Title 33Navigation and Navigable WatersRelease 119-73

§576 Revolving fund; establishment; availability; reimbursement; transfer of funds; limitation

Title 33 › Chapter CHAPTER 12— - RIVER AND HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS GENERALLY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 576

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates a revolving fund that can be used at any time to pay for running, fixing, buying, and keeping the Corps of Engineers’ plant and equipment used for civil works. The fund can buy and keep up to four aircraft at once. It can also temporarily pay for services that will later be charged to civil works appropriations, and it can provide facilities or services to Army military needs, other federal agencies, or private parties if the law allows. The Secretary of the Army can put existing inventories and equipment into the fund as capital. The fund is paid back by reimbursements or advances that must cover overhead, wear and tear on equipment, and accrued leave. On July 1, 1953, the fund took over the assets and debts of the Corps’ Plant accounts as of June 30, 1953, and received the unspent cash balances from the appropriations for Maintenance and improvement of existing river and harbor works; Flood control, general; and Flood control, Mississippi River and tributaries. The fund’s total capital cannot be more than $140,000,000. The fund must not pay for new buildings or major renovations for Corps use unless Congress specifically allows it. This rule does not change other authorities in part of Title 10 or how the fund may be used for other permitted purposes. To ask for authorization, the Secretary must send a prospectus to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that lists eight items (for example: a short description, location, maximum fund cost, size after work, number of people to be housed, a statement that no other federal space is available, current rents or housing costs, and the size of current space). If either committee requests by resolution, the Secretary must make a building project survey and then give Congress a report that includes the prospectus information. Major renovation means work that will cost more than $20,000,000.

Full Legal Text

Title 33, §576

Navigation and Navigable Waters — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)For establishment of a revolving fund, to be available without fiscal year limitation, for expenses necessary for the maintenance and operation of the plant and equipment of the Corps of Engineers used in civil works functions, including acquisition of plant and equipment, maintenance, repair, and purchase, operation, and maintenance of not to exceed four aircraft at any one time, temporary financing of services finally chargeable to appropriations for civil works functions, and the furnishing of facilities and services for military functions of the Department of the Army and other Government agencies and private persons, as authorized by law. In addition, the Secretary of the Army is authorized to provide capital for the fund by capitalizing the present inventories, plant and equipment of the civil works functions of the Corps of Engineers. The fund shall be credited with reimbursements or advances for the cost of equipment, facilities, and services furnished, at rates which shall include charges for overhead and related expenses, depreciation of plant and equipment, and accrued leave: Provided, That on July 1, 1953, (1) the fund shall assume the assets, liabilities, and obligations of the Plant accounts, as carried on the records of the Corps of Engineers as of June 30, 1953, under the appropriations for “Maintenance and improvement of existing river and harbor works”, “Flood control, general”, and “Flood control, Mississippi River and tributaries”, and (2) there shall be transferred from said appropriations to the fund amounts equivalent to the unexpended cash balances of the Plant accounts on June 30, 1953: Provided further, That the total capital of said fund shall not exceed $140,000,000.
(b)(1)No funds may be expended or obligated from the revolving fund described in subsection (a) to newly construct, or perform a major renovation on, a building for use by the Corps of Engineers unless specifically authorized by law.
(2)Nothing in this subsection may be construed to—
(A)change any authority provided under subchapter I of chapter 169 of title 10; 11 See References in Text note below. or
(B)change the use of funds under subsection (a) for purposes other than those described in paragraph (1).
(c)To secure consideration for an authorization under subsection (b), the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representative and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a prospectus of the proposed construction or major renovation of a building that includes—
(1)a brief description of the building;
(2)the location of the building;
(3)an estimate of the maximum cost to be provided by the revolving fund for the building to be constructed or renovated;
(4)the total size of the building after the proposed construction or major renovation;
(5)the number of personnel proposed to be housed in the building after the construction or major renovation;
(6)a statement that other suitable space owned by the Federal Government is not available;
(7)a statement of rents and other housing costs currently being paid for the tenants proposed to be housed in the building; and
(8)the size of the building currently housing the tenants proposed to be housed in the building.
(d)(1)If requested by resolution by the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate or the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, the Secretary shall create a building project survey for the construction or major renovation of a building described in subsection (b).
(2)Within a reasonable time after creating a building project survey under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the survey that includes the information required to be included in a prospectus under subsection (c).
(e)In this section, the term “major renovation” means a renovation or alteration of a building for use by the Corps of Engineers with a total expenditure of more than $20,000,000.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Subchapter I of chapter 169 of title 10, referred to in subsec. (b)(2)(A), probably means subchapter I (§ 2801 et seq.) of chapter 169 of Title 10, Armed Forces. Codification Section was formerly classified to section 190b of Title 10 prior to the general revision and enactment of Title 10, Armed Forces, by act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, § 1, 70A Stat. 1.

Amendments

2016—Pub. L. 114–322 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted heading, and added subsecs. (b) to (e).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Headquarters Aircraft; Transfer and Reassignment of Property Accountability to Army Military Activity Pub. L. 101–101, title I, § 105, Sept. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 649, provided that: “Notwithstanding section 110 of the Energy and Water Development Appropriation Act, 1988, Public Law 100–202 [set out below], the Secretary of the Army is authorized to transfer and re­assign property accountability for the headquarters aircraft of the Corps of Engineers, Serial Number 045, from the assets of the civil works revolving fund, to the military activity of the Army that the Secretary determines is appropriate, except that the aircraft shall be made available on a priority basis as necessary for activities in support of the Army’s civil works mission.” Retention of Three Operational Aircraft; Notice of Intended Use Outside United States Pub. L. 100–202, § 101(d) [title I, § 110], Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1329–104, 1329–112, provided that: “The Chief of Engineers is directed to retain three operational aircraft authorized pursuant to section 101 of the Act of July 27, 1953, 67 Stat. 199 [33 U.S.C. 576], together with their attendant crews, and may only dispose of any of these aircraft if authorized to do so by a future congressional enactment for that purpose. The Chief of Engineers shall provide at least thirty days advance written notification to the Appropriations Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives of any intended use of any of these aircraft for a trip destined outside the United States or its territories or possessions.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

33 U.S.C. § 576

Title 33Navigation and Navigable Waters

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73