§753. Transfer of affairs of Federal Works Agency; abolition of agencies

(a) All functions of the Federal Works Agency and of all agencies thereof, together with all functions of the Federal Works Administrator, of the Commissioner of Public Buildings, and of the Commissioner of Public Roads, are transferred to the Administrator of General Services. There are transferred to the General Services Administration the Public Roads Administration, which shall hereafter be known as the Bureau of Public Roads, and all records, property, personnel, obligations, and commitments of the Federal Works Agency, including those of all agencies of the Federal Works Agency.

(b) There are hereby abolished the Federal Works Agency, the Public Buildings Administration, the office of Federal Works Administrator, the office of Commissioner of Public Buildings, and the office of Assistant Federal Works Administrator.

(June 30, 1949, ch. 288, title I, §103, 63 Stat. 380 .)

Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 630b of Title 5 prior to the general revision and enactment of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, by Pub. L. 89–554, §1, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 378 . Prior thereto, section was classified to section 213 of Title 41, Public Contracts.

Transfer of Functions

Bureau of Public Roads transferred to Department of Commerce to be administered by Commissioner of Public Roads subject to direction and control of Secretary of Commerce under provisions of Reorg. Plan No. 7 of 1949, §1, eff. Aug. 19, 1949, 14 F.R. 5228, 63 Stat. 1070, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, and thereafter transferred to Department of Transportation by Pub. L. 89–670, Oct. 15, 1966, 80 Stat. 931 , and its functions assigned to Federal Highway Administration. See section 104 of Title 49, Transportation.

Definitions

The definitions in section 472 of this title apply to this chapter.

Lease and Assignment of Building Space; Management; Exceptions

All functions with respect to acquiring space in buildings by lease, all functions with respect to assigning and reassigning space in buildings for use by agencies (including both space acquired by lease and space in Government-owned buildings), and all functions with respect to the operation, maintenance, and custody of office buildings owned by the Government and of office buildings or parts thereof acquired by lease, including those post-office buildings which, as determined by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, are not used predominantly for post-office purposes, were with certain exceptions, transferred from the respective agencies to the Administrator of General Services by sections 1 and 2 of Reorg. Plan No. 18 of 1950, eff. July 1, 1950, 15 F.R. 3177, 64 Stat. 1270, set out in note under section 490 of this title. For delegation of such transferred functions to other personnel of the General Services Administration, or to the heads and personnel of other agencies, and for transfer of personnel, property, records, and funds, see sections 3 and 4 of such Plan.

Public Works Defense, Functions Relating To

All functions, except as herein described, of the Administrator of General Services under sections 1531 to 1535 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, relating to defense of public works, which, by this section, were transferred to such Administrator from the Federal Works Agency and the Federal Works Administrator, were transferred to the Housing and Home Finance Administrator by section 1 of Reorg. Plan No. 17 of 1950, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3177, 64 Stat. 1269, set out in Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, together with 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 provisions of such sections. Section 2 of such Plan excepted from the transfer, functions with respect to the holding, management, and disposition of securities received prior to the effective date of such Plan (May 24, 1950) by the General Services Administration or its predecessor agency (Federal Works Agency) by reason of the disposal of property constructed or otherwise acquired under such sections 1531 to 1535 of title 42, and functions with respect to litigation, and the liquidation of claims, arising out of the acquisition of land or the construction of the facilities under such sections. Section 4 of such Plan provided for transfer of records, property, personnel, and funds. All the functions, powers and duties of the Housing and Home Finance Agency were subsequently transferred to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by Pub. L. 89–174, §5, Sept. 9, 1965, 79 Stat. 669 . See section 3534 of Title 42.

War Mobilization and Reconversion Act, Functions Under

All functions of the Administrator of General Services under title V of the War Mobilization and Reconversion Act of 1944, section 1671 of Appendix to Title 50, War and National Defense, which, by this section, were transferred to such Administrator from the Federal Works Agency and the Federal Works Administrator, were transferred to the Housing and Home Finance Administrator by §1 of Reorg. Plan No. 17 of 1950, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3177, 64 Stat. 1269, set out in Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, 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 provisions of said title V of such act. Section 4 of such Plan provided for transfer of records, property, personnel and funds. All the functions, powers and duties of the Housing and Home Finance Agency were subsequently transferred to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by Pub. L. 89–174, §5, Sept. 9, 1965, 79 Stat. 669 . See section 3534 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare.

Water Pollution Control Act, Functions Under

Functions of Administrator of General Services under Water Pollution Control Act [see section 1251 et seq. of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters], which, by this section, were transferred to such Administrator from Federal Works Agency and Federal Works Administrator, were transferred to Federal Security Administrator by section 1 of Reorg. Plan No. 16 of 1950, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3176, 64 Stat. 1268, set out in Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, together with so much of any other function of Administrator of General Services or of the General Services Administration as is incidental to or necessary for carrying out of provisions of such Act. Section 3 of such Plan provided for transfer of records, property, personnel, and funds. Federal Security Agency abolished by section 8 of Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1953, eff. Apr. 11, 1953, 18 F.R. 2053, 67 Stat. 631, set out as a note in the Appendix to Title 5, and all duties and functions of Federal Security Agency and Administrator of Federal Security Agency transferred to Secretary of Department of Health, Education, and Welfare by section 5 of Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1953, set out in Appendix to Title 5. Secretary and Department of Health, Education, and Welfare redesignated Secretary and Department of Health and Human Services, respectively, by 20 U.S.C. 3508.