SYSTEM REGULATION
25.02.01 Travel Regulations
February 5, 1997, Revised November 7, 1997, Revised September 20, 1999, Revised December 17, 2001, Revised September 23, 2004
Supplements System Policies 13.04, 25.02, 07.01 and 25.01
1. GENERAL
1.1 The System is committed to conserving public funds and maintaining accountability in regard to System employee travel. All travel for which expenses are incurred or reimbursed must be official state business and must be directly related to the legal responsibilities of the System.
1.2 Each System component must comply with and train employees regarding applicable federal and state laws, the General Appropriations Act, rules and procedures established by the State Comptroller as detailed in the State of Texas Travel Allowance Guide (TAG) and System Policies and Regulations established herein.
1.3 Each System component must participate in the state travel services contracts for airfare, rental cars, lodging and charge card services when purchased with general revenue funds or other educational and general funds.
1.4 Each System employee will be held responsible for complying with applicable travel regulations and procedures in seeking reimbursement for travel. An employee must not seek reimbursement for expenses that the employee knows are not reimbursable.
2. SUPPLEMENTATION OF TRAVEL ALLOWANCE GUIDE
2.1 Meals and Lodging
2.1.1 An employee will be reimbursed for the actual cost of meals and lodging up to maximums specified in the TAG or a component’s rules.
2.1.2 Actual expenses incurred in excess of the rates specified for state employees may be reimbursed from institutional funds available for such purposes at the direction of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or designee.
2.2 Non-Overnight Travel
Irrespective of permissible reimbursement found in the TAG, an employee may not be reimbursed for meals when traveling on official business that does not require an overnight stay unless the meal is considered a business meal and is substantiated as such.
2.3 Travel to Washington, D.C.
The Appropriations Act requires System personnel to inform the Office of State-Federal Relations (OSFR) prior to travel to Washington, D.C. regarding the timing of the trip, its purpose and the name of a contact person for additional information. Each component must establish procedures for such notification using the OSFR form found at http://sago.tamu.edu/soba/travel_DC.html, and notification must also be provided to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Federal Relations. Each component should also implement procedures to ensure fulfillment of annual state reporting requirements.
2.4 Advance Approval of Foreign Travel
2.4.1 The advance written approval of the Board of Regents is required for foreign travel (i.e., travel outside the United States, U.S. Possessions, Canada and Mexico) that is to be paid for with appropriated funds, which are those funds appropriated by the General Appropriations Act and held in the State Treasury. A Request for Foreign Travel (http://sago.tamu.edu/soba/ForeignTravel.pdf) must be completed and routed through the appropriate supervisors (i.e., department head, dean, vice chancellor or vice president and CEO) far enough in advance of the anticipated trip to allow the Board Chairman a minimum of 30 days to review and approve the request prior to the specified travel dates.
2.4.2 A request for foreign travel by a vice chancellor, university president, president of the Health Science Center (HSC) or agency director utilizing appropriated funds must be approved by the Chancellor or designee and forwarded to the Board of Regents for approval. The use of non-appropriated funds for travel by these same individuals requires the approval of the Chancellor or designee.
2.4.3 Each System component may establish procedures for foreign travel funded from non-appropriated sources.
2.4.4 A copy of the written approval must be attached to the applicable travel voucher.
2.4.5 A copy of the written approval must also be forwarded to the System Office of Budgets and Accounting (SOBA) for compilation and submission of the annual report of foreign travel, which is due to the Governor’s Office of Budget and Planning and to the Legislative Budget Board by October 1st of each year.
2.5. Nonreimbursed Official Travel
The CEO may authorize an employee to travel in performance of state business at no expense to the System provided such employee is notified in advance that the travel will not be reimbursed.
2.6 Travel Bonus (Frequent Flyer) Awards
A System employee who earns discounts or bonuses with airlines, hotels, car rental companies, etc., for official travel is not required to account for such credit or to use such credit for official travel.
3. USE OF SYSTEM AIRCRAFT
3.1 System aircraft are available for use by officials and employees traveling on System business. Restrictions on the use of System aircraft are found in System Policy 07.01, Ethics Policy, and in System Policy 25.01, Use and Operation of System Aircraft. Persons using System aircraft are held to the requirements established in those policies.
3.2 Official State Business
3.2.1 A flight must be for official state business and there must be a business reason for the presence of each passenger. Whether the flight is considered "official business" depends on the powers and duties of the System and whether an individual's presence on a flight will further the business purpose. Further clarification of "state business" is as follows:
"State business" is the accomplishment of a governmental function; it requires that the means and method adopted be reasonably necessary; it implies that the particular governmental function involved be directly entrusted to the component or department assuming its accomplishments. (See Attorney General Opinions 0-4167 [1941] and MW-206 [1980])
3.2.2 System aircraft may be used only for transportation which meets the following criteria:
(1) the purpose of the trip is official state business;
(2) all passengers are state officers or employees, or are persons in the care or custody of state officers or employees, or are persons whose transportation furthers the official state business purpose of the flight;
(3) the destination is not served by commercial carriers, or the time required to use such a carrier interferes with other obligations, or the number of state officers and employees traveling makes the use of state aircraft cost effective;
(4) any speeches to be given by passengers are related to official state business;
(5) events attended by passengers are not sponsored by a political party or for its promotion;
(6) no fees or honoraria are received by passengers, unless travel costs are reimbursed to the state;
(7) no money is raised for private or political purposes; and
(8) audiences are not charged to see or hear any of the passengers.
4. OFFICIAL TRAVEL BY SPOUSES AND RELATIVES OF EMPLOYEES
In accordance with System Policy 07.01, an employee’s spouse or other relative may qualify to have travel expenses paid by the System if his or her presence at a function or on a trip is for an official purpose benefiting the System and/or the State of Texas. In making a determination of whether the presence of a spouse or relative is for an official purpose, the factors to be considered are the nature and duties of the employee’s office, the traditional role, if any, of the employee’s spouse or relative, the particular trip’s purpose and the spouse or relative’s connection with that purpose. The component CEO must approve requests for reimbursement of expenses or for direct departmental payment of such persons’ travel expenses, which the component must pay from institutional funds available for such purposes. The Chancellor must approve in writing a request from a CEO. Internal Revenue Service regulations may require that spousal travel reimbursements be reported as income of the employee.
5. EXTENSION OF STATE RATE AIRFARES TO STUDENTS
A student is eligible for state contract airfare rates as long as:
(1) the student is traveling on behalf of the State or component on official state business;
(2) the CEO or designee approves the travel in advance;
(3) the travel expenses are subject to the same System Policies, Regulations, statutes and state guidelines that govern state employees; and
(4) the travel expenses are paid by the State through a business travel account using institutional funds if the student is not also an employee of the component.
6. STUDENT TRAVEL
All employee activities, use of state resources and component procedures related to student travel must follow System Policy 13.04, Student Travel.
7. STATE CREDIT CARDS
A System employee may not use a state credit card for personal expenses. State credit cards may only be used for legitimate System business expenses. The individual employee is solely responsible for payment of charges on his or her individual card. The System will not be responsible for the charges, regardless of the type of charge. An employee may use a state credit card to charge for items that, while they qualify as official business, are not fully reimbursable under State and/or System guidelines for reimbursement.
8. TRAVEL GUIDELINES
For sources other than general revenue funds or educational and general funds, System components may establish travel guidelines in the following areas:
(1) Use of state travel services contracts
(2) Meal and lodging rates
(3) Authorization of actual expenses for persons traveling with or representing the Chancellor, a CEO, or a member of the Board of Regents
(4) Travel expenses for athletic departments
(5) Cancellation of advance registration for seminars, conferences, etc.
(6) Advance approval of travel
(7) Documentation of travel requests and approval
(8) Travel expenses of prospective employees
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CONTACT OFFICE: System Office of Budgets and Accounting
HISTORY: Last issued December 17, 2001
Component Rules for Section 25