[CHAPTER 818-2D SESSION]

[H. R. 5486]

AN ACT

To provide for means of egress for buildings in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Commissioners of the District of Columbia, for protection against fire, are hereby authorized, after public hearing, to promulgate regulations to require the owner entitled to the beneficial use, rental, or control of any building now existing or hereafter erected, other than a private dwelling, which is three or more stories or over thirty feet in height, or is used as a hospital, school, asylum, sanitarium, convalescent home, or for similar use, or as a place of amusement, public assembly, restaurant, or for similar use, to provide, install, and maintain sufficient and suitable means of egress, guide signs, guide lights, exit lights, hall and stairway lights, standpipes, fire extinguishers, alarm gongs and striking stations, and such other appliances as the Commissioners may deem necessary for such buildings.

SEC. 2. It shall be unlawful for any person to occupy any building thirty days after notice in writing from the Commissioners of the District of Columbia or their designated agents that the owner entitled to the beneficial use, rental, or control of any building has failed or neglected to comply with the notice provided for by this Act to provide any such building with means of egress or appliances required by the regulations promulgated by the Commissioners of the District of Columbia under this Act.

SEC. 3. The notice from the Commissioners requiring the erection of means of egress and other appliances required by the regulations promulgated under this Act shall specify the character and number of means of egress or other appliances to be provided, the location of the same, and the time within which said means of egress or other appliances shall be provided, and in no case shall more than ninety days be allowed for compliance with said notice unless the Commissioners shall, in their discretion, deem it necessary to extend their time.

SEC. 4. Any owner entitled to the beneficial use, rental, or control of any building failing or neglecting to provide means of egress, guide signs, guide lights, exist lights, hall and stairway lights, standpipes, fire extinguishers, alarm gongs and striking stations, or other appliances required by the regulations promulgated under this Act after notice from the Commissioners or their designated agents so to do, shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not less than $10 nor more than $100 per day for each and every day he fails to comply with such notice. Any person violating any other

provision of this Act or regulations promulgated hereunder shall be punished, upon conviction thereof, by a fine of not less than $10 nor more than $100 per day for each and every day such violation exists.

SEC. 5. Any notice required by this Act shall be deemed to have been served if delivered to the person to be notified or left with any adult person at the usual residence or place of business of the person to be notified in the District of Columbia, or, if no such residence or place of business can be found in said District of Columbia by reasonable search, if left with any adult person at the office of any agent of the person to be notified, provided such agent has any authority or duty with reference to the building to which said notice relates, or, if no such office can be found in said District, by reasonable search, if forwarded by registered mail to the last-known address of the person to be notified and not returned by the postoffice authorities, or, if no address be known or can by reasonable diligence be ascertained, or, if any notice forwarded as authorized by the preceding clause of this section be returned by the postoffice authorities, if published on ten consecutive days in a daily newspaper published in the District of Columbia, or, if by reason of an outstanding unrecorded transfer of title, the name of the owner in fact cannot be ascertained beyond a reasonable doubt, if served on the owner of record in the manner hereinbefore provided or delivered to the agent, trustee, executor, or other legal representative of the estate of such person. Any notice to a corporation shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to have been served on such corporation if served on the president, secretary, treasurer, general manager, or any principal officer of such corporation in the manner hereinbefore provided for the services of notices on natural persons holding property in their own right, or if no such officer can be found in said District by reasonable search, then by publication for ten consecutive days in a daily newspaper published in the District of Columbia, and notice to a foreign corporation shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to have been served if served on any agent of such corporation personally or if left with any person of suitable age and discretion residing at the usual residence or employed at the usual place of business of such agent in the District of Columbia, or if published on ten consecutive days in a daily newspaper published in the District of Columbia.

SEC. 6. In case of failure or refusal of the owner entitled to the beneficial use, rental, or control of any building required by the regulations promulgated under this Act to comply with the requirements of the notice provided for in section 3, the Commissioners or their designated agents are hereby empowered to cause such construction and installation of means of egress and other appliances mentioned in the notice provided for, and the Commissioners are hereby authorized to assess the costs thereof as a tax against the buildings on which they are erected and the ground on which the same stands, said assessment to bear interest at the rate and be collected in the manner provided in section 5 of the Act entitled "An Act relating to the levying and collecting of taxes and assessments, and for other purposes", approved June 25, 1938.

SEC. 7. The District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia, in term time or in vacation, may upon a petition of the District of Columbia filed by its said Commissioners, issue an injunction to restrain the use or occupation of any building in the District of Columbia in violation of any of the provisions of this Act or of the regulations promulgated under this Act by the owner, lessee, or occupant.

SEC. 8. All Acts, parts of Acts, and regulations promulgated thereunder inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed.

SEC. 9. This Act shall take effect after ninety days from the date of its enactment.

Approved, December 24, 1942.

[CHAPTER 826-2D SESSION]

[H. R. 7781]

AN ACT

To define the real property exempt from taxation in the District of Columbia.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the real property exempt from taxation in the District of Columbia shall be the following and none other:

ica.

SECTION 1. (a) Property belonging to the United States of Amer

(b) Property belonging to the District of Columbia.

8

Property belonging to foreign governments and used for legation purposes.

(d) Property belonging to the Commonwealth of the Philippines and used for Government purposes.

(e) Property heretofore specifically exempted from taxation by any special Act of Congress, in force at the time of approval of this Act, so long as such property is used for the purposes for which such exemption is granted. The Commissioners of the District of Columbia shall report annually to the Congress the use being made of such specifically exempted property, and of any changes in such use, with recommendations.

(f) Art gallery buildings belonging to and operated by organizations which are not organized or operated for private gain, and are open to the public generally, and for admission to which no charge is made on more than two days each week.

(g) Library buildings belonging to and operated by organizations which are not organized or operated for private gain and are open to the public generally.

(h) Buildings belonging to and operated by institutions which are not organized or operated for private gain, which are used for purposes of public charity principally in the District of Columbia.

(i) Hospital buildings, belonging to and operated by organizations which are not organized or operated for private gain, including buildings and structures reasonably necessary and usual to the operation of a hospital.

(j) Buildings belonging to and operated by schools, colleges, or universities which are not organized or operated for private gain, and which embrace the generally recognized relationship of teacher and student.

(k) Buildings belonging to and used in carrying on the purposes and activities of the National Geographic Society, American Pharmaceutical Association, The Medical Society of the District of Columbia, the National Lutheran Home, the National Academy of Sciences, Brookings Institution, the American Forestry Association, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, the American Chemical

Society, the American Association to Promote the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf, and buildings belonging to such similar institutions as may be hereafter exempted from such taxation by special Acts of Congress.

(1) Cemeteries dedicated to and used solely for burial purposes and not organized or operated for private gain, including buildings and structures reasonably necessary and usual to the operation of a cemetery.

(m) Churches, including buildings and structures reasonably necessary and usual in the performance of the activities of the church. A church building is one primarily and regularly used by its congregation for public religious worship.

(n) Buildings belonging to religious corporations or societies primarily and regularly used for religious worship, study, training, and missionary activities.

(0) Pastoral residences actually occupied as such by the pastor, rector, minister, or rabbi of a church: Provided, That such pastoral residence be owned by the church or congregation for which said pastor, rector, minister, or rabbi officiates: And provided further, That not more than one such pastoral residence shall be so exempt for any one church or congregation.

(p) Episcopal residences owned by a church and used exclusively as the residence of a bishop of such church.

(q) Buildings belonging to organizations which are charged with the administration, coordination, or unification of activities, locally or otherwise, of institutions or organizations entitled to exemption under the provisions of this Act, and used as administrative headquarters thereof.

(r) (1) Grounds belonging to and reasonably required and actually used for the carrying on of the activities and purposes of any institution or organization entitled to exemption under the provisions of this Act.

(2) Additional grounds belonging to and forming a part of the property of such institutions or organizations as of July 1, 1942. Such exemption shall be granted only upon the filing of a written application to the Commissioners, supported by an affidavit that such additional grounds are not held for profit or sale but only for the enlargement and expansion of said institution or organization.

If, however, at any future date the grounds so exempted, or any portion thereof, shall be sold and a profit shall result from such sale the taxes thereon for each year from the date of acquisition of such property for which no tax has been paid shall immediately become due and payable, without interest: Provided, however, That the total of such taxes shall not exceed 50 per centum of the net profit derived from such sale. The Commissioners shall be furnished a copy of the contract of sale together with other evidence necessary to establish the amount of profit or loss therefrom at least ten days prior to the date of settlement of such sale. Taxes assessed under this subparagraph shall constitute a lien upon such property.

SEC. 2. If any building or any portion thereof, or grounds, belonging to and actually used by any institution or organization entitled to exemption under the provisions of this Act are used to secure a rent or income for any activity other than that for which exemption is