US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

22 U.S.C. § 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 Employee’s Compensation, Department of Labor, for the benefit payments to the Commission’s 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 ) 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 , and
(2)
providing the services related thereto to the categories of persons to which such services were provided before .
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)

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 C, title XXXV, § 3507(a)112 Stat. 2269 Repealed.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

(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 , 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 .

(h)

Prohibition of funds for uses other than Commission activities

section 551 of title 5Except 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 , nor may funds be authorized or appropriated for any function other than Panama Canal Commission activities.

Pub. L. 96–70, title I, § 132193 Stat. 480Pub. L. 99–223, § 5(c)99 Stat. 1739Pub. L. 100–705, § 8102 Stat. 4686Pub. L. 102–484, div. C, title XXXV, § 3512106 Stat. 2655Pub. L. 103–337, div. C, title XXXVI, § 3604108 Stat. 3112Pub. L. 104–106, div. C, title XXXV, § 3529(3)110 Stat. 642Pub. L. 104–201, div. C, title XXXV, § 3542110 Stat. 2867Pub. L. 105–85, div. C, title XXXV111 Stat. 2066Pub. L. 105–261, div. C, title XXXV, § 3507(a)112 Stat. 2269(, , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , §§ 3525(b), 3550(d)(2)(A), (B), , , 2074; , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Pub. L. 96–7093 Stat. 452section 3601 of this titleThis chapter, referred to in subsec. (h), was in the original “this Act”, meaning , , , known as the Panama Canal Act of 1979, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under and Tables.

Amendments

Pub. L. 105–2611998—Subsec. (e). struck out subsec. (e) which provided that appropriations or funds of the Commission or of any other department or agency of the United States conducting operations in the Republic of Panama were available to defray the cost of certain health care services and educational services.

Pub. L. 105–85, § 3550(d)(2)(A)1997—Subsec. (c)(1). , substituted “” for “the effective date of this Act”.

Pub. L. 105–85, § 3550(d)(2)(B)Subsec. (c)(2). , substituted “” for “such effective date”.

Pub. L. 105–85, § 3525(b)Subsec. (e)(2). , substituted “, to other Commission employees when determined by the Commission to be necessary for their recruitment or retention, and to other persons” for “and persons”.

Pub. L. 104–1061996—Subsec. (d). struck out “appropriations or” before “funds of the Commission” in introductory provisions.

Pub. L. 104–201section 5924(4)(A) of title 5Subsec. (e). inserted concluding provisions “Notwithstanding the provisions relating to the availability of adequate schools contained in , the Commission shall by regulation determine the extent to which costs of educational services may be defrayed under this subsection.”

Pub. L. 103–3371994—Subsec. (e)(2). inserted “or the United States” after “schools in the Republic of Panama”.

Pub. L. 102–4841992—Subsec. (e)(1). inserted “provided by medical facilities licensed and approved by the Republic of Panama (and not operated by the United States)” after “health care services”.

Pub. L. 100–7051988—Subsec. (h). added subsec. (h).

Pub. L. 99–2231985—Subsec. (e). amended subsec. (e) generally, striking out “, in accordance with subsection (d) of this section,” after “shall be available” in provisions preceding par. (1) and inserting “employees of the Commission who are citizens of the United States and” in par. (2).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1998 Amendment

Pub. L. 105–261, div. C, title XXXV, § 3507(a)112 Stat. 2269, , , provided that the amendment made by section 3507(a) striking out subsec. (e) of this section is effective 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), , and any right or condition of employment provided for in, or arising from, subsec. (e) of this section is terminated.

Effective Date of 1988 Amendment

Pub. L. 100–705section 10 of Pub. L. 100–705section 3612 of this titleAmendment by effective , see , set out as a note under .

Effective Date of 1985 Amendment

Pub. L. 99–223section 8 of Pub. L. 99–223section 3612 of this titleAmendment by effective , see , set out as a note under .