
exempted from the payment of the fee and the filing of the bond herein 
provided. 
Endorsement. 
(c) The Commissiouers shall endorse upon such application the date 
of its filing, and shall preserve the same as a record of oifice, and shall 
make an abstract of the facts set forth in such application, and shall 
indicate whether the license was granted or refused. 
t^tV^i\^t^°'^^^^^ 
(^) ^ ^ y person making a false statement in the application pro-
° """" 
vided for in this section shall, upon conviction, be deemed guilty of 
perjury. 
SEC. 3. No i)erson in contemplation of a closing-out sale under a 
license as provided for in section 2 of this Act shall order any goods, 
wares, or merchandise for the purpose of selling and disposing of the 
same at such sale, and any unusual purchase and additions to the stock 
of such goods, wares, or merchandise within 60 days prior to the filing 
of application for a license to conduct such sale shall be presumptive 
evidence that such purchases and additions to stock were made in 
contemplation of such sale. 
di^^fof^s^e'.'^*'^"' 
SEC. 4. No person carrying on or conducting a closing-out sale or a 
sale of goods, wares, or merchandise damaged by fire, smoke, water, 
or otherwise, under a license as provided in section 2 of this Act shall, 
during the continuance of such sale, add any goods, wares, or mer-
chandise to the stock inventoried in his original application for such 
license, and no goods, wares, or merchandise shall be sold at or during 
such sale, excepting the goods, wares, or merchandise described and 
inventoried in such original application. 
date?mwin^of °^ 
SEC. 5. No persou shall conduct a closing-out sale or a sale of goods, 
cation. 
wares, or merchandise damaged by fire, smoke, water, or otherwise 
beyond the termination date specified for such sale, except that an 
extension may be authorized upon proper showing of need; nor shall 
any person, upon conclusion of such sale, continue that business 
which had been represented as closing out or going out of business 
under the same name, or under a different name, at the same location, 
or elsewhere in the District of Columbia where the inventory for 
such sale was filed; nor shall any person, upon conclusion of such 
sale, continue business contrary to the designation of such sale. 
SEC. 6. (a) Any person who shall advertise, hold, conduct, or 
carry on any sale of goods, wares, or merchandise under the 
description of closing-out sale or a sale of goods, wares, or merchan-
dise damaged by fire, smoke, water, or otherwise, contrary to the 
provisions of this Act, or who shall violate any of the provisions of 
this Act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon 
conviction thereof, be fined not more than $300 or imprisonment for 
ninety days or both. 
(b) Prosecutions for violations of this Act and regulations pro-
mulgated under the authority of this Act shall be conducted in the 
name of the District of Columbia by the Corporation Counsel or any 
of his assistants. 
Penalty. 
73 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 86-220-SEPT. 1, 1959 
451 
SEC. 7. The provisions of this Act shall not apply to public or court 
Exceptions, 
officers, or to any other person or persons acting under the license, 
direction, or authority of any court, local or Federal, selling goods, 
wares, or merchandise in the course of their official duties. 
SEC. 8. Upon complaint of any person, the United States District c<J^^'ju]rfsd\'i:-
Court for the District of Columbia shall have jurisdiction in equity tion. ' 
to restrain and enjoin any act forbidden or declared illegal by any 
provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 9. The Commissioners are authorized to promulgate regula- pr^m^ga^e^riguil-
tions to carry out the purposes of this Act, including, without limita- tions. 
tion, regulations limiting the period of time a closing-out sale or a 
sale of goods, wares, or merchandise damaged by fire, smoke, water, 
or otherwise may be conducted, subject to extension as authorized 
by section 5: Provided, That no such regulation shall be put in effect 
until after a public hearing has been held thereon. 
SEC. 10. This Act shall become effective sixty days after the date 
Effective date. 
of its enactment. 
SEC. 11. Nothing in this Act shall be construed so as to affect the 
authority vested in the Commissioners by Reorganization Plan Num-
bered 5 of 1952 (66 Stat. 824). The performance of any function 
vested by this Act in the Commissioners of the District of Columbia 
or in any office or agency under the jurisdiction and control of said 
(commissioner may be delegated by said Commissioners in accordance 
with section 8 of such plan. 
Approved September 1, 1959. 
Public Law 86-220 
AN A C T 
c . . ^ 
. 
.„=« 
September 1, 1959 
To i>rovide for the conveyance to any public or private organization of the State 
[H. R. 4329] 
of Virginia of certain dwellings acquired in connection with the Chantilly air-
port site, Virginia, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Sena$t and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the frame and ^.^^ ^ ^ ^ pianta. 
brick dwellings known respectively as Sully and Leeton, located on 
chantiiiy, va. 
the former Sully Plantation near Chantilly in Fairfax County, Vir- conveya'illcll""*'"'* 
ginia, acquired by the United States pursuant to the Act of September 
7, 1950 (64 Stat. 770), shall not be demolished by any agency of the to°7-^i4^2!'^''''*°' 
United States prior to December 31, 1959. Upon request therefore 
prior to December 31,1959, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Agency is authorized— 
(a) to convey to any public or private organization of the 
State of Virginia, without cost, title to the buildings known as 
Sully and to ^rant an easement for use of such land as the Admin-
istrator considers necessary for maintenance of such buildings 
for historic purposes; provided that any such conveyance and 
easement shall be conditioned upon (1) continued preservation, 
maintenance and exhibition of such buildings for historic pur-
poses, (2) a covenant not to use the property as a place of public 
assembly, (3) a covenant not to use the property for commercial 
purposes and (4) such other conditions as the Administrator 
considers necessary to protect the interests of the United States; 
and upon a provision that if such conditions are not complied with 
the title to such buildings shall revert to the United States and 
such easement shall terminate; and