An Act to amend the act of August 12, 1955, Public Law 378, 84th Congress (69 Stat. 707), so as to provide additional relief for losses sustained in the Texas City disaster
PL 86-381 (H.R.4821), enacted 09/25/1959

706 
PUBLIC LAW 86-381-8EPT. 26, 1969 
[73 ST A T . 
50 Stat. 810. 
70 Stat. 743. 
68 Stat. 736. 
63 Stat. 166. 
(2) to procure temporary and intermittent services to the same 
extent as is authorized by section 15 of the Administrative 
Expenses Act of 1946 (5 U.S.C. 55a) but at rates not to exceed 
$50 a day for individuals. 
(e) Except as otherwise provided in this Act, persons in the employ 
of the Commission under subsections (c) and (d) (1) of this section 
shall be considered to be Federal employees for all purposes, includ-
ing— 
(1) the Civil Service Retirement Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. 
2251-2267), 
(2) the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Act of 1954, 
as amended (5 U.S.C. 2091-2103), 
(3) annual and sick leave, and 
(4) the Travel Expense Act of 1949, as amended (5 U.S.C. 
835-842). 
(f) No individual employed in the service of the Commission shall 
be paid compensation tor such employment at a rate in excess of 
$20,000 per annum. 
63 Stat. 166. 
60 Stat. 808. 
COMPENSATION OF COMMISSION MEMBERS 
SEC. 7. (a) Members of the Commission who are Members of Con-
gress, officers of the executive branch of the Federal Government, 
Governors, or full-time salaried officers of city and county govern-
ments shall serve without compensation in addition to that received in 
their regular public employment, but shall be allowed necessary travel 
expenses (or, in the alternative, a per diem in lieu of subsistence and 
mileage not to exceed the rates prescribed in the Travel Expense Act 
of 1949, as amended), without regard to the Travel Expense Act of 
1949, as amended (5 U.S.C. 835-842), the Standardized Government 
Travel Regulations, or section 10 of the Act of March 3,1933 (5 U.S.C. 
73b), and other necessary expenses incurred by them in the perform-
,ance of duties vested in the Commission. 
(b) Members of the Commission, other than those to w^hom subsec-
tion (a) is applicable, shall receive compensation at the rate of $50 
per day for each day they are engaged m the performance of their 
duties as members of the Commission and shall be entitled to reim-
bursement for travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses in-
curred b^r them in the performance of their duties as members of the 
Commission, as provided for in subsection (a) of this section. 
AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 
SEC. 8. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may 
be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
Approved September 24, 1959. 
September 25, 1959 
[H. R. 4821] 
Public Law 86-381 
AN ACT 
To amend the Act of August 12, 1955, Public Law 378, Eighty-fourth Congress 
(69 Stat. 707), so as to provide additional relief for losses sustained in the 
Texas City disaster. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
to't^he^T^xlJciry United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Act of 
Disaster Relief August 12, 1955, Public Law 378, Eighty-fourth Congress (69 Stat. 
^'^^' 
707), as amended, is further amended as provided herein. 
73 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 86-381-SEPT. 26, 1969 
T07 
SEC. 2. The Secretary of the Army or such 'person as he may desig-
nate shall apply the following rules: 
(a) Each instance of death or personal injury shall be considered 
as having created a separate claim. 
(b) A claim for death shall be deemed not to have abated on the 
death of the claimant before award under this Act and shall be 
settled by payment to the person or persons entitled to the estate of 
the deceased claimant under the laws of Texas, who shall be deemed 
claimants for this purpose. 
(c) A brother or sister of a deceased person who was totally depend-
ent on the deceased person and which brother or sister was perma-
nently and totally disabled at the time of the death of such deceased 
person shall be entitled to assert a claim for death, but no award shall 
be made if it would diminish the award justly due other survivors 
of the deceased person under the Texas wrongful death act or under 
subsection 2(b) of this section. 
(d) Where a corporation sustained property damage in the Texas 
City disaster and filed a civil action against the United States for 
losses sustained in the Texas City disaster and thereafter was dis-
solved, and the claim filed on behalf of the dissolved corporation by 
it and by its two stockholders was administratively consolidated by 
the Secretary of the Army with other claims filed by said stockholders, 
the Secretary of the Army shall settle the claim, treating it as a claim 
asserted by the dissolved corporation. 
(e) The Secretary of the Army shall consider and settle all claims 
based on death or permanent disability. 
"Permanent disability" 
under this subsection shall include only those permanent disabilities 
which are deemed to be 40 per centum or more disabling in accordance 
with the standard schedule of rating disabilities in current use by the 
Veterans' Administration. 
SEC. 3. Section 3 is amended by the addition of the following sen-
tence at the end of subsection (a) of that section: "The limitations of 
this subsection shall not apply to claims based upon death or upon 
permanent disabilities which are deemed to be 40 per centum or more 
disabling in accordance with the standard schedule of rating dis-
abilities in current use by the Veterans' Administration, or to claims 
asserted by the brother or sister of a deceased person who was totally 
dependent on the deceased person and was permanently and totally 
disabled at the time of the death of such deceased person. 
SEC. 4. Section 7 is amended to read as follows: 
"The Secretary of the Treasury shall pay out of moneys in the 
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the claims referred to in this 
Act in the amounts approved for payment by the Secretary of the 
Army, and the administrative costs of the investigation and settlement 
of claims under this Act." 
SEC. 5. Within two years from the effective date of this Act, the 
Secretary of the Army or his designee shall fix and determine the 
awards, if any, on claims reconsidered or submitted under this Act. 
The authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to make payment of 
awards so fixed and determined or those awards heretofore made under 
the Act of August 12,1955, shall terminate three years from the effec-
tive date of this Act. 
Except as otherwise provided herein, the law of the State of Texas 
shall apply. 
SEC. 6. The Secretary of the Army, two years and six months after g^^^^°'^ *° ^°"^ 
the date of enactment of this Act, shall transmit to the Congress, 
in addition to any such information relating to the Act of August 12, 
708 
PUBLIC LAW 86-382-8EPT. 28, 1959 
[73 ST A T . 
Short title. 
1955, which has not been reported heretofore— 
(a) a statement of each claim reconsidered or submitted to the 
Secretary of the Army in accordance with this Act which has 
not been settled by him, with supporting papers and a report of 
his findings of fact and recommendations; and 
(b) a report of each claim settled by him and paid pursuant 
to this Act. 
The reports shall contain a brief statement concern-
ing the character and justice of each claim, the amount claimed, 
and the amount approved and paid. 
SEC. 7. Claimants shall submit their claims in writing to the Secre-
tary of the Army, under such rules as he prescribes, within ninety days 
after enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 8. The Secretary of the Army is directed to reconsider and 
settle claims affected by the provisions of this Act without regard to 
any release of and assignment to the United States heretofore executed 
by the claimants. 
SEC. 9. All departments and agencies of the Government upon the 
request of the Secretary of the Army or his designee are authorized 
to furnish any information available relevant to the reconsideration 
and settlement of claims under this Act. 
SEC. 10. The Secretary of the Army, in settling the claims herein 
directed to be settled, shall proceed to consider the claims heretofore 
filed, if sufficient in form, and may at his option require the claimant 
to file an additional claim or submit additional evidence of loss. The 
Secretary of the Army shall forthwith notify all claimants or their 
attorneys, if any, whose claims are to be reconsidered under the provi-
sions of this Act that such reconsideration is being undertaken. When 
a file relating to a claim previously submitted under this Act shows 
that a person other than a person who submitted the claim would be 
entitled to recover if he submitted a claim, the Secretary of the Army 
or his designee shall notify the person of his right to submit a claim. 
SEC. 11. In making the settlements authorized by this Act, the 
Secretary of the Army shall proceed under all of the limitations and 
directions of the Act of August 12, 1955, except as herein amended, 
and shall make such settlements under the regulations and procedures 
used in making settlements under the Act of August 12, 1955, except 
as to such changes necessitated by this Act, and all of the provisions 
of the Act of August 12, 1955, except as herein amended, shall apply 
to settlements made under this Act. 
SEC. 12. This Act may be cited as the "1959 Amendment to the 
Texas City Disaster Relief Act". 
Approved September 25, 1959. 
September 28, 1959 
[S. 2162] 
Public Law 86-382 
AN ACT 
To provide a health benefits program for Government employees. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate aifid House of Representatives 
of the 
ee^°HVaith^'B'in^ United States of America in Congress assembled^ That this Act may 
fits Act o
f 1959. be cited as the "Federal Employees Health Benefits Act of 1959".