[Functions of National Forest Volunteers]

GAO was asked whether individuals who are designated for public volunteer service in the national forests may collect recreation user fees owed to the United States. The Department of Agriculture has proposed using volunteer campground hosts to collect fees from locked boxes which are currently emptied periodically by Forest Service employees. It was anticipated that such collections would increase payment compliance among campers and decrease the opportunity for vandalism of the collection boxes. GAO concluded, however, that it could not approve the proposal because there is no indication in the Volunteers in the National Forests Act that Congress intended volunteers to perform such a function. In addition, GAO stated that fee collection is an inherent governmental function which may be performed only by Government employees. Government employees charged with the safekeeping of public moneys are personally accountable for funds entrusted to them; nonemployees would not be subject to strict accountability under the existing law and, in the event of a nonemployee's withholding of funds, the Government's only remedy would be to seek a judgment in the courts. Finally, to protect the Government against loss, volunteers would need to obtain surety bonds, and it was not clear that such bonds would be available at a cost that either the agency or an individual volunteer would be willing to bear.