[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2005]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR3.1]

[Page 259-260]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
PART 3_DEBT MANAGEMENT--Table of Contents
 
               Subpart A_Settlement of Small or Old Debts
 
Sec. 3.1  Purposes of the act and regulations.




               Subpart A_Settlement of Small or Old Debts

Sec.
3.1 Purposes of the act and regulations.
3.2 Definitions.
3.3 Settlement of indebtedness.
3.4 Investigations and findings.
3.5 Delegations of authority.
3.6 Forms and records.
3.8 Penalties.
3.9 Indebtedness referred to the Comptroller General or the Attorney 
          General.
3.10 Scope of the act.

                        Subpart B_Debt Collection

3.21 Debt collection standards.
3.22 Definitions.
3.23 Collection by administrative offset.
3.24 Coordinating administrative offset with other Federal agencies.
3.25 Notice requirements before offset.
3.26 Exceptions to notice requirements.
3.27 Inspection of USDA records related to the debt.

[[Page 260]]

3.28 Written agreements to repay debt as alternative to administrative 
          offset.
3.29 Hearings and reviews.
3.30 Stay of offset.
3.31 Agency procedures.
3.32 Offset against amounts payable from Civil Service retirement and 
          disability fund.
3.33 Offset of debtor's judgment against the United States.
3.34 Interest, penalties and administrative costs.
3.35 Disclosure to a credit reporting agency.
3.36 Use of collection agencies.

                         Subpart C_Salary Offset

3.51 Scope.
3.52 Definitions.
3.53 Coordinating offset with another Federal agency.
3.54 Determination of indebtedness.
3.55 Notice requirements before offset.
3.56 Request for a hearing.
3.57 Result if employee fails to meet deadlines.
3.58 Hearings.
3.59 Written decision following a hearing.
3.60 Review of Departmental record related to the debt.
3.61 Written agreement to repay debt as alternative to salary offset.
3.62 Procedures for salary offset: When deductions may begin.
3.63 Procedures for salary offset: Types of collection.
3.64 Procedures for salary offset: Methods of collection.
3.65 Procedures for salary offset: Imposition of interest, penalties and 
          administrative costs.
3.66 Nonwaiver of rights.
3.67 Refunds.
3.68 Agency regulations.

         Subpart D_Cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service

3.81 Reporting discharged debts to the Internal Revenue Service.
3.82 Offset against tax refunds.

               Subpart E_Adjusted Civil Monetary Penalties

3.91 Adjusted civil monetary penalties.


    Authority: Sec. 1, 58 Stat. 836; 12 U.S.C. 1150.

    Source: 10 FR 807, Jan. 23, 1945, unless otherwise noted. 
Redesignated at 13 FR 6903, Nov. 24, 1948.


    The principal purposes of the act and of the regulations in this 
part are to provide means of:
    (a) Settling, by compromise, adjustment or cancellation relatively 
small debts long past due and owing to the Government arising from loans 
or payments made under farm programs administered by the Department;
    (b) recovering by the Department of substantial sums which are found 
uncollectible when the indebtednesses are treated as full obligations, 
and which otherwise would probably never be collected;
    (c) clearing the accounts of balances so small as not to warrant 
continued efforts of collection; and
    (d) the clearing of the accounts of the records of indebtedness made 
uncollectible by reason of the death or disappearance of the debtors.

The existence of the act will neither serve as grounds for any 
relaxation in the general collection policy of the Department nor should 
it serve as grounds for any lessening of the efforts of farmers to pay 
their indebtedness.