An Act to the maintenance and operation of hospital and health facilities for Indians to the Public Health Service, and for other purposes
PL 83-568 (H.R.303), enacted 08/05/1954

674 
PUBLIC LAW 568-AUG. 5, 1954 
[68 S T A T . 
after June 30,1946, and prior to July 1,1953, over the unemployment 
administrative expenditures made after June 30, 1946, and prior to 
July 1,1953". 
(2) The third sentence of such section 904 (h) is hereby repealed. 
Approved August 5, 1954. 
August 5, 1 954 
[H. R. 303] 
Public Law 568 
CHAPTER 658 
AN ACT 
To transfer the maintenance and operation of liospital and health facilities for 
Indians to the Public Health Service, and for other purposes. 
Indian hospitals. 
Transfer to Pub-
lic Health Service. 
Restriction. 
HEW transfer to 
state or p r i v a t e 
institutions. 
Condition. 
Restriction. 
Failure to meet 
requirements. 
HEW 
r e g u l a -
tions. 
Personnel, etc. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Rep^'esentatives of the 
United States of AmeHca in Congress assembled^ That all functions, 
responsibilities, authorities, and duties of the Department of the 
Interior, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Secretary of the Interior, 
and the Commissioner of Indian Affairs relating to the maintenance 
and operation of hospital and health facilities for Indians, and the 
conservation of the health of Indians, are hereby transferred to, and 
shall be administered by, the Surgeon General of the United States 
Public Health Service, under the supervision and direction of the 
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: Provided^ That hos-
pitals now in operation for a specific tribe or tribes of Indians shall 
not be closed prior to July 1,1956, without the consent of the govern-
ing body of the tribe or its organized council. 
SEC. 2. Whenever the health needs of the Indians can be better met 
thereby, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare is author-
ized in his discretion to enter into contracts with any State, Territory, 
or political subdivision thereof, or any private nonprofit corporation, 
agency or institution providing for the transfer by the United States 
Public Health Service of Indian hospitals or health facilities, includ-
ing initial operating equipment and supplies. 
It shall be a condition of such transfer that all facilities transferred 
shall be available to meet the health needs of the Indians and that 
such health needs shall be given priority over those of the non-Indian 
population. No hospital or health facility that has been constructed 
or maintained for a specific tribe of Indians, or for a specific group 
of tribes, shall be transferred by the Secretary of Health, Education, 
and Welfare to a non-Indian entity or organization under this Act 
unless such action has been approved by the governing body of the 
tribe, or by the governing bodies of a majority of the tribes, for which 
such .hospital or health facility has been constructed or maintained: 
Provided^ That if, following such transfer by the United States 
Public Health Service, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Wel-
fare finds the hospital or health facility transferred under this section 
is not thereafter serving the need of the Indians, the Secretary of 
Health, Education, and Welfare shall notify those charged w'ith man-
agement thereof, setting forth needed improvements, and in the event 
such improvements are not made within a time to be specified, shall 
immediately assume management and operation of such hospital or 
health facility. 
SEC. 3. The Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare is also 
authorized to make such other regulations as he deems desirable to 
carry out the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 4. The personnel, property, records, and unexpended balances 
of appropriations, allocations, and other funds (available or to be 
made available), which the Director of the Bureau of the Budget 
shall determine to relate primarily to the functions transferred to the 
68 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 569-AUG. 9, 1954 
675 
Public Health Service of the Department of Health, Education, and 
Welfare hereunder, are transferred for use in the administration of 
the functions so transferred. 
Any of the personnel transferred pur-
suant to this Act which the transferee agency shall find to be in excess 
of the personnel necessary for the administration of the functions 
transferred to such agency shall be retransferred under existing law 
to other positions in the Government or separated from the service. 
SEC. 5. The Act of April 3, 1952 (66 Stat. 35), and all other laws or 
parts of laws in conflict herewith, are hereby repealed. 
SEC. 6. This Act shall take effect July 1, 1955. 
Approved August 5, 1954. 
25 u s e 444-449. 
Repeals. 
Effective date. 
Public Law 569 
CHAPTER 659 
AN ACT 
To extend emergency foreign merchant vessel acquisition and operating author-
ity of Public Law 101, Seventy-seventh Congress, and for other purposes. 
August 9, 1954 
IS. 2371] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of Avnerica ifi Congress assembled, That during any 
period in which vessels may be requisitioned under section 902 of 
the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended, the President is author-
ized and empowered through the Secretary of Commerce to purchase, 
or to requisition, or for any part of such period to charter or requisi-
tion the use of, or to take over the title to or possession of, for such 
use or disposition as he shall direct, any merchant vessel not owned 
by citizens of the United States which is lying idle in waters within 
the jurisdiction of the United States, including the Canal Zone, and 
which the President finds to be necessary to the national defense. Just 
compensation shall be determined and made to the owner or owners 
of any such vessel in accordance with the applicable provisions of 
section 902 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended. 
Such 
compensation hereunder, or advances on account thereof, shall be 
deposited with the Treasurer of the United States in a separate 
deposit fund. Payments for such compensation and also for payment 
of any valid claim upon such vessel in accord with the provisions of 
the second paragraph of subsection (d) of such section 902, as 
amended, shall be made from such fund upon the certificate of the 
Secretary of Commerce. 
SEC. 2. During any period in which vessels may be requisitioned 
under section 902 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended, the 
President is authorized through the Secretary of Commerce to 
acquire by voluntary agreement of purchase or charter the ownership 
or use of any merchant vessel not owned by citizens of the United 
States. 
SEC. 3. (a) Any vessel not documented under the laws of the United 
States, acquired by or made available to the Secretary of Commerce 
under this Act, or otherwise, may, notwithstanding any other pro-
vision of law, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury be 
documented as a vessel of the United States under such rules and 
regulations or orders, and with such limitations, as the Secretary of 
the Treasury may prescribe or issue as necessary or appropriate to 
carry out the purposes and provisions of this Act, and in accordance 
with the provisions of subsection (c) hereof, engage in the coastwise 
trade when so documented. 
Any document issued to a vessel under 
the provisions of this subsection shall be surrendered at any time that 
such surrender may be ordered by the Secretary of the Treasury. 
No 
Foreign ve ssels. 
Emergency 
a c -
quisition. 
49 Stat. 2015. 
46 u s e 1242. 
46 u s e 1242. 
Surre nd er 
document. 
o f