An Act to extend the provisions of the U.S. Fishing Fleet Improvement Act, as amended, and for other purposes
PL 91-279 (H.R.4813), enacted 06/12/1970

84 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 91-279-JUNE 12, 1970 
307 
Public Law 91-279 
AN ACT 
jyj^g j2, 1970 
To extend the provisions of the United States Fishing Fleet Improvement Act, 
[H. R. 4813] 
as amended, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) section 2 pi^hin^^Fi^r 
of the United States Fishing Fleet Improvement Act, as amended (46 improvfrnenrAct, 
U.S.C. 1402), is amended by inserting after the first sentence thereof a amendments. 
new sentence to read as follows: "Any citizen of the United States may yg stat? 6i4. ' 
apply to the Secretary for a construction subsidy to aid in the remodel-
ing of any vessel in accordance with this Act." 
(b) Clause (1) of section 2 of the United States Fishing Fleet 
Improvement Act, as amended (46 U.S.C. 1402(1)), is amended by 
inserting after the words "and suitable" a comma and the words "in 
the case of a new fishing vessel and, when appropriate, a remodeled 
vessel,". 
(c) Clause (2) of section 2 of the United States Fishing Fleet 
Improvement Act, as amended (46 U.S.C. 1402(2)), is amended by 
deleting the word "new" from said clause. 
(d) Clause (7) of section 2 of the United States Fishing Fleet 
Improvement Act, as amended (46 U.S.C. 1402(7)), is amended to 
read as follows: "(7) the vessel will be modern in design and equip-
ment, be capable, w^hen appropriate, to operate in expanded areas, and 
will not operate in a fishery if such operation would cause economic 
hardship to operators of efficient vessels already operating in that fish-
ery unless such vessel will replace a vessel of the applicant operating 
in the same fishery during the twenty-four-month period immediately 
preceding the date an application is filed by the applicant, and having 
a comparable fishing capacity of the replacement vessel, and". 
SEC. 2. Section 3 of the United States Fishing Fleet Improvement 
Act, as amended (46 U.S.C. 1403), is amended by changing the words 
"after notice and hearing," to "after notice and opportunity for a pub-
lic hearing,". 
SEC. 3. Section 5 of the United States Fishing Fleet Improve- tio^°^survey™y'^' 
ment Act, as amended (46 U.S.C. 1405), is amended to read as follows: Mariume Admin-
"SEC. 5. (a) Within sixty days after the date of enactment of this ist^ator. 
subsection, and from time to time thereafter, the Martime Adminis-
trator shall survey foreign shipyards to determine the estimated dif-
ference between the cost of constructing various classes of new fishing 
vessels engaged in the fisheries of the United States in such shipyards, 
and the cost of remodeling various classes of vessels in such shipyards, 
and the cost of constructing or remodeling such vessels in a shipyard of 
the United States. 
"(b) The Secretary may pay, from funds appropriated under this 
construction 
Act for fiscal year 1970 and subsequent fiscal years with respect to t^j^n!' ^' ^''"'*^" 
any new fishing vessel for which an application is received in such 
years and approved under section 3 of this Act, a construction subsidy 
'*^ "^^ ^^^^' 
of not less than 35 per centum and not more than 50 per centum of 
the lowest responsible bid for the construction of such vessel in a ship-
yard of the United States, as determined and certified to the Secretary 
by the Maritime Administrator, excluding the costs, if any, of any 
feature incorporated in the vessel for national defense uses which costs 
shall be paid by the Department of Defense in addition to such subsidy. 
The amount of such subsidy for each such vessel shall be determined 
and certified to the Secretary by the Maritime Administrator based on 
the periodic survey conducted under subsection (a) of this section. 
" (c) The Secretary may pay, from funds appropriated under this £^^^8^""^"* °^ 
Act for fiscal year 1970 and subsequent fiscal years with respect to any 
308 
PUBLIC LAW 91-279-JUNE 12, 1970 
[84 STAT. 
74 Stat. 212. 
46 u s e 1403. 
78 Stat. 614. 
Ante, p. 307. 
Transfer of 
vessels. 
74 Stat. 214. 
"Citizen of the 
United States." 
41 Stat. 1008. 
46 u s e 803. 
"Remodeling.' 
Appropriation. 
74 Stat. 214; 
78 Stat. 614. 
vessel for whicli an application is received in such years and approved 
under section 3 of this Act for the remodeling of any vessel, a con-
struction subsidy of not more than 35 per centum of the lowest respon-
sible bid for the remodeling of such vessel as a fishing vessel in a 
shipyard of the United States, as determined and certified to the Secre-
tary by the Maritime Administrator, excluding the costs, if any, of any 
feature incorporated in the vessel for national defense uses which costs 
shall be paid by the Department of Defense in addition tx) such subsidy. 
The amount of such subsidy for each such vessel shall be determined 
and certified to the Secretary by the Maritime Administrator based on 
the periodic survey conducted under subsection (a) of this section." 
SEC. 4. Section 7 of the United States Fishing Fleet Improvement 
Act, as amended (46 U.S.C. 1407), is amended by inserting after the 
first sentence thereof a new sentence to read as follows: "Beginning 
on the date of enactment of this sentence, if the applicant disapproves 
the lowest responsible domestic bid certified by the Maritime Adminis-
trator for convenience or other reasons, the Secretary may permit the 
applicant to accept another responsible domestic bid and agree to pay 
a construction subsidy under subsection (b) cr (c) of section 5 of this 
Act which shall not exceed the amount the Secretary would have paid 
if the applicant had accepted the lowest responsible domestic bid." 
SEC. 5. Section 9 of the United States Fishing Fleet Improvement 
Act, as amended (46 U.S.C. 1409), is amended by changing the first 
sentence thereof to read as follows: "The Secretary, in the exercise of 
his discretion, after notice and a public hearing, may approve the trans-
fer of any vessel constructed with the aid of a subsidy to another fish-
ery when, as determined by the Secretary, the operations of such vessel 
are shoAvn to be uneconomical or less economical either because of an 
actual decline of the resource in the particular fishery or fisheries in 
which such vessel operates, or because of changed market conditions or 
a combination of these factors, and where he determines that such 
transfer would not cause economic hardship to operators of efficient 
vessels already operating in the fishery to which the vessel would be 
transferred, or where he determines that such transfer would enable 
such vessel to operate in a newly developed fishery not yet utilized to 
its capacity by operators of efficient vessels." 
SEC. 6. (a) Paragraph (3) of section 11 of the United States Fish-
ing Fleet Improvement Act, as amended (46 U.S.C. 1411(3)), is 
amended to read as follows: 
"(3) 'citizen of the United States' includes a corporation, part-
nership, or association if it is a citizen of the United States within 
the meaning of section 2 of the Shipping Act, 1916 (39 Stat. 729), 
as amended (46 U.S.C. 802), and the amount of interest required 
to be owned by a citizen of the United States shall be at least 75 
per centum,", 
(b) Section 11 of such Act is further amended by striking out "and" 
at the end of paragraph (4) ; by redesignating paragraph (5) as para-
graph (6); and by inserting immediately after paragraph (4) the 
following new paragraph: 
"(5) 'remodeling' includes the construction through the con-
version or reconditioning of any vessel to a fishing vessel and 
through the rebuilding of any existing fishing vessel, and". 
SEC. 7. Section 12 of the United States Fishing Fleet Improvement 
Act, as amended (46 U.S.C. 1412), is amended to read as follows: 
"SEC. 12. There is authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal years 
1970, 1971, and 1972, $20,000,000 per fiscal year to carry out this Act. 
Such sums are authorized without fiscal year limitation." 
84 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 91-281-JUNE 17, 1970 
309. 
SEC. 8. Section 13 of the United States Fishing Fleet Improvement ^af^'•'"^"^"°" 
Act, as amended (46 U.S.C. 1413), is amended by striking out "1969" ^4'stat. 2i4; 
and inserting in lieu thereof "1972". 
78 stat. e i4. 
SEC. 9. Section 4(b) (2) of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 
U.S.C. 742c(b) (2)) is amended to read as follows: 
^° ^'^'- ''^'^ 
"(2) Mature in not more than ten years, except that where a 
loan is for all or part of the costs of constructing a new fishing 
vessel, such period may be fourteen years.". 
Approved June 12, 1970. 
Public Law 91-280 
AN ACT 
j ^ ^ ^ J2, 1970 
To transfer from the Architect of the Capitol to the Librarian of Congress the 
[H. R. 11628] 
authority to purchase office equipment and furniture for the Library of 
Congress. 
Be it enacted hy the Seriate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the first section co^^^rTs"s^"addi-
of the Act entitled "An Act to abolish the office of Superintendent of tionai authority". 
the Library Building and Grounds and to transfer the duties thereof 
to the Architect oi the Capitol and the Librarian of Congress", 
approved June 29^ 1922 (42 Stat. 715; 2 U.S.C. 141), is amended— 
(1) by striking out, in the second sentence thereof, "and the 
purchasing and supplying of all furniture and equipment for the 
building" and inserting m lieu thereof the following: "and the 
purchasing of all equipment other than office equipment"; and 
(2) by inserting after the fourth sentence thereof a new sen-
tence as follows: "The Librarian of Congress shall provide for the 
purchase and supply of office equipment and furniture for library 
purposes." 
Approved June 12, 1970. 
Public Law 91-281 
AN ACT 
j^^g ^7^ ^gyo 
To amend section 11 of an Act approved August 4, 1950 entitled "An Act relating 
[H. R. 12619] 
to the iwlicing of the buildings and grounds of the Library of Congress". 
Be it enacted hy the Senate a,nd House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That section 11 of 
the Act of August 4,1950 (64 Stat. 412; 2 U.S.C. 167j) is amended by— 
(1) inserting therein, immediately after "SEC. 11.", the sub-
section designation " ( a ) " ; and 
(2) inserting at the end thereof the following new subsection: 
"(b) For the purposes of this Act, the term 'Library of Congress 
"Library o
f con-
buildings and grounds' shall include (1) the whole or any part of any grounds"'- '"^" ^" 
building or structure which is occupied under lease or owierwise by 
the Library of Congress and is subject to supervision and control by 
the Librarian of Congress, (2) the land upon which there is situated 
any building or structure which is occupied wholly by the Library of 
Congress, and (3) any subway or enclosed passageway connecting two 
or more buildings or structures occupied m whole or in part by the 
Library of Congress.". 
Approved June 17, 1970.