Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 96 Part 1.djvu/1003

 PUBLIC LAW 97-258—SEPT. 13, 1982

96 STAT. 961

maintained by the Comptroller General when the Comptroller General believes that the accounting system and internal controls of the agency will allow the Comptroller General to carry out the functions related to the account. SUBCHAPTER III—AUDITING AND SETTLING ACCOUNTS § 3521. Audits by agencies (a) Each account of an agency shall be audited administratively before being submitted to the Comptroller General. The head of Regulations, each agency shall prescribe regulations for conducting the audit and designate a place at which the audit is to be conducted. However, a disbursing official of an executive agency may not administratively audit vouchers for which the official is responsible. With the consent of the Comptroller General, the head of the agency may waive any part of an audit. (b) The head of an agency may prescribe a statistical sampling procedure to audit vouchers of the agency when the head of the agency decides economies will result from using the procedure. The Comptroller General— (1) may prescribe the maximum amount of a voucher that may be audited under this subsection; and (2) in reviewing the accounting system of the agency, shall evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of the procedure. (c) A disbursing or certifying official acting in good faith under subsection (b) of this section is not liable for a payment or certification of a voucher not audited specifically because of the procedure prescribed under subsection (b) if the official and the head of the agency carry out diligiently collection action the Comptroller General prescribes. (d) Subsections Qa) and (c) of this section do not— (1) affect the liability, or authorize the relief, of a payee, beneficiary, or recipient of an illegal, improper, or incorrect payment; or (2) relieve a disbursing or certifying official, the head of an agency, or the Comptroller General of responsibility in carrying out collection action against a payee, beneficiary, or recipient. § 3522. Making and submitting accounts (a)(1) Unless the Comptroller General decides the public interest requires that an account be made more frequently, each disbursing official shall make a quarterly account. An official or agent of the United States Government receiving public money not authorized to be kept as pay of the official or agent shall make a monthly account of the money. (2) An official or agent of the Government receiving public money shall make an account of public money received by the official or agent according to the appropriation from which the money was advanced. (b)(1) A monthly account shall be submitted to the appropriate official in the District of Columbia by the 10th day after the end of the month covered by the account. The official shall submit the account to the Comptroller General by the 20th day after receiving the account. (2) An account (except a monthly account) shall be submitted to the appropriate official in the District of Columbia by the 20th day

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