Chap. 26.—An ACT to establish a boundary line between the District of Columbia
and the Commonwealth of Virginia and to consent that, subject to certain
reservations and conditions, exclusive jurisdiction over certain lands shall be
in the United States; and to repeal Chapter 267 of the Acts of 1942, approved
March 19, 1942. [S B 81]
Whereas there has been passed by the Congress of the United
States Public Law two hundred eight—Seventy-ninth Congress, ap-
proved October thirty-first, nineteen hundred forty-five, entitled “An
act to establish a boundary line between the District of Columbia and
the Commonwealth of Virginia, and for other purposes.”, Title I of said
act being as follows:

TITLE I—BOUNDARY LINE BETWEEN THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA AND THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

“Section 101. The boundary line between the District of Columbia
and the Commonwealth of Virginia is hereby established as follows:

“Said boundary line shall begin at a point where the northwest
boundary of the District of Columbia intercepts the high-water mark on
the Virginia shore of the Potomac River and following the present mean
high-water mark; thence in a southeasterly direction along the Virginia
shore of the Potomac River to Little River, along the Virginia shore of
Little River to Boundary Channel, along the Virginia side of Boundary
Channel to the main body of the Potomac River, along the Virginia side
of the Potomac River across the mouths of all tributaries affected by the
tides of the river to Second Street, Alexandria, Virginia, from Second
Street to the present established pierhead line, and following said pier-
head line to its connection with the District of Columbia-Maryland
boundary line; that whenever said mean high-water mark on the
Virginia shore is altered by artificial fills and excavations made by the
United States, or by alluvion or erosion, then the boundary shall follow
the new mean high-water mark on the Virginia shore as altered, or
whenever the location of the pierhead line along the Alexandria water
front is altered, then the boundary shall follow the new location of the
pierhead line.

‘Section 102. All that part of the territory situated on the Virginia
side of the Potomac River lying between the boundary line as described
in section one hundred one and the mean high-water mark as it existed
January twenty-fourth, seventeen hundred ninety-one, is hereby ceded
to and declared to be henceforth within the territorial boundaries, juris-
diction, and sovereignty of the State of Virginia: Provided, however,
That concurrent jurisdiction over.the said area is hereby reserved to the
United States.

“Section 103. Nothing in this act shall be construed as relinquish-
ing any right, title, or interest of the United States to the lands lying be-
tween the mean high-water mark as it existed January twenty-fourth,
seventeen hundred ninety-one, and the boundary line as described in sec-
tion one hundred one; or to limit the right of the United States to es-
tablish its title to any of said lands as provided by Act of Congress of
April twenty-seventh, nineteen hundred twelve (37 Stat. 93); or the
jurisdiction of the courts of the United States for the District of Colum-
bia to hear and determine suits to establish the title of the United States
in all lands in the bed, marshes, and lowlands of the Potomac River, and
other lands as described by said act below the mean high-water mark of
January twenty-fourth, seventeen hundred ninety-one; or to limit the au-
thority to make equitable adjustments of conflicting claims as provided
for in the act approved June fourth, nineteen hundred thirty-four (48
Stat. 836).

“Section 104. The ‘present’ mean high-water mark shall be con-
strued as the mean high-water mark existing on the effective date of this
act.

“Section 105. The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey is here-
by authorized, empowered, and instructed to survey and properly mark
by suitable monuments the said boundary line as described in section one
hundred one, and from time to time to monument such sections of said
boundary line as may be changed as provided for in section one hun-
dred one; and the necessary appropriations for this work are hereby
authorized.

“Section 106. The provisions of sections two hundred seventy-
two to two hundred eighty-nine, inclusive, of the Criminal Code (U.S. C.,
title eighteen, sections four hundred fifty-one-four hundred sixty-eight)
shall be applicable to such portions of the George Washington Memorial
Parkway and of the Washington National Airport as are situated within
the Commonwealth of Virginia. Any United States commissioner spe-
cially designated for that purpose by the District Court of the United
States for the Eastern District of Virginia shall have jurisdiction to try
and, if found guilty, to sentence persons charged with petty offenses
against the laws of the United States committed on the above-described
portions of the said parkway or airport. The probation laws shall be
applicable to persons so tried. For the purposes of this section, the
term ‘petty offense’ shall be defined as in section three hundred thirty-
five of the Criminal Code (U. S. C., title eighteen section five hundred
forty-one.) If any person charged with any petty offense as aforesaid
shall so elect, however, he shall be tried in the said district court.

“Section 107. The State of Virginia hereby consents that exclu-
sive jurisdiction in the Washington National Airport (as described in
section one (b) of the act of June twenty-ninth, nineteen hundred forty
(fifty-four Stat. six hundred eighty-six) ), title to which is now in the
United States, shall be in the United States. The conditions upon which
this consent is given are the following and none others: (one) There is.
hereby reserved in the Commonwealth of Virginia the jurisdiction and
power to levy a tax on the sale of oil, gasoline, and all other motor fuels.
and lubricants sold on the Washington National Airport for use in over-
the-road vehicles such as trucks, busses, and automobiles, except sales
to the United States: Provided, That the Commonwealth of Virginia
shall have no jurisdiction or power to levy a tax on the sale or use of
oil, gasoline, or other motor fuels and lubricants for other purposes;
(two) there is hereby expressly reserved in the Commonwealth of Vir-
ginia the jurisdiction and power to serve criminal and civil process on
the Washington National Airport; and (three) there is hereby reserved.
in the Commonwealth of Virginia the jurisdiction and power to regulate
the manufacture, sale, and use of alcoholic beverages on the Washington
National Airport (as described in section one (b) of the act of June
twenty-ninth, nineteen hundred forty (fifty-four Stat. six hundred
eighty-six) ).

“Subject to the limitation on the consent of the State of Virginia as
expressed herein exclusive jurisdiction in the Washington National Air-
port shall be in the United States and the same is hereby accepted by the
United States.

“‘This act shall have no retroactive effect except that taxes and con-
tributions in connection with operations, sales and property on and in-
come derived at the Washington National Airport heretofore paid either
to the Commonwealth of Virginia or the District of Columbia are hereby
declared to have been paid to the proper jurisdictions and Common-
wealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia each hereby waives any
claim for any such taxes or contributions heretofore assessed or assess-
able to the extent of any such payments to either jurisdiction.

“Any provision of law of the United States or the Commonwealth
of Virginia which is to any extent in conflict with this act is to the extent
of such conflict hereby expressly repealed.

“Section 108. This title shall not become effective unless and un-
til the State of Virginia shall accept the provisions thereof.”

Whereas, the said boundary line as established by the said Act of
Congress is acceptable and satisfactory to the Commonwealth of Vir-
ginia; and

Whereas, it is desirable that the Commonwealth consent that ex-
clusive jurisdiction over the Washington National Airport, subject to
the reservations and conditions prescribed in section one hundred seven
of said Act of Congress, shall be in the United States ; now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the boundary line between the District of Columbia and
the Commonwealth of Virginia is hereby established as set out in said
Act of Congress hereinabove quoted.

2. The Commonwealth of Virginia hereby accepts the provisions of
Title I of said Act of Congress, said acceptance to be effective upon the
passage and approval of this act.

3. The Commonwealth of Virginia consents that exclusive juris-
diction over the Washington National Airport, subject to the reservations
and conditions prescribed in section one hundred seven of said Act of
Congress hereinabove quoted, shall be in the United States, and the pow-
ers reserved to the Commonwealth of Virginia in said section one hun-
dred seven shall be vested, reside and remain in this Commonwealth.

4. Nothing contained in this act shall be construed as repealing
any special acts heretofore or at this session passed ceding jurisdiction
to the Federal Government to acquire any specific tract of land.

5. Chapter two hundred and sixty-seven of the Acts of Assembly
of nineteen hundred forty-two, approved March nineteenth, nineteen
hundred forty-two, be, and the same is hereby, repealed.

6. An emergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.