Title 22Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73

§2716 Debt collection

Title 22 › Chapter CHAPTER 38— - DEPARTMENT OF STATE › § 2716

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

If money is available, the Secretary of State must hire private collectors to recover debts people (not foreign countries) owe the United States from State Department activities when those debts are more than 90 days past due. Each contract must make the collector send a status report at least every 180 days. The federal debt-collection rules in 31 U.S.C. 3718 apply unless they conflict. To the extent allowed by law, the Secretary must tell the credit bureaus the Department already reports to about any State Department debt over $100 that is more than 31 days late.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §2716

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary of State shall enter into contracts for collection services to recover indebtedness owed by a person, other than a foreign country, to the United States which arises out of activities of the Department of State and is delinquent by more than 90 days.
(2)Each contract entered into under this section shall provide that the person with whom the Secretary enters into such contract shall submit to the Secretary at least once every 180 days a status report on the success of the person in collecting debts. Section 3718 of title 31 shall apply to any such contract to the extent that such section is not inconsistent with this subsection.
(b)The Secretary of State shall, to the extent otherwise allowed by law, disclose to those credit reporting agencies to which the Secretary reports loan activity information concerning any debt of more than $100 owed by a person, other than a foreign country, to the United States which arises out of activities of the Department of State and is delinquent by more than 31 days.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 44 of act Aug. 1, 1956, was renumbered section 45 by section 117(1) of Pub. L. 101–246, and subsequently renumbered, and set out as a

Short Title

of 1956 Amendment note under section 2651 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 102–138, title I, § 111(1), Oct. 28, 1991, 105 Stat. 654.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 2716

Title 22Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73