§1285. Insurance of property of Government departments and agencies

(a) Any department or agency of the United States may, with the approval of the President, procure from the Secretary any of the insurance as provided for in this subchapter, except as provided in sections 721 and 722 of title 40.

(b) The Secretary is authorized with such approval to provide such insurance at the request of the Secretary of Defense, and such other agencies as the President may prescribe, without premium in consideration of the agreement of the Secretary of Defense or such agency to indemnify the Secretary against all losses covered by such insurance, and the Secretary of Defense and such other agencies are authorized to execute such indemnity agreement with the Secretary. The signature of the President (or of an official designated by the President) on the agreement shall be treated as an expression of the approval required under section 1282(a) of this Appendix to provide the insurance.

(June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title XII, §1205, as added Sept. 7, 1950, ch. 906, 64 Stat. 774 ; amended Pub. L. 105–261, div. A, title X, §1071(a), Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2137 .)

Amendments

1998-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 105–261 inserted at end "The signature of the President (or of an official designated by the President) on the agreement shall be treated as an expression of the approval required under section 1282(a) of this Appendix to provide the insurance."

Effective Date of 1998 Amendment

Pub. L. 105–261, div. A, title X, §1071(b), Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2137 , provided that: "The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply only to a signature of the President (or of an official designated by the President) on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 17, 1998]."

Vessel War Risk Insurance

Memorandum of President of the United States, Oct. 7, 1994, 59 F.R. 52395, provided:

Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense [and] the Secretary of Transportation

By virtue of the authority vested in me by section 1205 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, as amended (46 U.S.C. App. 1285), I hereby approved [sic] the procurement of any insurance within the scope of section 1205 from the Secretary of Transportation by the Department of Defense for vessels under charter, contract, tender, or agreement with the Department of Defense, entering the territorial waters of Haiti excluded under commercial war risk trading warranties, whenever the Secretary of Defense determines such insurance to be necessary. This approval is effective for 60 days.

The Secretary of Transportation is directed to bring this approval to the immediate attention of all operators.

William J. Clinton.