An Act to facilitate compliance with the treaty between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, signed November 23, 1970, and for other purposes
PL 92-549 (H.R.15461), enacted 10/25/1972

86 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 92-549-OCT. 25, 1972 
1161 
Public Law 92-549 
AN ACT 
To facilitate compliance with the treaty between the United States of America 
and the United Mexican States, signed November 23, 1970, and for other 
purposes. 
October 25, 1972 
[H. R. 15461] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress a^sembled^ That this Act may be 
cited as the "American-Mexican Boundary Treaty Act of 1972". 
Treaty Act of 
1972. 
TITLE I—AUTHOEIZATION FOR CARRYING OUT TREATY 
PROVISIONS 
SEC. 101. In connection with the treaty between the United States 
of America and the United Mexican States to resolve pending bound-
ary differences and maintain the Rio Grande and the Colorado River 
as the international boundary between the United States of America 
and the United Mexican States, signed November 23, 1970 (hereafter 
in this Act referred to as the "treaty"), the Secretary of State, acting 
through the United States Commissioner, International Boundary and 
Water Commission, United States, and Mexico (hereafter in this Act 
referred to as the "Commissioner"), is authorized— 
(1) to conduct technical and other investigations relating to— 
(A) the demarcation, mapping, monumentation, channel 
relocation, rectification, improvement, stabilization, and other 
matters relating to the preservation of the river boundaries 
between the United States and Mexico; 
(B) the establishment and delimitation of the maritime 
boundaries in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Pacific Ocean; 
(C) water resources; and 
(D) the sanitation and the prevention of pollution; 
(2) to acquire by donation, purchase, or condemnation, all lands 
or interests m lands required— 
(A) for transfer to Mexico as provided in the treaty; 
(B) for construction of that portion of new river channels 
and the adjoining levees in the territory of the United States; 
(0) to preserve the Rio Grande and the Colorado River 
as the boundary by preventing the construction of works 
which may cause deflection or obstruction of the normal flow 
of the rivers or of their floodflows; and 
(D) for relocation of any structure or facility, public or 
private, the relocation of which, in the judgment of the Com-
missioner, is necessitated by the project; and 
(3) to remove, modifj, or repair the damages caused to Mexico 
by works constructed m the United States which the Interna-
tional Boundary and Water Commission, United States and 
Mexico, as determined have an adverse effect on Mexico, or to 
compensate Mexico for such damages. 
SEC. 102. The Commissioner is authorized— 
(1) to construct, operate, and maintain all works provided for 
in the treaty and title I of this Act; 
(2) to enter into contracts with the owners of properties to be 
relocated whereby such owners undertake to perform, at the 
expense of the United States, any or all operations involved in 
such relocations: and 
23 UST 371. 
Investigations. 
Land acquisi-
tion, purposes. 
Damages, repair 
or compensation. 
C ons truction. 
Property re-
location, 
contracts. 
1162 
PUBLIC LAW 92-549-OCT. 25, 1972 
[86 
STAT. 
Transfer of 
authority. 
Excess land 
sale. 
63 Stat. 377. 
40 u s e 471 
note. 
Channel shifts, 
boundary deter-
mination. 
Acquired land, 
addition to State. 
State juris-
diction. 
Hidalgo-
Reynosa lands, 
administration. 
67 Stat. 516. 
Custom duties, 
exemption. 
23 u s e 371. 
Appropriation. 
(3) to turn over the operation and maintenance of any works 
referred to in paragraph (1) of this section to any Federal agency, 
or any State, county, municipality, district, or other political 
subdivision within which such works may be situated, in whole 
or in part, upon such terms, conditions, and requirements as the 
Commissioner may deem appropriate. 
SEC. 103. Nothwithstanding any other provision of law, the Com-
missioner is authorized to dispose of by warranty deed, or otherwise, 
any land acquired by him on behalf of the United States, or obtained 
by the United States pursuant to treaty between the United States and 
Mexico, and not required for project purposes, under procedures to be 
formulated by the Commissioner, to adjoining landowners at such 
price as he considers fair and equitable, and, if not so disposed of, to 
turn such land over to the General Services Administration for dis-
posal under the provisions of the Federal Property and Administrative 
Services Act of 1949. 
SEC. 104. When a determination must be made under the treaty 
whether to permit a new channel to become the boundary, or whether 
or not to restore a river to its former channel, or whether, instead of 
restoration, the Governments should undertake a rectification of the 
river channel, the Commissioner's decision, approved by the Secretary 
of State, shall be final so far as the United States is concerned, and 
the Commissioner is authorized to construct or arrange for the con-
struction of such works as may be required to give effect to that 
decision. 
SEC. 105. Land acquired or to be acc[uired by the United States of 
America in accordance with the provisions of the treaty, including the 
tract provided for in section 106, shall become a geographical part of 
the State to which it attaches and shall be under the civil and criminal 
jurisdiction of such State, without affecting the ownership of such 
land. The addition of land and the ceding of jurisdiction to a State 
shall take effect upon acceptance by such State. 
SEC. 106. Upon transfer of sovereignty from Mexico to the United 
States of the 481.68 acres of land acquired by the United States from 
Mexico near Hidalgo-Reynosa, administration over the portion of that 
land which is determined by the Commissioner not to be required for 
the construction and maintenance of the relocated river channel shall 
be assumed by the Department of the Interior; and the Department of 
the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Sport Fisheries and 
Wildlife, is authorized to plan, establish, develop, and administer such 
portion of the acquired lands as a part of the national wildlife refuge 
system. 
SEC. 107. (a) The heading of section 322 of the Tariff Act of 1930 
(19 U.S.C. 1322) is amended by inserting immediately before the 
period at the end thereof the following: "; UNITED STATES-
MEXICO BOUNDARY TREATY OF 1970". 
(b) Subsection (b) of such section 322 is amended by striking out 
"and" at the end of clause (2), by striking cut the period at the end of 
clause (3) and inserting in lieu thereof "; and", and by adding at the 
end thereof the following new clause: 
" (4) personal property reasonably related to the use and enjoy-
ment of a separated tract of land as described in article I I I of the 
Treaty To Resolve Pending Boundary Differences and Maintain 
the Rio Grande and Colorado Rivers as the International Bound-
ary between the United States of America and the United Mexican 
States signed on November 23,1970.". 
SEC. 108. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department 
of State for the use of the United States section of the International 
86 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 92-550-OCT. 25, 1972 
1163 
Boundary and Water Commi^ion, United States and Mexico, such 
sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of the treaty and 
title I of this Act. 
TITLE II—PEESIDIO FLOOD CONTEOL PEOJECT 
SEC. 201. The Secretary of State, acting through the Commissioner, fi^'^J^^t^o"!" 
is hereby authorized to conclude with the appropriate official or officials agreement!^° 
of the Government of Mexico an agreement for a coordinated plan by authorization. 
the United States and Mexico for international flood control works 
for protection of lands along the international section of the Eio 
Grande in the United States and in Mexico in the Presidio-Ojinaga 
Valley. 
SEC. 202. If an agreement is concluded pursuant to section 201 of 
title I I of this Act, the Commissioner is authorized to construct, oper-
ate, and maintain flood control works located in the United States 
having substantially the characteristics described in "Eeport on the 
Flood Control Project Eio Grande, Presidio Valley, Texas^', prepared 
hj the United States section. International Boundary and Water Com-
mission, United States and Mexico; and there are hereby authorized 
Appropriation. 
to be appropriated to the Dej)artment of State for the use of the United 
States section of the Commission such sums as may be necessary to 
carry out the provisions of title I I of this Act. No part of any appro-
priation under this section shall be expended for flood control works 
-
"
^ 
on any land, site, or easement unless such land, site, or easement has 
been acquired under the treaty for other purposes or by donation and, 
in the case of a donation, the title thereto has been approved in accord-
ance with existing rules and regulations of the Attorney General of 
the United States. 
Approved October 25, 1972. 
Public Law 92-550 
AN A C T 
October 25, 1972 
To amend the Transportation Act of 1940, as amended, to facilitate the payment 
'
• ' 
^ •' 
of transportation charges. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 322 of Pa^ment^AcVof" 
the Transportation Act of 1940, as amended (49 U.S.C. 66), is hereby 1972. 
further amended as follows: 
72^stat?*86^K^' 
(a) By inserting after the section designation the letter " ( a ) " ; by 
changing the first sentence to read: "Subject to such standards as shall 
be promulgated jointly by the Secretary of the Treasury and the 
Comptroller General of the United States, payment for transportation 
of persons or property for or on behalf of the United States by any 
carrier or forwarder shall be made upon presentation of bills therefor, 
prior to audit or settlement by the General Accounting Office, but the 
right is reserved to the United States Government to deduct the amount 
of any overcharge by any carrier or forwarder from any amount subse-
quently found to be due such carrier or forwarder."; deleting the 
portion of the second sentence preceding the colon and substituting 
therefor the following: "The term 'overcharges' shall be deemed to 
"Overcharges." 
mean charges for transportation services in excess of those applicable 
thereto under tariffs lawfully on file with the Interstate Commerce 
Commission, the Civil Aeronautics Board, the Federal Maritime Com-