An Act to revise certain provisions of the criminal laws of the District of Columbia relating to offenses against hotels, motels, and other commercial lodgings, and for other purposes
PL 91-497 (H.R.10335), enacted 10/22/1970

84 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 91-497-OCT. 22, 1970 
1093 
Public Law 91-497 
A N A C T 
^ , , 
on 
, n . n 
October 22, 1970 
To revise certain provisions of the criminal laws of the District of Columbia 
[H. R. 10335] 
relating to offenses against hotels, motels, and other commercial lodgings, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it eimcted ty the Senate and House of Representaiives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That section 842 of 
^.c. 
the Act entitled "An Act to establish a code of law for the District of ho?T"m^^^^^"'* 
Columbia", approved March 3, 1901 (31 Stat. 1326; D.C. Code, sec. etc! ^'"'° ^ ^' 
22-1301), is amended— 
er^stft^'g"*' 
(1) by inserting^ " ( a ) " immediately before "Whoever"; 
(2) by inserting "any service or" immediately before "anything 
of value"; 
(3) by striking out "value of the money or property" and 
inserting in lieu thereof "value of the money, property, or 
service"; 
(4) by striking out "$200" and inserting in lieu thereof 
"$1,000"; 
(5) by striking out the second sentence and inserting in lieu 
thereof: 
"(b)(1) Whoever obtains, at a hotel, motel, or other establishment 
which provides lodging to transient guests— 
"(A) lodging, food, or any other item of value, with intent to 
defraud the proprietor or manager of such establishment, or 
-
"(B) credit by the use of false pretenses, 
shall, if the unpaid amount of such lodging, food, or other item of 
value is $100 or more, be guilty of a felony and fined not more than 
$3,000 or imprisoned for not less than one year nor more than three 
years, or both; or if such unpaid amount is less than $100, be guilty 
of a misdemeanor and fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not 
more than one year, or both. 
"(2) Proof that a person— 
"(A) obtained lodging, food, any other item of value, or credit, 
at a hotel, motel, or other establishment which provides lodging 
to transient guests and failed to pay in full upon demand any 
amount then due for such credit or item of value, or 
"(B) departed or removed his baggage from a hotel, motel, or 
other establishment which provides lodging to transient guests 
without the express consent of the proprietor or manager of such 
establishment and without first paying in full any amount due 
for food, lodging, any other item of value, or credit, 
shall be prima facie evidence that the acts specified in clause (A) of 
paragraph (1) were committed with fraudulent intent. 
" (c) Whoever, in the District of Columbia, registers at a hotel, motel, 
Penalty. 
or other establishment which provides lodging to transient guests, 
under any name or address other than his actual name or address, with 
intent to defraud the proprietor or manager of such establishment, shall 
be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not more than $500 or imprisoned 
not more than six months, or both." 
SEC. 2. Subsection (b) of section 207 of the Act entitled "An Act to 
provide for the more effective prevention, detection, and punishment of 
crime in the District of Columbia", approved June 29,1953 (D.C. Code, 
23-306 (b)) is amended— 
67 stat. 96Mn(e, 
(1) by striking out "section 863(a)" and inserting in lieu ^'^^^' 
thereof "sections 863(a) and 842 (b) and (c)"; and 
(2) by inserting immediately before the period at the end the 
following: "(failure to pay for lodging or food; D.C. Code, sec. 
22-1301)". 
Supra. 
1094 
PUBLIC LAW 91-498-OCT. 22, 1970 
[84 STAT, 
SEC. 3. The Act entitled "An Act regulating the issuance of checks, 
drafts, and orders for the payment of money within the District of 
Columbia", approved July 1, 1922 (42 Stat. 820; D.C. Code, sec. 22-
1410), is amended— 
,(1) T
b
y striking out "or order" in each place it appears and 
inserting in lieu thereof "order, or other instrument"; 
(2) by striking out "shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punish-
able by imprisonment for not more than one year or fined not more 
than $1,000, or both." and inserting in lieu thereof "shall, if the 
amount of such check, draft, order, or other instrument is $100 
or more, be guilty of a felony and fined not more than $3,000 or 
imprisoned for not less than one year nor more than three years, 
or both; or if the amount of such check, draft, order, or other 
instrument is less than $100, be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined 
not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or 
both."; 
(3) by inserting, in the second sentence, after "notice in person, 
or writing, that such" the following: "check,". 
Approved October 22, 1970. 
Public Law 91-498 
October 22. 1970 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
[S.J. Res. 165] 
Granting the consent of the Congress to an agreement between the State of 
Florida and the State of Georgia establishing a boundary between such 
States. 
Whereas the Legislature of the State of Florida passed an Act amend-
ing section 6.09 Florida Statutes, relating to the boundary between 
the States of Florida and Georgia, which was approved by the Gov-
ernor of the State of Florida on April 25,1969; and 
Whereas the Legislature of the State of Georgia passed an act 
amending Georgia Code section 15-105, relating to the boundary 
between such States, which was approved by the Governor of 
Georgia on April 25, 1969; and 
Whereas such acts both provide in substance that such acts would be 
effective only if the Congress of the United States ratifies, confirms, 
adopts, or otherwise consents to the effect of such acts by November 1, 
1970; and 
Whereas such acts both provided in substance that the boundary 
between such States at the mouth of the Saint Marys River and 
adjacent thereto should be as follows: From a point 37 links north 
of Ellicotts Mound on the Saint Marys River; thence down said 
river to the Atlantic Ocean; thence along the middle of the presently 
existing Saint Marys entrance navigational channel to the point of 
intersection with a hypothetical line connecting the seawardmost 
points of the jetties now protecting such channel; thence along said 
line to a control point of latitude 30 degrees 42 minutes 45.6 seconds 
north, longitude 81 decrees 24 minutes 15.9 seconds west, thence due 
east to the seaward limit of Georgia and Florida as now or hereafter 
fixed by the Congress of the United States; such boundary to be 
extended on the same true 90-degree bearing so far as a need for 
further delimitation may arise; and 
Whereas such acts of the States of Florida and Georgia constitute an 
agreement between such States establishing a boundary line between 
them: Now, therefore, be it