A bill to amend section 308 of title 44, United States Code, relating to the disbursing officer, deputy disbursing officer, and certifying officers and employees of the Government Printing Office.
PL 93-459 (S.1794), enacted 10/20/1974

1384 
PUBLIC LAW 93-459-OCT. 20, 1974 
[88 STAT. 
Administration. 
Claims offset 
against U.S. 
25 u s e 70a. 
are hereby declared to be held by the United States in trust for said 
tribe: 
TRACT NUMBERED 1. Part of lot 3 in section 20, township 62 north, 
range 1 east, Boise meridian. Boundary County, Idaho, described as 
follows: Beginning at a point 20 rods south and 20 rods west of the 
northeast corner of lot 3, section 20, thence west 20 rods, thence south 
20 rods, thence east 20 rods, thence north 20 rods to place of beginning, 
containing 2.50 acres, more or less. 
TRACT NUMBERED 2. That part of lot numbered 3 in section 20, town-
ship 62 north, range 1 east, Boise meridian. Boundary County, Idaho, 
described as follows: Beginning at a point 20 rods south of the north-
east corner of lot 3, thence west 20 rods, thence south 20 rods, thence 
west 10 rods, thence south 40 rods, thence east 30 rods, thence north 60 
rods, to place of beginning, containing 10.00 acres, more or less. 
SEC. 2. The above-described property shall be administered in 
accordance with the laws and regulations applicable to Indian tribal 
trust property. 
SEC. 3. The Indian Claims Commission is directed to determine in 
accordance with the provisions of the Act of August 13, 1946 (60 
Stat. 1050), the extent to which value of the title conveyed should or 
should not be set off against any claim against the United States 
determined by the Commission. 
Approved October 18, 1974. 
October 20, 1974 
[S. 1794] 
Public Law 93-459 
AN ACT 
To amend section 308 of title 44, United States Code, relating to the disbursing 
officer, deputy disbursing officer, and certifying officers and employees of the 
Government Printing Office. 
Government 
Printing Office. 
44 u s e 308. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That (a) section 
308 of title 44, L^nited States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
"§308. Disbursing officer; deputy disbursing officer; certifying 
officers and employees 
''(a) The Public Printer shall appoint from time to time a disburs-
ing officer of the Government Printing Office (including the Office of 
the Superintendent of Documents) who shall be under the direction of 
the Public Printer. The disbursing officer shall (1) disburse moneys of 
the Government Printing Office only upon, and in strict accordance 
with, vouchers certified by the Public Printer or by an officer or 
employee of the Government Printing Office authorized in writing by 
the Public Printer to certify such vouchers, (2) make such examina-
tion of vouchers as may be necessary to ascertain whether they are in 
proper form, certified, and approved, and (3) be held accountable 
accordingly. However, the disbursing officer shall not be held account-
able or responsible for any illegal, improper, or incorrect payment 
resulting from any false, inaccurate, or misleading certificate, the 
responsibility for which, under subsection (c) of this section, is 
imposed upon a certifying officer or employee of the Government 
Printing Office. 
88 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 93-459-OCT. 20, 1974 
1385 
"(b)(1) Upon the death, resignation, or separation from office of 
the disbursing officer, his accounts may be continued, and payments 
and collection may be made in his name, by any individual designated 
as a deputy disbursing officer by the Public Printer, for a period of 
time not to extend beyond the last day of the second month following 
the month in which the death, resignation, or separation occurred. 
Accounts and payments shall be allowed, audited, and settled, and 
checks signed in the name of the former disbursing officer by a deputy 
disbursing officer shall be honored in the same manner as if the former 
disbursing officer had continued in office. 
"(2) A former disbursing officer of the Government Printing Offic3 
or his estate may not be subject to any legal liability or penalty for the 
official accounts or defaults of the deputy disbursing officer acting in 
the name or in the place of the former disbursing omjer. Each deputy 
disbursing officer is responsible for accounts entrusted to him under 
paragraph (1) of this subsection, and the deputy disbursing officer 
is liable for any default occurring during his service under such 
paragraph. 
"(c) (1) The Public Printer may designate in writing officers and 
employees of the Government Printing Offifee to certify vouchers for 
payment from appropriations and funds. Such officers and employees 
shall (A) be responsible for the existence and correctness of the facts 
recited in the certificate or other voucher or its supporting papers and 
for the legality of the proposed payment under the appropriation 
or fund involved, (B) be responsible and accountable for the cor-
rectness of the computations of certified vouchers, and (C) be account-
able for, and required to make restitution to, the United States 
for the amount of any illegal, improper, or incorrect payment result-
ing from any false, inaccurate, or misleading certificate made by him, 
as well as for any payment prohibited by law or which did not repre-
sent a legal obligation under the appropriation or fund involved. 
However, the Comptroller General of the United States, may, at his 
discretion, relieve such certifying officer or employee of liability for 
any payment otherwise proper whenever he finds that (i) the cer-
tification was based on the official records and that such certifying 
officer or employee did not know, and by reasonable diligence and 
inquiry could not have ascertained, the actual facts, or (ii) when the 
^ 
obligation was incurred in good faith, the payment was not contrary 
to any statutory provision specifically prohibiting payments of the 
character involved, and the United States has received value for such 
payment. The Comptroller General shall relieve such certifying 
officer or employee of liability for an overpayment for transportation 
services made to any common carrier covered by section 66 of title 
49, whenever he finds that the overpayment occurred solely because 
the administrative examination made prior to payment of the trans-
portation bill did not include a verification of transportation rates, 
freight classifications, or land grant deductions, 
"(2) The liability of such certifying officers or employees shall be 
Liability. 
enforced in the same manner and to the same extent as provided by 
law with respect to the enforcement of the liability of disbursing and 
other accountable officers. Such certifying officers and employees shall 
have the right to apply for and obtain a decision by the Comptroller 
General on any question of law involved in a payment on any vouchers 
presented to them for certification.". 
(b) Item 308 contained in the analysis of chapter 3 of such title 44 
is amended to read as follows: 
"308. Disbursing officer; deputy disbursing officer; certifying officers and 
employees.". 
Approved October 20, 1974.