I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1558
To authorize expenditures by the Panama Canal Commission for fiscal year
2000, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 26, 1999
Mr. BATEMAN (for himself and Mr. UNDERWOOD) (both by request) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed
Services
A BILL
To authorize expenditures by the Panama Canal Commission
for fiscal year 2000, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES TO PANAMA
CANAL ACT OF 1979.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Panama Canal Commission Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2000’’.
(b) REFERENCES
TO
PANAMA
CANAL
ACT
OF
1979.—Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever
in this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms
of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi-
sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a
section or other provision of the Panama Canal Act of
1979 (22 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.).
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF EXPENDITURES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), the
Panama Canal Commission is authorized to use amounts
in the Panama Canal Revolving Fund to make such ex-
penditures within the limits of funds and borrowing au-
thority available to it in accordance with law, and to make
such contracts and commitments, as may be necessary
under the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (22 U.S.C. 3601
et seq.) for the operation, maintenance, improvement, and
administration of the Panama Canal for fiscal year 2000
through noon on December 31, 1999, at which point re-
sponsibility for such maintenance, improvement, and ad-
ministration will be transferred to the Republic of Panama
by authority of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977.
(b) LIMITATIONS.—For fiscal year 2000 through
noon on December 31, 1999, the Panama Canal Commis-
sion may expend from funds in the Panama Canal Revolv-
ing Fund not more than $100,000 for official reception
and representation expenses, of which—
(1) not more than $28,000 may be used for of-
ficial reception and representation expenses of the
Supervisory Board of the Commission;
(2) not more than $14,000 may be used for of-
ficial reception and representation expenses of the
Secretary of the Commission; and
(3) not more than $58,000 may be used for of-
ficial reception and representation expenses of the
Administrator of the Commission.
SEC. 3. PURCHASE OF VEHICLES.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
funds available to the Commission shall be available for
the purchase and transportation to the Republic of Pan-
ama of passenger motor vehicles, the purchase price of
which shall not exceed $26,000 per vehicle.
SEC. 4. OFFICE OF TRANSITION ADMINISTRATION.
(a) EXPENDITURES FROM PANAMA CANAL COMMIS-
SION DISSOLUTION FUND.—The office established under
section 1305 of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 as amend-
ed (22 U.S.C. 3714a) to close out the affairs of the Com-
mission, known as the Office of Transition Administra-
tion, is hereby authorized to expend or obligate funds from
the Panama Canal Commission Dissolution Fund estab-
lished under such section for the purposes enumerated in
such section until October 1, 2004, the termination date
of said Fund.
(b) OPERATION OF THE OFFICE OF TRANSITION AD-
MINISTRATION.—Relevant provisions of the Panama
Canal Act of 1979, as amended (22 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.),
shall continue to govern the Office of Transition Adminis-
tration. For purposes of exercising authority under the
procurement laws of the United States, the director of
such offices shall have the status of the head of an agency.
The Office of Transition Administration shall have offices
in the Republic of Panama and in Washington, D.C. Such
Office in Panama shall be subject to the Chief of Mission
authority of the United States Embassy in Panama.
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