[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4130 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4130

 To require that all Federal recurring payments be paid by electronic 
                funds transfer, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 24, 1994

 Mr. Darden (for himself, Mr. Lightfoot, and Mr. Hoyer) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Government 
                               Operations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require that all Federal recurring payments be paid by electronic 
                funds transfer, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER.

    Section 3332 of title 31, United States Code, is amended to read as 
follows:
``Sec. 3332. Required and presumed direct deposit
    ``(a) Manner of Payments.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law and subject to subsection (b), all recurring Federal 
        payments, including Federal wage, salary, and retirement 
        payments, shall be paid by electronic funds transfer in 
        accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the 
        Treasury.
            ``(2) Designation by recipient of payee financial 
        institution.--Each recipient of any class of recurring Federal 
        payments, including Federal wage, salary, or retirement 
        payments, shall--
                    ``(A) designate 1 or more financial institutions to 
                which any such payment shall be made; and
                    ``(B) provide the agency responsible for certifying 
                or authorizing such payment with such information as 
                may be necessary for the recipient to receive 
                electronic funds transfer payments through the 
                institutions so designated.
            ``(3) Authority to limit number of designations.--The 
        Secretary of the Treasury may limit the number of financial 
        institutions which an individual may designate under paragraph 
        (2)(A) with respect to any payment to not fewer than 3 
        financial institutions.
    ``(b) Presumption of Request to Receive Payments by Electronic 
Funds Transfer.--The recipient of any class of recurring benefits 
payments shall be presumed to have requested that any payment be made 
by electronic funds transfer unless a waiver is requested under 
subsection (c) by such recipient.
    ``(c) Waiver of Requirement.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury may waive 
        the requirements of subsection (a) of this section for any 
        group of recipients or class of payments upon the written 
        request of the head of an agency under standards prescribed by 
        the Secretary of the Treasury.
            ``(2) Delegation authority.--The Secretary of the Treasury 
        may delegate the authority to waive the requirements of 
        subsection (a) with respect to an individual recipient, or a 
        group of individual recipients, of any class of recurring 
        Federal payments to the head of the agency responsible for 
        certifying or authorizing such payments upon the written 
        request by such individual recipient or group of recipients.
            ``(3) Alternative method of payment.--Recurring Federal 
        payments with respect to which a waiver has been granted under 
        paragraph (1) or (2) shall be paid by any method determined to 
        be appropriate by the Secretary of the Treasury.
    ``(d) Transfer to Designated Institutions Constitutes Full 
Payment.--The crediting of the amount of a payment to the appropriate 
accounts on the books of the financial institutions designated by the 
payment recipient under this section shall constitute a complete 
payment to the United States for the amount of the payment.
    ``(e) Regulations.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and 
        (3), the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe regulations 
        for all agencies in carrying out this section.
            ``(2) Senate.--The Secretary of the Senate shall prescribe 
        regulations for the Senate in carrying out this section.
            ``(3) House of representatives.--With the approval of the 
        Committee on House Administration of the House of 
        Representatives, the Director of Nonlegislative and Financial 
        Services of the House of Representatives shall prescribe 
        regulations for the House in carrying out this section.''.

SEC. 2. CLERICAL AMENDMENT.

    Chapter 33 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking 
the item relating to section 3332 and inserting the following new item:

``3332. Required and presumed direct deposit.''.

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