An Act to clarify the law relating to the grant of certain public lands to the States for school purposes.
PL 84-699 (H.R.11127), enacted 07/11/1956

70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 699-JULY 11, 1956 
529 
SEC. 2. Section 4 of the Act of April 29, 1950 (48 U. S. C. 37lc) is 
amended to read as follows: 
"A homestead settler on unsurveyed public lands shall make final or 
commutation homestead proof within five years from the date of the 
filing of notice of the settlement claim in the district land office, as a 
basis for a free survey under section 2 of the Act of July 8, 1916, as 
amended (48 U. S. C. 375) in accordance with regulations of the 
Secretary of the Interior." 
Approved July 11, 1956. 
64 Stat. 95. 
Public Law 699 
CHAPTER 572 
AN ACT 
To clarify the law relating to the grant of certain public lands to the States 
for school purposes. 
July 11, 1956 
TH. R. 11127] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress oAisemhled^ That subsection (d) 
of the first section of the Act of January 25, 1927 (43 U. S. C. sec. 
870), is amended to read as follows: 
"(d) (1) Notwithstanding subsection (c), the fact that there is 
outstanding on any numbered school section, whether or not mineral 
in character, at the time of its survey a mineral lease or leases entered 
into by the United States, or an application therefor, shall not prevent 
the grant of such numbered school section to the State concerned as 
provided by this Act. 
"(2) Any such numbered school section which has been surveyed 
prior to the date of approval of this amendment, and which has not 
been granted to the State concerned solely by reason of the fact that 
there was outstanding on it at the time of the survey a mineral lease 
or leases entered into by the United States, or an application therefor, 
is hereby granted by the United States to such State under this section 
as if it had not been so leased; and the State shall succeed the position 
of the United States as lessor under such lease or leases. 
"(3) Any such numbered school section which is surveyed on or 
after the date of approval of this amendment and on which there is 
outstanding at the time of such survey a mineral lease or leases en-
tered into by the United States, shall (unless excluded from the 
l^rovisions of this section by subsection (c) for a reason other than 
the existence of an outstanding lease) be granted to the State con-
cerned immediately upon completion of such survey; and the State 
shall succeed to the position of the United States as lessor under such 
lease or leases. 
"(4) The Secretary of the Interior shall, upon application by a 
State, issue patents to the State for the lands granted by this Act, in 
accordance with the Act of June 12, 1934 (48 Stat. 1185, 43 U. S. C. 
87la). Such patent shall, if the lease is then outstanding, include a 
statement that the State succeeded to the position of the United States 
as lessor at the time the title vested in the State. 
" (5) Where at the time rents, royalties, and bonuses accrue the lands 
or deposits covered by a single lease are owned in part by the State 
and in part by the United States, the rents, royalties, and bonuses shall 
be allocated between them in proportion to the acreage in said lease 
owned by each. 
"(6) As used in this subsection, 'lease' includes 'permit' and 'lessor' 
includes 'grantor'." 
Approved July 11, 1956. 
School lands. 
Grants to States. 
68 Stat. 5 7. 
Mineral leases. 
Apportionment of 
rents, etc. 
Definitions. 
69225 O - 57 - 38 (Vol. 70)