General Services Administration September 7, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Travel and Transportation Reform Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105- 264, October 19, 1998), authorized Federal agencies to conduct travel and relocation expenses test programs when determined by the Administrator of General Services to be in the interest of the Government. The provisions of the Act were implemented by a Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) amendment, and published in the Federal Register at 64 FR 28880, May 27, 1999. They permit agencies to test new and innovative methods of reimbursing travel and relocation expenses without seeking a waiver of current rules or authorizing legislation. However, the test authority for the travel and relocation programs expired in October 2005. Pub. L. 109-325, October 11, 2006, amends 5 U.S.C. 5739 by extending the authority for the General Services Administration (GSA) to approve relocation expenses test programs for an additional four years. In addition, the law removes the 24-month period in which an agency had to complete an approved relocation expense test program. The amendments provided by Pub. L. No. 109-325 are effective as though enacted as part of the Travel and Transportation Reform Act of 1998. This final rule incorporates Pub. L. 109-325 by removing the required period of time to complete a relocation test program and extends the authority to conduct relocation tests for an additional four years. The authority to conduct a travel test expense program was not renewed; accordingly, this final rule also deletes those provisions. The FTR and any corresponding documents may be accessed at GSA's website at https://www.gsa.gov/ftr.