An Act to make the provisions of the act of August 28, 1937, relating to the conservation of water resources in the arid and semiarid areas of the United States, applicable to the entire United States, and to increase and revise the limitation on aid available under the provisions of the said Act, and for other purposes
PL 83-597 (S.3137), enacted 08/17/1954

734 
PUBLIC LAW 597-AUG. 17, 1954 
[68 S T A T . 
F l i g h t 
from 
scene of accident. 
Revoc a t i on of 
operator's permit, 
etc. 
Effective date. 
officers of the executive branch of the Government of the United States 
who are not domiciled within the District of Columbia, whose appoint-
ment to the office held by them was by the President of the United 
States, subject to confirmation by the Senate, and whose tenure of 
office is at the pleasure of the President." 
SEC. 7. Subsection (b) of section 10 of such Act (43 Stat. 1124), as 
amended (sec. 40-609 (b), D. C. Code, 1951 edition), is amended by 
striking the third sentence thereof. 
SEC. 8. Section 10 of such Act (43 Stat. 1124), as amended (sec. 
40-609, D. C. Code, 1951 edition), is amended by adding two new 
subsections " ( d ) " and " (e)", to read as follows: 
"(d) The Commissioners or their designated agent shall revoke the 
operator's permit or the privilege to drive a motor vehicle in the Dis-
trict of Columbia, or revoke both such permit and privilege, of any 
person who is convicted in the District of any of the following offenses: 
"(1) Operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of any 
intoxicating liquor or narcotic drug. 
" (2) Any homicide committed by means of a motor vehicle. 
" (3) Leaving the scene of an accident in which the motor vehicle 
driven by him was involved and in which there is bodily injury, 
without giving assistance or making known his identity and 
address and the identity and address of the owner of said 
vehicle. 
"(4) Reckless driving involving bodily injury. 
"(5) Any felony in the commission of which a motor vehicle is 
involved. 
"(e) Whenever a judgment of conviction of any offense set forth 
in subsection (d) has become final, the clerk of the court in which the 
judgment was entered shall certify such conviction to the Commis-
sioners or their designated agent, who shall thereupon take the action 
required by subsection (d) of this section. A judgment of conviction 
shall be deemed to have become final for the purposes of this 
subsection— 
"(1) if no appeal is taken from the judgment, upon the expira-
tion of the time within which an appeal could have been taken, or 
"(2) if an appeal is taken from the judgment, the date upon 
which the judgment, having been sustained, can no longer be 
appealed from or reviewed on a writ of certiorari." 
SEC. 9. This Act shall become effective thirty days after its 
enactment. 
Approved August 16, 1954. 
August 17, 1954 
[S. 3137] 
Public Law 597 
CHAPTER 751 
AN ACT 
To make the provisions of the Act of August 28, 1937, relating to the conservation 
of water resources in the arid and semiarid areas of the United States, 
applicable to the entire United States, and to increase and revise the limitation 
on aid available under the provisions of the said Act, and for other purposes. 
Water f a c i l i t y 
loans. 
16 u s e 
5 9 0 r -
S90x. 
16 u s e 590r. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the Act entitled 
"An Act to promote conservation in the arid and semiarid areas of 
the United States by aiding in the development of facilities for water 
storage and utilization, and for other purposes", approved August 28, 
1937 (60 Stat. 869), is amended— 
(1) By deleting the phrase "in the arid and semiarid areas of the 
United States" from the first sentence in the first section: 
68 S T A T . ] 
PUBUC LAW 597-AUG. 17, 1954 
735 
(2) By deleting the phrase "in the arid and semiarid areas of the 
United States" in the last sentence of the first section and inserting 
in lieu thereof the following: "in the United States, including the 
Territories of Alaska and Hawaii, and Puerto Rico and the Virgin 
Islands". 
(3) By deleting the phrase "in the said areas" wherever it appears 
in section 2. 
(4) By inserting at the end of said Act the following new sections: 
"SEC. 8. No aid shall be extended under the provisions of this Act 
which wdll result in any individual, partnership, trust, estate, corpora-
tion engaged in farming, or unincorporated association becoming 
indebted to the United States in a principal amount outstanding at 
any time in excess of $25,000, or which will result in any other corpo-
ration or agency becoming indebted in a principal amount outstandmg 
at any time in excess of $250,000, or which after January 1, 1954, shall 
provide for construction work, other than technical assistance, being 
done by the Secretary. 
"SEC. 9. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, upon such 
terms and conditions as he shall prescribe, to make loans for the 
purposes of financing the improvement of farm land by soil or water 
conserving or drainage facilities, structures or practices, improvement 
of soil fertility, establishment of improved permanent pasture, 
sustained yield afforestation or reforestation, or other erosion pre-
ventatives, and such other related measures as may be determined 
from time to time by the Secretary. 
"SEC. 10. (a) In order to establish a program of insuring loans 
made by lenders other than the United States which comply with the 
requirements of this Act and are in furtherance of its objectives, the 
Secretary of Agriculture— 
"(1) is authorized to insure and make commitments to insure 
such loans on such terms and conditions as he may prescribe; 
"(2) is authorized to include in insurance contracts agreements 
to service loans insured thereunder and to purchase such loans 
which are not in default on such terms and conditions as he may 
prescribe; 
"(3) shall utilize the insurance fund (hereinafter called the 
Fund) created by section 11 of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant 
Act, as amended, and the provisions of sections 13 (b) and (c) 
of the said Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act to discharge obli-
gations under insurance contracts made pursuant to this Act; 
"(4) shall require the borrower to pay such insurance charges 
as he deems proper, taking into account the amount of the loan 
and prior liens: Provided^ however^ That the charge shall be 
payable in advance at intervals of one year or less and shall be 
at a rate equal to at least 1 per centum per annum of the principal 
outstanding on the loan insured on the due date of the charge; 
"(5) may utilize the Fund to pay taxes, insurance, prior liens, 
and other expenses to protect the security for loans which have 
been insured hereunder, and to acquire such security property at 
foreclosure sale or otherwise; 
"(6) shall liquidate acquired security property in such manner 
and on such terms as he deems will best preserve the Fund; and 
"(7) shall have authority to make such rules and regulations 
and such delegations of authority as he deems appropriate in 
order to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
"(b) Notes and the security therefor acquired by the Secretary 
under insurance contracts shall become a part of the Fund. 
The notes 
may be held in the Fund and collected according to their terms or 
16 u s e 590s. 
Limitations. 
Farm l a n d im-
provement. 
Lo an s by other 
than U, S. 
Insurance 
pro-
gram. 
60 Stat. 1072. 
7 u s e 
1005a, 
1005c. 
736 
PUBLIC LAW 598-AUG. 17, 1954 
[68 S T AT 
7 u s e 
1005c. 
1 0 0 5 a. 
Limitation. 
38 Stat. 273. 
Repeal. 
16 u s e 590Z-5. 
may be sold and reinsured. 
All proceeds from such collections, 
including the liquidation of security, and sales shall become a part of 
the Fund. 
"(c) One-half of all insurance charges shall become a part of the 
Fund and one-half shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United 
States and shall be available for administrative expenses in connection 
with the insurance program authorized by this Act. 
"(d) Any contract of insurance executed by the Secretary under 
this Act shall be an obligation of the United States and incontestable 
except for fraud or misrepresentation of which the holder of the 
contract has actual knowledge. 
The provisions of sections 11 and 
13 (b) and (c) of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, as amended, 
shall be applicable and available for the purpose of providing funds 
for the discharge of obligations arising under the insurance program 
authorized by this Act. 
"(e) The aggregate amount of the principal obligations on loans 
insured under this Act, shall not exceed $25,000,000 in any one fiscal 
year, 
"(f) The first paragraph of section 24, chapter 6, of the Federal 
Reserve Act, as amended (12 U. S. C, 1952 edition, 371) is hereby 
amended by inserting after the phrase 'Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant 
Act' the following: ', or the Act of August 28,1937, as amended'." 
SEC. 2. Section 7 of the Act entitled "An Act authorizing construc-
tion of water conservation and utilization projects in the Great Plains 
and arid and semiarid areas of the United States", approved August 
11,1939, as amended (53 Stat. 1418; 54 Stat. 1119,1124; 63 Stat. 171), 
is repealed. 
Approved August 17, 1954. 
August 17, 1954 
[S. 3681] 
Public Law 598 
CHAPTER 752 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Civil Service Coiuinission to malve available group life insurance 
for civilian officers and employees in the Federal service, and for other 
purposes. 
F e d e r a l 
E m -
p l o y e e s ' 
Group 
Life Insurance Act 
of 1954. 
E l i g i b l e 
em-
ployees. 
Regulations 
ese. 
b y 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress asseinhled^ That this Act may 
be cited as the "Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Act of 
1954." 
SEC. 2. (a) Except as provided in (b) of this section, each appoin-
tive or elective officer or employee (hereinafter called employee) in 
or under the executive, judicial, or legislative branch of the United 
States Government, including a Government owned or controlled 
corporation (but not including any corporation under the supervision 
of the Farm Credit Administration of which corporation any member 
of the board of directors is elected or appointed by private interests), 
and of the municipal government of the District of Columbia shall, 
at such time and under such conditions of eligibility as the Civil Service 
Commission (hereinafter called the Commission) may by regulation 
prescribe, come within the purview of this Act. Such regulations may 
provide for the exclusion of employees on the basis of the nature and 
type of employment or conditions pertaining thereto such as, but not 
limited to, short term appointments, seasonal or intermittent employ-
ment, part-time employment, and employment of like nature, and 
shall be issued only after consultation with the head of the depart-
ment, establishment, agency, or other employing authority concerned: 
Provided^ That no employee or group of employees shall be excluded 
solely on the basis of the hazardous nature of employment.