§ 701 TITLE 31—MONEY AND FINANCE Page 40

Sec.

754. Action by the Comptroller General.

755. Judicial review.

SUBCHAPTER V—ANNUITIES

771. Definitions.

772. Annuity of the Comptroller General.

773. Election of survivor benefits.

774. Survivor annuities.

775. Refunds.

776. Payment of survivor benefits.

777. Annuity increases.

778. Dependency and disability decisions.

779. Use of appropriations.

SUBCHAPTER VI—PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

781. Authority over the General Accounting Office

Building.

782. Leasing of space in the General Accounting

Office Building.

783. Rules and regulations.

AMENDMENTS

1994—Pub. L. 103–272, §4(f)(1)(C), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat.

1362, struck out ‘‘Sec.’’ immediately above item 781.

1988—Pub. L. 100–545, §2(a), Oct. 28, 1988, 102 Stat. 2728,

added subchapter VI heading and items 781 to 783.

CHAPTER REFERRED TO IN OTHER SECTIONS

This chapter is referred to in section 3555 of this title.

SUBCHAPTER I—DEFINITIONS AND

GENERAL ORGANIZATION

§ 701. Definitions

In this chapter—

(1) ‘‘agency’’ includes the District of Columbia government but does not include the legislative branch or the Supreme Court.

(2) ‘‘appropriations’’ means appropriated

amounts and includes, in appropriate context—

(A) funds;

(B) authority to make obligations by contract before appropriations; and

(C) other authority making amounts available for obligation or expenditure.

(Pub. L. 97–258, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 887.)

HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES

Revised

Section Source (U.S. Code) Source (Statutes at Large)

701(1) ...... 31:2(1st–4th pars.). June 10, 1921, ch. 18, §2(1st–5th

pars.), 42 Stat. 20; Apr. 3,

1939, ch. 36, §201, 53 Stat.

565; July 31, 1953, ch. 302,

§101(1st proviso in par.

under heading ‘‘Bureau of

the Budget’’), 67 Stat. 299.

701(2) ...... 31:2(last par.). June 10, 1921, ch. 18, 42 Stat.

20, §2(last par.); added Sept.

12, 1950, ch. 946, §101, 64

Stat. 832.

In clause (1), ‘‘agency’’ (which is defined for purposes

of this title in section 101 to mean a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States) is coextensive with and substituted for the term ‘‘department or

establishment’’ which was defined in 31:2 as in part

meaning ‘‘any executive department, independent commission, board, bureau, office, agency, or other establishment of the Government, including any independent regulatory commission or board’’. This definition

merely restates and continues, and does not in any way

change or expand, the definition in 31:2. Under that definition, entities such as the Tennessee Valley Authority that have been interpreted to be outside the purview of the definition will continue to be outside the

purview in the same manner and to the same extent

that they were under 31:2. The words ‘‘includes the District of Columbia government’’ are used because of existing law but the inclusion of these words is not to be

interpreted as construing the extent to which the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental

Reorganizational Act (Pub. L. 93–198, 87 Stat. 774) supersedes the provisions codified in this title. The words

‘‘of the United States’’ are omitted as surplus. The text

of 31:2 (2d–4th pars.) is omitted as unnecessary because

of the restatement. The text of section 2 (3d par.) of the

Budget and Accounting Act, 1921 (ch. 18, 42 Stat. 20), is

omitted as obsolete because of section 501 of the revised

title.

SHORT TITLE OF 1996 AMENDMENT

Pub. L. 104–316, §1, Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3826, provided that: ‘‘This Act [see Tables for classification]

may be cited as the ‘General Accounting Office Act of

1996’.’’

SHORT TITLE OF 1988 AMENDMENT

Pub. L. 100–426, §1, Sept. 9, 1988, 102 Stat. 1598, provided that: ‘‘This Act [amending sections 703, 732, 751,

752, 755, 771 to 774, 776, and 777 of this title and section

5349 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, and enacting provisions set out as notes under sections 755 and 772 of this title] may be cited as the ‘General Accounting Office Personnel Amendments Act of

1988’.’’

§ 702. General Accounting Office

(a) The General Accounting Office is an instrumentality of the United States Government

independent of the executive departments.

(b) The head of the Office is the Comptroller

General of the United States. The Office has a

Deputy Comptroller General of the United

States.

(c) The Comptroller General may adopt a seal

for the Office.

(Pub. L. 97–258, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 887; Pub.

L. 100–545, §2(b), Oct. 28, 1988, 102 Stat. 2729.)

HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES

Revised

Section Source (U.S. Code) Source (Statutes at Large)

702(a) ...... 31:41(1st sentence

less last 14 words,

2d, 3d sentences).

June 10, 1921, ch. 18, §301, 42

Stat. 23.

702(b) ...... 31:41(1st sentence

last 14 words).

31:42(a)(1st sentence

words before

comma).

June 10, 1921, ch. 18,

§302(a)(1st sentence words

before 1st comma), 42 Stat.

23; Apr. 3, 1980, Pub. L.

96–226, §104(a), 94 Stat. 314.

31:1154(d)(1st sentence).Oct. 26, 1970, Pub. L. 91–510,

§204(d)(1st sentence), 84

Stat. 1168; restated July 12,

1974, Pub. L. 93–344, §702(a),

88 Stat. 326.

31:1155(a). Oct. 26, 1970, Pub. L. 91–510,

§205(a), 84 Stat. 1168.

702(c) ...... 31:51–1. Jan. 2, 1975, Pub. L. 93–604,

§501(a), 88 Stat. 1962.

702(d) ...... 31:41(last sentence).

In subsection (a), the words ‘‘instrumentality of the

United States Government’’ are substituted for ‘‘establishment of the Government’’ for consistency. The

words ‘‘created . . . to be’’ and 31:41(2d, 3d sentences)

are omitted as executed.

Subsection (b) is substituted for 31:41(1st sentence

last 14 words) and 42(a)(1st sentence words before

comma) to eliminate unnecessary words and for consistency. The word ‘‘Deputy’’ is substituted for ‘‘Assistant’’ because of section 101 of the Act of July 9, 1971

(Pub. L. 92–51, 85 Stat. 143). The text of 31:1154(d)(1st

sentence) and 1155(a) is omitted as unnecessary because

the Comptroller General, as the head of the Office, has