§3321. Disbursing authority in the executive branch

(a) Except as provided in this section or another law, only officers and employees of the Department of the Treasury designated by the Secretary of the Treasury as disbursing officials may disburse public money available for expenditure by an executive agency.

(b) For economy and efficiency, the Secretary may delegate the authority to disburse public money to officers and employees of other executive agencies.

(c) The head of each of the following executive agencies shall designate personnel of the agency as disbursing officials to disburse public money available for expenditure by the agency:

(1) United States Marshal's Office.

(2) The Department of Defense (except for disbursements for departmental pay and expenses in the District of Columbia).

(d) On request of the Secretary and with the approval of the head of an executive agency referred to in subsection (c) of this section, facilities of the agency may be used to assist in disbursing public money available for expenditure by another executive agency.

( Pub. L. 97–258, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 949 ; Pub. L. 103–355, title III, §3067, Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3337 .)

The section uses the defined term "executive agency" in section 102 of the revised title because the source provisions of this section are from a reorganization plan and executive orders that apply only to departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the executive branch of the United States Government.

In subsections (a) and (b), the words "Secretary of the Treasury" and "Secretary" are substituted for references to the Division of Disbursement and a Chief Disbursing Officer because of the source provisions restated in section 321(c) of the revised title. The words "public money" are substituted for "moneys of the United States" for consistency with the other source provisions restated in the section and for consistency in the chapter.

Subsection (a) is substituted for section 4(1st paragraph) of Executive Order No. 6166 to omit executed words.

In subsection (b), the words "may require" and "as the interests of" are omitted as unnecessary. The words "to establish local offices" are omitted because of the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury as the head of the Department of the Treasury and the authority of the Secretary under section 321 of the revised title. The text of section 4(last paragraph) is omitted as superseded by section 3325 of the revised title.

In subsection (c), the text of 31:492–1(1st sentence) is applied only to the listed agencies because of subsection (a) and Executive Order 6728. The text of 31:492–1(last sentence) is omitted as superseded by section 2 of Reorganization Plan No. 18 of 1950 (eff. July 1, 1950, 64 Stat. 1270) and by 40:490. In clause (1), the words after "disbursement by United States marshals" and before the last proviso in section 3 of Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1940 (eff. June 30, 1940, 54 Stat. 1234) are omitted as unnecessary because of 28:571 and sections 3512(a)–(c) and 3513(a) of the revised title. In clause (2), the word "pay" is substituted for "salaries" in Executive Order No. 6728 for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code. The words "including the Marine Corps" are omitted as being included in "military departments". The words "Panama Canal" are omitted because of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977. The first proviso is omitted as unnecessary because of sections 3512 and 3513 of the revised title. Section 4 of Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1940 is omitted because (1) the Post Office Department was abolished by the 1970 restatement of title 39, with all authority of the former Postmaster General being placed in the new United States Postal Service, (2) under 39:410 and 3604, the Postal Service and the Postal Rate Commission were exempt from all provisions of law related to budget and funds, and (3) the Postal Savings System and its Board of Trustees were abolished under section 5 of the Act of March 28, 1942 (ch. 205, 56 Stat. 189).

Amendments

1994-Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 103–355 substituted "The Department of Defense" for "military departments of the Department of Defense".

Reimbursement of Financial Management Service for Postage Expenses

Pub. L. 103–329, title I, §105, Sept. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 2390 , provided that: "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, beginning in fiscal year 1995 and thereafter, the Financial Management Service (FMS) shall be reimbursed, for postage incurred by FMS to make check payments on their behalf, by: the Department of Veterans Affairs, for the mailing of Compensation and Pension benefit payments; the Department of Health and Human Services, for the mailing of Supplemental Security Income payments; and the Office of Personnel Management, for the mailing of Retirement payments. Such reimbursement shall be due beginning with checks mailed on October 1, 1994, and such reimbursement shall occur on a monthly basis."