31 U.S.C. 3325 - Authorizes payment of vouchers

Page 223

HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES—CONTINUED
Revised
Section
3323(b) .....
3323(c) .....
3323(d) .....

§ 3325

TITLE 31—MONEY AND FINANCE

Source (U.S. Code)
31:76(2d sentence
words after 3d
comma).
31:76(3d sentence).
31:44(1st sentence).
31:77.

Source (Statutes at Large)

HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES
Revised
Section

Source (U.S. Code)

3324(a) .....

31:529(2d sentence).

3324(b) .....
3324(c) .....

31:529(1st, 3d, last
sentences).
31:44(1st sentence).

3324(d) .....

31:76(1st, last sentences).
31:530a.

R.S. § 3675.

In the section, the words ‘‘Comptroller General’’ are
substituted for ‘‘General Accounting Office’’ for consistency.
Subsection (a) is substituted for 31:76(2d sentence
words before 3d comma) and 147(related to disbursement) to eliminate unnecessary words and for clarity
and consistency.
In subsection (b), the word ‘‘Secretary’’ is substituted
for ‘‘Treasurer’’ because of the source provisions restated in section 321 of the revised title.
In subsection (b)(1), the words ‘‘instead of being specified on the warrant’’ are omitted as surplus. The reference to ‘‘section 3526 of this title’’ is used because
section 72, referred to in 31:76, has been omitted from
the restatement superseded by 31:82i and 31:82i is restated in section 3526.
In subsection (c), the word ‘‘depositing’’ is substituted for ‘‘covering’’ for clarity and consistency.

§ 3324. Advances
(a) Except as provided in this section, a payment under a contract to provide a service or
deliver an article for the United States Government may not be more than the value of the
service already provided or the article already
delivered.
(b) An advance of public money may be made
only if it is authorized by—
(1) a specific appropriation or other law; or
(2) the President to be made to—
(A) a disbursing official if the President
decides the advance is necessary to carry
out—
(i) the duties of the official promptly and
faithfully; and
(ii) an obligation of the Government; or
(B) an individual serving in the armed
forces at a distant station if the President
decides the advance is necessary to disburse
regularly pay and allowances.
(c) Before the Secretary of the Treasury acts
on a requisition for an advance, the Comptroller
General shall act on the requisition under section 3522 of this title. The Comptroller General
does not countersign a requisition for an advance.
(d) The head of an agency may pay in advance
from appropriations available for the purpose—
(1) to the Secretary of the Army, charges for
messages sent by the Secretary of the Army
for the head of the agency, including charges
for—
(A) payment of tolls of commercial carriers;
(B) leasing facilities for sending messages;
and
(C) installing and maintaining facilities
for sending messages; and
(2) charges for a publication printed or recorded in any way for the auditory or visual
use of the agency.
(Pub. L. 97–258, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 950.)

31:530b.
31:686–2.

Source (Statutes at Large)
R.S. § 3648; Aug. 2, 1946, ch.
744, § 11, 60 Stat. 809.
June 10, 1921, ch. 18, § 304(1st
par. 1st sentence), 42 Stat.
24.
July 31, 1894, ch. 174, § 11(1st,
4th sentences), 28 Stat. 209.
June 12, 1930, ch. 470, § 1, 46
Stat. 580; July 20, 1961, Pub.
L. 87–91, § 1, 75 Stat. 211.
June 12, 1930, ch. 470, 46 Stat.
580, § 2; added Dec. 22, 1974,
Pub. L. 93–534, 88 Stat. 1731.
Apr.
15,
1926,
ch.
146,
§ 101(proviso on p. 267), 44
Stat. 267.

In subsection (a), the words ‘‘Except as provided in
this section’’ are added for clarity. The words ‘‘already
provided’’ and ‘‘already delivered’’ are substituted for
‘‘rendered . . . delivered previously to such payment’’
for clarity and consistency.
In subsection (b), before clause (1), the words ‘‘in any
case’’ and ‘‘It shall, however, be lawful under the special direction of’’ are omitted as surplus. In clause
(2)(A)(i), the word ‘‘official’’ is substituted for ‘‘officer’’
for consistency in the revised title. The words ‘‘of the
Government’’ are omitted as surplus. Clause (2)(A)(ii) is
substituted for ‘‘the public engagements’’ for clarity.
In clause (2)(B), the word ‘‘individual’’ is substituted
for ‘‘persons’’ for consistency. The words ‘‘armed
forces’’ are substituted for ‘‘military and naval service’’ for consistency with title 10. The words ‘‘and proper’’ are omitted as unnecessary. The words ‘‘disburse
regularly pay and allowances’’ are substituted for ‘‘discharge of the pay and emoluments to which they may
be entitled cannot be regularly effected’’ to eliminate
unnecessary words, for clarity, and for consistency
with title 37.
In subsection (c), the words ‘‘Comptroller General’’
are substituted for ‘‘General Accounting Office’’ for
consistency.
In subsection (d), before clause (1), the words ‘‘On and
after April 15, 1926’’ in 31:686–2 are omitted as executed.
The word ‘‘agency’’ is substituted for ‘‘department or
establishment’’ because of section 101 of the revised
title and for consistency. The words ‘‘may pay in advance from appropriations available for the purpose’’
are substituted for ‘‘may transfer in advance . . . such
amounts as may be necessary to defray the expense of’’
for clarity and consistency. In clause (1), the words
‘‘Secretary of the Army’’ are substituted for ‘‘Signal
Corps of the Army’’ because of 10:3012. The title of Secretary of War was changed to Secretary of the Army,
and the Department of War was designated the Department of the Army by section 205(a) of the Act of July
26, 1947 (ch. 343, 61 Stat. 501), and by sections 1 and 53
of the Act of August 10, 1956 (ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 157, 676).
Clause (2) is substituted for 31:530a and 530b to eliminate unnecessary words. The words ‘‘or the municipal
government of the District of Columbia’’ are omitted
because of sections 441–445 and 736 of the Act of December 24, 1973 (Pub. L. 93–198, 87 Stat. 798, 823).
EXEMPTION OF FUNCTIONS
Functions authorized by Foreign Assistance Act of
1961, as amended, as exempt, see Ex. Ord. No. 11223, May
12, 1965, 30 F.R. 6635, set out as a note under section 2393
of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.
INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ORGANIZATION
Funds available for expenditure without regard to
this section, see section 289c of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.

§ 3325. Vouchers
(a) A disbursing official in the executive
branch of the United States Government shall—

§ 3326

TITLE 31—MONEY AND FINANCE

(1) disburse money only as provided by a
voucher certified by—
(A) the head of the executive agency concerned; or
(B) an officer or employee of the executive
agency having written authorization from
the head of the agency to certify vouchers;
(2) examine a voucher if necessary to decide
if it is—
(A) in proper form;
(B) certified and approved; and
(C) computed correctly on the facts certified; and
(3) except for the correctness of computations on a voucher or pursuant to payment
intercepts or offsets pursuant to section 3716
or 3720A of this title,,1 be held accountable for
carrying out clauses (1) and (2) of this subsection.
(b) In addition to officers and employees referred to in subsection (a)(1)(B) of this section as
having authorization to certify vouchers, members of the armed forces may certify vouchers
when authorized, in writing, by the Secretary of
Defense or, in the case of the Coast Guard when
it is not operating as a service in the Navy, by
the Secretary of Homeland Security.
(c) On request, the Secretary of the Treasury
may provide to the appropriate officer or employee of the United States Government a list of
persons receiving periodic payments from the
Government. When certified and in proper form,
the list may be used as a voucher on which the
Secretary may disburse money.
(d) The head of an executive agency or an officer or employee of an executive agency referred
to in subsection (a)(1)(B), as applicable, shall include with each certified voucher submitted to a
disbursing official pursuant to this section the
taxpayer identifying number of each person to
whom payment may be made under the voucher.
(Pub. L. 97–258, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 951; Pub.
L. 104–106, div. A, title IX, § 913(b), Feb. 10, 1996,
110 Stat. 411; Pub. L. 104–134, title III,
§ 31001(g)(1)(B), (y), Apr. 26, 1996, 110 Stat.
1321–363, 1321–378; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title X,
§ 1009(b), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2634; Pub. L.
109–241, title IX, § 902(b)(2), July 11, 2006, 120 Stat.
566.)
HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES
Revised
Section
3325(a) .....

Source (U.S. Code)
31:82b.
31:82f(related to disbursing officers).

3325(b) .....
3325(c) .....

31:82e(related to
31:82b).
31:82a.

Source (Statutes at Large)
Dec. 29, 1941, ch. 641, §§ 1,
4(related to § 1), 55 Stat. 875,
876.
Apr. 28, 1942, ch. 247, § 301(1st
par. proviso under heading
‘‘Bureau of Accounts’’ related to disbursing officers), 56
Stat. 244.
May 14, 1937, ch. 180, § 1(2d par.
last proviso on p. 140), 50
Stat. 140.

In subsection (a), before clause (1), the words ‘‘Notwithstanding the provisions of section 82 of this title,
and section 4 of Executive Order Numbered 6166, dated
June 10, 1933’’ in 31:82b are omitted as unnecessary. In
clause (1), the word ‘‘duly’’ is omitted as surplus. In
1 So

in original.

Page 224

clause (1)(A) and (B), the words ‘‘executive agency’’ are
substituted for ‘‘department, establishment or agency
concerned’’ because of section 102 of the revised title
and for consistency. In clause (2)(C), the words ‘‘basis of
the’’ are omitted as surplus. In clause (3), the words
‘‘for carrying out clauses (1) and (2) of this subsection’’
are substituted for ‘‘accordingly’’ for clarity.
In subsection (b), the words ‘‘under the jurisdiction’’
are omitted as surplus. The words ‘‘a military department of the Department of Defense’’ are substituted for
‘‘the Department of the Army, the Navy Department
(including the Marine Corps)’’ for consistency with
title 10. The words ‘‘and the Panama Canal’’ (subsequently changed to ‘‘the Canal Zone Government’’ by
section 2(a)(1) of the Act of September 26, 1950 (ch. 1049,
64 Stat. 1038)) are omitted because of 22:ch. 51. The word
‘‘pay’’ is substituted for ‘‘salaries’’ for consistency in
the revised title and with other titles of the United
States Code.
In subsection (c), the words ‘‘On and after May 14,
1937’’ are omitted as executed. The words ‘‘Secretary of
the Treasury’’ are substituted for ‘‘Division of Disbursement, Treasury Department’’ in section 1(last
proviso of 2d par. on p. 140) of the Act of May 14, 1937,
because of section 1(a) of Reorganization Plan No. III of
1940 (eff. June 30, 1940, 54 Stat. 1231) and section 321(c)
of the revised title. The word ‘‘appropriate’’ is added
for clarity. The words ‘‘officer or employee of the
United States Government’’ are substituted for ‘‘administrative officers’’ for consistency in the revised
title and with other titles of the United States Code.
The words ‘‘addressographed or stenciled’’ and ‘‘administratively revised and’’ are omitted as surplus. The
words ‘‘disburse public money’’ are substituted for
‘‘make payment’’ for consistency.
AMENDMENTS
2006—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–241 substituted ‘‘Secretary of Homeland Security’’ for ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’.
1996—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 104–134, § 31001(g)(1)(B), inserted ‘‘or pursuant to payment intercepts or offsets
pursuant to section 3716 or 3720A of this title,’’ after
‘‘voucher’’.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–201 substituted ‘‘members of
the armed forces may certify vouchers when authorized, in writing, by the Secretary of Defense or, in the
case of the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a
service in the Navy, by the Secretary of Transportation’’ for ‘‘members of the armed forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Defense may certify
vouchers when authorized, in writing, by the Secretary
to do so’’.
Pub. L. 104–106 amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior
to amendment, subsec. (b) read as follows: ‘‘Subsection
(a) of this section does not apply to disbursements of a
military department of the Department of Defense, except for disbursements for departmental pay and expenses in the District of Columbia.’’
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 104–134, § 31001(y), added subsec.
(d).

§ 3326. Waiver of requirements for warrants and
advances
(a) When the Secretary of the Treasury and
the Comptroller General decide that, with sufficient safeguards, existing procedures may be
changed to simplify, improve, and economize the
control and accounting of public money, they
may prescribe joint regulations for waiving any
part of the requirements in effect on September
12, 1950, that—
(1) warrants be issued and countersigned for
the receipt, retention, and disbursement of
public money and trust funds; and
(2) amounts be requisitioned and advanced
to accountable officials.