Title 31Money and FinanceRelease 119-73

§5142 Bureau of Engraving and Printing Fund

Title 31 › Subtitle SUBTITLE IV— - MONEY › Chapter CHAPTER 51— - COINS AND CURRENCY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING › § 5142

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates a Bureau of Engraving and Printing Fund at the Treasury. Money in the Fund must be used to run the Bureau. The money stays in the Fund until it is spent. Congress may put more money into the Fund. The Fund includes three kinds of things: property and physical assets the Bureau owns (but not buildings or land), all money the Bureau receives, and money from selling Fund property. The Fund’s capital is made of amounts appropriated, physical assets the Bureau had at the close of business on June 30, 1951 (except buildings and land), and payments made after June 30, 1974 under section 5143 that are adjusted to allow buying equipment and keeping working capital. Each fiscal year, the Secretary of the Treasury must send to the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts any prior‑year Fund amounts the Secretary finds are more than the Fund needs, unless the Secretary uses that excess to restore Fund capital that was reduced by the difference between what the Bureau charged for services and what those services cost. The Secretary must also keep a special deposit account in the Treasury for the Fund and credit it with appropriations and the Bureau’s receipts without treating those receipts as miscellaneous receipts.

Full Legal Text

Title 31, §5142

Money and Finance — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Department of the Treasury has a Bureau of Engraving and Printing Fund. Amounts—
(1)in the Fund are available to operate the Bureau of Engraving and Printing;
(2)in the Fund remain available until expended; and
(3)may be appropriated to the Fund.
(b)The Fund consists of—
(1)property and physical assets (except buildings and land) acquired by the Bureau;
(2)all amounts received by the Bureau; and
(3)proceeds from the disposition of property and assets acquired by the Fund.
(c)The capital of the Fund consists of—
(1)amounts appropriated to the Fund;
(2)physical assets of the Bureau (except buildings and land) as of the close of business June 30, 1951; and
(3)all payments made after June 30, 1974, under section 5143 of this title at prices adjusted to permit buying capital equipment and to provide future working capital.
(d)The Secretary shall deposit each fiscal year, in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts, amounts accruing to the Fund in the prior fiscal year that the Secretary decides are in excess of the needs of the Fund. However, the Secretary may use the excess amounts to restore capital of the Fund reduced by the difference between the charges for services of the Bureau and the cost of providing those services.
(e)The Secretary shall maintain a special deposit account in the Treasury for the Fund. The Secretary shall credit the account with amounts appropriated to the Fund and receipts of the Bureau without depositing the receipts in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 5142(a)31:181a(a)(1st sentence), (d).Aug. 4, 1950, ch. 558, § 2, 64 Stat. 409. 5142(b)31:181a(c). 5142(c)31:181a(a)(last sentence), (b). 31:181(note).July 31, 1977, Pub. L. 95–81, § 100(par. under heading “Bureau of Engraving and Printing”), 91 Stat. 342. 5142(d)31:181a(e). 5142(e)31:181a(f). In subsection (a), before clause (1), the words “as of July 1, 1951” are omitted as executed. In clause (1), the words “subsequent to June 30, 1951” are omitted as executed. In clause (2), the words “remain available until expended” are substituted for “shall be available without fiscal year limitation” for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code. In subsection (b)(2), the words “amounts received by the Bureau” are substituted for “all amounts recoverable as provided in section 181 of this title for the costs of work and services performed by the Bureau, and all other amounts receivable by the Bureau from whatever sources derived” to eliminate unnecessary words. In subsection (c)(1), the words “amounts appropriated to the Fund” are substituted for “an initial appropriation by the Congress to the fund of not to exceed $5,000,000 and such additional amounts as from time to time may be appropriated for the purposes of the fund” to eliminate unnecessary words. In subsection (c)(2), the words “such inventories and other physical assets to be capitalized at fair and reasonable values to be determined by the Secretary” are omitted as executed. The words “receivables and the inventories” are omitted as covered by “physical assets”. The words “unexpended balances of appropriations” are omitted as unnecessary because of clause (1). In subsection (c)(3), the words “$5,000,000, to remain available until expended” are omitted as unnecessary because of the source provision restated in subsection (a)(2) of this section. The text of 31:181a(a)(3) and (b) is omitted as executed. In subsection (d), the words “each fiscal year” are substituted for “ensuing fiscal year”, and the words “prior fiscal year” are added, because of the restatement. The word “Secretary” is added because of section 301 and 303 of the revised title. The words “decides are in excess of the needs of the Fund” are substituted for “surplus” for consistency in the chapter. The words “may use” are substituted for “may be applied first” to eliminate unnecessary words. The word “reduced” is substituted for “impairment” for clarity. In subsection (e), the words “Secretary shall maintain” are substituted for “shall be established” because of section 301 and 303 of the revised title and to eliminate executed words. The words “in the Treasury” are substituted for “with the Treasurer of the United States” because of Department of the Treasury Order 229 of January 14, 1974 (39 F.R. 2280). The text of 31:181a(f)(last sentence) is omitted as unnecessary because of the source provisions restated in section 3325 of the revised title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Replacement Currency Production Facility Pub. L. 116–6, div. D, title I, § 127, Feb. 15, 2019, 133 Stat. 149, as amended by Pub. L. 117–328, div. E, title I, § 127, Dec. 29, 2022, 136 Stat. 4660, provided that: “Beginning in fiscal year 2019 and for each fiscal year thereafter, amounts in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Fund may be used for the acquisition of necessary land for, and

Construction

of, a replacement currency production facility, including public improvements in the area around such facility to mitigate traffic impacts caused by the

Construction

and occupancy of the facility.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

31 U.S.C. § 5142

Title 31Money and Finance

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73