Travel charge card use to be mandatory next year

Federal employees traveling on official business will be required to pay their expenses with government-issued travel charge cards, under a proposed rule issued by the General Services Administration last week.

All government travel on or after December 31, 1999 must be paid for with a contractor-issued travel charge card, according to the interim rule, published by GSA's Office of Governmentwide Policy in the Federal Register Friday.

Only expenses that cannot be paid for with a charge card, such as laundry, parking, local transportation and tips, are exempt from the regulation. Each agency head or a designee has the authority to grant exemptions to the rule. If expenses cannot be paid for with a charge card, employees must use their own funds, money from a centrally billed account, travel advances, government issued travelers checks or a government transportation request. Agencies must reimburse allowable expenses within 30 calendar days of receiving a proper travel voucher from an employee.

The rule forbids the use of travel charge cards for anything other than official government travel. Employees can expect disciplinary action for buying personal items with a government card, the announcement said.

The new rule puts into effect a 1998 law (PL 105-264) requiring federal employees to pay for travel expenses with charge cards. GSA is accepting comments on the rule implementing the law until Sept. 14. To comment via e-mail, write to RIN.3090_AG92@gsa.gov.