Section was formerly classified to section 471m of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions.

1968—Pub. L. 90–403 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsec. (b).

“Secretary” substituted for “Commissioner of the General Land Office” and “such officer as the Secretary of the Interior may designate” and “such officer” substituted for “register” on authority of section 403 of Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1946, which abolished General Land Office and Commissioner thereof and transferred functions of General Land Office to a new agency in Department of the Interior to be known as Bureau of Land Management, and functions of Commissioner of General Land Office to Secretary of the Interior. See section 403 of Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1946, set out as a note under section 1 of this title.