Title 31Money and FinanceRelease 119-73

§3529 Requests for decisions of the Comptroller General

Title 31 › Subtitle SUBTITLE III— - FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT › Chapter CHAPTER 35— - ACCOUNTING AND COLLECTION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - AUDITING AND SETTLING ACCOUNTS › § 3529

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

A disbursing or certifying official, or an agency head, can ask the Comptroller General to decide a question about a payment to be made or a voucher offered for certification. The Comptroller General must give a decision unless the matter involves a function moved to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under section 211(a) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1996 (109 Stat. 535) or under the General Accounting Office Act of 1996. In that case the OMB Director, or the agency head the Director delegated to, must decide.

Full Legal Text

Title 31, §3529

Money and Finance — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)A disbursing or certifying official or the head of an agency may request a decision from the Comptroller General on a question involving—
(1)a payment the disbursing official or head of the agency will make; or
(2)a voucher presented to a certifying official for certification.
(b)(1)Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Comptroller General shall issue a decision requested under this section.
(2)A decision requested under this section concerning a function transferred to or vested in the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under section 211(a) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1996 (109 Stat. 535), as in effect immediately before the effective date of title II of the General Accounting Office Act of 1996, or under this Act, shall be issued—
(A)by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, except as provided in subparagraph (B); or
(B)in the case of a function delegated by the Director to another agency, by the head of the agency to which the function was delegated.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 352931:44(1st sentence).June 10, 1921, ch. 18, § 304(1st par. 1st sentence), 42 Stat. 24. 31:74(last par. words before 4th comma).July 31, 1894, ch. 174, § 8(6th par. words before 4th comma), 28 Stat. 208. 31:82d(words after semicolon).Dec. 29, 1941, ch. 641, §§ 3(words after semicolon), 4(related to § 3 ), 55 Stat. 876. 31:82e(related to 31:82d). In subsection (a), before clause (1), the text of 31:82e(related to 82d) is omitted as unnecessary because it does not apply to 31:82d. The words “of law” in 31:82d(words after semicolon) are omitted as surplus. In clause (1), the words “or under them” in 31:74(last par. words before 4th comma) are omitted as unnecessary. In clause (2), the words “a payment on” in 31:82d(words after semicolon) are omitted as surplus. In subsection (b), the word “issue” is substituted for “render” in 31:74(last par. words before 4th comma) and “obtain” in 31:82d(words after semicolon) because of the restatement.

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 211(a) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1996, as in effect immediately before the

Effective Date

of title II of the General Accounting Office Act of 1996, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), is section 211(a) of Pub. L. 104–53, which is set out as a note under section 501 of this title, as in effect before Oct. 19, 1996, the date of enactment of the General Accounting Office Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104–316, section 203 of which amended section 211 of Pub. L. 104–53 generally. This Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), probably means Pub. L. 104–316, Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3286, known as the General Accounting Office Act of 1996, which enacted subsec. (b)(2) of this section. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.

Amendments

1996—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–316 designated existing provisions as par. (1) and substituted “Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Comptroller General” for “The Comptroller General”, and added par. (2).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

31 U.S.C. § 3529

Title 31Money and Finance

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73