§301 Lease or Rental Arrangements of Not Less Than Ten Years; Approval by Secretary; Delegation of Authority; Information to Congress

Summary

Any lease or rental for offices, buildings, grounds, or living quarters used by the Foreign Service overseas that lasts less than ten years and costs more than $100,000 a year must be approved by the Secretary of State before it is entered into. The Secretary can only give that approval power to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Administration or to the Director of the Office of Foreign Buildings. The Secretary must keep Congress up to date about such approved leases. If money is available from appropriations, the Secretary may make advance payments for long-term leases or lease‑purchase agreements when he or a person he names decides those payments are in the U.S. government's interest in carrying out this chapter.