33 U.S.C. § 576: Revolving fund; establishment…

Summary

Creates a revolving fund the Army Corps of Engineers can use without a yearly time limit to pay for upkeep and use of its plant and equipment for civil works. The fund can buy and repair equipment, temporarily finance services charged to civil works money, and buy, operate, and maintain up to four aircraft at one time. It can also provide facilities and services for Army military needs, other agencies, and private parties where allowed. The Secretary of the Army may put current inventories and equipment into the fund as capital. The fund is paid back by reimbursements or advances that cover overhead, depreciation, and accrued leave. On July 1, 1953 it took over certain plant accounts as of June 30, 1953 and received their unspent cash balances. Total fund capital cannot exceed $140,000,000. Money from the fund cannot be used to build a new Corps building or to do a major renovation unless Congress specifically allows it. To seek that permission, the Secretary must send a prospectus to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works with a brief description, location, maximum cost to be paid from the fund, final size, number of people to be housed, proof no suitable federal space exists, current rent or housing costs, and current space size. If either committee asks by resolution, the Secretary must make a building survey and then report the same prospectus information to Congress. A “major renovation” is work costing more than $20,000,000.

Title 33, §576

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(a)Revolving fund

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)Prohibition

(1)In general

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)Statutory construction

Nothing in this subsection may be construed to—

(A)change any authority provided under subchapter I of chapter 169 of title 10; or

(B)change the use of funds under subsection (a) for purposes other than those described in paragraph (1).

(c)Transmission to Congress of prospectus

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)Provision of building project surveys

(1)In general

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)Report

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)Major renovation defined

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.

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.”

§576 Revolving Fund; Establishment; Availability; Reimbursement; Transfer of Funds; Limitation