An Act to amend title 28, entitled ""Judiciary and Judicial Procedure,"" of the United States Code to confer jurisdiction upon the Court of Claims to hear, determine, and render judgment in special jurisdictional cases, and for other purposes
PL 89-681 (H.R.1665), enacted 10/15/1966

958 
PUBLIC LAW 89-681-OCT. 15, 1966 
[80 STAT. 
October 15, 1966 
[H. R. 1665] 
Public Law 89-681 
AN ACT 
To amend title 28, entitled "Judiciary and Judicial Procedure", of the United 
States Code to provide for the reporting of congressional reference cases by 
commissioners of the United States Court of Claims. 
U.S. Court of 
Claims. 
Commissioners 
as reviewing 
body. 
Findings sub-
mitted to Con-
gress and re-
view panel. 
Report to 
Congress. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That section 1492 
of title 28, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
*
*
§ 1492. Congressional reference cases 
"Any bill, except a bill for a pension, may be referred by either 
House of Congress to the chief commissioner of the Court of Claims 
for a report in conformity with section 2509 of this title." 
SEC. 2. Section 2509 of title 28, United States Code, is amended to 
read as follows: 
"§ 2509. Congressional reference cases 
"(a) Whenever a bill, except a bill for a pension, is referred by 
either House of Congress to the chief commissioner of the Court of 
Claims pursuant to section 1492 of this title, the chief commissioner 
shall designate a trial commissioner for the case and a panel of three 
commissioners of the court to serve as a reviewing body. 
One member 
of the review panel shall be designated as presiding commissioner of 
the panel. 
"(b) Proceedings in a congressional reference case shall be under 
rules and regulations prescribed for the purpose by the chief com-
missioner who is hereby authorized and directed to require the appli-
cation of the pertinent rules of practice of the Court of Claims insofar 
as feasible. 
Each trial commissioner and each review panel shall have 
authority to do and perform any acts which may be necessary or 
proper for the efficient performance of their duties, including the 
power of subpena and the power to administer oaths and affirmations. 
None of the rules, rulings, findings, or conclusions authorized by this 
section shall be subject to judicial review. 
"(c) The trial commissioner to whom a congressional reference 
case is assigned by the chief commissioner shall proceed in accordance 
with the applicable rules to determine the facts, including facts relat-
ing to delay or laches, facts bearing upon the question whether the 
bar of any statute of limitation should be removed, or facts claimed 
to excuse the claimant for not having resorted to any established legal 
remedy. 
He shall append to his findings of fact conclusions sufficient 
to inform Congress whether the demand is a legal or equitable claim 
or a gratuity, and the amount, if any, legally or equitably due from 
the United States to the claimant. 
"(d) The findings and conclusions of the trial commissioner shall 
be submitted by him, together with the record in the case, to the 
review panel of commissioners for review by it pursuant to such rules 
as may be provided for the purpose, which shall include provision for 
submitting the report of the trial commissioner to the parties for 
consideration, exception, and argument before the panel. 
The panel, 
by majority vote, shall adopt or modify the findings or the conclusions 
of the trial commissioner. 
"(e) The panel shall submit its report to the chief commissioner 
for transmission to the appropriate House of Congress. 
"(f) Any act or failure to act or other conduct by a party, a wit-
ness, or an attorney which would call for the imposition of sanctions 
under the rules of practice of the Court of Claims shall be noted by 
the panel or the trial commissioner at the time of occurrence thereof 
and upon failure of the delinquent or offending party, witness, ^or 
80 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 89-682-OCT. 15, 1966 
959 
attorney to make prompt compliance with the order of the panel or 
the trial commissioner a full statement of the circumstances shall be 
incorporated in the report of the panel. 
"(g) The Court of Claims is hereby authorized and directed, under 
such regulations as it may prescribe, to provide the facilities and serv-
ices of the office of the clerk of the court for the filing, processing, 
hearing, and dispatch of congressional reference cases and to include 
within its annual appropriations the costs thereof and other costs of 
administration, including (but without limitation to the items herein 
listed) the salaries and traveling expenses of the commissioners serv-
ing as trial commissioners and panel members, mailing and service 
of process, necessary physical facilities, equipment, and supplies, and 
personnel (including secretaries and law clerks)." 
SEC. 3. Section 792(a) of title 28, United States Code, is amended 
by adding at the end thereof the following new sentence: "The Court 
shall designate one of the commissioners to serve at the will of the 
court as chief commissioner." 
Approved October 15, 1966. 
Provision of 
facilities and 
services. 
Commissioners. 
67 Stat. 226. 
Public Law 89-682 
A N A C T 
October 15, 1966 
To require premarital examinations in the District of Columbia, and for other 
[H. R. 3314] 
purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Reprei^entatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That all applications 
^.c. 
^ ^^^ 
for marriage licenses shall be open to inspection as public records. All aminaTfons^, re-" 
such applications upon which licenses have not yet been issued shall be quirement. 
kept together in a separate file readily accessible to public examination. 
SEC. 2. No application for a marriage license sliall be received unless 
there shall be filed therewith a statement or statements, upon a form 
prescribed by the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia, 
signed by (1) a person in the District of Columbia certified by the 
Department of Public Health as duly qualified to administer and 
interpret a standard laboratory blood test, (2) a physician licensed 
to practice medicine or osteopathy in the District of Columbia, a State, 
or a territory or possession of the United States, or (3) a commis-
sioned medical officer in the military service or in Public Health 
Service of the United States, that the applicant has submitted to a 
standard laboratory blood test within thirty days prior to the filing of 
such application, and that, in the opinion of such certified person, 
physician, or medical officer, based upon the result of that test, the 
applicant is not infected with syphilis in a stage of that disease in 
which it can be transmitted to another person. Such statement shall 
not disclose the technical data upon which it is based. 
Any such 
statement shall include the name of the person or laboratory adminis-
tering the test, the name of the test administered, the exact name of the 
applicant, and the date of the test. 
SEC. 3. If a judge of the United States District Court for the District 
of Columbia determines that public policy or the physical condition 
of either of the persons applying for a marriage license requires the 
intended marriage to be celebrated without delay, he may waive the 
provisions of section 2 of this Act and section 2 of the Act of August 12, 
1937 (D.C. Code, sec. 30-109), and a license may be issued without 
regard to such sections. 
SEC. 4. In any case in which a person is unable for financial reasons 
to obtain the services of— 
(1) a private physician, or 
Waiver. 
50 Stat. 626. 
Financial disa-
bility provi-
sion.