[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5700 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5700

 To amend titles 5 and 37, United States Code, and the Foreign Service 
  Act of 1980 to authorize the payment of certain travel expenses for 
 Federal employees, members of the uniformed services, and members of 
the Foreign Service involved in disasters or other catastrophic events, 
   as well as the travel of their family representatives and agency 
                            representatives.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 24, 2002

 Mrs. Morella introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on 
    Armed Services and International Relations, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend titles 5 and 37, United States Code, and the Foreign Service 
  Act of 1980 to authorize the payment of certain travel expenses for 
 Federal employees, members of the uniformed services, and members of 
the Foreign Service involved in disasters or other catastrophic events, 
   as well as the travel of their family representatives and agency 
                            representatives.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Employees, Uniformed Service 
and Foreign Service Members Humanitarian Travel Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. PAYMENT OF HUMANITARIAN TRAVEL EXPENSES INVOLVING CIVILIAN 
              EMPLOYEES.

    Section 5702 of title 5, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following:
    ``(4) Under regulations prescribed pursuant to section 5707 of this 
title, the head of an agency may pay the travel expenses of family 
representatives and agency representatives to support the needs of an 
employee described in paragraph (1)(A) or (3) of this subsection.'';
            (2) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) Under regulations prescribed pursuant to section 5707 of this 
title, the head of an agency may pay the travel expenses of an employee 
involved in a disaster or other catastrophic event, family 
representatives of the employee, and agency representatives to, from, 
and at--
            ``(1) the site of such disaster or other catastrophic 
        event;
            ``(2) the site of a memorial service related to such 
        disaster or other catastrophic event; and
            ``(3) any other location as determined by the head of the 
        agency concerned or his designee.''.

SEC. 3. TRANSPORTATION INCIDENT TO DISASTER OR OTHER CATASTROPHIC 
              EVENTS INVOLVING MEMBERS OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES.

    (a) In General.--(1) Chapter 7 of title 37, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 411i the following new section:
``Sec. 411j. Travel and transportation allowances: transportation 
              incident to disaster or other catastrophic event
    ``(a) Allowance Authorized.--In connection with a disaster or other 
catastrophic event, the Secretary concerned may provide travel and 
transportation allowances to the following persons:
            ``(1) A member of the uniformed services who is involved in 
        the disaster or other catastrophic event.
            ``(2) Family members (as defined in section 411h(b) of this 
        title) of the member.
            ``(3) Representatives of the Secretary concerned.
    ``(b) Covered Travel.--Travel and transportation allowances may be 
provided under subsection (a) for travel to, from, and at--
            ``(1) the site of the disaster or other catastrophic event;
            ``(2) the site of a memorial service related to the 
        disaster or other catastrophic event; or
            ``(3) any other location as determined by the Secretary 
        concerned.
    ``(c) Regulations.--The Secretaries concerned shall prescribe 
uniform regulations to carry out this section.''.
    (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 411i the 
following new item:

``411j. Travel and transportation allowances: transportation incident 
                            to disaster or other catastrophic event.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 411h(a)(1) of such title is 
amended by striking ``transportation described in subsection (c)'' and 
inserting ``travel and transportation allowances''.

SEC. 4. TRAVEL INCIDENT TO DISASTER OR OTHER CATASTROPHIC EVENTS 
              INVOLVING MEMBERS OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE.

    Section 901 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4081) is 
amended--
            (1) at the end of paragraph (14) by striking ``and'';
            (2) at the end of paragraph (15) by striking the period and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following paragraph:
            ``(16) travel by a member of the Service who is involved in 
        a disaster or other catastrophic event while assigned abroad or 
        in travel status, by family members of the member of the 
        Service, representatives of the family of the member of the 
        Service, and by agency representatives to, from, and at--
                    ``(A) the site of such disaster or other 
                catastrophic event;
                    ``(B) the site of a memorial service related to 
                such disaster or other catastrophic event; and
                    ``(C) any other location as determined by the 
                Secretary.''.

SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall take effect 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>