2 U.S.C. § 142d — Disbursing officer of the Library of Congress; disbursements in accordance with voucher; examination of vouchers; liability

The disbursing officer of the Library of Congress has three duties: (1) pay out Library of Congress money only when a voucher has been properly certified — either by the Librarian of Congress or by someone the Librarian has authorized in writing to certify vouchers — and only exactly as the voucher directs; (2) examine vouchers as needed to check that they are in the right form and properly certified and approved; and (3) be held accountable for following these rules. There is an exception: the disbursing officer is not responsible for an illegal, improper, or incorrect payment that happened because of a false, inaccurate, or misleading certificate. Under section 142b of this title, that responsibility belongs to the certifying officer or employee of the Library of Congress who signed the certificate, not to the disbursing officer.