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B-133332 1 (1972-01-13)

handle is hein.gao/gaobadsde0001 and id is 1 raw text is: COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES WASHINGTON. D.C. 20548 B 3JAN 13 T*7z Dear I4. Ripley: By letter dated N ovember 18, 1971,* you rote to our Office concerning a unique problem that the Ihatitution has which pertains to its enployees assigned to the auithsonian Tropical Research Inatitute (OW). Specif- icaiy, you advised that employees of ST are the only United States employees on the Istbmus of Pnaa whose orgarization provides no assist- azee in coping with Me high cost of establihln and maintaining households in the RepubUe of Panama, You state that al other agancies provide either subsidized Canal Zone housing, subsidized housing in Panama, or Foreign Quarters Allovances. According to your letter, no permsnent housing is avallable in the Canal Zone for Athaoisn employees as housing in the Zone is in short' supply and is cgmpletely consumed by activities ore exclusively oriented toward canal operatios and. military requiremerts. Depite being assigned to duty stations in the Caul Zone, al $mitbaonlan employees therefore have no option but to establish residences for their families in the Republic of Pam= vhen houing coats are considerably higher than they are in the Canal 7ne itself and in the District of Columbia which is the geographic base awn which Foreign Qarters Allowances are determined. Subehapter IXIf title 5 -of the United States Code in the general statutory basis for the payment of overseas differentials and allowances to Federal employees, Under subchapter IIM, aLanes and differentials are authorized ftr payment to employees officially stationed in foreign areas, see 5 US.C. 5922,rd foreign area is defined in 5 U.S.C. 5921(6)(B)k as any area oitside the Lhited. States, the Comnnealth of Puerxto Rico, the Can=1 Zone, and territories and possessions of the United States. Accordingly, inwsmuch as the employees in qesaton are official, stationed in the Canal Znew, notwithstanding the fact that they are forced to obtain housing in the epubllic of Panma, the provizionm of subchapter nI/or title 5 of the United States Code authorizing overseas differentia]t and allowance are not applicable to these employees. You advised that the Smithsonian has propos.ed to partially offset the inequities that are get out herein by providing houaing cost support equiva- lent to the direct dollar differences betwee the tropical differential wnd foreign quarters allowances for those familes having no choice but to 14b