REORGANIZATION PLAN NO. 17 OF 1950

Current through P.L. 118-107 (published on www.congress.gov on 11/21/2024)

Eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3177, 64 Stat. 1269

Prepared by the President and transmitted to the Senate and the House of Representatives in Congress assembled, March 13, 1950, pursuant to the provisions of the Reorganization Act of 1949, approved June 20, 1949 [see 5 U.S.C. 901 et seq.].

PUBLIC WORKS ADVANCE PLANNING AND OTHER FUNCTIONS

Section 1. Transfer of Functions

Except as otherwise provided in section 2 of this reorganization plan, there are hereby transferred to the Housing and Home Finance Administrator all functions of the Administrator of General Services under,

(1) the Act of October 13, 1949, entitled "An Act to provide for the advance planning of non-Federal public works [former 40 U.S.C. 451 et seq.],"

(2) title V of the War Mobilization and Reconversion Act of 1944, 58 Stat. 791, as amended [50 U.S.C. App. 1671], and

(3) title II of the Act of October 14, 1940, entitled "An Act to expedite the provision of housing in connection with national defense, and for other purposes," as amended [ 42 U.S.C. 1531-1535 ], together with so much of any other function of the Administrator of General Services or of the General Services Administration as is incidental to or necessary for the carrying out of the foregoing provisions of law.

Sec. 2. Functions Excepted From Transfer

There are hereby excluded from the transfer effected by the provisions of section 1 of this reorganization plan functions with respect to the holding, management, and disposition of securities received prior to the effective date of this reorganization plan by the General Services Administration or its predecessor agency by reason of the disposal of property constructed or otherwise acquired under the provisions of said Title II [ 42 U.S.C. 1531-1535 ], and functions with respect to litigation, and the liquidation of claims, arising out of the acquisition of land or the construction of facilities under the provisions of said Title II.

Sec. 3. Performance of Transferred Functions

The Housing and Home Finance Administrator may from time to time make such provisions as he shall deem appropriate authorizing the performance by any other officer, or by any agency or employee, of the Housing and Home Finance Agency of any function transferred to such Administrator by the provisions of this reorganization plan.

Sec. 4. Transfer of Records, Property, Personnel, and Funds

There are hereby transferred to the Housing and Home Finance Agency, to be used, employed, and expended in connection with the functions transferred by the provisions of this reorganization plan, the records and property now being used or held in connection with such functions, the personnel employed in connection with such functions, and the unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations, and other funds available or to be made available for use in connection with such functions. Such further measures and dispositions as the Director of the Bureau of the Budget shall determine to be necessary in order to effectuate the transfers provided for in this section shall be carried out in such manner as the Director shall direct and by such agencies as he shall designate.

[Housing and Home Finance Agency lapsed and functions were transferred to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, see section 9(c) of Pub. L. 89-174, Sept. 9, 1965, 79 Stat. 670, set out as a note under 42 U.S.C. 3531.]

Message of the President

To the Congress of the United States:

I transmit herewith Reorganization Plan No. 17 of 1950, prepared in accordance with the Reorganization Act of 1949. The plan transfers the functions of the General Services Administration relating to the advance planning of non-Federal public works and the management and disposal of certain war public works to the Housing and Home Finance Agency. My reasons for transmitting this plan are stated in an accompanying general message.

After investigation I have found and hereby declare that each reorganization included in Reorganization Plan No. 17 is necessary to accomplish one or more of the purposes set forth in section 2(a) of the Reorganization Act of 1949.

The first of the transfers provided for by this plan will result in the more economical administration of those activities of the Federal Government which are concerned with the over-all planning and development of communities. The concentration of responsibility in a single agency will make it possible to so integrate administration as to avoid duplication of technical staffs and to simplify relationships with State and local agencies. Moreover, by reducing the likelihood that the two programs involved will be administered at cross-purposes or in conflict with each other, it can be expected that the money expended will achieve greater benefits than would be likely under the present distribution of responsibility. It is not, however, possible to itemize the reduction in expenditures which will result, chiefly because both programs are of recent origin and are still undergoing expansion.

The transfer of the war public works functions will lead to modest savings by consolidating the responsibility for the management and disposal of all properties built or acquired under the Lanham Act of 1940, as amended, in the Agency which already has the greater part of the total job. The fact that it will become possible to manage and dispose of public facilities serving emergency housing developments without the interagency negotiation which is now necessary will lead to economies, although they cannot be itemized or predicted with exactness.

Harry S. Truman.

THE WHITE HOUSE, March 13, 1950.