[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 5, Volume 3]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 5CFR1820.7]

[Page 306-307]
 
                    TITLE 5--ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL
 
                 CHAPTER VIII--OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL
 
PART 1820_PUBLIC INFORMATION--Table of Contents
 
Sec.  1820.7  Payments and collections.

    (a) Payments. Payment of fees shall be made by check or money order 
payable to the United States Treasury.
    (b) Advance payments. A requester is not required to make an advance 
payment unless:
    (1) The OSC estimates or determines that the requester may be 
required to pay fees in excess of $250, in which case the requester will 
be notified of the estimated cost. The requester must then furnish 
satisfactory assurance of full payment if the requester has a history of 
prompt payment of Freedom of Information Act fees. If the requester has 
no history of payment, then the requester may be required to furnish an 
advance payment up to the full estimated cost; or

[[Page 307]]

    (2) The requester has previously failed to pay a fee assessed in a 
timely fashion (i.e., within 30 days of the date of billing), in which 
case the requester may be required to--
    (i) Pay the full amount owed plus any applicable interest as 
provided in paragraph (d) of this section, or prove payment of the 
alleged amount in arrears, and
    (ii) Make an advance payment of the full amount of the estimated 
cost before a new or pending request will be processed.
    (c) Effect of nonpayment. When the OSC acts under either paragraph 
(b)(2)(i) or (b)(2)(ii) of this section, the administrative time limits 
prescribed in 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(6) of the Freedom of Information Act will 
begin only after the fee payments described above have been received.
    (d) Interest charges. Interest may be charged to any requester who 
fails to pay fees assessed within 30 days of the date of billing. 
Interest will be assessed on the 31st day following the day on which the 
bill for fees was sent, and will be calculated at the rate prescribed in 
31 U.S.C. 3717. Receipt of fees, even if not processed, will stay the 
accrual of interest.
    (e) Collections. If the OSC deems it appropriate in order to 
encourage repayment of fees assessed in accordance with these 
regulations, the OSC will use the procedures authorized by the Debt 
Collection Act of 1982 (Public Law No. 97-365), including disclosure to 
consumer reporting agencies and use of collection agencies.