States and shall not within a reasonable time after demand made upon him or her by the Secretary of State or by such citizen, his or her executor, administrator, or legal representative, account for and pay over all moneys, property, and effects, less his or her lawful fees, due to such citizen, shall be deemed guilty of embezzlement, and shall be punishable by imprisonment for not more than five years, and by a fine of not more than $2,000 (22 U.S.C. 1198). Penalties of imprisonment and fine are also prescribed for embezzlement in connection with the acceptance, without execution of a prescribed form of bond, of appointment from any foreign state as administrator, guardian, or to any other office of trust for the settlement or conservation of estates of deceased persons or of their heirs or of persons under legal disabilities (22 U.S.C. 1178 and 1179). Acceptance of such appointments is not ordinarily permitted under existing regulations. See § 92.81 of this chapter.

(22 U.S.C. 2658 and 3926)

[22 FR 10789, Dec. 27, 1957, as amended at 49 FR 16989, Apr. 23, 1984]

§ 13.3 Liability for neglect of duty or for malfeasance generally; action on bond; penalty.

Whenever any consular officer willfully neglects or omits to perform seasonably any duty imposed upon him or her by law, or by any order or instruction made or given in pursuance of law, or is guilty of any willful malfeasance or abuse of power, or of any corrupt conduct in his or her office, he or she shall be liable to all persons injured by any such neglect, or omission, malfeasance, abuse, or corrupt conduct, for all damages, occasioned thereby; and for all such damages, he or she and his or her sureties upon his or her official bond shall be responsible thereon to the full amount of the penalty thereof to be sued in the name of the United States for the use of the person injured. Such suit, however, shall in no case prejudice, but shall be held in entire subordination to the interests, claims, and demands of the United States, as against any officer, under such bond, for every willful act of malfeasance or corrupt conduct in his or her office. If any consul neglects or

omits to perform seasonably the duties imposed upon him or her by the laws regulating the shipment and discharge of seamen, or is guilty of any malversation or abuse of power, he or she shall be liable to any injured person for all damage occasioned thereby; and for all malversation and corrupt conduct in office, he or she shall be punishable by imprisonment for not more than five years and not less than one, and by a fine of not more than $10,000 and not less than $1,000 (22 U.S.C. 1199).

(22 U.S.C. 2658 and 3926)

[22 FR 10789, Dec. 27, 1957, as amended at 49 FR 16989, Apr. 23, 1984]

§ 13.4 False certificate as to ownership of property.

If any consul of vice consul falsely and knowingly certifies that property belonging to foreigners is property belonging to citizens of the United States, he or she shall be punishable by imprisonment for not more than three years, and by a fine of not more than $10,000 (22 U.S.C. 1200).

(22 U.S.C. 2658 and 3926)

[22 FR 10789, Dec. 27, 1957, as amended by Dept. Reg. 108.838, 49 FR 16989, Apr. 23, 1984]

$16.1 Definitions.

(a) Act means the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended.

(b) Grievant means any officer or employee of the Service who is a citizen of the United States; or for purposes of paragraphs (c) (7) and (8) of this section, a former officer or employee of the Service; or in the case of death of the officer or employee, a surviving spouse or dependent family member of the officer or employee.

(c) Grievance means any act or condition subject to the control of the Foreign Affairs agencies (the Department of State, the Agency for International Development, or the U.S. Information Agency) which is alleged to deprive the grievant of a right or benefit authorized by law or regulation or is otherwise a source of concern or dissatisfaction to the grievant, including, but not limited to the following:

(1) Complaints against separation of an officer or employee allegedly contrary to law or regulation or predicated upon alleged inaccuracy (including inaccuracy resulting from omission or any relevant and material document), error, or falsely prejudicial character of any part of the grievant's official personnel record;

(2) Other alleged violation, misinterpretation, or misapplication of applicable law, regulation, or published policy affecting the terms and conditions of the grievant's employment or career status;

(3) Allegedly wrongful disciplinary action against an employee constituting a reprimand or suspension from official duties;

(4) Dissatisfaction with any matter subject to the control of the agency with respect to the grievant's physical working environment;

(5) Alleged inaccuracy, error, or falsely prejudicial material in the grievant's official personnel file;

(6) Action alleged to be in the nature of reprisal or other interference with freedom of action in connection with under

an

employee's participation these grievance procedures;

(7) When the grievant is a former officer who was involuntarily retired pursuant to sections 633 and 634 of the Act within 6 years prior to December 1, 1975, "grievance" shall mean a com

plaint that such involuntary retirement violated applicable law or regulation effective at the time of the retirement or that the involuntary retirement was predicated directly upon material contained in the grievant's official personnel file alleged to be erroneous or falsely prejudicial in character; and

(8) When the grievant is a former officer or employee or a surviving spouse or dependent family member of a former officer or employee, "grievance" shall mean a complaint that an allowance or other financial benefit has been denied arbitrarily, capriciously or contrary to applicable law or regulation.

(d) Grievance does not include the following:

(1) Complaints against individual assignment or transfers of Foreign Service officers or employees, which are ordered in accordance with law and regulation (see also paragraph (c)(2) of this section);

(2) Judgments of Selection Boards rendered pursuant to section 623 of the Act, or of equivalent bodies, in ranking Foreign Service officers and employees for promotion on the basis of merit, or judgments in examinations prescribed by the Board of Examiners pursuant to section 516 or 517 of the Act (see also paragraph (c)(2) of this section);

(3) Termination of time-limited appointments pursuant to 22 U.S.C. 929 and 1008, and the pertinent regulations prescribed by the employing agency (see also paragraph (c)(2) of this section);

(4) Any complaints or appeals for which a specific statutory appeals procedure exists (see appendix A for examples).

A grievance filed under these procedures may be based on matters for which there is a specific statutory appeals procedure which is applicable to the Foreign Service grievant. Should the jurisdiction of the Grievance Board over a specific grievance be placed into question on grounds that the basis of the grievance is not encompassed within the Board's authority (§ 16.1(d)(4) and Appendix A), the Board shall consult with the other statutory body concerned, transmitting the views of the

parties concerned before determining whether it has jurisdiction.

(e) Employee organization means any employee organization accorded recognition as the excusive employee representative pursuant to Executive Order 11636 dated December 17, 1971.

(f) Grievance Board or Board means the full Foreign Service Grievance Board, or a Panel or member thereof, as appropriate.

(g) Party means the grievant or the Foreign Affairs agency having control over the act or condition forming the subject matter of the grievance.

(h) Bureau means equivalent organizational elements in State and USIA, and includes offices in AID.

(i) Days means calendar days.

§ 16.2 General provisions.

(a) Statement of purpose. These regulations establish procedures as required by law to provide Foreign Service officers and employees (and their survivors) of the Foreign Affairs agencies, a grievance procedure to insure a full measure of due process, and to provide for the just consideration and resolution of grievances of such officers, employees, and survivors. No regulation promulgated in this part shall be interpreted or applied in any manner which would alter or abridge the provisions of the due process established by the Congress in Pub. L. 94-141, 22 U.S.C. 1037, section 691.

(b) Discussion of complaints. (1) Every effort should be made to settle any employee complaint informally, promptly, and satisfactorily.

(2) Supervisors and other responsible officers should encourage employees to discuss complaints with them and should respond in a timely manner to resolve the complaints.

(3) An employee initially should discuss a complaint with the employee's current supervisor or with the responsible officer who has immediate jurisdiction over the complaint to give that person an opportunity to resolve the matter, before further steps are taken under these procedures.

(c) Guidance. Nothing in these procedures prevents a grievant from seeking guidance from any official who might be helpful respecting the submission of a grievance or its resolution.

(d) Freedom of action. (1) Any grievant, witness, representative or other person involved in a proceeding hereunder shall be free from any restraint, interference, coercion, harassment, discrimination, or reprisal in those proceedings or by virtue of them. The Foreign Affairs agencies recognize their obligation to insure compliance with this section. Any person involved or having immediate knowledge of any alleged breach of this section should call it to the attention of the pertinent foreign affairs agency through appropriate channels for corrective action as necessary. Normally such allegations should be brought to the attention of the senior agency official at the post; and at Washington, DC, to the Director, Grievance Staff for State; Chief, Employee Relations Branch for AID and Chief, Employee-Management Relations Division for USIA.

(2) The grievant has the right to a representative of the grievant's own choosing at every stage of the proceedings. The grievant and representative(s) who are under the control, supervision, or responsibility of the Foreign Affairs agencies shall be granted reasonable periods of administrative leave to prepare, to be present, and to present the grievance.

(3) Any witness under the control, supervision, or responsibility of a Foreign Affairs agency shall be granted reasonable periods of administrative leave to appear and testify at any such proceeding.

(4) The Foreign Service Grievance Board established hereunder shall have authority to ensure that no copy of the determination of the agency head or designee to reject a Grievance Board recommendation, no notation of the failure of the Grievance Board to find for the grievant, and no notation that a proceeding is pending or has been held, shall be entered in the personnel records of the grievant (unless by order of the Grievance Board as a remedy for the grievance) or those of any other officer or employee connected the the grievance. The Foreign Affairs agencies shall maintain grievance records under appropriate safeguards to preserve confidentiality (§ 16.9).

(a) Grievance Board records. The grievant and the grievant's representative shall have access to the record of proceedings, including the decision of the Board.

(b) Agency records. (1) In considering the validity of a grievance, the Grievance Board shall have access, to the extent permitted by law, to any agency record considered by the Board to be relevant to the grievant and the subject matter of the grievance.

(2) The agency shall, subject to applicable law, promptly furnish the grievant any agency record which the grievant requests to substantiate the grievance and which the agency or the Grievance Board determines is relevant and material to the proceeding. When deemed appropriate by the agency or the Board, a grievant may be supplied with only a summary of extract of classified material. If a request by a grievant for a document is denied prior to or during the agency's consideration of a grievance, such denial may be raised by the grievant as an integral part of the grievance before the Board.

(3) These regulations do not require disclosure of any official agency record to the Grievance Board or a grievant where the head of agency or deputy determines in writing that such disclosure whould adversely affect the foreign policy or national security of the United States.

§ 16.4 Time limits for grievance filing.

(a) A grievance concerning a continuing practice or condition may be presented at any time if its adverse effect is presently continuing. Documents contained in official employee personnel files, for example, shall be deemed to constitute a continuing condition.

(b) Subject to paragraph (a) of this section, a grievance under these regulations is forever barred, and the Grievance Board shall not consider or resolve the grievance, unless the grievance is presented within a period of 3 years after the occurrence or occurrences giving rise to the grievance, except that if the grievance arose earlier than 2 years prior to the effective date of these regulations, the grievance shall be so barred, and no considered

and resolved, unless it is presented within a period of 2 years after the effective date of these regulations, There shall be excluded from the computation of any such period any time during which the grievant was unaware of the grounds which are the basis of the grievance and could not have discovered such grounds if the grievant had exercised, as determined by the Grievance Board, reasonable diligence.

(c) A grievance shall be deemed presented to the responsible official (§ 16.7(b)), transmitted to post or bureau (§ 16.7(c)) submitted for agency review (§ 16.8) or filed with the Grievance Board § 16.11(a):

(1) On the date of its dispatch by telegram, registered or certified mail, or receipted mail, in a diplomatic pouch;

(2) On the date of its arrival at the appropriate office, if delivered by any other means.

§ 16.5 Relationship to other remedies.

(a) A grievant may not file a grievance under these procedures if the grievant has formally requested, prior to filing a grievance, that the matter or matters which are the basis of the grievance be considered or resolved and relief be provided, under another provision of law, regulation, or executive order, and the matter has been carried to final decision thereunder on its merits or is still under consideration.

(b) If a grievant is not prohibited from filing a grievance under these regulations by paragraph (a) of this section, the grievant may file under these regulations notwithstanding the fact that such grievance may be eligible for consideration, resolution, and relief under a regulation or executive order other than under these regulations, but such election of remedies shall be final upon the acceptance of jurisdiction by the Board.

$16.6 Security clearances.

The agencies shall use their best endeavors to expedite security clearances whenever necessary to ensure a fair and prompt investigation and hearing. § 16.7 Agency procedures.

(a) Initial consideration. (1) Grievances shall be considered through the steps

provided in this section before they are filed with the Grievance Board.

(2) During the pendency of agency procedures under this section, the grievant may request a suspension of the proposed action of the character of separation or termination of the grievant, disciplinary action against the grievant, or recovery from the grievant of alleged overpayment of salary, expenses or allowances, which is related to the grievance. The request must be in writing and addressed to the responsible official of the agencies, as designated in §16.8(a)(2) stating the reasons for such suspension. If the request is related to separation or termination of the grievant, and the agency considers that the grievance is not frivolous and is integral to the proposed action, the agency shall suspend its proposed action until completion of agency procedures, and for a period thereafter if necessary, consistent with paragraph (a) of §16.11, to permit the grievant to file a grievance with the Board, and to request interim relief under paragraph (c) of § 16.11. If a request is denied, the agency shall provide the grievant in writing the reason for denial. Nothing in these regulations shall be deemed to preclude an employee from requesting the suspension of any proposed action.

(b) Consideration by responsible officer. (1) While every effort should be made to resolve a complaint by an initial discussion between an employee and the supervisor or responsible officer, an employee may present the complaint as a grievance by submitting it in writing, to that person. (The term "responsible officer" as used herein includes any appropriate officer who has immediate jurisdiction over the complaint.) The presentation shall include a description of the act or condition which is the subject of the grievance; its effect on the grievant; any provision of law, regulation, or agency policy which the grievant may believe was violated or misapplied; any documentary evidence readily available to the grievant on which the grievance rests; the identity of individuals having knowledge of relevant facts; and a statement of the remedial action requested.

(2) The responsible officer, whenever possible, shall use independent judg

ment in deciding whether the grievance is meritorious and what the resolution of it should be. Within 15 days from receipt of the written grievance, the responsible officer shall provide the grievant with a written response, which shall include a statement of any proposed resolution of the grievance.

(3) If the response denies in whole or in part the remedial action requested, such response shall notify the grievant of the time within which to appeal the decision, and identity of the senior official, or designee, to whom the appeal should be addressed. In those cases in which the senior official, or designee, is the responsible officer to whom the grievance was initially presented or has participated in the decision process and has formally approved the written response of the responsible officer, the grievant shall be so notified and advised that the grievance may be submitted directly to the agency for review under § 16.8.

(c) Bureau or post review. (1) If the responsible officer's written response does not resolve the grievance to the grievant's satisfaction, within 10 days of receiving it (or, if no response is received, within 25 days after first presenting the grievance), the grievant may pursue the grievance by transmitting it in writing to the senior official, or the designee in the bureau or post which has authority to resolve the grievance. The written transmission shall include all the information required by paragraph (b)(1) of this section and copies of any correspondence under paragraphs (b) (2) and (3) of this section.

(2) Within 15 days from receipt of the grievance that official shall provide the grievant with a written decision, including any proposed resolution of the grievance. If the decision denies in whole or in part the remedial action requested, the communication shall notify the grievant of the time within which to submit the grievance for agency review and the identity of the appropriate agency official to whom the grievance should be addressed.

§ 16.8 Agency review.

(a) Submission. (1) An employee may submit the grievance for agency review