§ 142f. — Office of Technology Assessment; disbursement of funds, computation and disbursement of basic pay, and provision of financial management support by Library of Congress.
[Laws in effect as of January 7, 2003]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 7, 2003 and December 19, 2003]
[CITE: 2USC142f]
TITLE 2--THE CONGRESS
CHAPTER 5--LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Sec. 142f. Office of Technology Assessment; disbursement of
funds, computation and disbursement of basic pay, and provision
of financial management support by Library of Congress
From and after October 1, 1981, the Disbursing Officer of the
Library of Congress is authorized to disburse funds appropriated for the
Office of Technology Assessment, and the Library of Congress shall
provide financial management support to the Office of Technology
Assessment as may be required and mutually agreed to by the Librarian of
Congress and the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment. The
Library of Congress is further authorized to compute and disburse the
basic pay of all personnel of the Office of Technology Assessment
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 Technology
Assessment duly authorized in writing by the Director of the Office of
Technology Assessment to certify payments from appropriations of the
Office of Technology Assessment. The Office of Technology Assessment
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 him, 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 of \1\ 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.
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\1\ So in original. The word ``of'' probably should not appear.
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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 Technology Assessment.
(Pub. L. 97-51, Sec. 101(c), Oct. 1, 1981, 95 Stat. 959.)
Codification
In the second par., ``section 3726 of title 31'' substituted for
``section 244 of title 31'' on authority of Pub. L. 97-258, Sec. 4(b),
Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 1067, the first section of which enacted Title
31, Money and Finance.
Section is based on section 205 of title II of H.R. 4120, as
reported July 9, 1981, and incorporated by reference in section 101(c)
of Pub. L. 97-51, to be effective as if enacted into law.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 142h, 142j of this title.
