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15 C.F.R. § 21.1   Definitions.

Title 15 - Commerce and Foreign Trade

Title 15: Commerce and Foreign Trade
PART 21—ADMINISTRATIVE OFFSET

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§ 21.1   Definitions.

For purposes of this subpart:

(a) The term administrative offset means satisfying a debt by withholding of money payable by the Department to, or held by the Department on behalf of a person, to satisfy a debt owed the Federal Government by that person.

(b) The term person includes individuals, businesses, organizations and other entities, but does not include any agency of the United States, or any State or local government.

(c) The terms claim and debt are deemed synonymous and interchangeable. They refer to an amount of money or property which has been determined by an appropriate agency official to be owed to the United States from any person, organization, or entity, except another Federal agency, a State or local government, or Indian Tribal Government.

(d) Agency means:

(1) An Executive department, military department, Government corporation, or independent establishment as defined in 5 U.S.C. 101, 102, 103, or 104, respectively.

(2) The United States Postal Service; or

(3) The Postal Rate Commission.

(e) Debtor means the same as “person.”

(f) Department means the Department of Commerce.

(g) Secretary means the Secretary of the Department of Commerce.

(h) Assistant Secretary for Administration means the Assistant Secretary for Administration of the Department of Commerce.

(i) United States includes an “agency” of the United States.

(j) Waiver means the cancellation, remission, forgiveness, or non-recovery of a debt allegedly owed by a person to the United States.

(k) Departmental unit means an individual operating or administrative component within the Department of Commerce.

(l) Departmental unit head means the head of an individual operating or administrative component within the Department of Commerce responsible for debt collection.

(m) Notice of Intent means a demand notice sent by the Department to the debtor indicating not only the amount due, but also the Department's intent to offset all or some of the amount due from other source(s) of Federal payment(s) that may be due the debtor.

(n) Workout group means Departmental debt collection specialist(s) assigned to collection of a delinquent debt when the claim is 30 or more days past due.

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