I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 436
To reduce waste, fraud, and error in Government programs by making im-
provements with respect to Federal management and debt collection
practices, Federal payment systems, Federal benefit programs, and for
other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 2, 1999
Mr. HORN (for himself, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. DAVIS of Virginia, Mrs. BIGGERT,
Mr. SESSIONS, and Mr. DAVIS of Florida) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Reform, and in addition to the
Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To reduce waste, fraud, and error in Government programs
by making improvements with respect to Federal man-
agement and debt collection practices, Federal payment
systems, Federal benefit programs, and for other pur-
poses.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Government Waste, Fraud, and Error Reduction Act of
1999’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Purposes.
Sec. 3. Definition.
Sec. 4. Application of Act.
TITLE I—GENERAL MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS
Sec. 101. Improving financial management.
Sec. 102. Improving travel management.
TITLE II—IMPROVING FEDERAL DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES
Sec. 201. Miscellaneous technical corrections to subchapter II of chapter 37 of
title 31, United States Code.
Sec. 202. Barring delinquent Federal debtors from obtaining Federal benefits.
Sec. 203. Collection and compromise of nontax debts and claims.
TITLE III—SALE OF NONTAX DEBTS OWED TO UNITED STATES
Sec. 301. Authority to sell nontax debts.
Sec. 302. Requirement to sell certain nontax debts.
TITLE IV—TREATMENT OF HIGH VALUE NONTAX DEBTS
Sec. 401. Annual report on high value nontax debts.
Sec. 402. Review by Inspectors General.
Sec. 403. Requirement to seek seizure and forfeiture of assets securing high
value nontax debt.
TITLE V—FEDERAL PAYMENTS
Sec. 501. Promoting electronic payments.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are the following:
(1) To reduce waste, fraud, and error in Fed-
eral benefit programs.
(2) To focus Federal agency management at-
tention on high-risk programs.
(3) To better collect debts owed to the United
States.
(4) To improve Federal payment systems.
(5) To improve reporting on Government oper-
ations.
SEC. 3. DEFINITION.
As used in this Act, the term ‘‘nontax debt’’ means
any debt (within the meaning of that term as used in
chapter 37 of title 31, United States Code) other than a
debt under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or the Tar-
iff Act of 1930.
SEC. 4. APPLICATION OF ACT.
No provision of this Act shall apply to the Depart-
ment of the Treasury or the Internal Revenue Service to
the extent that such provision—
(1) involves the administration of the internal
revenue laws; or
(2) conflicts with the Internal Revenue Service
Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, or the Tariff Act of 1930.
TITLE I—GENERAL
MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS
SEC. 101. IMPROVING FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.
Section 3515 of title 31, United States Code, is
amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) by striking ‘‘1997’’ and inserting
‘‘2000’’; and
(B) by inserting ‘‘Congress and’’ after
‘‘submit to’’;
(2) by striking subsection (e); and
(3) by striking subsections (f), (g), and (h).
SEC. 102. IMPROVING TRAVEL MANAGEMENT.
(a) LIMITED EXCLUSION FROM REQUIREMENT RE-
GARDING OCCUPATION OF QUARTERS.—Section 5911(e)
of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at
the end the following new sentence: ‘‘The preceding sen-
tence shall not apply with respect to lodging provided
under chapter 57 of this title.’’.
(b) USE
OF
TRAVEL
MANAGEMENT
CENTERS,
AGENTS, AND ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SYSTEMS.—
(1) REQUIREMENT TO ENCOURAGE USE.—The
head of each executive agency shall, with respect to
travel by employees of the agency in the perform-
ance of the employment duties by the employee, re-
quire, to the extent practicable, the use by such em-
ployees of travel management centers, travel agents
authorized for use by such employees, and electronic
reservation and payment systems for the purpose of