SECTION 57.8. Agency Submission of Request for Voucher Approval to the Office of the Attorney General

(a) An Invoice may not be paid without the prior approval of the Office of the Attorney General.

(b) If the Agency approves an Invoice, or a portion of an Invoice, pursuant to §57.7(b) of this chapter, the Agency must submit the following information to the Office of the Attorney General within ten (10) business days of receiving the Invoice from Outside Counsel:

(1) a Request for Voucher Approval;

(2) a copy of the Invoice and Invoice Summary at issue;

(3) evidence of the date the Agency received the Invoice;

(4) a copy of the verification required by §57.7(b)(2) of this chapter;

(5) other information requested by the Office of the Attorney General;

(6) any other information the Agency deems necessary for the Office of the Attorney General to conduct a review of the Invoice; and

(7) if necessary, a description of any disputed charge that the Agency has not approved for payment and the reason(s) why it was not approved.

(c) If the Office of the Attorney General determines that a properly submitted Invoice, or a portion thereof, is eligible for payment, it will provide the Agency with a voucher approval and, if necessary, enter relevant information in the Uniform Statewide Accounting System.

(d) If the Office of the Attorney General determines that any portion of an Invoice is not eligible for payment, it will immediately notify the Agency of that decision. The Agency may then, after consulting with Outside Counsel:

(1) abide by the Office of the Attorney General's determination to deny payment;

(2) inform the Office of the Attorney General that the Agency and the Outside Counsel agree that the payment should be denied and the Invoice will be withdrawn; or

(3) submit a new Invoice for review and approval after resolving the Invoice deficiency with Outside Counsel in a mutually agreeable manner.

(e) The Office of the Attorney General will not approve payment of an Invoice in an amount that is greater than the amount approved by the Agency under §57.7(b) of this chapter.

(f) The Office of the Attorney General, at its sole discretion, may permit Agencies to submit information other than the information specified in subsection (b)(1) - (7) of this section before the Office of the Attorney General approves or disapproves payment of an Invoice. The Office of the Attorney General will specify what information is acceptable for an Agency to submit under this subsection.

(g) Except as allowed by the Office of the Attorney General, Agencies may submit only one Request for Voucher Approval per billing period per contract.

Source Note: The provisions of this §57.8 adopted to be effective March 27, 2012, 37 TexReg 2065