[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 45, Volume 1]
[Revised as of October 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 45CFR31.1]

[Page 102]
 
                        TITLE 45--PUBLIC WELFARE
 
                           AND HUMAN SERVICES
 
PART 31_TAX REFUND OFFSET--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 31.1  Purpose and scope.

    (a) Purpose. This part prescribes the Department's standards and 
procedures for submitting past-due, legally enforceable debts to the 
Department of the Treasury for collection by tax refund offset.
    (b) Authority. These standards and procedures are authorized under 
the tax refund offset provision of the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984, as 
amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, codified at 31 
U.S.C. 3720A, and the implementing regulations issued by the Department 
of the Treasury at 31 CFR 285.2.
    (c) Scope. (1) This part applies to all Departmental Operating 
Divisions and Regional Offices that administer a program that gives rise 
to a past-due non-tax debt owed to the United States, and to all 
officers or employees of the Department authorized to collect such debt. 
This part does not apply to any debt or claim owed to the Department of 
Health and Human Services by another Federal agency.
    (2) Nothing in this part precludes the Department from pursuing 
other debt collection procedures, including administrative wage 
garnishment under part 32 of this title, to collect a debt that has been 
submitted to the Department of the Treasury under this part. The 
Department may use such debt collection procedures separately or in 
conjunction with the offset collection procedures of this part.