Frequent flier bill introduced in Senate

A Virginia senator has introduced legislation to let federal employees keep the frequent flier miles they earn while on official government travel. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., introduced S. 1369 on Aug. 3, touting it as a means to "level the playing field between federal employees and their counterparts in the private sector." In most cases, federal employees are not allowed to keep for personal use any frequent flier miles they may earn during trips taken for government business. The movement to repeal the rule has been gaining momentum. On July 30, the House passed H.R. 2456, a bill introduced by Reps. Dan Burton, R-Ind., and Connie Morella, R-Md. Warner's bill is the Senate companion to H.R. 2456. In May, the General Accounting Office put its weight behind lifting the ban, saying that letting employees keep their miles could help agencies compete with the private sector for talent. "While the law had good intentions, it is impractical, if not impossible, for an agency to apply the miles or travel benefits elsewhere," Warner said on the Senate floor after introducing the bill. "While travel may be inherent with certain jobs, business-related travel often impedes on an individual's personal time, time that person could be spending with family and at home. Allowing federal employees to keep their frequent flier miles will also help to support the government's ongoing efforts to recruit and retain a skilled, qualified workforce." Other frequent traveler benefit programs, such as hotel point programs and car rental point programs, are also covered under the Senate bill. The legislation would be retroactive, allowing federal employees to keep and use miles earned prior to the bill's enactment.