The General Services Administration has raised the lodging per diem rates for more than a dozen locations, including Colorado Springs, Colo.; Kansas City, Mo.; San Antonio; Columbus, Ohio; and Memphis, Tenn., and has increased the meals and incidental expense rate in Chicago by $15.
The rate changes will apply to travel performed after Nov. 19, according to a Federal Travel Regulation per diem bulletin released Thursday and published in the Federal Register. The rates were adjusted because GSA determined that the lodging and meals and incidental expenses allowances for the localities failed to adequately reflect costs in the areas.
Rates are slated to go up for 15 cities.
GSA last adjusted the per diem rates on Sept. 1 when it announced the 2006 annual rates.
Much of the United States is covered under a standard rate, based on Consumer Price Index data, which is $60 for lodging and $39 for meals and incidental expenses. But a number of locations, including nearly all major metropolitan areas, are given a per diem rate that differs from the standard.
Other changes in the most recent announcement include: the combining of the Cape May/Ocean City, N.J., area with the Atlantic City, N.J. area; the removal of Hershey, Pa., from the Harrisburg, Pa., area and granting of separate rates for each; and the addition of Albemarle County, Va., to the Charlottesville, Va., area.
The meals and incidental expense rate in Chicago, which includes Cook and Lake counties, will increase from $49 to $64.
All per diem rates are published on GSA's domestic per diem Web site.
| State | Location | Per Diem Lodging Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old 2006 lodging per diem rate | 2006 lodging per diem rates effective Nov. 20 | ||
| CA | Chico/Oroville (Butte County) | $60 | $67 |
| CO | Colorado Springs (El Paso County) | $70 | $78 |
| Silverthorne/Breckenridge (Summit County) |
$89 (Oct. 1 - Nov. 19) $157 (Dec. 1 - March 31) $89 (April 1 - Sept. 30) |
$91 (Nov. 20 - Nov. 30) $148 (Dec. 1 - March 31) $91 (April 1 - Sept. 30) |
|
| FL | Fort Lauderdale (Broward County) |
$85 (Oct. 1 - Nov. 19) $123 (Jan. 1 - March 31) $85 (April 1 - Sept. 30) |
$106 (Nov. 20 - Dec. 31) $140 (Jan. 1 - March 31) $116 (April 1 - May 31) $87 June 1 - Sept. 30 |
| GA | Jekyll Island (Glynn County) | $72 |
$104 (Nov. 20 - Dec. 31) $86 (Jan. 1 - March 31) $104 (April 1 - Sept. 30) |
| ID | Twin Falls (Twin Falls County) | $60 | $65 |
| KS | Kansas City/Overland Park (Wyandotte and Johnson counties) | $87 | $91 |
| MO | Kansas City (Jackson, Clay, Cass and Platte counties) | $87 | $91 |
| NY | Buffalo (Erie County) | $70 | $79 |
| OH | Columbus (Franklin County) | $81 | $88 |
| Dayton/Fairborn (Greene, Drake, Montgomery counties) | $70 | $77 | |
| SC | Charleston (Berkely, Charleston and Dorchester counties) | $78 | $89 |
| TN | Memphis (Shelby County) | $73 | $78 |
| TX | San Antonio (Bexar County) | $89 | $96 |
| WI | Milwaukee (Milwaukee County) | $79 | $89 |
| VA | Charlottesville (Albemarle County) | Adding Albemarle County ($60) to the Charlottesville per diem rate area | $78 |
| NJ | Atlantic City/Ocean City/Cape May (Atlantic and Cape May counties) | Combined Cape May/Ocean City ($76) and Atlantic City areas |
$88 (Nov. 1 - Nov. 19) $91 (Nov. 20 to April 30) $112 (May 1 to Sept. 30) |
| PA | Harrisburg (Daupin County, except Hershey) | Area used to include city of Hershey ($83) | $83 |
| City of Hershey | Formerly part of the Harrisburg area |
$78 (Nov. 20 - Feb. 28) $87 (March 1 - May 31 $139 (June 1 - Sept. 30) |
|
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