An Act to amend the laws relating to fees charged for services rendered by the office of the Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia and the laws relating to appointment of personnel in such office, and for other purposes
PL 83-563 (S.3518), enacted 08/03/1954

650 
PUBLIC LAW 56a-AUG. 3, 1954 
[68 STAT. 
of the Air Force for Financial Management, and may also act as 
Comptroller of the Air Force, if so designated by the Secretary of 
the Air Force." 
"us*c*626^' 
(^) Subsection (d) of section 207 of the National Security Act 
of 1947 (61 Stat. 495), is hereby amended by deleting the word "two" 
and inserting in lieu thereof the word "four". 
(c) Subsections (b) and (c) of section 101 of the Air Force Organi-
5 use 626-2. 
zation Act of 1951 (65 Stat. 327), are amended by deleting the word 
"either", wherever appearing, and inserting in lieu thereof the word 
"an". 
Approved August 3, 1954. 
Public Law 563 
C H A P T E R 653 
A 
f :. io=z. 
• 
A N A C T 
August 3, 1954 
[S. 3518] 
To amend the laws relating to fees charged for services rendered by the office 
of the Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia and the laws relating to 
appointment of personnel in such office, and for other purposes. 
D, C. Recorder 
of Deeds 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemhled, That (a) notwith-
Fees. 
standing the provisions of section 552 of subchapter 4 of chapter 16 
of the Act approved March 3, 1901, as amended (Sec. 45-708, D. C. 
31 Stat. 1276. 
Codc, 1951 editiou); section 12 of the Act approved July 2, 1940, as 
amended and supplemented by the Act approved June 19, 1948 (sees. 
stat^. 49I: ^^^' " 
45-712 and 45-7l2a, D. C. Code, 1951 edition), or any other Act of 
D. c. Code 40- Congress, the Commissioners of the District of Columbia may, from 
time to time, increase or decrease the fees authorized to be charged for 
filing, recording, and indexing or for making a certified copy of any 
instrument; for searching records; for taking acknowledgments; for 
recording plats; for filing affidavits; for filing certificates of incorpora-
tion and amendments of certificates; for recording liens, assignments 
" 
of liens, or releases of liens on motor vehicles or trailers; or for any 
other service rendered by the office of the Recorder of Deeds. 
(b) The fees for services rendered by the office of the Recorder of 
Deeds shall be fixed at such rates, computed on such bases and in such 
manner as may, in the judgment of the Commissioners, be necessary to 
defray the approximate cost of operating the office of the Recorder of 
Deeds. 
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing the 
Commissioners to modify any provision of the District of Columbia 
68 Stat. 177. 
Busiuess Corporatiou Act, approved June 8, 1954. 
SEC. 2. Section 548 of the Code of Laws for the District of Columbia, 
as amended by the Act approved June 9,1952 (66 Stat. 129; sec. 45-701, 
D. C. Code, 1951 edition), is amended by adding at the end thereof the 
following: "All of the duties and functions of the Recorder of Deeds 
and of officers and employees in his office shall be performed subject to 
the supervision and control of the Commissioners of the District." 
SEC. 3. Section 549 of the Code of Laws for the District of Columbia, 
as amended by the Act approved June 9,1952 (sec. 45-702, D. C. Code, 
Appointment.^^^^ 1951 edition), is amended by striking "The Recorder of Deeds is author-
of tte^ds. '**^°' *' ized to appoint a deputy recorder" and inserting in lieu thereof "The 
Commissioners of the District of Columbia are authorized to appoint 
a deputy recorder of deeds". 
SEC. 4. (a) So much of the first sentence of the Act approved March 
3,1925 (43 Stat. 1102, ch. 416), as amended by the Act approved June 
9, 1952 (66 Stat. 129; sec. 45-703, D. C. Code, 1951 edition), as reads: 
68 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 564-AUG. 3, 1954 
651 
"That the Recorder of Deeds is authorized to appoint a second deputy 
recorder" is amended to read: "The Commissioners of the District of 
Columbia are authorized to appoint a second deputy recorder of deeds". 
(b) The third sentence of such Act approved March 3, 1925, as 
amended by such Act approved June 9, 1952, is amended to read: 
"The Commissioners of the District of Columbia shall appoint all 
employees in the office of the Recorder of Deeds, except the Recorder, 
in accordance with civil-service laws and fix the compensation of all 
employees in such office in accordance with the Classification Act of 
1949, as amended, and the said Commissioners may delegate to any 
officer subordinate to them the function of appointing any of the 
employees in such office other than the Recorder." 
SEC. 5. Clause (p) of section 2 of the District of Columbia Business 
Corporation Act (68 Stat. 180) is amended by adding thereto the 
following sentence: "It shall be the duty of the Recorder of Deeds and 
of any other officer or agency of the Government of the District of 
Columbia to perform any function delegated to such officer or agency 
by the Commissioners pursuant to this Act." 
Approved August 3, 1954. 
S e c o n d deputy 
recorder of deeds. 
O f f i c e employ-
ees. 
63 Stat. 954. 
5 u s e 1071 note. 
Commissioners. 
Del e g at i o n of 
functions. 
Public Law 564 
CHAPTER 654 
AN ACT 
To amend the Act entitled "An Act to provide an immediate revision and equali-
zation of real-estate values in the District of Columbia; also to provide an 
assessment of real estate in said District in the year eighteen hundred and 
ninety-six and every third year thereafter, and for other purposes", approved 
August 14, 1894, as amended. 
August 3, 1954 
[H. R. 7128] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemhled^ That (a) the first 
sentence of section 2 of the Act entitled "An Act to provide an imme-
diate revi^on and equalization of real-estate values in the District of 
Columbia; also to provide an assessment of real estate in said District 
in the year eighteen hundred and ninety-six and every third year 
thereafter, and for other purposes", approved August 14, 1894 (28 
Stat. 282, as amended; sec. 47-604, D. C. Code, 1951 edition) is 
amended to read as follows: 
"The Commissioners of the District of Columb,ia shall appoint as a 
permanent board of assistant assessors such persons as are conversant 
with real estate values in the District of Columbia and who have been 
bona fide residents of the District for a period of at least five years, 
except that two of such appointees may be persons who have been 
bona fide residents of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Area for 
a per,iod of at least five years." 
(b) Section 2 of such Act of August 14,1894, as amended, is further 
amended by adding at the end thereof the following new sentence: 
"For the purposes of this Act, the term 'District of Columbia Met-
ropolitan Area' means the District of Columbia, the cities of Alexan-
dria and Falls Church, and the counties of Arlington and Fairfax in 
Virginia, and the counties of Montgomery and Prince Georges in 
Maryland." 
SEC. 2. Where any provision of this Act, or any amendment made 
by this Act, refers to an office or agency abolished by Reorganization 
Plan Numbered 5 of 1952, such reference shall be deemed to be to the 
office, agency, or officer designated by the Commissioners to perform 
the functions of the office or agency so abolished. 
Approved August 3, 1954. 
D. C. assistant 
assessors. 
Appointment. 
"D. C. m e t r o -
politan area". 
66 Stat. 824. 
D.C. Code1-app.