Volume 71 · 464
Public Law 85–183
To facilitate the payment of Government checks, and for other purposes.
Approved August 28, 1957
Statutory text
AN ACT
To facilitate the payment of Government checks, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That section 1 of the Act of July 11, 1947 (61 Stat. 308; 31 U. S. C. 132) is hereby amended to read as follows:
“That
(a) all checks heretofore or hereafter drawn on the Treasurer of the United States, including those drawn by wholly owned and mixed-ownership Government corporations, shall be payable without limitation or time: Provided, That where on presentation of any check for payment the Treasurer of the United States is on notice of a doubtful question of law or fact the payment of such check shall be deferred pending settlement by the General Accounting Office.
“(b) The amount of all checks drawn by authorized officers of the
Consolidated account.
Transfer of funds.
United States on designated depositaries which have not been paid prior to the close of the fiscal year next following the fiscal year in which the checks were issued shall be withdrawn from the accounts with such depositaries and deposited with the Treasurer of the United States for credit to a consolidated account or accounts on the books of the Treasury. Claims for the proceeds of such unpaid checks shall be payable from such consolidated accounts by checks drawn on the Treasurer of the United States pursuant to settlement by the General Accounting Office.
“(c) The limitation imposed in respect to certain claims or demands against the United States by the Act of October 9, 1940 (54 Stat. 1061; 31 U. S. C. 71a, 237), shall not be deemed to apply to original or substitute checks heretofore or hereafter drawn on the Treasurer of the United States, including those drawn by wholly owned and mixed-ownership Government corporations, or drawn by authorized officers of the United States on designated depositaries.”
Sec. 2.
Section 3 of the Act of July 11, 1947 (61 Stat. 309; 31 U. S. C. 134) is hereby amended to read as follows:
“Sec. 3.
The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to transfer, at appropriate intervals, amounts of unpaid checks from the accounts on which drawn to a consolidated account or accounts on the books of the Treasury and to transfer to such consolidated account or accounts the balance of the special deposit account established pursuant to section 1 of the Act of July 11, 1947 (61 Stat. 308), which consolidated account or accounts shall be available for the payment of such checks and any unpaid checks heretofore payable from the special deposit account. The Secretary of the Treasury is further authorized to transfer, at appropriate intervals, from the accounts available for the payment of unpaid checks to the appropriate receipt account on the books of the Treasury any amounts not required for the payment of such checks and with the concurrence of the Comptroller General to make such rules and regulations as he may deem necessary or proper for the administration of the provisions of this Act:
D.C. funds.
Provided, That in the case of checks issued by the Disbursing Officers of the District of Columbia and the Disbursing Officer of the Corps of Engineers in reference to the disbursement of District funds, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to transfer, at appropriate intervals, from the accounts available for the payment or such unpaid checks, to the general revenues of the District of Columbia, any amounts not required for the payment of such checks: Provided further, That as to such checks issued on or before June 30, 1955, transfers to the general revenues of the District of Columbia shall be limited to the amount of undelivered checks.”
Sec. 3.
Section 2 of the Act of June 22, 1926 (44 Stat. 761; 31
Claims.
Statute of limitations.
U. S. C. 122), is hereby amended to read as follows:
“Sec. 2.
Hereafter all claims on account of any check, checks, warrant, or warrants appearing from the records of the General Accounting Office or the Treasury Department to have been paid, shall be barred if not presented to the General Accounting Office or the Treasurer of the United States within six years after the date of issuance of the check, checks, warrant, or warrants involved. However, any claims for the proceeds of checks payable in Philippine pesos heretofore issued in payment of claims certified by the Philippine War Damage Commission, shall not be barred if received by the representative of the Chief Disbursing Officer, United States Treasury Department, at Manila, Republic of the Philippines, within six years after the date of issuance of such checks.”
Section 1 of the Act of March 6, 1946 (60 Stat. 31; 31 U. S. C. 129) is hereby amended by inserting immediately after the words “General Accounting Office” the words “or the Treasurer of the United States”.
Sec. 4.
Subsection (a) of section 3646 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, as amended (31 U. S. C. 528 (a)), is hereby
Substitute checks.
amended to read as follows:
“(a) Except as provided in this section, whenever it is clearly proved to the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Treasury that any original check of the United States is lost, stolen, or wholly or partly destroyed, or is so mutilated or defaced as to impair its value to its owner or holder, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to issue to the owner or holder thereof against funds available for the payment of the original check a substitute showing such information as may be necessary to identify the original check, upon receipt and approval by the Secretary of the Treasury of an undertaking to indemnify the United States, in such form and amount and with such surety, sureties or security, if any, as the Secretary of the Treasury may require; but no such substitute shall be payable if the original check shall first have been paid: Provided, That nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to relieve any certifying officer or his sureties or any disbursing officer or his sureties of any liability to the United States on account of any payment resulting from the erroneous issuance of the original check.”
Sec. 5.
Subsection (c) of section 3646 of the Revised Statutes
of the United States, as amended (31 U. S. C. 528 (c)), is further amended by deleting the phrase “prior to the expiration of ten years from the date on which the original check was issued” and inserting in lieu thereof “prior to the close of the fiscal year next following the fiscal year in which the check was issued”.
Subsection (e) of section 3646 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, as amended (31 U. S. C. 528 (e)), is further amended
Payment.
by deleting the phrase “prior to the expiration of ten years from the date on which the original check was issued”.
Subsection (f) of section 3646 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, as amended (61 Stat. 310; 31 U. S. C. 528 (f)), is further amended to read as follows:
“(f) Substitutes issued under this section drawn on the Treasurer
Repeals.
of the United States shall be deemed to be original checks and payable under the same conditions as original checks.”
Sec. 6.
Section 2 of the Act of July 11, 1947 (61 Stat. 309; 31
Little Missouri River.
Interstate compact; consent of Congress.
U. S. C. 133), and section 5 of the Act of July 1, 1916, as amended (61 Stat. 309; 31 U. S. C. 154), are hereby repealed.
Approved August 28, 1957.