There is established in the Treasury of the United States a trust fund to be known as the “Deep Seabed Revenue Sharing Trust Fund” (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “Trust Fund”), consisting of such amounts as may be appropriated or credited to the Trust Fund as provided in this section.

There are hereby appropriated to the Trust Fund amounts determined by the Secretary of the Treasury to be equivalent to the amounts of the taxes received in the Treasury under section 4495 [1] of title 26.

(1) In general There are hereby appropriated to the Trust Fund amounts determined by the Secretary of the Treasury to be equivalent to the amounts of the taxes received in the Treasury under section 4495 [1] of title 26.

(2) Method of transfer The amounts appropriated by paragraph (1) shall be transferred at least quarterly from the general fund of the Treasury to the Trust Fund on the basis of estimates made by the Secretary of the Treasury of the amounts referred to in paragraph (1) received in the Treasury. Proper adjustments shall be made in the amounts subsequently transferred to the extent prior estimates were in excess of or less than the amount required to be transferred.

It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to hold the Trust Fund, and to report to the Congress for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1980, and each fiscal year thereafter on the financial condition and the results of the operations of the Trust Fund during the preceding year and on its expected condition and operations during the fiscal year and the next five fiscal years after the fiscal year. Such report shall be printed as a House document of the session of the Congress to which the report is made.

(1) Report It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to hold the Trust Fund, and to report to the Congress for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1980, and each fiscal year thereafter on the financial condition and the results of the operations of the Trust Fund during the preceding year and on its expected condition and operations during the fiscal year and the next five fiscal years after the fiscal year. Such report shall be printed as a House document of the session of the Congress to which the report is made.

It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to invest such portion of the Trust Fund as is not, in his judgment, required to meet current withdrawals. Such investments may be made only in interest-bearing obligations of the United States. For such purpose, such obligations may be acquired (i) on original issue at the issue price, or (ii) by purchase of outstanding obligations at the market price.

(A) In general It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to invest such portion of the Trust Fund as is not, in his judgment, required to meet current withdrawals. Such investments may be made only in interest-bearing obligations of the United States. For such purpose, such obligations may be acquired (i) on original issue at the issue price, or (ii) by purchase of outstanding obligations at the market price.

(B) Sale of obligations Any obligation acquired by the Trust Fund may be sold by the Secretary at the market price.

(C) Interest on certain proceeds The interest on, and the proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any obligations held in the Trust Fund shall be credited to and form a part of the Trust Fund.

If an international deep seabed treaty is ratified by and in effect with respect to the United States on or before the date ten years after June 28, 1980, amounts in the Trust Fund shall be available, as provided by appropriations Acts, for making contributions required under such treaty for purposes of the sharing among nations of the revenues from deep seabed mining. Nothing in this subsection shall be deemed to authorize any program or other activity not otherwise authorized by law.

If an international deep seabed treaty is not in effect with respect to the United States on or before the date ten years after June 28, 1980, amounts in the Trust Fund shall be available for such purposes as Congress may hereafter provide by law.

For purposes of this section, the term “international deep seabed treaty” has the meaning given to such term by section 4498(b) 1 of title 26.

(Pub. L. 96–283, title IV, § 403, June 28, 1980, 94 Stat. 584; Pub. L. 99–514, § 2, Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2095.)