Policy and Procedures for Documenting Mixed Official and Political Travel
Policy and Procedures for Documenting Mixed
Official and Political Travel
Policy:
Employees appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate (PAS) may perform mixed official and political travel. Employees acting in a position that is designated as a position to be filled by a PAS may not perform such mixed travel.
Travel by a PAS that is purely political in nature will not be covered by a travel authorization and a travel voucher will not be prepared since the Government does not incur an obligation or expense in connection with this travel. Travel that is mixed between official and political will be authorized on a trip-by-trip travel authorization, except for the Secretary who may use an open authorization. A separate authorization will be issued to cover this travel even when the employee has a current annual (blanket) travel authorization.
Mixed political and official travel will be documented in such a way as to ensure a complete accounting of time spent performing official duties and time spent participating in political activities. Any periods not accounted for as either official duty or political activity must be explained, including time taken for purely personal activities This documentation will be the basis for determining the expenses to be borne by the Government and those to be borne by the political sponsor. The documentation supporting the time spent performing official duties and political activities will be made a part of the reimbursement files of the Interior Service Center (ISC).
All political travel costs must be paid by the political sponsor. The political organization may not use Government discount contract airline fares or car rental programs. The sponsor should be required to provide travel accommodations in-kind including airline tickets and lodging, unless official business requirements preclude use of in-kind accommodations. The Government generally will not incur costs in excess of the pre-trip estimate of the proportional cost of the trip. When the political organization does not provide in-kind travel accommodations, the employee may draw an advance equal to the estimated Government share. Commercial transportation and other accommodations must be procured at commercial rates and Government contract rates must not be used for any portion of the trip that is for or a result of the political activity.
When mixed official and political travel has trip "legs" or segments that are wholly official and must be performed without regard to the political activity, that leg or segment may use contract travel accommodations. An example of this exception would be a situation where the political organization is sponsoring an event in Dallas, TX and a PAS employee is scheduled to participate. After the political organization has provided the tickets from Washington, DC to Dallas, TX and return, a requirement to proceed on to San Francisco, CA, for official business only, arises. The trip from Dallas, TX to San Francisco, CA and return to Dallas, TX may be procured using Government contract discount air fares and other travel accommodations while in San Francisco, CA.
All vouchers and requests for billing resulting from mixed official and political travel will be reviewed and approved by the General Law Division of the Office of the Solicitor.
The office that initiates mixed official and political travel is the focal point for controlling and documenting the travel to include preparation of the travel authorization, updating the traveler’s itinerary, preparing the trip report, and preparation of the travel voucher. The initiating office is also responsible for obtaining the approval of the Solicitor’s office of the cost allocation and providing the ISC the necessary documentation to track the travel claim and to prepare the bill of collection.
Procedures:
General: All requests for political travel will be channeled to a designated contact within each bureau or secretarial office. The designated contact will ensure proper consideration is given to each request and maintain documentation of all requests for political, or mixed political and official travel. Although these procedures are written primarily for Secretarial mixed official and political travel, bureaus and offices must establish similar procedures to control and track mixed official and political travel.
The request for travel will be communicated to the employee that was requested to perform the travel; however, if the requested traveler is not a PAS, the appropriate PAS will be advised of the travel request and informed that the employee initially requested may not perform this type travel. If the appropriate PAS is available and willing to perform the travel, the requesting organization will be advised that the requested person may not perform this duty and that the appropriate PAS is available on the requested dates. Once the requested employee or an acceptable substitute has agreed to perform the travel, a mixed political and official trip file will be initiated. This file will contain a copy of all relevant documents reflecting the planning, instructions, distribution of time between political and official, expenses incurred on the trip, record of in-kind services and accommodations received, trip reports, travel authorizations and vouchers, itineraries, travel authorization, cost distribution worksheets, and correspondence showing that a request was forwarded to the ISC for billing or payment to the political activity concerned.
Travel Authorization: Once the traveler has been selected and the basic itinerary established, a single trip (trip-by-trip) travel authorization will be initiated. The travel authorization will be routed through the General Law Division of the Solicitor’s Office for concurrence. After the Solicitor’s Office concurs with the travel, the authorization will be routed through the Interior Service Center fiscal section for obligation, and the Deputy Chief of Staff or other authorized approving official for signature. A copy of the travel authorization and basic itinerary will be provided the designated staff accountant in the ISC for establishment of a fiscal follow-up file. A copy of the completed authorization will also be placed in the Director of Scheduling’s record file and any draft copies will be removed. The original copy of the travel authorization will be provided to the traveler.
Foreign Travel Certification: When the mixed official and political travel involves travel to a foreign country, excluding Canada, the Director of International Affairs will be requested to complete a Foreign Travel Certification (Form 1175), including obtaining the necessary clearance for the travel from the White House, State Department, National Security Council and the US Embassy of the country to be visited. A copy of the Form 1175 will be furnished the Director of Scheduling, the designated ISC staff accountant and the ISC travel coordinator. The ISC travel coordinator is responsible for obtaining any required visas and passports.
The Director of International Affairs is also responsible for preparation of any briefings the traveler may need before commencing international travel.
Transportation: The Secretary may use a Government vehicle as necessary to accomplish the purpose of the travel. Other employees should not use a Government vehicle for any part of the travel that is considered political or mixed political and official travel. Local transportation to political events should be by private automobile or other non-government modes. The political sponsor will be notified of the commercial transportation requirements and requested to provide the necessary tickets to fulfill these requirements. Government discount rates and Departmental funds may be used only when there is a separate segment of the trip that is for official business only and is totally isolated from the other travel.
The political sponsor will provide the necessary tickets to the traveler or the person in charge of scheduling and coordinating the trip. A copy of the tickets and flight schedule (itinerary) will be provided the Director of Scheduling for inclusion in the trip record file. These documents are essential in determining the appropriate cost distribution.
Any additional segments of the trip that are wholly official business travel will be ticketed through the travel management center (TMC) with Departmental funds and the appropriate Government fares. The TMC manager will provide scheduling and ticketing assistance if needed. If the TMC manager cannot provide the necessary assistance because of technical policy questions, the ISC travel coordinator will be contacted for assistance. A copy of each Government purchased ticket and a copy of the flight schedule (itinerary) will be provided to the Director of Scheduling and the designated ISC staff accountant for inclusion in the trip files.
Documenting Trip Expenses and Itinerary Changes: Once travel has commenced the Director of Scheduling will provide the ISC designated staff accountant a copy of the latest itinerary and a copy of any additional tickets procured.
All travel expenses will be documented and the source of funds used to cover the expenses will be identified with each expense. Any changes to the itinerary, transportation tickets, or flight schedules will be provided to the Director of Scheduling and the ISC designated staff accountant.
Once the travel has been completed, a travel claim voucher will be prepared to reimburse the traveler for any amounts due for the official travel performed. The travel voucher and expense allocation worksheet will serve as the basis for payments or billings to the political sponsor.
The designated ISC staff accountant will monitor timeliness of submission of the travel claim and billing request and notify the Director of Scheduling if a voucher is not received within 10 work days following scheduled completion of the travel. If within 10 work days after the first notification the voucher is not received, a second notification will be initiated and the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Chief Operating Officer of the ISC will be included as addressees.
Claims and Billing: A travel reimbursement voucher supported by the a copy of: 1) the travel authorization; 2) a copy of the airline tickets; 3) lodging receipts; 4) receipts for expenditures over $75.00; 5) final itinerary and 6) the expense allocation worksheet, showing all calculations, will be prepared for each trip and submitted to the Associate Solicitor for General Law for review and approval. After review and approval of the cost allocation, the Associate Solicitor will return the voucher package to the appropriate approving official. The approving official will review and approve the voucher, and forward the package to the ISC staff accountant for processing.
Payment: The designated ISC staff accountant is responsible for overseeing the voucher examination and certification. If the cost allocation worksheet reflects an amount due the political sponsor, action will be taken to schedule a check payment to the sponsor. If the cost allocation worksheet indicates that the political sponsor did not provide enough in-kind services or a cash advance to cover all the costs allocated to the political activity, a bill of collection will be prepared and forwarded to the political sponsor. The travel voucher will be annotated to reflect that the employee may not be paid the entire amount due until the political sponsor has reimbursed the Department. The staff accountant will establish controls to ensure the employee is paid as expeditiously as possible after receipt of reimbursement from the political sponsor.
A copy of the bill of collection will be provided the Director of Scheduling along with notification that the travel voucher payment will be delayed until the political sponsor pays the amount indicated on the bill of collection. If requested by the Director of Scheduling, the amount due the employee may be reduced to the Government’s share only and paid (i.e., a payment may be made for any amount due the employee less the amount due from the political sponsor). A reclaim voucher is required for payment of the amount disallowed, but only after the political sponsor has reimbursed the Department. All employees, except the Secretary, will obtain travel advances through the ATM process and receive payments via the electronic payment process.
In those instances where the political sponsor owes the Government, the Director of Scheduling will be provided a copy of the reimbursement received. The notice of reimbursement will be placed in the travel file and the file closed.
