PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Starting October 1, 1996, the Library of Congress’ Disbursing Officer may pay money for the Office of Compliance. The Library must give financial management help to that office when the Librarian of Congress and the Office’s Executive Director agree. The Library can also figure and pay basic salaries for Office of Compliance staff under section 5504 of title 5. Payments certified by the Library must also be signed off by an Office of Compliance officer who is authorized in writing by the Executive Director. Those Office of Compliance certifying officers must make sure the facts are correct, the payment is legal, and the math is right. They must repay the government for any illegal or incorrect payments caused by false or wrong certificates. The Comptroller General may excuse them if the certificate was based on official records and the officer could not have found the real facts with reasonable effort, or if the payment was made in good faith, was not clearly barred by law, and the United States got value. The Comptroller General must also excuse certain overpayments to carriers under section 3726 of title 31 when the error came from not checking rates or classifications. The Library’s Disbursing Officer is not liable for wrongful payments caused by a false certificate from the Office of Compliance.

Title 2, §142l

The Congress, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

From and after October 1, 1996, the Disbursing Officer of the Library of Congress is authorized to disburse funds appropriated for the Office of Compliance, and the Library of Congress shall provide financial management support to the Office of Compliance as may be required and mutually agreed to by the Librarian of Congress and the Executive Director of the Office of Compliance. The Library of Congress is further authorized to compute and disburse the basic pay of all personnel of the Office of Compliance pursuant to the provisions of section 5504 of title 5. All vouchers certified for payment by duly authorized certifying officers of the Library of Congress shall be supported with a certification by an officer or employee of the Office of Compliance 1 duly authorized in writing by the Executive Director of the Office of Compliance 1 to certify payments from appropriations of the Office of Compliance.1 The Office of Compliance 1 certifying officers shall (1) be held responsible for the existence and correctness of the facts recited in the certificate or otherwise stated on the voucher or its supporting paper and the legality of the proposed payment under the appropriation or fund involved, (2) be held responsible and accountable for the correctness of the computations of certifications made, and (3) be held accountable for and required to make good to the United States the amount of any illegal, improper, or incorrect payment resulting from any false, inaccurate, or misleading certificate made by them, as well as for any payment prohibited by law which did not represent a legal obligation under the appropriation or fund involved: Provided, That the Comptroller General of the United States may, at his discretion, relieve such certifying officer or employee of liability for any payment otherwise proper whenever he finds (1) that the certification was based on official records and that such certifying officer or employee did not know, and by reasonable diligence and inquiry could not have ascertained the actual facts, or (2) that the obligation was incurred in good faith, that the payment was not contrary to any statutory provision specifically prohibiting payments of the character involved, and the United States has received value for such payment: Provided further, That the Comptroller General shall relieve such certifying officer or employee of liability for an overpayment for transportation services made to any common carrier covered by section 3726 of title 31, whenever he finds that the overpayment occurred solely because the administrative examination made prior to payment of the transportation bill did not include a verification of transportation rates, freight classifications, or land grant deductions. The Disbursing Officer of the Library of Congress shall not be held accountable or responsible for any illegal, improper, or incorrect payment resulting from any false, inaccurate, or misleading certificate, the responsibility for which is imposed upon a certifying officer or employee of the Office of Compliance.1

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Office of Compliance changed, as of Dec. 21, 2018, and considered to refer and apply, to the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, see section 308(d) of Pub. L. 115–397, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2018 Amendment note under section 1381 of this title.

§142l Disbursing Officer of Library of Congress; Disbursements for Office of Congressional Workplace Rights; Voucher Certifications, Accountability and Relief by Comptroller General