
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]
[CITE: 31USC702]

 
                       TITLE 31--MONEY AND FINANCE
 
                           SUBTITLE I--GENERAL
 
                  CHAPTER 7--GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE
 
           SUBCHAPTER I--DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL ORGANIZATION
 
Sec. 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, 
Sec. 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    June 10,
 1921, ch. 18, Sec.  301, 42
                                        14 words, 2d, 3d sentences).    Stat. 2
3.
702(b)...............................  31:41(1st sentence last 14
                                        words).
                                       31:42(a)(1st sentence words     June 10,
 1921, ch. 18, Sec.  302(a)(1st
                                        before comma).                  sentenc
e words before 1st comma), 42
                                                                        Stat. 2
3; Apr. 3, 1980, Pub. L. 96-226,
                                                                        Sec.  1
04(a), 94 Stat. 314.
                                       31:1154(d)(1st sentence).       Oct. 26,
 1970, Pub. L. 91-510, Sec.
                                                                        204(d)(
1st sentence), 84 Stat. 1168;
                                                                        restate
d July 12, 1974, Pub. L. 93-344,
                                                                        Sec.  7
02(a), 88 Stat. 326.
                                       31:1155(a).                     Oct. 26,
 1970, Pub. L. 91-510, Sec.
                                                                        205(a),
 84 Stat. 1168.
702(c)...............................  31:51-1.                        Jan. 2, 
1975, Pub. L. 93-604, Sec.
                                                                        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 the authority to establish constituent parts of the 
Office to carry out duties and powers unless otherwise specified by law.
    In subsection (c), the words ``Administrator of General Services'' 
are substituted for ``the head of any Federal agency which exercises 
authority over such building'' for clarity. The words ``of the United 
States'' are omitted as surplus.


                               Amendments

    1988--Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 100-545 redesignated subsec. (d) as 
(c) and struck out former subsec. (c) which directed Administrator of 
General Services to provide Comptroller General with space in General 
Accounting Office Building.

                 Transfers and Terminations of Functions

    Pub. L. 104-316, title I, Sec. 101(a)-(d), Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 
3826, 3827, provided that:
    ``(a) In General.--
        ``(1) Functions transferred.--In any case in which a provision 
    of law authorizing the performance of a function by the Comptroller 
    General of the United States or the General Accounting Office is 
    amended by this title [see Tables for classification] to substitute 
    another Federal officer, employee, or agency in that authorization, 
    the authority under that provision to perform that function is 
    transferred to the other Federal officer, employee, or agency.
        ``(2) Functions terminated.--In any case in which a provision of 
    law authorizing the performance of a function by the Comptroller 
    General of the United States or the General Accounting Office is 
    repealed by this Act [see Tables for classification], the authority 
    under that provision to perform that function is terminated.
        ``(3) Delegation of functions.--The Director of the Office of 
    Management and Budget may delegate, in whole or in part, to any 
    other agency or agencies any function transferred to or vested in 
    the Director under section 103(d), 105(b), 116, or 202(n) of this 
    Act [amending section 3702 of this title, section 5584 of Title 5, 
    Government Organization and Employees, section 2774 of Title 10, 
    Armed Forces, and section 716 of Title 32, National Guard], and may 
    transfer to such agency or agencies any personnel, budget authority, 
    records, and property received by the Director pursuant to 
    subsection (b) of this section that relate to the delegated 
    functions.
    ``(b) Incidental Transfers.--
        ``(1) In general.--Incident to any transfer of authority under 
    subsection (a)(1), there shall be transferred to the recipient 
    Federal officer, employee, or agency such personnel, records, budget 
    authority, and property of the General Accounting Office as the 
    Comptroller General and the Director of the Office of Management and 
    Budget jointly determine to be necessary to effectuate the transfer.
        ``(2) Effect on personnel.--Personnel transferred under this 
    section shall not be separated or reduced in classification or 
    compensation for one year after any such transfer, except for cause.
    ``(c) References.--With respect to any function or authority 
transferred under this Act and exercised on or after the effective date 
of that transfer, reference in any Federal law to the Comptroller 
General or to any officer or employee of the General Accounting Office 
is deemed to refer to the Federal officer or agency to which the 
function or authority is transferred under this Act.
    ``(d) Savings Provisions.--
        ``(1) Orders and other official actions not affected.--All 
    orders, determinations, rules, regulations, permits, grants, 
    contracts, certificates, licenses, and privileges--
            ``(A) which have been issued, made, granted, or allowed to 
        become effective by the Comptroller General or any official of 
        the General Accounting Office, or by a court of competent 
        jurisdiction, in the performance of any function or authority 
        transferred under this Act, and
            ``(B) which are in effect at the time of the transfer;
    shall continue in effect according to their terms until modified, 
    terminated, superseded, set aside, or revoked in accordance with 
    law.
        ``(2) Pending matters and proceedings.--This Act shall not 
    affect any pending matters or proceedings, including notices of 
    proposed rulemaking, relating to a function or authority transferred 
    under this Act. Such matters or proceedings shall continue under the 
    authority of the agency to which the function or authority is 
    transferred until completed or terminated in accordance with law.
        ``(3) Judicial proceedings and causes of actions.--No suit, 
    action, or other proceeding or cause of action relating to a 
    function or authority transferred under this Act shall abate by 
    reason of the enactment of this Act. If, before the date on which a 
    transfer of a function or authority this Act takes effect, the 
    Comptroller General of the United States or any officer or employee 
    of the General Accounting Office in their official capacity is party 
    to a suit relating to the function or authority, then such suit 
    shall be continued and the head of the agency to which the function 
    or authority is transferred, or other appropriate official of that 
    agency, shall be substituted or added as a party.''

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 735 of this title.
