§2703 Services and facilities for employees at posts abroad

Summary

The Secretary of State may set up, help run, and give space, utilities, and property for non-government services and facilities at U.S. posts abroad for civilian government employees. The Secretary can use the Foreign Service Buildings Act of 1926 and section 2684 to do this. The Secretary may also create short-term commissary or mess services when needed. Charges for those services must be at least the cost. Those receipts are used as working funds, but an amount equal to what was spent must be sent to the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts. These services should, as much as possible, be open to civilian workers from all U.S. agencies at the post and their dependents, and in special cases to U.S. citizens hired from outside the host country to teach dependents. The Secretary should not set up services where another agency already runs them unless more are needed, and other agencies should avoid duplicating them. Fees for a service at a post must be the same for all civilian government staff, and any agency supplying goods must charge the same rates it uses for its similar services. The Secretary may also give grants to help pay for child care in Moscow and at up to five other posts when extraordinary circumstances make child care necessary for the post to function. In deciding, the Secretary must consider whether spouses are encouraged to work because the post’s staff size is limited by the host country and no local Foreign Service nationals are employed, and whether local child care is available.