Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73

§1103 Powers of Commission

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 22— - INTERNATIONAL PARKS › § 1103

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates a commission with legal standing to do what is needed under the U.S.-Canada agreement signed January 22, 1964. It can buy, accept, lease, hold, or sell property and interests in property, except it cannot sell the Roosevelt home or the land it sits on. It can make contracts, hire employees (including an executive secretary), set their pay and duties, and let those officials run day-to-day staff matters. It can make its own rules and use a seal. The commission can sue or be sued in U.S. district court, with the Attorney General overseeing the cases. It may charge admission fees set low enough to keep the park accessible. Money from fees or concessions must be split equally between the two governments and sent within sixty days after the commission’s fiscal year ends; the U.S. share must go to the proper federal agency for deposit in the U.S. Treasury under the rules for National Park Service entrance fees. It may also grant concessions and obtain legal, engineering, accounting, and other services from U.S. or Canadian agencies without reimbursement.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §1103

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Commission shall have juridical personality and all powers and capacity necessary or appropriate for the purpose of performing its functions pursuant to the agreement between the Governments of the United States and Canada signed January 22, 1964, which shall include but not be limited to the power and capacity—

(a)to acquire property, both real and personal, or interests therein, by gift, including conditional gifts whether conditioned on the expenditure of funds to be met therefrom or not, by purchase, by lease or otherwise, and to hold or dispose of the same under such terms and conditions as it sees fit, excepting the power to dispose of the Roosevelt home and the tract of land on which it is located;

(b)to enter into contracts;

(c)to sue or be sued, complain and defend, implead and be impleaded, in any United States district court. In such suits, the Attorney General shall supervise and control the litigation;

(d)to appoint its own employees, including an executive secretary who shall act as secretary at meetings of the Commission and to fix the terms and conditions of their employment and compensation;

(e)to delegate to the executive secretary or other officials and to authorize the redelegation of such authority respecting the employment and direction of its employees and the other responsibilities of the Commission as it deems desirable and appropriate;

(f)to adopt such rules of procedure as it deems desirable to enable it to perform the functions set forth in this agreement;

(g)to charge admission fees for entrance to the park should the Commission consider such fees desirable; however, such fees shall be set at a level which will make the facilities readily available to visitors; any revenues derived from admission fees or concession operations of the Commission shall be transmitted in equal shares to the two Governments within sixty days of the end of the Commission’s fiscal year, the United States share to be turned over to the appropriate Federal agency for deposit into the United States Treasury in accordance with the laws governing entrance fees received by the National Park Service;

(h)to grant concessions; if deemed desirable;

(i)to adopt and use a seal;

(j)to obtain without reimbursement for use either in the United States or in Canada, legal, engineering, architectural, accounting, financial, maintenance, and other services, whether by assignment, detail, or otherwise, from competent agencies in the United States or in Canada, by arrangements with such agencies.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 1103

Title 16 — Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73