Execmemo

FEDERAL TRAVEL GUIDE

On the Road to Reengineering

Two years after the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program issued 25 recommendations for streamlining government travel, here's a scorecard.

Temporary Duty Travel and Relocation

Proposal: Require use of government charge card and automated teller machine programs to pay for travel expenses whenever possible.

Status: The House passed a bill (HR 930) requiring use of the card. The bill is in the Senate governmental affairs committee and is likely to be stalled for some time as the committee deals with political fund-raising issues.

Temporary Duty Travel

Proposal: Consolidate and automate travel data.

Status: A change in the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) is coming from GSA.

Proposal: Simplify recording of travel times for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) reimbursement and eliminate M&IE reporting for same-day travel.

Status: In December 1996, GSA issued regulations eliminating the quarter-day system of computing M&IE. Workers now receive a flat 75 percent of per diem for M&IE on the day of travel and the day of return. Workers who travel less than 12 hours in a day (who travel and return in the same day) do not receive a per diem.

Proposal: Raise the threshold for keeping receipts from $25 to $75 and allow agencies to set their own requirements for keeping receipts.

Status: In September 1996, GSA amended the FTR to raise the receipt threshold to $75.

Proposal: Use travel management centers.

Status: Regulation change coming from GSA.

Proposal: Implement predetermined travel costs.

Status: Regulation change coming from GSA.

Proposal: Shift expense review to the approving official.

Status: In October 1996, GSA issued regulations allowing the approving official or supervisor to be the sole person to review travel expenses (eliminating the role of a voucher examiner).

Proposal: Require audit of travel vouchers by statistical sampling.

Status: Regulation bulletin coming from GSA.

Proposal: Eliminate the requirement that supervisors certify that all long-distance calls are in the interest of the government; increase use of telephone calling cards.

Status: Long-distance telephone call certification requirement was repealed in the 1997 Defense authorization bill. In March, GSA issued regulations implementing the repeal.

Relocation

Proposal: Notify employees as early as possible of transfer.

Status: Agencies may adopt this recommendation to foster better relocation planning.

Proposal: Pay limited relocation allowances for temporary change of station.

Status: Authority was granted in the 1997 Defense authorization bill. In March, GSA issued regulations allowing agencies to pay limited relocation allowances for temporary changes of station of six to 30 months (instead of paying temporary duty travel allowances).

Proposal: Use cost reimbursable pricing for relocation service contracts.

Status: Authority was granted in the 1997 Defense authorization bill. In March, GSA issued regulations eliminating the fixed-dollar caps on residence transaction expense reimbursement. Instead, the rule caps reimbursement at 10 percent of the sales price of a residence and 5 percent of the purchase price of a residence.

Proposal: Pay predetermined travel cost for temporary quarters.

Status: Authority was granted in the 1997 Defense authorization bill. In March, GSA issued regulations allowing agencies to pay a fixed amount for temporary quarters subsistence expenses instead of the per diem rate.

Proposal: Pay predetermined travel cost for house-hunting trips.

Status: Authority was granted in the 1997 Defense authorization bill. In March, GSA issued regulations allowing agencies to pay a fixed amount for house-hunting trip expenses instead of a per diem.

Proposal: Pay locality per diem for house-hunting trips (for employees not using predetermined travel cost).

Status: In June 1996, GSA issued regulations giving agencies the discretion to pay the locality per diem instead of the standard continental United States rate for house-hunting trips.

Proposal: Cap the value of homes paid for in guaranteed home sale programs.

Status: In March, GSA issued regulations giving agencies authority to set a cap on the value of residences in a home sale program, considering factors like the value of homes in the area and the agency's budget.

Proposal: Pay home marketing incentive.

Status: Authority was granted in the 1997 Defense authorization bill. In March, GSA issued regulations allowing agencies to pay an incentive to employees who use an agency's home sale program but independently find buyers for their homes.

Proposal: Allow agencies to separately contract for residence-related relocation services including property management.

Status: In March, GSA issued regulations allowing agencies to pay for management of an employee's residence for up to two years when the employee transfers in the interest of the government. This rule is designed to help employees keep and rent, rather than sell, their homes. It can only be used when the employee transfers outside the country or transfers back to a different post in the United States after being outside the country.

Proposal: Directly reimburse property inspection and environmental testing fees.

Status: In May, GSA issued regulations allowing fees to be paid directly to a reimbursable party when required by law or by the lender as a precondition of sale.

Proposal: Directly reimburse property management expenses.

Status: Authority was granted in the 1997 Defense authorization bill. In March, GSA issued regulations to allow agencies to pay for property management services when an employee transfers.

Proposal: Ship a privately owned vehicle in connection with a permanent change of official station within the continental United States.

Status: Authority was granted in the 1997 Defense Authorization bill. In March, GSA issued regulations allowing agencies to authorize transportation or emergency storage of privately owned vehicles within the United States.

Proposal: Ship a privately owned vehicle from a post of duty outside the United States back to the United States, even if the vehicle was not originally shipped to the overseas post of duty.

Status: Regulation change coming from GSA.

Proposal: Assist accompanying spouses in finding employment.

Status: The 104th Congress denied passage of this proposal.

Proposal: Modify the taxability of moving expenses and eliminate the relocation income tax allowance.

Status: GSA issued regulations in March changing the withholding tax allowance to 28 percent to match the withholding rate. A legislative effort to eliminate the relocation income tax allowance is unlikely to succeed this year.