; or (ii) with the consent of the employee. (C) Protection only while employed Subparagraph (A) applies to a transferred employee only while that employee remains employed by the Commission. (D) Pay increases permitted Subparagraph (A) does not limit the authority of the Commission to increase the pay of a transferred employee. 302. General administrative provisions (a) General authority In carrying out any function transferred by this Act, the Commission, or any officer or employee of the Commission, may exercise any authority available by law with respect to such function to the official or agency from which such function is transferred, and the actions of the Commission, or any officer or employee of the Commission in exercising such authority shall have the same force and effect as when exercised by such official or agency. (b) Rules The Commission may prescribe such rules and regulations as the Commission determines necessary or appropriate to administer and manage the functions of the Commission. (c) Contracts The Commission may make, enter into, and perform such contracts, grants, leases, cooperative agreements, or other similar transactions with Federal or other public agencies (including State and local governments) and private organizations and persons, and make such payments, by way of advance or reimbursement, as the Commission may determine necessary or appropriate to carry out functions of the Commission. (d) Regional and field offices The Commission may establish, alter, discontinue, or maintain such regional or other field offices as the Commission may find necessary or appropriate to perform functions of the Commission. (e) Reserve fund The Commission may obligate amounts in the Reserve Fund established under section 4(i) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ( 15 U.S.C. 78d(i) ), not to exceed a total of $100,000,000 in any 1 fiscal year, as the Commission determines is necessary to carry out the functions of the Commission, including those transferred by title II of this Act. Any amounts in