any group of such designating states in the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Commission shall constitute a separate section of such Commission for the performance of the common service or services so designated provided that, if any additional expense is involved, the states so acting shall appropriate the necessary funds for this purpose. The creation of such a section as a joint agency shall not affect the privileges, powers, responsibilities or duties of the states participating therein as embodied in the other articles of this compact.

ARTICLE VI

The Commission may request the United States Forest Service to act as the primary research and coordinating agency of the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Commission, in cooperation with the appropriate agencies in each state and the United States Forest Service may accept the initial responsibility in preparing and presenting to the Commission its recommendations with respect to the regional fire plan. Representatives of the United States Forest Service may attend meetings of the Commission and of groups of member states.

ARTICLE VII

The Commission shall annually elect from its members a chairman and a vice-chairman. The Commission shall appoint such officers or employees as may be required to carry the provisions of this compact into effect, shall fix and determine their duties, qualifications and compensation, and may at its pleasure, remove or discharge any such officer or employee. The Commission shall adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of its business. It may establish and maintain one or more offices for the transaction of its business and may meet at any time or place but must meet at least once a year.

A majority of the members of the Commission representing a majority of the signatory states shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of its general business, but no action of the Commission imposing any obligation on any signatory state shall be binding unless a majority of the members from such signatory state shall have voted in favor thereof. For the purpose of conducting its general business, voting shall be by state units.

The representatives of any two or more member states, upon notice to the Chairman as to the time and purpose of the meeting, may meet as a Section for the discussion of problems common to those states.

Sections established by groups of member states shall have the same powers with respect to officers, employees and the maintenance of offices as are granted by this article to the Commission. Sections may adopt such rules, regulations and procedures as may be necessary for the conduct of their business.

ARTICLE VIII

It shall be the duty of each member state to formulate and put in effect a forest fire plan for that state and to take such measures as may be recommended by the Commission to integrate such forest fire plan with the regional forest fire plan.

Whenever the state forest fire control agency of a member state requests aid from the state forest fire control agency of any other

member state in combatting, controlling or preventing forest fires, it shall be the duty of the state forest fire control agency of that state to render all possible aid to the requesting agency which is consonant with the maintenance of protection at home.

Each signatory state agrees to render aid to the Forest Service or other agencies of the government of the United States in combatting, controlling or preventing forest fires in areas under their jurisdiction located within the member state or a contiguous member state.

ARTICLE IX

Whenever the forces of any member state are rendering outside aid pursuant to the request of another member state under this compact, the employees of such state shall, under the direction of the officers of the state to which they are rendering aid, have the same powers (except the power of arrest), duties, rights, privileges and immunities as comparable employees of the state to which they are rendering aid.

No member state or its officers or employees rendering outside aid pursuant to this compact shall be liable on account of any act or omission on the part of such forces while so engaged, or on account of the maintenance or use of any equipment or supplies in connection therewith.

All liability that may arise either under the laws of the requesting state or under the laws of the aiding state or under the laws of a third state on account of or in connection with a request for aid, shall be assumed and borne by the requesting state.

Any member state rendering outside aid pursuant to this compact shall be reimbursed by the member state receiving such aid for any loss or damage to, or expense incurred in the operation of any equipment answering a request for aid, and for the cost of all materials, transportation, wages, salaries, and maintenance of employees and equipment incurred in connection with such request. Provided, that nothing herein contained shall prevent any assisting member state from assuming such loss, damage, expense or other cost or from loaning such equipment or from donating such services to the receiving member state without charge or cost.

Each member state shall provide for the payment of compensation and death benefits to injured employees and the representatives of deceased employees in case employees sustain injuries or are killed. while rendering outside aid pursuant to this compact, in the same. manner and on the same terms as if the injury or death were sustained within such state.

For the purposes of this compact the term employee shall include any volunteer or auxiliary legally included within the forest fire fighting forces of the aiding state under the laws thereof.

The Commission shall formulate procedures for claims and reimbursement under the provisions of this article.

Aid by a member state to an area subject to federal jurisdiction beyond the borders of such state shall not be required under this compact unless substantially the same provisions of this article relative to powers, liabilities, losses and expenses in connection with such aid are embodied in federal laws.

ARTICLE X

When appropriations for the support of this Commission or for the support of common services maintained by the Commission or a section thereof under the provisions of Article V are necessary, the Commission or section thereof shall allocate the costs among the states affected with consideration of the amounts of forested land in those states that will receive protection from the service to be rendered and the extent of the forest fire problem involved in each state, and shall submit its recommendations accordingly to the legislatures of the affected states.

The Commission shall submit to the governor of each state, at such time as he may request, a budget of its estimated expenditures for such period as may be required by the laws of such state for presentation to the legislature thereof.

The Commission shall keep accurate books of account, showing in full its receipts and disbursements, and said books of account shall be open at any reasonable time to the inspection of such representatives of the respective signatory states as may be duly constituted for that purpose.

On or before the first day of December of each year, the Commission shall submit to the respective governors of the signatory states a full and complete report of its activities for the preceding year.

ARTICLE XI

The representatives from any member state may appoint and consult with an advisory committee composed of persons interested in forest fire protection.

The Commission may appoint and consult with an advisory committee of representatives of all affected groups, private and governmental.

ARTICLE XII

The Commission may accept any and all donations, gifts and grants of money, equipment, supplies, materials and services from the federal or any local government, or any agency thereof and from any person, firm or corporation, for any of its purposes and functions under this compact, and may receive and utilize the same subject to the terms, conditions and regulations governing such donations, gifts and grants.

ARTICLE XIII

Nothing in this compact shall be construed to authorize or permit any member state to curtail or diminish its forest fire fighting forces, equipment, services or facilities, and it shall be the duty and responsibility of each member state to maintain adequate forest fire fighting forces and equipment to meet normal demands for forest fire protection within its borders.

Nothing in this compact shall be construed to limit or restrict the powers of any state ratifying the same to provide for the prevention, control and extinguishment of forest fires, or to prohibit the enactment or enforcement of state laws, rules or regulations intended to aid in such prevention, control and extinguishment in such state.

Nothing in this compact shall be construed to affect any existing or future cooperative relationship or arrangement between the United States Forest Service and a member state or states.

ARTICLE XIV

This compact shall continue in force and remain binding on each state ratifying it until the legislature or the governor of such state takes action to withdraw therefrom. Such action shall not be effective until six months after notice thereof has been sent by the chief executive of the state desiring to withdraw to the chief executives of all states then parties to the compact.

SEC. 2. Without further submission of the compact, the consent of Congress is given to any State to become a party to it in accordance

with its terms.

SEC. 3. The right to alter, amend, or repeal this Act is expressly reserved.

Approved June 25, 1949.

[CHAPTER 421-1ST SESSION]

[S. 1076]

AN ACT

To amend the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act of March 16, 1934 (48 Stat. 451; 16 U. S. C. 718b), as amended.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 2 of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act of March 16, 1934 (48 Stat. 451; 16 U. S. C. 718b), as amended, is further amended by deleting "$1" as it appears therein and inserting in lieu thereof "$2": Provided, That the moneys derived from the sale of such stamps shall be spent only upon specific appropriation by the Congress.

SEC. 2. Subsection (a) of section 4 of said Act is further amended by deleting the period and inserting in lieu thereof a colon and the following: "Provided, That in the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior not to exceed 25 per centum at any one time, of any area acquired in accordance with the provisions of this Act, may be administered primarily as a wildlife management area not subject to the prohibitions against the taking of birds, or nests or the eggs thereof, as contained in section 10 of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of February 18, 1929 (45 Stat. 1222; 16 U. S. C. 715i), as amended, except that no such area shall be open to the shooting of migratory birds when the population of such birds frequenting the area or in the migrations utilizing such area is on a decline, nor prior to July 1, 1952, or the date upon which the same has been fully developed as a management area, refuge, reservation, or breeding ground, whichever is later."

Approved August 12, 1949.

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