An Act to provide assistance to certain non-Federal institutions for construction of facilities for research In crippling and killing diseases such as cancer, heart disease, poliomyelitis, nervous disorders, mental illness, arthritis: and rheumatism, blindness
PL 84-835 (S.849), enacted 07/30/1956

70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 835-JULY 30, 1966 
717 
Public Law 835 
CHAPTER 779 
AN ACT 
July 30, 1956 
To amend the Public Health Service Act, so as to provide for grants-in-aid to non- 
LS^s^g]^ _ _ 
Federal public and nonprofit institutions for the constructing and equipping 
of facilities for research in the sciences related to health. 
Be it eimcted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress a^semhled^ That this Act may rlciiities'^cil'of 
be cited as the "Health Research Facilities Act of 1956". 
^^Is stat 682 
SEC. 2. The Public Health Service Act (42 U. S. C , ch. 6A) is 
amended by adding at the end thereof the following new title: 
"TITLE VII—HEALTH RESEARCH FACILITIES 
(( 
DECLARATION OF POLICY 
"SEC. 701. (a) The Congress hereby finds and declares that (1) the 
Nation's economy, welfare, and security are adversely affected by 
many crippling and killing diseases the prevention and control of 
which require a substantial increase, in all areas of the Nation, of re-
search activities in the sciences related to health, and (2) funds for the 
construction of new and improved non-Federal facilities to house such 
activities are inadequate. 
"(b) It is therefore the purpose of this title to assist in the construc-
tion of facilities for the conduct of research in the sciences related to 
health by providing grants-in-aid on a matching basis to public and 
nonprofit institutions for such purpose. 
(( 
DEFINITIONS 
"SEC. 702. As used in this title— 
"(1) the term 'Council' means the National Advisory Council 
on Health Research Facilities established by section 703; 
"(2) the terms 'construction' and 'cost of construction' include 
(A) the construction of new buildings and the expansion, remodel-
ing and alteration of existing building, including architects' fees, 
but not including the cost of acquisition of land or off-site im-
provements, and (B) equipping new buildings and existing build-
ings, whether or not expanded, remodeled, or altered; 
" (3) the term 'nonprofit institution' means an institution owned 
and operated by one or more corporations or associations no part 
of the net earnings of which inures, or may lawfully inure, to the 
benefit of any private shareholder or individual; and 
"(4) the term 'sciences related to health' includes medicine, 
osteopathy, dentistry, and public health, and fundamental and 
applied sciences when related thereto. 
"NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON HEALTH RESEARCH FACILITIES 
"SEC. 703. (a) There is hereby established in the Public Health 
Service a National Advisory Council on Health Research Facilities, 
consisting of the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, who 
shall be Chairman, and an official of the National Science Foundation 
designated by the National Science Board, who shall be ex officio 
members, and twelve members appointed by the Secretary without 
regard to the civil-service laws. 
Four of the appointed members 
shall be selected from the general public and eight shall be selected 
from among leading medical, dental, or scientific authorities who are 
skilled in the sciences related to health. In selecting persons for 
appointment to the Council, consideration shall be given to such 
718 
PUBLIC LAW 835~JULY 30, 1956 
[70 STAT. 
factors, among others, as (1) experience in the planning, constructing, 
financing, and administration of institutions engaged in the conduct 
of research in the sciences related to health, and (2) familiarity with 
the need for research facilities in all areas of the Nation. 
"(b) The Council shall— 
"(1) advise and assist the Surgeon General in the preparation 
of general regulations and with respect to policy matters arising 
in the administration of this title; and 
"(2) consider all applications for grants under this title and 
make to the Surgeon General such recommendations as it deems 
advisable with respect to (A) the approval of such applications, 
and (B) the amount which should be granted to each applicant 
whose application, in its opinion, should be approved. 
"(c) The Surgeon General is authorized to use the services of any 
member or members of the Council, and where appropriate, any mem-
ber or members of the Federal Hospital Council, the National Advi-
sory Health Council or the other national advisory councils referred to 
in section 217 of this Act, in connection with matters related to the 
administration of this title, for such periods, in addition to conference 
periods, as he may determine. 
The Surgeon General shall, in addi-
tion, make appropriate provision for consultation between and coor-
dination of the work of the Council, the Federal Hospital Council, the 
National Advisory Health Council and such other national advisory 
councils, with respect to matters bearing on the purposes and adminis-
tration of this title. 
"(d) Appointed members of the Council, while attending confer-
ences or meetings of the Council or while otherwise serving at the re-
quest of the Secretary, shall be entitled to receive compensation at a 
rate to be fixed by the Secretary but not exceeding $50 per diem, in-
cluding travel time, and while away from their homes or regular places 
of business they may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem 
60 Stat. 808; 69 in Heu of subsistcuce, as authorized by law (5 U. S. C. 730-2) for 
tat. 394. 
persons in the Government service employed intermittently. 
(( 
AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 
"SEC. 704. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for the 
fiscal year ending June 30, 1957, and for each of the two succeeding 
fiscal years, not to exceed $30,000,000, for making grants-in-aid for 
the construction of facilities for research in the sciences related to 
health; and any sums appropriated pursuant to this section shall 
remain available until expended. 
"APPROVAL or APPLICATIONS 
"SEC. 705. (a) Applications for grants under this title shall be made 
not later than June 30, 1958. 
" (b) To be eligible to apply for a grant under this title, the applicant 
must be a public or nonprofit institution, determined by the Surgeon 
General, alter consultation with the Council, to be competent to en-
gage in the type of research for which the facility is to be constructed. 
"(c) A grant under this title may be made only if the application 
therefor is recommended for approval by the Council and is approved 
by the Surgeon General upon his determination that— 
"(1) the applicant meets the eligibility conditions set forth in 
subsection (b); 
"(2) the application contains or is supported by reasonable 
assurances that (A) for not less than ten years after completion 
of construction, the facility will be used for the purposes of re-
search in the sciences related to health for which it is to be con-
70 STAT.] 
PUBLIC LAW 835-JULY 30, 1956 
719 
structed, (B) subject to subsection (d), sufficient funds will be 
available to meet the non-Federal share of the cost of constructing 
the facility, and (C) sufficient funds will be available, when con-
struction IS completed, for effective use of the facility for the 
research for which it is being constructed; and 
"(3) the proposed construction will expand the applicant's 
capacity for research in the sciences related to health, or is neces-
sary to improve or maintain the quality of the applicant's research 
in the sciences related to health. 
"(d) Within such aggregate monetary limit as the Surgeon Gen-
eral may prescribe, after consultation with the Council, applications 
which (solely by reason of the inability of the applicants to give the 
assurance required by clause (B) of subsection (c) (2)) fail to meet the 
requirements for approval set forth in subsection (c) may be approved 
upon condition that the applicants give the assurance required by such 
clause (B) within a reasonable time and upon such other reasonable 
terms and conditions as he may determine after consultation with the 
Council. 
"(e) In acting upon applications for grants, the Council and the 
Surgeon General shall take into consideration the relative effective-
ness of the proposed facilities in expanding capacity for research 
in the sciences related to health, in improving the quality of such 
research, and in promoting an equitable geographical distribution of, 
such research (giving due consideration to population, available scien-
tific research workers, and available research resources in various 
areas of the Nation). 
"AMOUNT OF GRANT; PAYMENTS 
"SEC. 706. (a) The amount of any grant made under this title shall 
be that recommended by the Council or such lesser amount as the 
Surgeon General determines to be appropriate; except that in no 
event may such amount exceed 50 per centum of the necessary cost of 
the construction of such facility, as determined by him, or in the case 
of a multipurpose facility, 50 per centum of that part of the necessary 
cost of construction which the Surgeon General determines to be 
proportionate to the contemplated use of the facility for research in 
the sciences related to health. 
"(b) Upon approval of any application for a grant under this title, 
the Surgeon General shall reserve, from any appropriation available 
therefor, the amount of such ^rant as determined under subsection (a), 
and shall pay such amount, m advance or by wa}' of reimbursement, 
and in such installments consistent with construction progress, as he 
may determine. Such payments shall be made through the disburse-
ment facilities of the Department of the Treasury. The Surgeon Gen-
eral's reservation of any amount under this section may be amended 
by him, either upon approval of an amendment of the application or 
upon revision of the estimated cost of construction of the facility. 
"(c) In determining the amount of any grant under this title, there 
shall be excluded from the cost of construction an amount equal to the 
sum of (1) the amount of any other Federal grant which the applicant 
has obtained, or is assured of obtaining, with respect to the construc-
tion which is to be financed in part by grants authorized under this 
title, and (2) the amount of any non-Federal funds required to be 
expended as a condition of such other Federal grant. 
720 
PUBLIC LAW 835-JULY 30, 1956 
[70 ST AT. 
'RECAPTURE OF PAYMENTS 
"SEC. 707. If, within ten years after completion of any construction 
for which funds have been paid under this title— 
"(a) the applicant or other owner of the facility shall cease to 
be a public or nonprofit institution, or 
"(b) the facility shall cease to be used for the research pur-
poses for which it was constructed, unless the Surgeon General 
determines, in accordance with regulations, that there is good 
cause for releasing the applicant or other owner from the obliga-
tion to do so, 
the United States shall be entitled to recover from the applicant or 
other owner of the facility the amount bearing the same ratio to the 
then value (as determined by agreement of the parties or by action 
brought in the United States District Court for the district in which 
such facility is situated) of the facility, as the amount of the Federal 
participation bore to the cost of construction of such facility. 
"NONINTERFERENCE WITH ADMINISTRATION OF INSTITUTIONS 
"SEC. 708. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this title, 
nothing contained in this title shall be construed as authorizing any 
department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States to exer-
cise any direction, supervision, or control over, or impose any require-
ment or condition with respect to, the research conducted by, and the 
personnel or administration of, any institution. 
((. 
REGULATIONS 
"SEC. 709. (a) Within six months after the enactment of this title, 
the Surgeon General, after consultation with the Council and with 
the approval of the Secretary, shall prescribe general regulations cov-
ering the eligibility of institutions, and the terms and conditions for 
approving applications. 
"(b) The Surgeon General is authorized to make, with the approval 
of the Secretary, such administrative and other regulations as he 
finds necessary to carry out the provisions of this title. 
u 
REPORTS 
"SEC. 710. On or before January 15,1957, and annually thereafter, 
the Surgeon General, in consultation with the Council, shall prepare 
an annual report and submit it to the President for transmission to 
the Congress, summarizing the activities under this title and making 
such recommendations as he may deem appropriate. 
The report to be 
submitted on or before January 15,1958, shall include an appraisal of 
the current program under this title in the light of its adequacy to 
meet the long-term needs for funds for the construction of non-Federal 
facilities for research in the sciences related to health. 
Such reports 
and appraisals shall include minority views and recommendations, if 
any, of members of the Council." 
42usc*2oiiote. 
^EC. 3. (a) Sectiou 1 of the Public Health Service Act is amended 
to read as follows: 
"SHORT TIIXE 
"SECTION 1. Titles I to VII, inclusive, of this Act may be cited as 
the 'Public Health Service Act'." 
70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 837-JULY 30, 1966 
721 
(b) The Act of Jul^ 1, 1944 (58 Stat. 682), as amended, is further 
amended by renumbering title VII (as in effect prior to the enactment 
of this Act) as title VIII, and by renumbering sections 701 through stSt° 4
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714 (as in effect prior to the enactment of this Act), and references 
thereto, as sections 801 through 814, respectively. 
Approved July 30, 1956. 
Public Law 836 
CHAPTER 780 
AN ACT 
To provide in certain additional cases for the granting of the status of regular 
substitute in the postal field service. 
July 30, 1956 
[S. 3592] 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the appoint-
ment of each employee of the Post Office Department who— 
(1) on the effective date of this Act and on the date of applica-
tion prescribed in this section is on the rolls under an indefinite 
or temporary appointment in a position in the competitive civil 
service for which the salary is fixed by the Postal Field Service 
Compensation Act of 1955 (Public Law 68, Eighty-fourth 
Congress); 
(2) during each of the three consecutive years ending on the 
date of his application, has been paid for not less than seven 
hundred hours of satisfactory work in a position or positions for 
which the salary is fixed by said Act; and 
(3) meets such noncompetitive examination standards as the 
United States Civil Service Commission shall prescribe with 
respect to the position held at the time he makes application; 
shall, upon application by such employee made within one year after 
the effective date of this Act to the Postmaster General, or to such 
officials as he may designate, and upon recommendation by the Post-
master General or his designated representative, be converted to a 
career appointment subject to applicable law. 
SEC. 2. Any person who would meet the conditions of section 1 
except for absence in the Armed Forces of the United States on the 
effective date of this Act and is reemployed in the postal field service 
in accordance with United States Civil Service Commission regula-
tions, shall, upon application made within one year of reemployment, 
have his former appointment converted in accordance with this Act. 
SEC. 3. This Act shall not apply to positions of rural carrier and 
postmaster. 
SEC. 4. The United States Civil Service Commission is hereby 
authorized and directed to promulgate regulations to carry out the 
provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 5. This Act shall take effect on the ninetieth day following the 
date of its enactment. 
Approved July 30, 1956. 
Po s t a 1 employ-
ees. 
Career 
appoint-
ments. 
69 Stat. 88. 
39 u s e 951 note. 
Absence in Armed 
Forces. 
N o n a pp licabil-
ity. 
Regulations. 
Effective date. 
Public Law 837 
CHAPTER 781 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to charge for special services to 
purchasers of timber from Indian lands. 
July 30. 1956 
[S.3926] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assernhled. That the Secretary laniSf 
*'***' ^'^"^ 
of the Interior is authorized to charge purchasers of timber on Indian " service charges. 
69225 O - 5 7 - 5 0 (Vol. 70)