Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 82.djvu/912

 870

80 Stat. 477-

PUBLIC LAW 90-516-SEPT. 26, 1968

[82 STAT.

reimbursement from funds of the Commission in such amounts as may be agreed upon by the Chairman of the Commission and the Administrator of General Services: Provided, That the regulations of the General Services Administration for the collection of indebtedness of personnel resulting from erroneous payments (5 U.S.C. sec. 5514) shall apply to the collection of erroneous payments made to or on behalf of a Commission employee, and regulations of said Administrator for the administrative control of funds (31 U.S.C. 665 (g)) shall apply to appropriations of the Commission: And provided further, That the Commission shall not be required to prescribe such regulations. APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 7. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $5,000,000 to carry out the purposes of this Act. Approved September 26, 1968.

Public Law 90-516 September 26, 1968 [S. 220]

Public lands. Sale.

Contiguous landowners, preference right.

Acreage limitation. Expiration date.

AN ACT To authorize the sale of certain public lands. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Reprei^'entatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior is authorized, on his own motion or on application of an owner of contiguous lands, and upon a finding that it is not needed for public purposes, to sell at public auction any tract of public domain not exceeding one hundred and twenty acres that has been or is now subject to unintentional trespass, as determined by the Secretary, and that contains some land which has been or can be put to cultivation but which is insufficient because of climatic, topographic, ecologic, soil, or other factors to justify a classification as proper for disposal under the homestead or desert land laws. Except as provided in section 2 hereof, the tract shall be sold to the highest bidder. Except as provided in section 3 hereof, no tract shall be sold for less than its appraised fair market value. SEC. 2. For a period of thirty days from the day the high bid is received, any owner of contiguous lands shall have a preference right to buy the tract at such highest bid price. If two or more contiguous owners assert the preference right, the Secretary is authorized to make such division of the land among the applicants as he deems equitable. SEC. 3. If a person who has a preference right under section 2 of this Act is the purchaser of land sold pursuant to this Act, he shall not be required to pay for any values he or his predecessors in interest have added to the land. However, nothing in this Act shall relieve any person from liability to the United States for unauthorized use of the land prior to conveyance of title by the United States. SEC. 4. No person may acquire from the Secretary more than one hundred and twenty acres of land under the provisions of this Act. SEC. 5. The authority granted by this Act shall expire three years from the date of the passage of th* Act, but sales for which application has been made in accordance with this Act prior to the expiration of the three years may be consummated and patents may be issued in connection therewith after the three-year period. Approved September 26, 1968.

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