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Title 43 — Public LandsRelease 119-73not60

§50a Working Capital Fund for United States Geological Survey

Title 43 › Chapter 2— UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY › § 50a

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates a working capital fund in the U.S. Treasury to help the U.S. Geological Survey pay for support work. The fund is available on and after November 5, 1990, with no fiscal year limit. It pays for materials, supplies, equipment, facilities, and services that support Survey programs and, where allowed by law, work for other federal agencies and others. Examples include lab upgrades, replacing equipment, computer and telecommunications operations, software and systems work, training and implementation help, publications, scientific instruments, and other approved support activities. The Secretary of the Interior may move related inventories, equipment, receivables, and other assets into the fund at fair and reasonable value when transferred, minus liabilities. The fund will get appropriations and payments from the Survey, the Department of the Interior, other federal agencies, and other sources; payments can be made in advance or after work is done. Users will be charged rates about equal to the cost of providing goods and services, including equipment depreciation and accrued annual leave. All balances from the special telecommunications fee fund as of November 5, 1990 (per Public Law 99–190) are moved into this fund for the same purposes. Money not needed, as decided by the Secretary, must be returned to the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts.

Full Legal Text

Title 43, §50a

Public Lands — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

There is hereby established in the Treasury of the United States a working capital fund to assist in the management of certain support activities of the United States Geological Survey (hereafter referred to as the “Survey”), Department of the Interior. The fund shall be available on and after November 5, 1990, without fiscal year limitation for expenses necessary for furnishing materials, supplies, equipment, work, facilities, and services in support of Survey programs, and, as authorized by law, to agencies of the Federal Government and others. Such expenses may include laboratory modernization and equipment replacement, computer operations, maintenance, and telecommunications services; requirements definition, systems analysis, and design services; acquisition or development of software; systems support services such as implementation assistance, training, and maintenance; acquisition and replacement of computer, publications, scientific instrumentation, telecommunications, and related automatic data processing equipment; and, such other activities as may be approved by the Secretary of the Interior. There are authorized to be transferred to the fund, at fair and reasonable values at the time of transfer, inventories, equipment, receivables, and other assets, less liabilities, related to the functions to be financed by the fund as determined by the Secretary of the Interior: Provided, That the fund shall be credited with appropriations and other funds of the Survey, and other agencies of the Department of the Interior, other Federal agencies, and other sources, for providing materials, supplies, equipment, work, and services as authorized by law and such payments may be made in advance or upon performance: Provided further, That charges to users will be at rates approximately equal to the costs of furnishing the materials, supplies, equipment, facilities, and services, including such items as depreciation of equipment and facilities, and accrued annual leave: Provided further, That all existing balances as of November 5, 1990, from amortization fees resulting from the Survey providing telecommunications services and deposited in a special fund established on the books of the Treasury and available for payment of replacement or expansion of telecommunications services as authorized by Public Law 99–190, are hereby transferred to and merged with the working capital fund, to be used for the same purposes as originally authorized: Provided further, That funds that are not necessary to carry out the activities to be financed by the fund, as determined by the Secretary, shall be covered into miscellaneous receipts of the Treasury.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Provisions relating to the special fund authorized by Public Law 99–190, referred to in text, were formerly classified to this section. See

Prior Provisions

note below.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 50a, Pub. L. 99–190, § 101(d) [title I], Dec. 19, 1985, 99 Stat. 1224, 1231, related to deposit of amortization fees from Geological Survey providing telecommunications services.

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–332 in first par., in second sentence after “work,” inserted “facilities,”, in third sentence after “include” inserted “laboratory modernization and equipment replacement,”, after “operations” inserted “, maintenance,”, and after “replacement of computer,” inserted “publications, scientific instrumentation,” and in second par., in second proviso after “depreciation of equipment” inserted “and facilities,”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

“United States Geological Survey” substituted for “Geological Survey” in first paragraph pursuant to provision of title I of Pub. L. 102–154, set out as a note under section 31 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

43 U.S.C. § 50a

Title 43 — Public Lands

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60