43 USC 377b – Availability of appropriations for Bureau of Reclamation
Appropriations for the Bureau of Reclamation in this Act or in subsequent Energy and Water Development Appropriations Acts shall on and after October 2, 1992, be available for payment of claims for damages to or loss of property, personal injury, or death arising out of activities of the Bureau of Reclamation, not to exceed $5,000,000 for each causal event giving rise to a claim or claims; payment, except as otherwise provided for, of compensation and expenses of persons on the rolls of the Bureau of Reclamation appointed as authorized by law to represent the United States in the negotiations and administration of interstate compacts without reimbursement or return under the reclamation laws; services as authorized by section 3109 of title 5, in total not to exceed $500,000 per year; rewards for information or evidence concerning violations of law involving property under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Reclamation; performance of the functions specified under the head “Operation and Maintenance Administration”, Bureau of Reclamation, in the Interior Department Appropriations Act 1 1945; preparation and dissemination of useful information including recordings, photographs, and photographic prints; and studies of recreational uses of reservoir areas, and investigation and recovery of archeological and paleontological remains in such areas in the same manner as provided for in chapters 3125 and 3201 of title 54: Provided, That on and after October 2, 1992, no part of any appropriation made in this Act or in subsequent Energy and Water Development Appropriations Acts shall be available pursuant to the Act of April 19, 1945 (43 U.S.C. 377), for expenses other than those incurred on behalf of specific reclamation projects except “General Administrative Expenses”, amounts provided for plan formulation investigations under the head “General Investigations”, and amounts provided for science and technology under the head “Construction Program”.
Terms Used In 43 USC 377b
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
Sums appropriated in this Act or in subsequent Energy and Water Development Appropriations Acts which are expended in the performance of reimbursable functions of the Bureau of Reclamation shall be returnable to the extent and in the manner provided by law.
No part of any appropriation for the Bureau of Reclamation, contained in this Act, in any prior Act, or in subsequent Energy and Water Development Appropriations Acts which represents amounts earned under the terms of a contract but remaining unpaid, shall be obligated for any other purpose, regardless of when such amounts are to be paid: Provided, That the incurring of any obligation prohibited by this paragraph shall be deemed a violation of section 1341 of title 31.
None of the funds made available by this or any other Act or by any subsequent Act shall on and after October 2, 1992, be used by the Bureau of Reclamation for contracts for surveying and mapping services unless such contracts for which a solicitation is issued after the date of this Act 2 are awarded in accordance with title IX of the Federal Property and Administrative Service 3 Act of 1949.2