PUBLIC LAW 104-197—SEPT. 16, 1996
110 STAT. 2409
Foreign
countries.
Expiration date.
Effective date.
2 USC 142/.
official representation and reception expenses for the Overseas Field
Offices.
SEC. 206. (a) For fiscal year 1997, the obligational authority
of the Library of Congress for the activities described in subsection
(b) may not exceed $108,275,000.
(b) The activities referred to in subsection (a) are reimbursable
£Uid revolving fund activities that are funded from sources other
than appropriations to the Library in appropriations Acts for the
legislative brsinch.
SEC. 207. (a)(1) Subject to subsection (b), for fiscal year 1997,
the obligational authority of the Library of Congress for the activities described in paragraph (2) may not exceed $2,000,000.
(2) The activities referred to in paragraph (1) are non-expenditure transfer activities in support of parliamentary development
that are funded from sources other than appropriations to the
Library in appropriations Acts for the legislative branch,
(b) The obligational authority under subsection (a)—
(1) shafi be available only with respect to Russia, Ukraine,
Albsuiia, Slovakia, and Romania; and
(2) shall expire on December 31, 1996.
SEC. 208. From and afl;er October 1, 1996, the Disbursing
Officer of the Library of Congress is authorized to disburse funds
appropriated for the Office of Compliance, and the Library of Congress shall provide financial management support to the Office
of Compliance as may be required and mutually agreed to by
the Librarian of Congress and the Executive Director of the Office
of Compliance. The Library of Congress is further authorized to
compute and disburse the basic pay of all personnel of the Office
of Compliance pursuant to the provisions of section 5504 of
title 5.
All vouchers certified for pa3anent by duly authorized certifying Certification
officers of the Library of Congress shall be supported with a certification by an officer or employee of the Office of Compliance duly
authorized in writing by the Executive Director of the Office of
Compliance to certify pa3mients from appropriations of the Office
of Compliance. The Office of Compliance certifying officers shall
(1) be held responsible for the existence and correctness of the
facts recited in the certificate or otherwise stated on the voucher
or its supporting paper and the legality of the proposed pa3anent
under the appropriation or fund involved, (2) be held responsible
and accountable for the correctness of the computations of certifications made, and (3) be held accountable for and required to
make good to the United States the amount of any illegal, improper,
or incorrect payment resulting from any false, inaccurate, or misleading certificate made by them, as well as for any payment
prohibited by law which did not represent a legal obligation \mder
the appropriation or fund involved: Provided, Txiat 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 (1) that the certification was based on
official records and that such certifying officer or employee did
not know, suid by reasonable diligence and incjuiry coxJd not have
ascertained the actual facts, or (2) that the obhgation was incurred
in good faith, that 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 pay-
ment: Provided further, That the Comptroller General shall relieve
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