§3529 — Title 31 Money and Finance | U.S. Code

Summary

A disbursing official (someone who makes payments), a certifying official (someone who approves vouchers), or the head of an agency can ask the Comptroller General to decide a question about a payment to be made or a voucher presented for certification. The Comptroller General must issue the requested decision unless the question involves a function that was transferred to or given to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under section 211(a) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1996 (109 Stat. 535), as it stood just before title II of the General Accounting Office Act of 1996 took effect, or under that Act. In those situations the OMB Director must issue the decision unless the Director has delegated the job to another agency, in which case the head of that agency issues it.

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.

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).

§3529 Requests for Decisions of the Comptroller General