No assignment of moneys by a person to whom the State is directly indebted shall be effective unless the assignment is first approved by the comptroller or, in the case of the University of Hawaii and the department of education, by their respective chief financial officers. The comptroller or the chief financial officers of the University of Hawaii and the department of education may prescribe the form for an assignment, and may approve the assignment within a reasonable time period if, in their respective discretion, the rights or obligations of the State, the University of Hawaii, or the department of education under any contract or other undertaking or under any law, rule, or order by a competent authority will not be prejudiced thereby. Upon approval of the assignment, the comptroller or the respective chief financial officers of the University of Hawaii and the department of education shall draw a warrant payable to the assignee. Except as to contracts encumbered by the comptroller, the University of Hawaii, or the department of education, each expending agency, upon notification of the comptroller’s approval of an assignment, shall prepare a claim for payment in accordance with the terms of the assignment.