# § 8611. Attendance at meetings of technical, professional, or scientific organizations
**(a)** The Secretary of the Navy may authorize—
to attend meetings of technical, professional, scientific, and similar organizations, if the Secretary believes that their attendance will benefit the Department. The personnel may be reimbursed for their expenses at the rates prescribed by law.
**(1)** members of the naval service on active duty;
**(2)** civilian officers and employees of the Department of the Navy;
**(3)** members of the Coast Guard when it is operating as a service in the Navy; and
**(4)** members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration serving with the Navy;
**(b)** The Secretary, to the extent he considers proper, may delegate the authority conferred by this section to any person in the Department of the Navy, with or without the authority to make successive redelegations.
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**Source Credit**: (Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 444, § 7211; Pub. L. 89–718, § 8(a), Nov. 2, 1966, 80 Stat. 1117; Pub. L. 96–513, title V, § 513(24), Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2932; renumbered § 8611, Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, § 807(d)(1), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1836.)
| Revised section | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 7211 | 5 U.S.C. 421c. | Aug. 2, 1946, ch. 756, § 1, 60 Stat. 853. |
| | 5 U.S.C. 421g(b), (c). | Aug. 2, 1946, ch. 756, § 40(b), (c), 60 Stat. 858. |
| | 5 U.S.C. 412a. | Aug. 2, 1946, ch. 756, § 39, 60 Stat. 858. |
In subsection (b) the words “except the authority to prescribe regulations” are omitted, since contains no authority for the Secretary of the Navy to prescribe regulations for the administration of that section.
## Editorial Notes
### Prior Provisions
A prior section 8611, , , provided that President could prescribe uniform of Air Force, prior to repeal by , , .
### Amendments
2018— renumbered as this section.
1980—Subsec. (a)(4). substituted “National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration” for “Environmental Science Services Administration”.
1966—Subsec. (a)(4). substituted “Environmental Science Services Administration” for “Coast and Geodetic Survey”.
## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
### Effective Date of 2018 Amendment
Amendment by effective , with provision for the coordination of amendments and special rule for certain redesignations, see , set out as a note preceding .
### Effective Date of 1980 Amendment
Amendment by effective , see , set out as a note under .
### Repeals
The directory language of, but not the amendment made by, , , , cited as a credit to this section, was repealed by , , .
### Transfer of Functions
For transfer of authorities, functions, personnel, and assets of the Coast Guard, including the authorities and functions of the Secretary of Transportation relating thereto, to the Department of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see sections 468(b), 551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of , as modified, set out as a note under .