647
61 STAT.]
80TH CONG. , 1ST SESS.-CH. 390-JULY 30, 1947
of the House of Representatives, and the Sergeant at Arms of the
House of Representatives, shall be placed in the custody of the Secre-
tary of the Treasury and filed as he may direct; and the duties required
by law on March 2, 1895, of the Comptroller of the Treasury in regard
to such bonds, as the successor of the Commissioner of Customs and
First Comptroller of the Treasury, shall be performed by the Secretary
of the Treasury.
EXAMINATION AS TO SUFFICIENCY OF SURETIES
§ 2. Every officer required by law to take and approve official bonds
shall cause the same to be examined at least once every two years for
the purpose of ascertaining the sufficiency of the sureties thereon; and
every officer having power to fix the amount of an official bond shall
examine it to ascertain the sufficiency of the amount thereof and
approve or fix said amount at least once in two years and as much
oftener as he may deem it necessary.
RENEWAL; CONTINUANCE OF LIABILITY
§ 3. Every officer whose duty it is to take and approve official bonds
shall cause all such bonds to be renewed every four years after their
dates, but he may require such bonds to be renewed or strengthened
oftener if he deem such action necessary. In the discretion of such
officer the requirement of a new bond may be waived for the period
of service of a bonded officer after the expiration of a four-year term
of service pending the appointment and qualification of his successor.
The nonperformance of any requirement of the provisions of sections
1 to 3 of this title, or of that part of section 27 of title 19 relating to
transmitting copies of oaths to the Secretary of the Treasury, on the
part of any official of the Government shall not be held to affect in
any respect the liability of principal or sureties on any bond made or
to be made to the United States. The liability of the principal and
sureties on all official bonds shall continue and cover the period of
service ensuing until the appointment and qualification of the suc-
cessor of the principal. Nothing in said sections shall be construed
to repeal or modify section 38 of title 39: Provided,That the payment
and acceptance of the annual premium on corporate surety bonds
furnished by postal officers anllemployees, offices all( employees of
other civilian agencies of the United States and bolded officers anl
enlisted men of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast CGuard shall
be a compliance with the requirement for the renewal of such bonds
within the meaning of sections 1 to 3 of this title.
NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY OF PRINCIPAL
§ 4. Whenever any deficiency shall be discovered in the accounts
of any official of the United States, or of any officer disbursing or
chargeable with public money, it shall be the duty of the accounting
officers making such discovery to at once notify the head of the depart-
ment having control over the affairs of said officer of the nature and
amount of said deficiency, and it shall be the immediate duty of said
head of department to at once notify all obligors upon the bond or
bonds of such official of the nature of such deficiency and the amount
thereof. Said notification shall be deemed sufficient if mailed at the
post office in the city of Washington, District of Columbia, addressed
to said sureties respectively and directed to the respective post offices
where said obligors may reside, if known; but a failure to give or
mail such notice shall not discharge the surety or sureties upon such
bond.
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