An Act to provide assistance to the States of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Idaho for the reconstruction of areas damaged by recent floods and high waters
PL 89-41 (S.2089), enacted 06/17/1965

79 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 89-41-JUNE 17, 1965 
131 
premiums) attributable to the insured groups established under this 
section shall be separately determined. 
Such amounts in the Vet-
erans Special Term Insurance Fund in the Treasury, not exceeding 
$1,650,000 in the aggregate, as may hereafter be determined by the 
Administrator to be m excess of the actuarial liabilities of that fund, 
including contingency reserves, shall be available for transfer to the 
Veterans Eeopened Insurance Fund as needed to provide initial 
capital. Any amounts so transferred shall be repaid to the Treasury 
over a reasonable period of time with interest as determined by the 
Secretary of the Treasury taking into consideration the average yield 
on all marketable interest-bearmg obligations of the United States 
of comparable maturities then forming a part of the public debt." 
(4) By striking the words "subsection (b) of" w^herever they appear 
in subsection (d) (2). 
(5) By striking the following words from subsection (d) (3): "or 
the National Service Life Insurance appropriation, as appropriate,". 
Approved June 14, 1965. 
Initial capital. 
Public Law 89-41 
AN ACT 
To provide assistance to the States of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, 
and Idaho for the reconstruction of areas damaged by recent floods and high 
waters. 
June 17, 1965 
[S. 2089] 
Highways, roads, 
etc., reconstruction. 
Appropriation. 
73 Stat. 612. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress ^^^i^^l^^^^^^^ 
hereby recognizes (1) that the States of California, Oregon, Washing- Refief AcTof i965 
ton, Nevada, and Idaho have experienced extensive property loss and 
damage as the result of floods and high waters during December 1964, 
and January and February 1965, (2) that much of the affected area 
is federally owned and administered, and (3) that the livelihood of 
the people in the area is dependent on prompt restoration of transpor-
tation facilities, and therefore Congress declares the need for special 
measures designed to aid and accelerate those States in their efforts 
to provide for the reconstruction of devastated areas. 
SEC. 2. There is authorized to be appropriated, out of any money 
in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, in addition to the 
amounts authorized in section 125 of title 23 of the United States 
Code, not to exceed $50,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 
1965, and not to exceed $20,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 
1966. Such sums shall be obligated and expended by the Secretary 
of Commerce in accordance with such section 125, and related pro-
visions of title 23 of the United States Code for the repair and re-
construction of highways, roads, and trails, damaged as the result 
of a disaster. 
SEC. 3. (a) Notwithstanding provisions of existing contracts, the ^„„^.„^^^., 
Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, separately, imbursVm'en'ts." 
and as part of the regular road and trail construction program, shall 
reimburse timber sale contractors or otherwise arrange to bear road 
and trail construction and restoration costs either directly or in co-
operation with timber purchasers to the extent of costs determined 
by the respective Secretary as incurred or to be incurred for restoring 
roads in any stage of construction authorized by a contract for the 
purchase of timber from lands under his jurisdiction to substantially 
the same condition as existed prior to the damage resulting from the 
floods of December 1964, and January and February of 1965 in 
California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Idaho, and to the 
Timber sales 
contractors, re-
132 
PUBLIC LAW 89-41-JUNE 17, 1965 
[79 STAT. 
Exception. 
Forest develop-
ment roads and 
trails. 
78 Stat. 397. 
Timber sales, 
public notice. 
31 Stat. 661. 
Public land 
entry, time exten-
sion. 
Eel River, 
Calif., survey, etc. 
Report to Con-
gress. 
extent costs determined b^ the respective Secretary as incurred or 
to be incurred for completing road construction not performed under 
any such contract prior to the floods but which, because of changed 
conditions resulting from the floods, exceed road construction costs as 
originally determined by the respective Secretary. 
The costs for 
such road restoration, reconstruction, and construction under any 
single timber purchase contract on roads not accepted prior to the 
floods, whether construction was complete, partial, or not yet begun, 
shall be borne as follows: 15 per centum of all amounts shall be borne 
by the timber purchaser, except that such purchaser shall not be re-
quired to bear costs of more than $4,500, and the Secretary shall bear 
the remaining portion of such costs. This subsection shall not apply 
(1) in the case of any road restoration or reconstruction if the cost 
of such restoration or reconstruction is less than $500, and (2) in 
the case of any road construction if the increase in the cost of such 
construction as the result of the floods is less than $500 more than 
the construction costs as originally determined by the respective 
Secretary. 
(b) Where the Secretary determines that damages are so great 
that restoration, reconstruction, or construction is not practical under 
the cost-sharing arrangement authorized by subsection (a) of this 
section, the Secretary may allow cancellation of the contract not-
withstanding provisions therein. 
(c) Paragraph (3) of section 2 of the Federal-Aid Highway Act 
of 1964 is amended to read as follows: 
"(3) For forest development roads and trails, $123,000,000 for the 
fiscal year ending June 30, 1966, of which not to exceed $38,000,000 
shall be used solely for the construction, repair, and reconstruction 
of forest development roads and trails in the States of California, 
Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Idaho, necessary because of the 
floods and high waters in such States during December 1964, and 
January and February 1965, and $85,000,000 for the fiscal year end-
ing June 30,1967." 
(d) The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to reduce to seven 
days the minimum period of advance public notice required by the 
first section of the Act of June 4,1897 (16 U.S.C. 476), in connection 
with the sale of timber from national forests, whenever the Secretary 
determines that the sale of such timber will assist in the reconstruc-
tion of any area of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and 
Idaho damaged by floods or high waters during December 1964, and 
January and February 1965. 
SEC. 4. The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to give any 
public land entryman such additional time in which to comply witn 
any requirement of law in connection with any public land entry for 
lands in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Idaho, as the 
Secretary finds appropriate because of interference with the entry-
man's ability to comply with such requirement resulting from floods 
and high waters during December 1964, and January and February 
1965. 
SEC. 5. (a) The President, acting through the Office of Emergency 
Planning, shall make a survey to determine what protective works 
would be necessary to prevent the recurrence of damage by floods or 
high waters to those banks of the Eel River, California, which are 
adjacent to the trackage of any common carrier by railroad and shall 
report to Congress the results of such survey together with the cost 
of any recommended work within sixty days after the date of en-
actment of this Act. 
The President, acting through the Office of 
79 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC L
A
W 89-41-JUNE 17, 1965 
133 
Emergency Planning, is authorized to perform all or any part of 
the recommended work determined to be in the public interest and 
to reimburse any common carrier for any of such recommended work 
performed by such carrier. The Corps of Engineers of the United 
States Army shall be used to make the survey authorized by this sec-
tion, shall recommend necessary work that has been determined by 
the President acting through the Office of Emergency Planning to be 
in the public interest, and shall be used to supervise any work author-
ized to be performed under this section. 
(b) There is authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $3,875,000 
to carry out this section. 
SEC. 6. Loans made pursuant to paragraph (1) of section 7(b) j^ans^" """^^"^'^ 
of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(b)) for the purpose of re- °72 stat. 389. 
placing, reconstructing, or repairing dwellings in California, Oregon, 
Washington, Nevada, and Idaho, damaged or destroyed by the floods 
and high waters of December 1964, and January and February 1965, 
may have a maturity of up to thirty years, except that section 7(c) 
of such Act shall not apply to such loans. 
J 5 ^?^- g^|^-
SEC. 7. This Act, other than section 5 and the amendment made 
Effective date. 
by section 3(c), shall not be in effect after June 30, 1966, except with 
respect to payment of expenditures for obligations and commitments 
entered into under this Act on or before such date. 
SEC. 8. This Act may be cited as the "Pacific Northwest Disaster 
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Belief Act of 1965". 
Approved June 17, 1965.