# § 3650. Air transportation
**(a)** Notwithstanding any other provision of law (except subsection (b)), the Commission may contract with Panamanian carriers registered under the laws of the Republic of Panama to provide air transportation to officials and employees of the Commission who are citizens of the Republic of Panama.
**(b)** An official or employee of the Commission who is a citizen of the Republic of Panama may elect, for security or other reasons, to travel by an air carrier holding a certificate under section 41102 of title 49.
---
**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 96–70, title I, § 1210, as added Pub. L. 99–223, § 5(b)(1), Dec. 28, 1985, 99 Stat. 1739; amended Pub. L. 104–201, div. C, title XXXV, § 3528, Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2861; Pub. L. 105–85, div. C, title XXXV, § 3524(a)(1), (b), Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 2065.)
## Editorial Notes
### Amendments
1997—, substituted “Air transportation” for “Travel and transportation” in section catchline.
Subsec. (a). , redesignated subsec. (d)(1) as subsec. (a) and substituted “subsection (b)” for “paragraph (2)”.
, struck out subsec. (a) which read as follows: “Subject to subsections (b) and (c) of this section, the Commission may pay travel and transportation expenses for employees in accordance with subchapter II of chapter 57 of title 5.”
Subsec. (b). , redesignated subsec. (d)(2) as subsec. (b) and substituted “An official” for “Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an official” and “who is a citizen of the Republic of Panama” for “referred to in paragraph (1)”.
, struck out subsec. (b) which read as follows: “For an employee to whom applies, the Commission may pay travel and transportation expenses associated with vacation leave for the employee and the immediate family of the employee notwithstanding requirements regarding periods of service established by subchapter II of chapter 57 of title 5 or the regulations promulgated thereunder.”
Subsec. (c). , struck out subsec. (c) which read as follows: “For an employee to whom does not apply, the Commission may pay travel and transportation expenses associated with vacation leave for the employee and the immediate family of the employee notwithstanding requirements regarding a written agreement concerning the duration of a continuing service obligation established by subchapter II of chapter 57 of title 5 or the regulations promulgated thereunder.”
Subsec. (d)(1). , redesignated subsec. (d)(1) as subsec. (a).
Subsec. (d)(2). , redesignated subsec. (d)(2) as subsec. (b).
1996— struck out “expenses” after “transportation” in section catchline and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Commission may pay the expenses of vacation leave travel for an employee of the Commission to whom applies and for transportation of employee’s family from the employee’s post of duty in Panama to the place of the employee’s actual residence at the time of appointment to the post of duty. The authorization of expenses under this section shall be in accordance with subchapter II of chapter 57 of title 5 and the regulations issued under that subchapter, except that the Commission may prescribe required periods of service notwithstanding and the regulations issued under subchapter II of chapter 57 of such title.”
## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
### Effective Date of 1997 Amendment
> “The amendments made by this section [amending this section and
>
> ] shall take effect on
>
> .”
, , , provided that:
### Effective Date
Section effective , see , set out as an Effective Date of 1985 Amendment note under .