
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: 31USC712]

 
                       TITLE 31--MONEY AND FINANCE
 
                           SUBTITLE I--GENERAL
 
                  CHAPTER 7--GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE
 
                SUBCHAPTER II--GENERAL DUTIES AND POWERS
 
Sec. 712. Investigating the use of public money

    The Comptroller General shall--
        (1) investigate all matters related to the receipt, 
    disbursement, and use of public money;
        (2) estimate the cost to the United States Government of 
    complying with each restriction on expenditures of a specific 
    appropriation in a general appropriation law and report each 
    estimate to Congress with recommendations the Comptroller General 
    considers desirable;
        (3) analyze expenditures of each executive agency the 
    Comptroller General believes will help Congress decide whether 
    public money has been used and expended economically and 
    efficiently;
        (4) make an investigation and report ordered by either House of 
    Congress or a committee of Congress having jurisdiction over 
    revenue, appropriations, or expenditures; and
        (5) give a committee of Congress having jurisdiction over 
    revenue, appropriations, or expenditures the help and information 
    the committee requests.

(Pub. L. 97-258, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 889.)

                                          Historical and Revision Notes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------
           Revised Section                   Source (U.S. Code)                
Source (Statutes at Large)
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---------------------------------
712(1)...............................  31:53(a)(1st sentence words     June 10,
 1921, ch. 18, Sec.  312(a)(1st
                                        before 5th comma).              sentenc
e words before 5th comma), (b),
                                                                        42 Stat
. 25.
712(2)...............................  31:59.                          Aug. 2, 
1946, ch. 753, Secs.  205,
                                                                        206(1st
 sentence), 60 Stat. 837.
712(3)...............................  31:60(1st sentence).
712(4)...............................  31:53(b)(1st sentence).
712(5)...............................  31:53(b)(last sentence).
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---------------------------------

    In clause (1), the words ``at the seat of government or elsewhere'' 
are omitted as surplus.
    In clause (2), the words ``estimate the cost to the United States 
Government of complying with each restriction on expenditures'' are 
substituted for ``make a full and complete study of restrictions . . . 
limiting the expenditure therein with a view to determining the cost to 
the Government incident to complying with such restrictions'', and the 
word ``desirable'' is substituted for ``necessary or desirable'', to 
eliminate unnecessary words.
    In clause (3), the words ``executive agency'' are substituted for 
``agency in the executive branch of the Government (including Government 
corporations)'' because of section 102 of the revised title.
    In clause (4), the words ``committee of Congress'' are substituted 
for ``committee of either House'' for consistency.
    In clause (5), the words ``at the request of any such committee, 
direct assistants from his office'' are omitted as surplus.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 719 of this title.
