An Act to amend the Canal Zone Code to provide cost-of-living adjustments in cash relief payments to certain former employees of the Canal Zone Government, and for other purposes
PL 91-355 (H.R.7517), enacted 07/24/1970

470 
PUBLIC LAW 91-355-JULY 24, 1970 
[84 STAT. 
July 24, 1970 
[H, R. 7517] 
Public Law 91-355 
AN ACT 
To amend the Canal Zone Code to provide cost-of-living adjustments in cash 
relief payments to certain former employees of the Canal Zone Government, 
and for other purposes. 
Canal Zone 
Government. 
Benefits to cer-
tain former 
employees. 
81 Stat. 215; 
83 Stat. 139. 
50 Stat. 478. 
48 u s e 1372 
note, 
"Widow." 
Limitation. 
81 Stat. 215; 
83 Stat. 139. 
Be it entwted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That section 181 of 
title 2 of the Canal Zone Code (76A Stat. 20) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) of such section as subsec-
tion (e) thereof; and 
(2) by inserting immediately following subsection (b) of such 
section the following new subsections (c) and (d) : 
"(c) Each cash relief payment made pursuant to this section shall 
be increased on the same eifective date and by the same per centum, 
adjusted to the nearest dollar, as civil service retirement annuities are 
increased under the cost-of-living adjustment provisions of section 
8340 (b) of title 5, United States Code. 
"Such increase shall apply only to cash relief payments made after 
the date of enactment of this Act as increased by annuity increases 
made after such date of enactment under section 8340(b) of title 5, 
United States Code. 
"(d) The Governor of the Canal Zone may pay cash relief to the 
widow of any former employee of the Canal Zone Government who, 
until the time of his death, receives or has received cash relief under 
subsection (a) of this section or under the Act of July 8, 1937. The 
term 'widow' as used in this section includes only the following: 
"(1) a woman legally married to such employee at the time 
of his termination for disability and at his death. 
"(2) a woman who, although not legally married to such former 
employee at the time of his termination, had resided continuously 
with him for at least five years immediately preceding the em-
ployee's termination under such circumstances as would at com-
mon law make the relationsliip a valid marriage and who con-
tinued to reside with him until his death. 
"(3) a woman who has not remarried or assumed a common-
law relationship with any other person. 
Cash relief granted to such widows shall not at any time exceed 50 
per centum of the 'rate at which cash relief, inclusive of any addi-
tional payment under subsection (b) of this section, would be payable 
to the former employee were he then alive." 
SEC. 2. The increase in cash relief payments authorized by section 
181(c) of title 2, Canal Zone Code, as added by this Act, shall ap-
ply only to cash relief payments made after the date of enactment 
of this Act and shall be based only on annuity increases under sec-
tion 8340(b) of title 5, United States Code, that are made after the 
date of enactment of this Act. The cash relief payments authorized by 
section 181(d) of title 2, Canal Zone Code, as added by this Act, shall 
be payable to eligible individuals as determined by the Governor on 
the first day of each month following the month in which this Act is 
enacted. 
Approved July 24, 1970.