Part 3 - Funds and Accounts

subpart i - funds

22 USC 3711 - Repealed. Pub. L. 104201, div. C, title XXXV, 3546(a)(8), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2868

Section, Pub. L. 96–70, title I, § 1301, Sept. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 477; Pub. L. 100–203, title V, § 5428(e), Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1330–274, directed that, on Oct. 1, 1979, unexpended balances of Canal Zone Government appropriations accounts be covered into general fund of Treasury, repealed any appropriations to which expenditures under such accounts had been chargeable before Oct. 1, 1979, and authorized Commission to pay claims or make payments chargeable to such accounts.

22 USC 3712 - Panama Canal Revolving Fund

(a) Establishment
There is established in the Treasury of the United States a revolving fund to be known as Panama Canal Revolving Fund. The Panama Canal Revolving Fund shall, subject to subsection (b) of this section, be available to the Commission to carry out the purposes, functions, and powers authorized by this chapter, including for the following purposes:

(1) The hire of passenger motor vehicles and aircraft.

(2) Uniforms or allowances therefor.

(3) Official receptions and representation expenses of the Board, the Secretary of the Commission, and the Administrator.

(4) The operation of guide services.

(5) A residence for the Administrator.

(6) Disbursements by the Administrator for employee and community projects.

(7) The procurement of expert and consultant services.

(8) Promotional activities, including the preparation, distribution, or use of any kit, pamphlet, booklet, publication, radio, television, film, or other media presentation designed to promote the Panama Canal as a resource of the world shipping industry.

(9) The purchase and transportation to the Republic of Panama of passenger motor vehicles, including large, heavy-duty vehicles.

(10) Payment to the Panama Canal Authority, not later than the Canal Transfer Date, of such amount as is computed by the Commission to be the future amount of severance pay to be paid by the Panama Canal Authority to employees whose employment with the Authority is terminated, to the extent that such severance pay is attributable to periods of service performed with the Commission before the Canal Transfer Date (and assuming for purposes of such computation that the Panama Canal Authority, in paying severance pay to terminated employees, will provide for crediting of periods of service with the Commission).

(b) Tolls and other receipts into Panama Canal Revolving Fund; restriction on use of funds

(1) There shall be deposited in the Panama Canal Revolving Fund, on a continuing basis, toll receipts (other than amounts of toll receipts deposited into the Panama Canal Commission Dissolution Fund under section 3714a of this title) and all other receipts of the Commission. Except as provided in section 3713 of this title, no funds may be obligated or expended by the Commission in any fiscal year unless such obligation or expenditure has been specifically authorized by law.

(2) No funds may be authorized for the use of the Commission, or obligated or expended by the Commission in any fiscal year; in excess of

(A) the amount of revenues deposited in the Panama Canal Revolving Fund and the Panama Canal Commission Dissolution Fund during such fiscal year; plus

(B) the amount of revenues deposited in the Panama Canal Revolving Fund before such fiscal year and remaining unobligated at the beginning of such fiscal year; plus

Not later than 30 days after the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary of the Treasury shall report to the Congress the amount of revenues deposited in the Panama Canal Revolving Fund during such fiscal year.

(c) Authority of Commission to make deposits
With the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, the Commission may deposit amounts in the Panama Canal Revolving Fund in any Federal Reserve bank, any depositary for public funds, or such other place and in such manner as the Commission and the Secretary may agree.

(d) Costs of implementation

(1) It is the sense of the Congress that the additional costs resulting from the implementation of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and related agreements should be kept to the absolute minimum level. To this end, the Congress declares appropriated costs of implementation to be borne by the taxpayers over the life of such Treaty should be kept to a level no greater than the March 1979 estimate of those costs ($870,700,000) presented to the Congress by the executive branch during consideration of this chapter by the Congress, less personnel retirement costs of $205,000,000, which were subtracted and charged to tolls, therefore resulting in net taxpayer cost of approximately $665,700,000, plus appropriate adjustments for inflation.

(2) It is further the sense of the Congress that the actual costs of implementation be consistent with the obligations of the United States to operate the Panama Canal safely and efficiently and keep it secure.

(e) Termination of Commission and Office of Transition Administration; transfer of Fund

(1) The Panama Canal Commission and the Office of Transition Administration (described in section 3504 of Public Law 10665) shall terminate on October 1, 2004.

(2) Upon termination pursuant to paragraph (1), the Panama Canal Revolving Fund shall be transferred to the General Services Administration (GSA). GSA shall use the amounts in the Fund to make payments of any outstanding liabilities of the Commission, as well as any expenses associated with the termination of the Office of Transition Administration and the Commission. The fund shall be the exclusive source available for payment of any outstanding liabilities of the Commission.

22 USC 3712a - Authority to lease office space

Notwithstanding section 210 of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 490),^[1] the Commission is authorized to negotiate directly and enter into contracts for the lease of, and for improvements to, real property in the United States for use by the Commission as office space, on such terms as the Commission considers to be in the interest of the United States, and to make direct payments therefor.

[1] See References in Text note below.

22 USC 3713 - Panama Canal emergency authority

If authorizing legislation described in section 3712 (b)(1) of this title has not been enacted for a fiscal year, then the Commission may withdraw funds from the Panama Canal Revolving Fund in order to defray emergency expenses and to ensure the continuous, efficient, and safe operation of the Panama Canal, including expenses for capital projects. The authority of this section may be exercised only until authorizing legislation described in section 3712 (b)(1) of this title is enacted, or for a period of 24 months after the end of the fiscal year for which such authorizing legislation was last enacted, whichever occurs first. Within 60 days after the end of any calendar quarter in which expenditures are made under this section, the Commission shall report such expenditures to the appropriate committees of the Congress.

22 USC 3714 - Borrowing authority

(a) Limitation on amount; issuance of notes and other obligations
The Panama Canal Commission may borrow from the Treasury, for any of the purposes of the Commission, not more than $100,000,000 outstanding at any time. For this purpose, the Commission may issue to the Secretary of the Treasury its notes or other obligations

(1) which shall have maturities (of not later than December 31, 1999) agreed upon by the Commission and the Secretary of the Treasury, and

(2) which may be redeemable at the option of the Commission before maturity.

(b) Restrictions on use
Amounts borrowed under this section shall not be available for payments to Panama under Article XIII of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977.

(c) Effect on investment interest in Panama Canal
Amounts borrowed under this section shall increase the investment of the United States in the Panama Canal, and repayment of such amounts shall decrease such investment.

(d) Report to Congress
The Commission shall report to the Congress and to the Office of Management and Budget on each exercise of borrowing authority under this section.

22 USC 3714a - Dissolution of Commission

(a) Study and report

(1) The Commission shall conduct a study of

(A) the costs associated with the dissolution of the Commission, including the composition, location, and costs of the office authorized to be established under subsection (b) of this section; and

(B) costs and liabilities incurred or administered by the Commission that will not be paid before the date of that dissolution.

(2) The Commission shall submit to the Congress, by not later than September 30, 1996, a report on the findings and conclusions of the study under this subsection. The report shall include an estimate of the period of time which may be required to close out the affairs of the Commission after the termination of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977.

(b) Termination office
The Commission shall during fiscal year 1998 establish an office to close out the affairs of the Commission that are still pending after the termination of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977.

(1) There is established in the Treasury of the United States a fund to be known as the Panama Canal Commission Dissolution Fund (hereinafter in this section referred to as the Fund). The Fund shall be managed by the Commission until the termination of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and by the office established under subsection (b) of this section thereafter.

(2)

(A) Subject to paragraph (5), the Fund shall be available after September 30, 1998, to pay

(i) the costs of operating the office established under subsection (b) of this section; and

(ii) the costs and liabilities associated with dissolution of the Commission, including such costs incurred or identified after the termination of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977.

(B) Payments from the Fund made during the period beginning on October 1, 1998, and ending with the termination of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 shall be subject to the approval of the Board provided for in section 3612 of this title.

(3) The Fund shall consist of

(A) such amounts as may be deposited into the Fund by the Commission, from amounts collected as toll receipts, to pay the costs described in paragraph (2); and

(B) amounts credited to the Fund under paragraph (4).

(4)

(A) The Secretary of the Treasury shall invest excess amounts in the Fund in public debt securities with maturities suitable to the needs of the Fund, as determined by the manager of the Fund.

(B) Securities invested under subparagraph (A) shall bear interest at rates determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, taking into consideration current market yields on outstanding marketable obligations of the United States of comparable maturity.

(5)

(A) Amounts in the Fund may not be obligated or expended in any fiscal year unless the obligation or expenditure is specifically authorized by law.

(B) The office established by subsection (b) of this section is authorized to expend or obligate funds from the Fund for the purposes enumerated in clauses (i) and (ii) of paragraph (2)(A) until October 1, 2004.

(6) The Fund shall terminate on October 1, 2004. Amounts in the Fund on that date shall be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury of the United States.

22 USC 3714b - Printing

(a) Sections 501 through 517 and 1101 through 1123 of title 44 shall not apply to direct purchase by the Commission for its use of printing, binding, and blank-book work in the Republic of Panama when the Commission determines that such direct purchase is in the best interest of the Government.

(b) This section shall not affect the Commissions authority, under chapter 5 of title 44, to operate a field printing plant.

22 USC 3715 - Establishment of Compensation Fund

There is established in the Treasury of the United States the Panama Canal Commission Compensation Fund (hereafter in this Act referred to as the Fund).

22 USC 3715a - Operation of Fund

(a) Deposits to Fund
The Panama Canal Commission shall make deposits on a regular basis to the Fund, beginning on October 1, 1988, to accumulate an amount sufficient to defray the estimated total cost of liability for the workers compensation benefits and other payments payable under chapter 81 of title 5 for the disability or death of employees of the Panama Canal Commission or any of its predecessor agencies on account of injuries sustained on or before December 31, 1999, except for those claims arising before, on, or after October 1, 1988, for which the Secretary of Labor has assumed fiscal responsibility.

(b) Calculation of amounts to be deposited
The amounts deposited under subsection (a) of this section shall be based upon periodic actuarial studies conducted by experts or consultants whose services are procured by the Panama Canal Commission by contract. The amounts of such deposits shall take into consideration interest earnings in accordance with subsection (c) of this section and expected cost of living adjustments as provided in section 8146a of title 5, but not amounts payable by the Commission for continuation of pay pursuant to section 8118 of such title.

(c) Investment of amounts in Fund
The Secretary of the Treasury, upon the request of the Secretary of Labor, shall invest moneys in the Fund in public debt securities which shall bear interest at rates determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, taking into consideration the current average market yield on outstanding marketable obligations of the United States of comparable maturity. Such interest shall be credited to and form a part of the Fund.

22 USC 3715b - Transfers from Fund for compensation benefits

The Secretary of the Treasury shall, upon request of the Secretary of Labor, transfer funds from the Fund to the Employees Compensation Fund to reimburse the Employees Compensation Fund for the total cost of workers compensation benefits and other payments described in section 3715a (a) of this title that are provided on or after October 1, 1988.

22 USC 3715c - Final evaluation of Fund; deficiency or surplus in Fund

(a) Final evaluation of Fund
By March 31, 1998, the Secretary of Labor shall, on the basis of an actuarial study conducted by experts or consultants whose services are procured by the Secretary of Labor by contract, make a final determination of the amounts estimated to be necessary to meet expenditures for workers compensation benefits and other payments described in section 3715a (a) of this title, as calculated in accordance with the second sentence of section 3715a (b) of this title. Amounts in the Fund shall be used to pay for the final determination under this subsection.

(b) Deficiency or surplus in Fund
If amounts in the Fund are not sufficient to meet expenditures as determined by the Secretary of Labor under subsection (a) of this section for workers compensation benefits and other payments described in section 3715a (a) of this title, then amounts in the Panama Canal Revolving Fund not otherwise obligated shall be transferred to the Fund to make up the deficiency. Any amounts remaining in the Fund in excess of the final determination amount as described in subsection (a) of this section shall be transferred to the Panama Canal Revolving Fund, and may be used to satisfy lawful obligations of the Revolving Fund arising on or before December 31, 1999.

(1) Amounts in the Fund (including amounts transferred as a result of the final determination made under subsection (a) of this section) shall be maintained by the Secretary of the Treasury, shall be made available for transfer to the Employees Compensation Fund in such amounts as are requested by the Secretary of Labor pursuant to section 3715b of this title, and may be discontinued only in accordance with paragraph (2).

(2) At such time as the Secretary of Labor certifies that no further liability exists for workers compensation benefits or other payments described in section 3715a (a) of this title, the Secretary of the Treasury may discontinue the Fund in the manner provided by law.

22 USC 3715d - Continuation of benefits

The provisions of chapter 81 of title 5 shall, on or after October 1, 1988, continue to be the exclusive remedy, in accordance with section 8116 of such title, for the disability or death of any employee of the Panama Canal Commission, or any of its predecessor agencies, who is covered under such chapter, resulting from injuries sustained while in the performance of the employees duty. The rights of any such employee for workers compensation benefits shall be based only on the provisions of that chapter.

subpart ii - accounting policies and audits

22 USC 3721 - Accounting policies

(a) Establishment and maintenance of accounts; specifications
The Commission shall establish and maintain its accounts pursuant to chapter 91 of title 31 and the provisions of this part. Such accounts shall specify all revenues received by the Commission, including tolls for the use of the Panama Canal, expenditures for capital replacement, expansion, and improvement, and all costs of maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal and of its complementary works, installations, and equipment, including depreciation, payments to the Republic of Panama under the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, and interest on the investment of the United States calculated in accordance with section 3793 of this title.

(b) Regulations establishing the basis of accounting for assets
The Commission may issue regulations establishing the basis of accounting for the assets which are made available for the use of the Commission. Such regulations may provide for depreciation of the net replacement value of the assets which will ultimately require replacement to maintain the service capacity of the Panama Canal. Such regulations may also provide that depreciation of such assets be recorded ratably over their service lives.

22 USC 3722 - Repealed. Pub. L. 10466, title II, 2201(a), Dec. 21, 1995, 109 Stat. 732

Section, Pub. L. 96–70, title I, § 1312, Sept. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 479, related to annual reports to President and Congress.

22 USC 3723 - Audits

(a) Financial transactions of Commission; access to books, accounts, etc.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and subject to subsection (c) of this section, financial transactions of the Commission shall be audited by the Comptroller General of the United States (hereinafter in this chapter referred to as the Comptroller General). In conducting any such audit, the appropriate representatives of the Comptroller General shall have access to all books, accounts, financial records, reports, files, and other papers, items, or property in use by the Commission and necessary to facilitate such audit, and such representatives shall be afforded full facilities for verifying transactions with the balances or securities held by depositories, fiscal agents, and custodians. Any such audit shall first be conducted with respect to the fiscal year in which this chapter becomes effective. An audit performed under this section is subject to the requirements of paragraphs (2), (3), and (5) of section 9105 (a) of title 31.

(b) Omitted

(c) Independent auditors
At the discretion of the Board provided for in section 3612 of this title, the Commission may hire independent auditors to perform, in lieu of the Comptroller General, the audit and reporting functions prescribed in subsections (a) and (b) of this section.

(d) Examination and report on Commission’s financial forecast
In addition to auditing the financial statements of the Commission, the Comptroller General (or the independent auditor if one is employed pursuant to subsection (c) of this section) shall, in accordance with standards for an examination of a financial forecast established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, examine and report on the Commissions financial forecast that it will be in a position to meet its financial liabilities on December 31, 1999.

subpart iii - interagency accounts

22 USC 3731 - Reimbursements

(a) Reimbursement of the Employees’ Compensation Fund, Bureau of Employees’ Compensation, Department of Labor, and other Government departments and agencies by Commission
The Commission shall reimburse the Employees Compensation Fund, Bureau of Employees Compensation, Department of Labor, for the benefit payments to the Commissions employees, and shall also reimburse other Government departments and agencies for payments of a similar nature made on its behalf.

(b) Reimbursement of Commission by Department of Defense
The Department of Defense shall reimburse the Commission for amounts expended by the Commission in maintaining defense facilities in standby condition for the Department of Defense.

(c) Designation of funds of Department of Defense or any other department or agency of United States to carry out purposes of this subsection
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds appropriated (for any fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1979) to or for the use of the Department of Defense, or to any other department or agency of the United States as may be designated by the President to carry out the purposes of this subsection, shall be available for

(1) conducting the educational and health care activities, including kindergartens and college, carried out by the Canal Zone Government and the Panama Canal Company before October 1, 1979, and

(2) providing the services related thereto to the categories of persons to which such services were provided before October 1, 1979.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Department of Defense, or any department or agency designated by the President to provide health care services to those categories of persons referred to in this subsection, shall provide such services to such categories of persons on a basis no less favorable than that applied to its own employees and their dependents.

(d) Reimbursement to departments or agencies furnishing services
Amounts expended for furnishing services referred to in subsection (c) of this section to persons eligible to receive them, less amounts payable by such persons, shall be fully reimbursable to the department or agency furnishing the services, except to the extent that such expenditures are the responsibility of that department or agency. The funds of the Commission shall be available for such reimbursements on behalf of

(1) employees of the Commission, and

(2) other persons authorized to receive such services who are eligible to receive them pursuant to the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and related agreements.

The appropriations or funds of any other department or agency of the United States conducting operations in the Republic of Panama, including the Smithsonian Institution, shall be available for reimbursements on behalf of employees of such department or agency and their dependents.

(e) Repealed. Pub. L. 105–261, div. C, title XXXV, § 3507(a), Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2269

(f) Reimbursement of United States by Republic of Panama for salaries and other employment costs
For purposes of the reimbursement of the United States by the Republic of Panama for the salaries and other employment costs of employees of the Commission who are assigned to assist the Republic of Panama in the operation of activities which are transferred to that Government as a result of any provision of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and related agreements, which reimbursement is provided for in paragraph 8 of Article 10 of that Treaty, the Commission shall be deemed to be the United States of America.

(g) Operation of Canal Zone College
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President, through the appropriate department or agency of the United States, shall, until January 1, 2000, operate the educational institution known as the Canal Zone College. Such institution shall continue to provide, insofar as practicable, the level of services which it offered immediately before October 1, 1979.

(h) Prohibition of funds for uses other than Commission activities
Except as expressly provided in this chapter, funds available to the Panama Canal Commission may not be made available to any other agency as that term is defined in section 551 of title 5, nor may funds be authorized or appropriated for any function other than Panama Canal Commission activities.

subpart iv - postal matters

22 USC 3741 - Postal service

(a) Possession or administration of funds by Commission
The Commission shall take possession of and administer the funds of the Canal Zone postal service and shall assume its obligations.

(b) Expiration of responsibility for unpaid balances
Effective December 1, 1999, neither the Commission nor the United States Government shall be responsible for the distribution of any accumulated unpaid balances relating to Canal Zone postal-savings deposits, postal-savings certificates, and postal money orders.

(c) Mail addressed to Canal Zone from or through United States
Mail addressed to the Canal Zone from or through the continental United States may be routed by the United States Postal Service to the military post offices of the United States Armed Forces in the Republic of Panama. Such military post offices shall provide the required directory services and shall accept such mail to the extent permitted under the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and related agreements. The Commission shall furnish personnel, records, and other services to such military post offices to assure wherever appropriate the distribution, rerouting, or return of such mail.

subpart v - accounts with republic of panama

22 USC 3751 - Payments to Republic of Panama

(a) Payments required under Panama Canal Treaty; annual audit
The Commission shall pay to the Republic of Panama those payments required under paragraph 5 of Article III and paragraph 4 of Article XIII of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977. Payments made under paragraph 5 of Article III of such Treaty shall be audited annually by the Comptroller General and any overpayment, as determined in accordance with Understanding (1) incorporated in the Resolution of Ratification of the Panama Canal Treaty (adopted by the United States Senate on April 18, 1978), for the services described in that paragraph which are provided shall be refunded by the Republic of Panama or set off against amounts payable by the United States to the Republic of Panama under paragraph 5 of Article III of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977.

(b) Excess operating revenues
In determining whether operating revenues exceed expenditures for the purpose of payments to the Republic of Panama under paragraph 4(c) of Article XIII of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, such operating revenues in a fiscal period shall be reduced by

(1) all costs of such period as shown by the accounts established pursuant to section 3721 of this title, and

(2) the cumulative sum from prior years (beginning with the year in which the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 enters into force) of any excess of costs of the Panama Canal Commission over operating revenues.

(c) Retroactive taxation
The President shall not accede to any interpretation of paragraph 1 of Article IX of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 which would permit the Republic of Panama to tax retroactively organizations and businesses operating, and citizens of the United States living, in the Canal Zone before October 1, 1979.

(d) Accumulated unpaid balances
Any accumulated unpaid balance under paragraph 4(c) of Article XIII of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 at the termination of such Treaty shall be payable only to the extent of any operating surplus in the last year of the Treatys duration, and nothing in such paragraph may be construed as obligating the United States to pay after the date of the termination of the Treaty any such unpaid balance which has accrued before such date.

(e) Toll rates; payment of costs of operation and maintenance of canal with unexpended funds
As provided in section 3792 (b) of this title, tolls shall not be prescribed at rates calculated to cover payments to the Republic of Panama pursuant to paragraph 4(c) of Article XIII of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977. Moreover, no payments may be made to the Republic of Panama under paragraph 4(c) of Article XIII of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 unless unexpended funds are used to pay all costs of operation and maintenance of the canal, including but not limited to

(1) operating expenses determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles,

(2) payments to the Republic of Panama under paragraphs 4(a) and 4(b) of such Article XIII and under paragraph (5) of Article III of such Treaty,

(3) amounts in excess of depreciation and amortization which are programed for plant replacement, expansion, and improvements,

(4) payments to the Treasury of the United States under section 3793 of this title,

(5) reimbursement to the Treasury of the United States for costs incurred by other departments and agencies of the United States in providing educational, health, and other services to the Commission, its employees and their dependents, and other categories of persons in accordance with section 3731 of this title,

(6) any costs of Treaty implementation associated with the maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal, and

(7) amounts programmed to meet working capital requirements.

(f) Prohibitions
The prohibitions contained in this section and in sections 3712 (b) and 3783 of this title shall apply notwithstanding any other provision of law authorizing transfers of funds between accounts, reprograming of funds, use of funds for contingency purposes, or waivers of prohibitions.

(g) Exemption from automatic budget cuts
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no reduction under any order issued pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 shall apply to the Commission if the implementation of such an order would result in a payment to the Republic of Panama under paragraph 4(c) of article XIII of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and this section.

22 USC 3752 - Transactions with Republic of Panama

(a) Commission assistance on reimbursable basis
The Commission may, on a reimbursable basis, provide to the Republic of Panama materials, supplies, equipment, work, or services, including water and electric power, requested by the Republic of Panama, at such rates as may be agreed upon by the Commission and the Republic of Panama. Payment for such materials, supplies, equipment, work, or services may be made by direct payment by the Republic of Panama to the Commission or by offset against amounts due the Republic of Panama by the United States.

(b) Commission assistance on nonreimbursable basis
The Commission may provide office space, equipment, supplies, personnel, and other in-kind services to the Panama Canal Authority on a nonreimbursable basis.

(c) Other department of agency assistance on reimbursable basis
Any executive department or agency of the United States may, on a reimbursable basis, provide to the Panama Canal Authority materials, supplies, equipment, work, or services requested by the Panama Canal Authority, at such rates as may be agreed upon by that department or agency and the Panama Canal Authority.

22 USC 3753 - Disaster relief

If an emergency arises because of disaster or calamity by flood, hurricane, earthquake, fire, pestilence, or like cause, not foreseen or otherwise provided for, and occurring in the Republic of Panama in such circumstances as to constitute an actual or potential hazard to health, safety, security, or property in the areas and installations made available to the United States pursuant to the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and related agreements, the Commission may expend funds available to the Commission for such purpose, and utilize or furnish materials, supplies, equipment, and services for relief, assistance, and protection.

22 USC 3754 - Congressional restraints on property transfers and tax expenditures; formal apprisal of Panama

(a) The Congress enacts this section in the exercise of its authority under Article IV, section 3, clause 2 of the Constitution of the United States to dispose of and make necessary rules and regulations with respect to property of the United States.

(b) Prior to the transfer of property of the United States located in the Republic of Panama to the Republic of Panama pursuant to section 3784 of this title the President shall formally advise the Government of Panama that

(1) in fulfilling its obligations under the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, the United States shall make no payments to the Republic of Panama derived from tax revenues of the United States;

(2) the United States retains full discretion and authority to determine whether and the extent to which tax revenues of the United States may be expended in exercising United States rights and carrying out United States responsibilities under the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and related agreements;

(3) no tax revenues of the United States shall be made available for obligations and expenditure after October 1, 1979, for purposes of implementing the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and related agreements, unless hereafter specifically approved by the Congress through the authorization and appropriation process;

(4) the total amount expended by the Commission from funds available for the use of the Commission shall not exceed the total amount deposited in the Panama Canal Revolving Fund; and

(5) the foregoing paragraphs of this subsection do not apply to expenditures made by the United States in fulfilling United States obligations to transfer the remains of our honored dead from Mount Hope Cemetery in the former Canal Zone to an appropriate and dignified resting place in accordance with Reservation 3 to the Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal.