[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[Senate]
[Pages 28525-28533]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     U.S. SENATE TRAVEL REGULATIONS

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I wish to inform all Senators that 
the Committee on Rules and Administration has updated the U.S. Senate 
Travel Regulations. The Ethics Committee recently issued guidance to 
the Rules Committee that making more than one reservation for official 
travel with a participating airline would not constitute a gift under 
Senate rule XXXV, the Gift Rule. Consistent with the Ethics Committee's 
guidance, the transportation expenses section of the U.S. Senate Travel 
Regulations has been updated to address the issue of making more than 
one reservation on scheduled flights.
  The following statement has been added to I.B of the transportation 
expenses section, found on page IV-64 of the U.S. Senate Handbook:

       3. A Member shall be permitted to make more than one 
     reservation on scheduled flights with participating airlines 
     when such action assists the Member in conducting his/her 
     official business.

  This change is effective immediately.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the updated U.S. Senate 
Travel Regulations be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

Authority of the Committee on Rules and Administration to Issue Senate 
                           Travel Regulations

       The travel regulations herein have been promulgated by the 
     Committee on Rules and Administration pursuant to the 
     authority vested in it by paragraph 1(n)(1)8 of Rule XXV of 
     the Standing Rules of the Senate and by section 68 of Title 2 
     of the United States Code, the pertinent portions of which 
     provisions are as follows:


                      Standing Rules of the Senate

                                Rule XXV

                           Paragraph 1(n)(1)8

       (n)(1) Committee on Rules and Administration, to which 
     committee shall be referred . . . matters relating to the 
     following subjects: . . .
       8. Payment of money out of the contingent fund of the 
     Senate or creating a charge upon the same . . .


                           United States Code

                           Title 2 section 68

       Sec. 68. Payments from contingent fund of Senate
       No payment shall be made from the contingent fund of the 
     Senate unless sanctioned by the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration of the Senate. . . .


                United States Senate Travel Regulations

       Revised by the Committee on Rules and Administration.
       United States Senate, effective October 1, 1991 as amended 
     January 1, 1999, as further amended December 7, 2006, as 
     further amended October 26, 2007.

                          General regulations

       I. Travel Authorization
       A. Only those individuals having an official connection 
     with the function involved may obligate the funds of said 
     function.
       B. Funds disbursed by the Secretary of Senate may be 
     obligated by:
       1. Members of standing, select, special, joint, policy or 
     conference committees.
       2. Staff of such committees.
       3. Employees properly detailed to such committees from 
     other agencies.
       4. Employees of Members of such committees whose salaries 
     are disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate and employees 
     appointed under authority of section 111 of Public Law 95-94, 
     approved August 5, 1977, when designated as ``ex officio 
     employees'' by the Chairman of such committee. Approval of 
     the reimbursement voucher will be considered sufficient 
     designation.
       5. Senators, including staff and nominating board members. 
     (Also individuals properly detailed to a Senator's office 
     under authority of Section 503(b)(3) of P.L. 96-465, approved 
     October 17, 1980.)
       6. All other administrative offices, including Officers and 
     staff.
       C. An employee who transfers from one office to another on 
     the same day he/she concludes official travel shall be 
     considered an employee of the former office until the 
     conclusion of that official travel.
       D. All travel shall be either authorized or approved by the 
     chairman of the committee, Senator, or Officer of the Senate 
     to whom such authority has been properly delegated. The 
     administrative approval of the voucher will constitute the 
     approvals required. It is expected that ordinarily the 
     authority will be issued prior to the expenses being incurred 
     and will specify the travel to be performed as such possible 
     unless circumstances in a particular case prevent such 
     action.
       E. Official Travel Authorizations: The General Services 
     Administration, on behalf of the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration, has contracted with several air carriers to 
     provide discount air fares for Members, Officers, and 
     employees of the Senate only when traveling on official 
     business. This status is identifiable to the contracting air 
     carriers by one of the following ways:
       1. The use of a government issued travel charge card.
       2. The use of an ``Official Travel Authorization'' form 
     which must be submitted to the air carrier prior to 
     purchasing a ticket. These forms must be personally approved 
     by the Senator, chairman, or Officer of the Senate under 
     whose authority the travel for official business is taking 
     place. Payment must be made in advance by cash, credit card,

[[Page 28526]]

     check, or money order. The Official Travel Authorization 
     forms are available in the Senate Disbursing Office.
       II. Funds for Traveling Expenses
       A. Individuals traveling on official business for the 
     Senate will provide themselves with sufficient funds for all 
     current expenses, and are expected to exercise the same care 
     in incurring expenses that a prudent person would exercise if 
     traveling on personal business.
       1. Travel Advances
       (a) Advances to Committees (P.L. 81-118)
       (1) Chairmen of joint committees operating from the 
     contingent fund of the Senate, and chairmen of standing, 
     special, select, policy, or conference committees of the 
     Senate, may requisition an advance of the funds authorized 
     for their respective committees.
       (a) When any duty is imposed upon a committee involving 
     expenses that are ordered to be paid out of the contingent 
     fund of the Senate, upon vouchers to be approved by the 
     chairman of the committee charged with such duty, the receipt 
     of such chairman for any sum advanced to him[her] or his[her] 
     order out of said contingent fund by the Secretary of the 
     Senate for committee expenses not involving personal services 
     shall be taken and passed by the accounting officers of the 
     Government as a full and sufficient voucher; but it shall be 
     the duty of such chairman, as soon as practicable, to furnish 
     to the Secretary of the Senate vouchers in detail for the 
     expenses so incurred.
       (2) Upon presentation of the properly signed statutory 
     advance voucher, the Disbursing Office will make the original 
     advance to the chairman or his/her representative. This 
     advance may be in the form of a check, or in cash, receipted 
     for on the voucher by the person receiving the advance. Under 
     no circumstances are advances to be used for the payment of 
     salaries or obligations, other than petty cash transactions 
     of the committee.
       (3) In no case shall a cash advance be paid more than seven 
     (7) calendar days prior to the commencement of official 
     travel. In no case shall an advance in the form of a check be 
     paid more than fourteen (14) calendar days prior to the 
     commencement of official travel. Requests for advances in the 
     form of a check should be received by the Senate Disbursing 
     Office no less than five (5) calendar days prior to the 
     commencement of official travel. The amount of the advance 
     then becomes the responsibility of the individual receiving 
     the advance, in that he/she must return the amount advanced 
     before or shortly after the expiration of the authority under 
     which these funds were obtained.
       (Regulations Governing Cash Advances for Official Senate 
     Travel adopted by the Committee on Rules and Administration, 
     effective July 23, 1987, pursuant to S. Res. 258, October 1, 
     1987, as applicable to Senate committees)
       (4) Travel advances shall be made prior to the commencement 
     of official travel in the form of cash, direct deposit, or 
     check. Travel advance requests shall be signed by the 
     Committee Chairman and a staff person designated with 
     signature authority.
       (5) Cash: Advances for travel in the form of cash shall be 
     picked up only in the Senate Disbursing Office and will be 
     issued only to the person traveling (photo ID required), with 
     exceptions being made for Members and elected Officers of the 
     Senate. The traveler (or the individual receiving the advance 
     in the case of a travel advance for a Member or elected 
     Officer of the Senate) shall sign the travel advance form to 
     acknowledge receipt of the cash.
       (6) In those cases when a travel advance has been paid, 
     every effort should be made by the office in question to 
     submit to the Senate Disbursing Office a corresponding travel 
     voucher within twenty-one (21) days of the conclusion of such 
     official travel.
       (7) Travel advances for official Senate travel shall be 
     repaid within 30 days after completion of travel. Anyone with 
     an outstanding advance at the end of the 30-day period will 
     be notified by the Disbursing Office that they must repay 
     within 15 days, or their salary may be garnished in order to 
     satisfy their indebtedness to the Federal government.
       (8) In those cases when a travel advance has been paid for 
     a scheduled trip which prior to commencement is canceled or 
     postponed indefinitely, the traveler should immediately 
     return the travel advance to the Senate Disbursing Office.
       (9) No more than two (2) travel advances per traveler may 
     be outstanding at any one time.
       (10) The amount authorized for each travel advance should 
     not exceed the estimated total of official out-of-pocket 
     expenses for the trip in question. The minimum travel advance 
     that can be authorized for the official travel expenses of a 
     Committee Chairman and his/her staff is $200.
       (11) The aggregate total of travel advances for committees 
     shall not exceed $5,000, unless otherwise authorized by prior 
     approval of the Committee on Rules and Administration.
       (b) Advances to Senators and their staffs (2 U.S.C. 58(j))
       (Regulations for Travel Advances for Senators and Their 
     Staffs adopted by the Committee on Rules and Administration, 
     effective April 20, 1983, pursuant to P.L. 97-276)
       (1) Travel advances from a Senator's Official Personnel and 
     Office Expense Account must be authorized by that Senator for 
     himself/herself as well as for his/her staff. Staff is 
     defined as those individuals whose salaries are funded from 
     the Senator's account. An employee in the Office of the 
     President Pro Tempore, the Deputy President Pro Tempore, the 
     Majority Leader, the Minority Leader, the Majority Whip, the 
     Minority Whip, the Secretary for the Conference of the 
     Majority, or the Secretary for the Conference of the Minority 
     shall be considered an employee in the office of the Senator 
     holding such office.
       (2) Advances shall only be used to defray official travel 
     expenses . . .
       (3) Travel advances shall be made prior to the commencement 
     of official travel in the form of cash, direct deposit, or 
     check. Travel advance requests shall be signed by the Member 
     and a staff person designated with signature authority.
       (4) Cash: Advances in the form of cash shall be picked up 
     only in the Senate Disbursing Office and will be issued only 
     to the person traveling (photo ID required), with exceptions 
     being made for Members and elected Officers of the Senate. 
     The traveler (or the individual receiving the advance in the 
     case of a travel advance for a Member or elected Officer of 
     the Senate) will sign the travel advance form to acknowledge 
     receipt of the cash.
       (5) In no case shall a travel advance in the form of cash 
     be paid more than seven (7) calendar days prior to the 
     commencement of official travel. In no case shall an advance 
     in the form of a direct deposit or check be paid more than 
     fourteen (14) calendar days prior to the commencement of 
     official travel. Requests for advances in the form of a 
     direct deposit or check should be received by the Senate 
     Disbursing Office no less than five (5) calendar days prior 
     to the commencement of official travel.
       (6) In those cases when a travel advance has been paid, 
     every effort should be made by the office in question to 
     submit to the Senate Disbursing Office a corresponding travel 
     voucher within twenty-one (21) days of the conclusion of such 
     official travel.
       (7) Travel advances for official Senate travel shall be 
     repaid within 30 days after completion of travel. Anyone with 
     an outstanding advance at the end of the 30-day period will 
     be notified by the Senate Disbursing Office that they must 
     repay within 15 days, or their salary may be garnisheed in 
     order to satisfy their indebtedness to the Federal 
     government.
       (8) In those instances when a travel advance has been paid 
     for a scheduled trip which prior to commencement is canceled 
     or postponed indefinitely, the traveler in question should 
     immediately return the travel advance to the Senate 
     Disbursing Office.
       (9) The amount authorized for each travel advance should 
     not exceed the estimated total of official out-of-pocket 
     travel expenses for the trip in question. The minimum travel 
     advance that can be authorized for the official travel 
     expenses of a Senator and his/her staff is $200. No more than 
     two (2) travel advances per traveler may be outstanding at 
     any one time.
       (10) The aggregate total of travel advances per Senator's 
     office shall not exceed 10% of the expense portion of the 
     Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account, or 
     $5,000, whichever is greater.
       (c) Advances to Administrative Offices of the Senate
       (Regulations Governing Cash Advances for Official Senate 
     Travel, adopted by the Committee on Rules and Administration, 
     effective July 23, 1987, pursuant to S. Res. 258, October 1, 
     1987, as amended, as applicable to Senate administrative 
     offices)
       (1) Travel advances shall be made prior to the commencement 
     of official travel in the form of cash, direct deposit, or 
     check. Travel advance requests shall be signed by the 
     applicable Officer of the Senate and a staff person 
     designated with signature authority.
       (2) Cash: Advances in the form of cash shall be picked up 
     only in the Senate Disbursing Office and will be issued only 
     to the person traveling (photo ID required), with exceptions 
     being made for Members and elected Officers of the Senate. 
     The traveler (or the individual receiving the advance in the 
     case of a travel advance for a Member or elected Officer of 
     the Senate) will sign the travel advance form to acknowledge 
     receipt of the cash.
       (3) In no case shall a travel advance be paid more than 
     seven (7) calendar days prior to the commencement of official 
     travel. In no case shall an advance in the form of a direct 
     deposit or check be paid more than fourteen (14) calendar 
     days prior to the commencement of official travel. Requests 
     for advances in the form of a direct deposit or check should 
     be received by the Senate Disbursing Office no less than five 
     (5) calendar days prior to the commencement of official 
     travel.
       (4) In those cases when a travel advance has been paid, 
     every effort should be made by the office in question to 
     submit to the Senate Disbursing Office a corresponding travel 
     voucher within twenty-one (21) days of the conclusion of such 
     official travel.
       (5) Travel advances for official Senate travel shall be 
     repaid within 30 days after completion of travel. Anyone with 
     an outstanding advance at the end of the 30 day period will 
     be notified by the Disbursing Office

[[Page 28527]]

     that they must repay within 15 days, or their salary may be 
     garnisheed in order to satisfy their indebtedness to the 
     Federal government.
       (6) In those instances when a travel advance has been paid 
     for a scheduled trip which prior to commencement is canceled 
     or postponed indefinitely, the traveler in question should 
     immediately return the travel advance to the Senate 
     Disbursing Office.
       (7) The amount authorized for each travel advance should 
     not exceed the estimated total of official out-of-pocket 
     travel expenses for the trip in question. The minimum travel 
     advance that can be authorized for the official travel 
     expenses of a Senator Officer and his/her staff is $200. No 
     more than two (2) travel advances per traveler may be 
     outstanding at any one time.
       (d) Office of the Secretary of the Senate (2 U.S.C. 61a-9a)
       (1) . . . The Secretary of the Senate is authorized to 
     advance, with his discretion, to any designated employee 
     under his jurisdiction, such sums as may be necessary, not 
     exceeding $1,000, to defray official travel expenses in 
     assisting the Secretary in carrying out his duties . . .
       (e) Office of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the 
     Senate (2 U.S.C. 61f-1a)
       (1) For the purpose of carrying out his duties, the 
     Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate is authorized 
     to incur official travel expenses during each fiscal year not 
     to exceed sums made available for such purpose under 
     appropriations Acts. With the approval of the Sergeant at 
     Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate and in accordance with such 
     regulations as may be promulgated by the Senate Committee on 
     Rules and Administration, the Secretary of the Senate is 
     authorized to advance to the Sergeant at Arms or to any 
     designated employee under the jurisdiction of the Sergeant at 
     Arms and Doorkeeper, such sums as may be necessary to defray 
     official travel expenses incurred in carrying out the duties 
     of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper. The receipt of any 
     such sum so advanced to the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper 
     or to any designated employee shall be taken and passed by 
     the accounting officers of the Government as a full and 
     sufficient voucher; but it shall be the duty of the traveler, 
     as soon as practicable, to furnish to the Secretary of the 
     Senate a detailed voucher of the expenses incurred for the 
     travel to which the sum was so advanced, and make settlement 
     with respect to such sum. Payments under this section shall 
     be made from funds included in the appropriations account, 
     within the contingent fund of the Senate, for the Sergeant at 
     Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, upon vouchers approved by 
     the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper.
       (Committee on Rules and Administration regulations for 
     travel advances for the Office of the Senate Sergeant at 
     Arms)
       (a) General--With the written approval of the Sergeant at 
     Arms or designee, advances from the contingent expense 
     appropriation account for the Office of the Sergeant at Arms 
     may be provided to the Sergeant at Arms or the Sergeant at 
     Arms' staff to defray official travel expenses, as defined by 
     the U.S. Senate Travel Regulations. Staff is defined as those 
     individuals whose salaries are funded by the line item within 
     the ``Salaries, Officers, and Employees'' appropriation 
     account for the Office of the Sergeant at Arms.
       (b) Forms--Travel advance request forms shall include the 
     date of the request, the name of the traveler, the dates of 
     the official travel, the intended itinerary, the authorizing 
     signature of the Sergeant at Arms or his designee, and a 
     staff person designated with signature authority.
       (c) Payment of Advances--
       (i) Travel advances shall be paid prior to the commencement 
     of official travel in the form of cash, direct deposit, or 
     check.
       (ii) Advances in the form of cash shall be picked up only 
     in the Senate Disbursing Office and will be issued only to 
     the person traveling (photo ID required), with exceptions 
     being made for Members and elected Officers of the Senate. 
     The traveler (or the individual receiving the advance in the 
     case of a travel advance for a Member or elected Officer of 
     the Senate) will sign the travel advance form to acknowledge 
     receipt of the cash.
       (iii) In no case shall a travel advance in the form of cash 
     be paid more than seven (7) calendar days prior to the 
     commencement of official travel. In no case shall a travel 
     advance in the form of a direct deposit or check be paid more 
     than fourteen (14) days prior to the commencement of official 
     travel. Requests for travel advances in the form of a direct 
     deposit or check should be received by the Senate Disbursing 
     Office no less than five (5) calendar days prior to the 
     commencement of official travel.
       (d) Repayment of Advances--
       (i) The total of the expenses on a travel voucher shall be 
     offset by the amount of the corresponding travel advance, 
     providing for the payment (or repayment) of the difference 
     between the outstanding advance and the total of the official 
     travel expenses.
       (ii) In those cases when a travel advance has been paid, 
     every effort should be made to submit to the Senate 
     Disbursing Office a corresponding travel voucher within 
     twenty-one (21) days of the conclusion of such official 
     travel.
       (iii) Travel Advances for official Senate travel shall be 
     repaid within 30 days after completion of travel. Anyone with 
     an outstanding travel advance at the end of the 30-day period 
     will be notified by the Senate Disbursing Office that they 
     must repay within 15 days, or their salary may be garnisheed 
     in order to satisfy their indebtedness to the Federal 
     Government.
       (iv) In those instances when a travel advance has been paid 
     for a scheduled trip which prior to commencement is cancelled 
     or postponed indefinitely, the traveler in question should 
     immediately return the travel advance to the Senate 
     Disbursing Office.
       (e) Limits--
       (i) To minimize the payment of travel advances, whenever 
     possible, travelers are expected to utilize the corporate and 
     individual travel cards approved by the Committee on Rules 
     and Administration.
       (ii) The amount authorized for each travel advance should 
     not exceed the estimated total of official out-of-pocket 
     travel expenses for the trip in question.
       (iii) The minimum travel advance that can be authorized for 
     official travel expenses is $200. No more than two (2) cash 
     advances per traveler may be outstanding at any one time.
       2. Government Travel Plans
       (a) Government Charge Cards
       (1) Individual government charge cards authorized by the 
     General Services Administration and approved by the Committee 
     on Rules and Administration are available to Members, 
     Officers, and employees of the Senate for official travel 
     expenses.
       (a) The employing Senator, chairman, or Officer of the 
     Senate should authorize only those staff who are or will be 
     frequent travelers. The Committee on Rules and Administration 
     reserves the right to cancel the annual renewal of the card 
     if the employee has not traveled on official business during 
     the previous year.
       (b) All reimbursable travel expenses may be charged to 
     these accounts including but not limited to per diem expenses 
     and incidentals. Direct pay vouchers to the charge card 
     vendor (currently Bank of America) may be submitted for the 
     Airfare, train, and bus tickets charged to this account. All 
     other travel charges on the account must be paid to the 
     traveler for him/her to personally reimburse the charge card 
     vendor.
       (c) Timely payment of these Individually Billed travel 
     accounts is the responsibility of the cardholder. The General 
     Services Administration contract requires payment to the 
     account within 60 days before suspension is enforced on the 
     account. The account is cancelled and the cardholder's credit 
     is revoked when a past due balance is carried on the card for 
     120 days.
       (2) One Centrally Billed government charge account 
     authorized by the General Services Administration and 
     approved by the Committee on Rules and Administration are 
     available to each Member, Committee, and Administrative 
     Office for official transportation expenses in the form of 
     airfare, train, and bus tickets, and rental cars.
       (a) Direct pay vouchers to the charge card vendor 
     (currently Bank of America) may be submitted for the airfare, 
     train, and bus tickets, and rental car expenses charged to 
     this account.
       (b) Other transportation costs, per diem expenses, and 
     incidentals are not authorized charges for these accounts 
     unless expressly authorized by these regulations or through 
     prior approval from the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration.
       (c) Timely payment of these Centrally Billed travel 
     accounts is the responsibility of the cardholder, usually the 
     Office Manager or Chief Clerk of the office. The General 
     Services Administration contract requires payment to the 
     account within 60 days before suspension is enforced on the 
     account. The account is cancelled and the cardholder's credit 
     is revoked when a past due balance is carried on the card for 
     120 days.
       (3) A centrally billed account may be established through 
     the approved Senate vendor (currently the Combined Airlines 
     Ticket Office (CATO)) and will be charged against an account 
     number issued to each designated office; there are no charge 
     cards issued for such an account.
       III. Foreign Travel
       A. Reimbursement of foreign travel expenses is not 
     authorized from the contingent fund of Member offices.
       B. Committees, including all standing, select, and special 
     committees of the Senate and all joint committees of the 
     Congress whose funds are disbursed by the Secretary of the 
     Senate, are authorized funds for foreign travel from their 
     committee budget and through S. Res. 179, 95-1, 
     notwithstanding Congressional Delegations which are 
     authorized foreign travel funds under the authority of the 
     Mutual Security Act of 1954 (22 U.S.C. 1754).
       C. (Restrictions)--amendment to Rule XXXIX of the Standing 
     Rules of the Senate, pursuant to S. Res. 80, agreed to 
     January 28, 1987.
       1. (a) Unless authorized by the Senate (or by the President 
     of the United States after an adjournment sine die), no funds 
     from the United States Government (including foreign 
     currencies

[[Page 28528]]

     made available under section 502(b) of the Mutual Security 
     Act of 1954 (22 U.S.C. 1754(b), as amended) shall be received 
     by any Member of the Senate whose term will expire at the end 
     of a Congress after--
       (1) the date of the general election in which his successor 
     is elected; or
       (2) in the case of a Member who is not a candidate in such 
     general election, the earlier of the date of such general 
     election or the adjournment sine die of the second regular 
     session of that Congress.
       (b) The travel restrictions provided by subparagraph (a) 
     with respect to a Member of the Senate whose term will expire 
     at the end of a Congress shall apply to travel by--
       (1) any employee of the Member;
       (2) any elected Officer of the Senate whose employment will 
     terminate at the end of a Congress; and
       (3) any employee of a committee whose employment will 
     terminate at the end of a Congress.
       2. No Member, Officer, or employee engaged in foreign 
     travel may claim payment or accept funds from the United 
     States Government (including foreign currencies made 
     available under section 502(b) of the Mutual Security Act of 
     1954 (22 U.S.C. 1754(b)) for any expense for which the 
     individual has received reimbursement from any other source; 
     nor may such Member, Officer, or employee receive 
     reimbursement for the same expense more than once from the 
     United States Government. No Member, Officer, or employee 
     shall use any funds furnished to 
     him[/her] to defray ordinary and necessary expenses of 
     foreign travel for any purpose other than the purpose or 
     purposes for which such funds were furnished.
       3. A per diem allowance provided a Member, Officer, or 
     employee in connection with foreign travel shall be used 
     solely for lodging, food, and related expenses and it is the 
     responsibility of the Member, Officer, or employee receiving 
     such an allowance to return to the United States Government 
     that portion of the allowance received which is not actually 
     used for necessary lodging, food, and related expenses.
       IV. Reimbursable Expenses: Travel expenses (i.e., 
     transportation, lodging, meals and incidental expenses) which 
     will be reimbursed are limited to those expenses essential to 
     the transaction of official business while away from the 
     official station or post of duty.
       A. Member Duty Station(s): The official duty station of 
     Senate Members shall be considered to be the metropolitan 
     area of Washington, DC.
       1. During adjournment sine die or the August adjournment/
     recess period, the usual place of residence in the home 
     state, as certified for purposes of official Senate travel, 
     shall also be considered a duty station.
       2. Each Member shall certify in writing at the beginning of 
     each Congress to the Senate Disbursing Office his/her usual 
     place of residence in the home state; such certification 
     document shall include a statement that the Senator has read 
     and agrees to the pertinent travel regulations on permissible 
     reimbursements.
       3. For purposes of this provision, ``usual place of 
     residence'' in the home state shall encompass the area within 
     thirty-five (35) miles of the residence (by the most direct 
     route). If a Member has no ``usual place of residence'' in 
     his/her home state, he/she may designate a ``voting 
     residence,'' or any other ``legal residence,'' pursuant to 
     state law (including the area within thirty-five (35) miles 
     of such residence), as his/her duty station.
       B. Officer and Employee Duty Station
       1. In the case of an officer or employee, reimbursement for 
     official travel expenses other than interdepartmental 
     transportation shall be made only for trips which begin and 
     end in Washington, DC, or, in the case of an employee 
     assigned to an office of a Senator in the Senator's home 
     state, on trips which begin and end at the place where such 
     office is located.
       2. Travel may begin and/or end at the Senate traveler's 
     residence when such deviation from the duty station locale is 
     more advantageous to the government.
       3. For purposes of these regulations, the ``duty station'' 
     shall encompass the area within thirty-five (35) miles from 
     where the Senator's home state office or designated duty 
     station is located.
       C. No employee of the Senate, relative or supervisor of the 
     employee may directly benefit monetarily from the expenditure 
     of appropriated funds which reimburse expenses associated 
     with official Senate travel. Therefore, reimbursements are 
     not permitted for mortgage payments, or rental fees 
     associated with any type of leasehold interest.
       D. A duty station for employees, other than Washington, DC, 
     may be designated by Members, Committee Chairmen, and 
     Officers of the Senate upon written designation of such 
     station to the Senate Disbursing Office. Such designation 
     shall include a statement that the Member or Officer has read 
     and agrees to the pertinent travel regulations on permissible 
     reimbursements. The duty station may be the city of the 
     office location or the city of residence.
       E. For purposes of these regulations, the metropolitan area 
     of Washington, DC, shall be defined as follows:
       1. The District of Columbia
       2. Maryland Counties of
       a) Charles
       b) Montgomery
       c) Prince Georges
       3. Virginia Counties of
       a) Arlington
       b) Fairfax
       c) Loudoun
       d) Prince William
       4. Virginia Cities of
       a) Alexandria
       b) Fairfax
       c) Falls Church
       d) Manassas
       e) Manassas Park
       5. Airport locations of
       (a) Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall 
     Airport
       (b) Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
       (c) Washington Dulles International Airport
       F. When the legislative business of the Senate requires 
     that a Member be present, then the round trip actual 
     transportation expenses incurred in traveling from the city 
     within the United States where the Member is located to 
     Washington, DC, may be reimbursed from official Senate funds.
       G. Any deviation from this policy will be considered on a 
     case by case basis upon the written request to, and approval 
     from, the Committee on Rules and Administration.
       V. Travel Expense Reimbursement Vouchers
       A. All persons authorized to travel on official business 
     for the Senate should keep a memorandum of expenditures 
     properly chargeable to the Senate, noting each item at the 
     time the expense is incurred, together with the date, and the 
     information thus accumulated should be made available for the 
     proper preparation of travel vouchers which must be itemized 
     on an official expense summary report and stated in 
     accordance with these regulations. The official expense 
     summary report form is available at the Senate Disbursing 
     Office or through the Senate Intranet.
       B. Computer generated vouchers should be submitted with a 
     signed original. Every travel voucher must show in the space 
     provided for such information on the voucher form the dates 
     of travel, the official travel itinerary, the value of the 
     transportation, per diem expenses, incidental expenses, and 
     conference/training fees incurred.
       C. Travel vouchers must be supported by receipts for 
     expenses in excess of $50. In addition, the Committee on 
     Rules and Administration reserves the right to request 
     additional clarification and/or certification upon the audit 
     of any expense seeking reimbursement from the contingent fund 
     of the Senate regardless of the expense amount.
       D. When presented independently, credit card receipts such 
     as Visa, Master Charge, or Diners Club, etc. are not 
     acceptable documentation for lodging. If a hotel bill is lost 
     or misplaced, then the credit card receipt accompanied by a 
     certifying letter from the traveler to the Financial Clerk of 
     the Senate will be considered necessary documentation. Such 
     letter must itemize the total expenses in support of the 
     credit card receipt.

                        Transportation Expenses

       I. Common Carrier Transportation and Accommodations
       A. Transportation includes all necessary official travel on 
     railroads, airlines, helicopters, buses, streetcars, 
     taxicabs, and other usual means of conveyance. Transportation 
     may include fares and such expenses incidental to 
     transportation such as but not limited to baggage transfer. 
     When a claim is made for common carrier transportation 
     obtained with cash, the travel voucher must show the amount 
     spent, including Federal transportation tax, and the mode of 
     transportation used.
       1. Train Accommodations
       (a) Sleeping-car accommodations: The lowest first class 
     sleeping accommodations available shall be allowed when night 
     travel is involved. When practicable, through sleeping 
     accommodations should be obtained in all cases where more 
     economical to the Senate.
       (b) Parlor-car and coach accommodations: One seat in a 
     sleeping or parlor car will be allowed. Where adequate coach 
     accommodations are available, coach accommodations should be 
     used to the maximum extent possible, on the basis of 
     advantage to the Senate, suitability and convenience to the 
     traveler, and nature of the business involved.
       2. Airplane Accommodations
       (a) First-class and air-coach accommodations: It is the 
     policy of the Senate that persons who use commercial air 
     carriers for transportation on official business shall use 
     less than first-class accommodations instead of those 
     designated first-class with due regard to efficient conduct 
     of Senate business and the travelers' convenience, safety, 
     and comfort.
       (b) Use of United States-flag air carriers: All official 
     air travel shall be performed on United States-flag air 
     carriers except where travel on other aircraft (1) is 
     essential to the official business concerned, or (2) is 
     necessary to avoid unreasonable delay, expense, or 
     inconvenience.
       B. Change in Travel Plans: When a traveler finds he/she 
     will not use accommodations which have been reserved for him/
     her, he/she must release them within the time limits 
     specified by the carriers. Likewise, where transportation 
     service furnished is inferior

[[Page 28529]]

     to that called for by a ticket or where a journey is 
     terminated short of the destination specified, the traveler 
     must report such facts to the proper official. Failure of 
     travelers to take such action may subject them to liability 
     for any resulting losses.
       1. ``No show'' charges, if incurred by Members or staff 
     personnel in connection with official Senate travel, shall 
     not be considered payable or reimbursable from the contingent 
     fund of the Senate.
       2. Senate travelers exercising proper prudence can make 
     timely cancellations when necessary in order to avoid ``no 
     show'' assessments.
       3. A Member shall be permitted to make more than one 
     reservation on scheduled flights with participating airlines 
     when such action assists the Member in conducting his/her 
     official business.
       C. Compensation Packages: In the event that a Senate 
     traveler is denied passage or gives up his/her reservation 
     due to overbooking on transportation for which he/she held a 
     reservation and this results in a payment of any rebate, this 
     payment shall not be considered as a personal receipt by the 
     traveler, but rather as a payment to the Senate, the agency 
     for which and at whose expense the travel is being performed.
       1. Such payments shall be submitted to the appropriate 
     individual for the proper disposition when the traveler 
     submits his/her expense account.
       2. Through fares, special fares, commutation fares, 
     excursion, and reduced-rate round trip fares should be used 
     for official travel when it can be determined prior to the 
     start of a trip that any such type of service is practical 
     and economical to the Senate.
       3. Round-trip tickets should be secured only when, on the 
     basis of the journey as planned, it is known or can be 
     reasonably anticipated that such tickets will be utilized.
       D. Ticket Preparation Fees: Each Chairman, Senator, or 
     Officer of the Senate may, at his/her discretion, authorize 
     in extenuating circumstances the reimbursement of penalty 
     fees associated with the cancellation of through fares, 
     special fares, commutation fares, excursion, reduced-rate 
     round trip fares and fees for travel arrangements, provided 
     that reimbursement of such fees offers the best value and 
     does not exceed $30.
       E. Frequent Flyer Miles: Travel promotional awards (e.g. 
     free travel, travel discounts, upgrade certificates, coupons, 
     frequent flyer miles, access to carrier club facilities, and 
     other similar travel promotional items) obtained by a Member, 
     officer or employee of the Senate while on official travel 
     may be utilized for personal use at the discretion of the 
     Member or officer pursuant to this section.
       1. Travel Awards may be retained and used at the sole 
     discretion of the Member or officer only if the Travel Awards 
     are obtained under the same terms and conditions as those 
     offered to the general public and no favorable treatment is 
     extended on the basis of the Member, officer or employee's 
     position with the Federal Government.
       2. Members, officers and employees may only retain Travel 
     Awards for personal use when such Travel Awards have been 
     obtained at no additional cost to the Federal Government. It 
     should be noted that any fees assessed in connection with the 
     use of Travel Awards shall be considered a personal expense 
     of the Member, officer or employee and under no circumstances 
     shall be paid for or reimbursed from official funds.
       3. Although this section permits Members, officers and 
     employees of the Senate to use Travel Awards at the 
     discretion of the Member or officer, the Committee encourages 
     the use of such Travel Awards (whenever practicable) to 
     offset the cost of future official travel.
       F. Indirect Travel: In case a person, for his/her own 
     convenience, travels by an indirect route or interrupts 
     travel by direct route, the extra expense will be borne by 
     the traveler. Reimbursement for expenses shall be allowed 
     only on such charges as would have been incurred by the 
     official direct route. Personal travel should be noted on the 
     traveler's expense summary report when it interrupts official 
     travel.
       G. Public Transportation During Official Travel: 
     Transportation by bus, streetcar, subway, or taxicab, when 
     used in connection with official travel, will be allowed as 
     an official transportation expense.
       H. Dual Purpose Travel: Dual purpose travel occurs when a 
     Senator, staffer, or other official traveler conducts both 
     Senatorial office business and Committee office business 
     during the same trip. The initial point at which official 
     business is conducted will determine the fund which will be 
     charged for travel expenses from and to Washington, DC. 
     Examples include:
       1. If committee business is conducted at the first stop in 
     the trip, travel expenses from Washington, DC, to said point 
     and return will be chargeable to the committee's funds. 
     Additional travel expenses from said point to other points in 
     the United States, incurred by reason of conducting 
     senatorial business, will be charged to the Senators' 
     Official Personnel and Office Expense Account.
       2. If senatorial business is conducted at the first stop in 
     the trip, travel expenses from Washington, DC, to said point 
     and return will be chargeable to the Senators' Official 
     Personnel and Office Expense Account. Committee funds will be 
     charged with any additional travel expenses incurred for the 
     purpose of performing committee business.
       I. Interrupted Travel: If a traveler interrupts official 
     travel for personal business, the traveler may be reimbursed 
     for transportation expenses incurred which are less than or 
     equal to the amount the traveler would have been reimbursed 
     had he/she not interrupted travel for personal business. 
     Likewise, if a traveler departs from or returns to a city 
     other than the traveler's duty station or residence for 
     personal business, then the traveler may be reimbursed for 
     transportation expenses incurred which are less than or equal 
     to the amount the traveler would have been reimbursed had the 
     witness departed from and returned to his/her duty station or 
     residence.
       II. Baggage
       A. The term ``baggage'' as used in these regulations means 
     Senate property and personal property of the traveler 
     necessary for the purposes of the official travel.
       B. Baggage in excess of the weight or of size greater than 
     carried free by transportation companies will be classed as 
     excess baggage. Where air-coach or air-tourist accommodations 
     are used, transportation of baggage up to the weight carried 
     free on first-class service is authorized without charge to 
     the traveler; otherwise excess baggage charges will be an 
     allowable expense.
       C. Necessary charges for the transfer of baggage will be 
     allowed. Charges for the storage of baggage will be allowed 
     when such storage was solely on account of official business. 
     Charges for porters and checking baggage at transportation 
     terminals will be allowed.
       III. Use of Conveyances: When authorized by the employing 
     Senator, Chairman, or Officer of the Senate, certain 
     conveyances may be used when traveling on official Senate 
     business. Specific types of conveyances are privately owned, 
     special, and private airplane.
       A. Privately Owned
       1. Chairmen of committees, Senators, Officers of the 
     Senate, and employees, regardless of subsistence status and 
     hours of travel, shall, whenever such mode of transportation 
     is authorized or approved as more advantageous to the Senate, 
     be paid the appropriate mileage allowance in lieu of actual 
     expenses of transportation. This amount should not exceed the 
     maximum amount authorized by statute for use of privately 
     owned motorcycles, automobiles, or airplanes, when engaged in 
     official business within or outside their designated duty 
     stations. It is the responsibility of the office to fix such 
     rates, within the maximum, as will most nearly compensate the 
     traveler for necessary expenses.
       2. In addition to the mileage allowance there may be 
     allowed reimbursement for the actual cost of automobile 
     parking fees (except parking fees associated with commuting); 
     ferry fees; bridge, road, and tunnel costs; and airplane 
     landing and tie-down fees.
       3. When transportation is authorized or approved for 
     motorcycles or automobiles, mileage between points traveled 
     shall be certified by the traveler. Such mileage should be in 
     accordance with the Standard Highway Mileage Guide. Any 
     substantial deviations shall be explained on the 
     reimbursement voucher.
       4. In lieu of the use of taxicab, payment on a mileage 
     basis at a rate not to exceed the maximum amount authorized 
     by statute will be allowed for the round-trip mileage of a 
     privately owned vehicle used in connection with an employee 
     going from either his/her place of abode or place of business 
     to a terminal or from a terminal to either his/her place of 
     abode or place of business: Provided, that the amount of 
     reimbursement for round-trip mileage shall not in either 
     instance exceed the taxicab fare for a one-way trip between 
     such applicable points, notwithstanding the obligations of 
     reasonable schedules.
       5. Parking Fees: Parking fees for privately owned vehicles 
     may be incurred in the duty station when the traveler is 
     engaged in interdepartmental transportation or when the 
     traveler is leaving their duty station and entering into a 
     travel status. The fee for parking a vehicle at a common 
     carrier terminal, or other parking area, while the traveler 
     is away from his/her official station, will be allowed only 
     to the extent that the fee, plus the allowable mileage 
     reimbursement, to and from the terminal or other parking 
     area, does not exceed the estimated cost for use of a taxicab 
     to and from the terminal.
       6. Mileage for use of privately owned airplanes shall be 
     certified from airway charts issued by the National Oceanic 
     and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, and 
     will be reported on the reimbursement voucher and used in 
     computing payment. If a detour was necessary due to adverse 
     weather, mechanical difficulty, or other unusual conditions, 
     the additional air mileage may be included in the mileage 
     reported on the reimbursement voucher and, if included, it 
     must be explained.
       7. Mileage shall be payable to only one of two or more 
     employees traveling together on the same trip and in the same 
     vehicle, but no deduction shall be made from the mileage 
     otherwise payable to the employee entitled thereto by reason 
     of the fact that other passengers (whether or not Senate 
     employees)

[[Page 28530]]

     may travel with him/her and contribute in defraying the 
     operating expenses. The names of Senate Members or employees 
     accompanying the traveler must be stated on the travel 
     voucher.
       8. When damages to a privately owned vehicle occur due to 
     the negligent or wrongful act or omission of any Member, 
     Officer, or employee of the Senate while acting within the 
     scope of his/her employment, relief may be sought under the 
     Federal Tort Claims Act. Information on who to contact will 
     go here.
       B. Special
       1. General:
       (a) The hire of boat, automobile, aircraft, or other 
     conveyance will be allowed if authorized or approved as 
     advantageous to the Senate whenever the Member or employee is 
     engaged on official business outside his/her designated duty 
     station.
       (b) Where two or more persons travel together by means of 
     such special conveyance, that fact, together with the names 
     of those accompanying him/her, must be stated by each 
     traveler on his/her travel voucher and the aggregate cost 
     reimbursable will be subject to the limitation stated above.
       (c) If the hire of a special conveyance includes payment by 
     the traveler of the incidental expenses of gasoline or oil, 
     rent of garage, hangar, or boathouse, subsistence of 
     operator, ferriage, tolls, operator waiting time, charges for 
     returning conveyances to the original point of hire, etc., 
     the same should be first paid, if practicable, by the person 
     furnishing the accommodation, or his/her operator, and 
     itemized in the bill.
       2. Rental Cars:
       (a) In no case may automobiles be hired for use in the 
     metropolitan area of Washington, DC, by anyone whose duty 
     station is Washington, DC.
       (b) Reimbursements for rental of special conveyances will 
     be limited to the cost applicable to a conveyance of a size 
     necessary for a single traveler regardless of the number of 
     authorized travelers transported by said vehicle, unless the 
     use of a larger class vehicle on a shared cost basis is 
     specifically approved in advance by the Committee on Rules 
     and Administration, or the form `Request for a Waiver of the 
     Travel Regulations' is submitted with the voucher, and found 
     in order upon audit by the Rules Committee.
       (c) For administrative purposes, reimbursement may be 
     payable to only one of two or more Senate travelers traveling 
     together on the same trip and in the same vehicle.
       (d) Government Rate: In connection with the hire of an 
     automobile for the use in conducting Senate business outside 
     of Washington, DC, it should be noted that the Military 
     Traffic Management Command (MTMC), a division of the 
     Department of Defense, arranges all rental car agreements for 
     the government.
       (1) These negotiated car rental rates are for federal 
     employees traveling on official business and include 
     unlimited mileage, plus full comprehensive and collision 
     coverage (CDW) on rented vehicles at no cost to the traveler.
       (2) For guidance on rate structure and the companies 
     participating in these rate agreements, call the approved 
     Senate vendor (currently the Combined Airline Ticket Office 
     (CATO)).
       (3) Individuals traveling on behalf of the United States 
     Senate should use these companies to the maximum extent 
     possible since these agreements provide full coverage with no 
     extra fee. The Senate will not pay for separate insurance 
     charges; therefore, any individuals who choose to use non-
     participatory car rental agencies may be personally 
     responsible for any damages or liability accrued while on 
     official Senate business.
       (e) Insurance: In connection with the rental of vehicles 
     from commercial sources, the Senate will not pay or reimburse 
     for the cost of the loss/damage waiver (LDW), collision 
     damage waiver (CDW) or collision damage insurance available 
     in commercial rental contracts for an extra fee.
       (1) The waiver or insurance referred to is the type offered 
     a renter to release him/her from liability for damage to the 
     rented vehicle in amounts up to the amount deductible on the 
     insurance included as part of the rental contract without 
     additional charge.
       (2) The cost of personal accident insurance is a personal 
     expense and is not reimbursable.
       (3) Accidents While On Official Travel: Collision damage to 
     a rented vehicle, for which the traveler is liable while on 
     official business, will be considered an official travel 
     expense of the Senate up to the deductible amount contained 
     in the rental contract. Such claims shall be considered by 
     the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate on a case by case basis 
     and, when authorized, settled from the contingent fund of the 
     Senate under the line item--Reserve for Contingencies. This 
     is consistent with the long-standing policy of the government 
     to self-insure its own risks of loss or damage to government 
     property and the liability of government employees for 
     actions within the scope of their official duties.
       (4) However, when damages to a rented vehicle occurs due to 
     the negligent or wrongful act or omission of any Member, 
     Officer, or employee of the Senate while acting within the 
     scope of his/her employment, relief may be sought under the 
     Federal Tort Claims Act.
       3. Charter Aircraft:
       (a) Reimbursements for charter aircraft will be limited to 
     the charges for a twin-engine, six seat plane, or comparable 
     aircraft. Charter of aircraft may be allowed notwithstanding 
     the availability of commercial facilities, if such commercial 
     facilities are not such that reasonable schedules may be 
     kept. When charter aircraft is used, an explanation and 
     detail of the size of the aircraft, i.e., seating capacity 
     and number of engines, shall be provided on the face of the 
     voucher.
       (b) In the event charter facilities are not available at 
     the point of departure, reimbursement for charter from 
     nearest point of such availability to the destination and 
     return may be allowed.
       (c) When a charter aircraft larger than a twin-engine, six 
     seat plane is used, the form ``Request for a Waiver of the 
     Travel Regulations'' is submitted with the voucher.
       C. Private Airplane: Interpretative Ruling of the Select 
     Committee on Ethics, No. 412, issued August 11, 1986
       ``In some circumstances, a Member who uses a private 
     airplane is required to reimburse the provider of the 
     aircraft to avoid either a prohibited gift under the Senate 
     Gift Rule or a prohibited in-kind contribution to an 
     unofficial office account. Senate Rule 38 (Prohibition of 
     Unofficial Office Accounts), generally prohibits private 
     sources from providing funds or services to defray a Member's 
     officially related expenses. Thus, if a friend offers to loan 
     a Member an aircraft to attend town meetings across the 
     Member's home state, the Member must reimburse for the use of 
     the aircraft to comply with Rule 38. Senate Rule 35 (Gifts) 
     prohibits Members from accepting from an individual or 
     organization with a direct interest in legislation, gifts 
     aggregating over $100 in a calendar year (The rule also 
     prohibits gifts aggregating $300 per calendar year from 
     anyone who is not a relative). Thus, if a lobbyist offers a 
     Member the use of his airplane to fly the Member on a 
     vacation trip, and if the value of the use of the airplane is 
     over $100, the member must provide reimbursement to comply 
     with Rule 35.
       ``In most circumstances, where reimbursement is not 
     required, the Member will still need to determine the value 
     of the use of the aircraft because, if the value is $250 or 
     more, the use of the aircraft must be disclosed on the 
     Member's annual financial disclosure forms.
       ``In determining the value of an item for both 
     reimbursement and disclosure purposes, the Committee has 
     consistently stated that the applicable standard is the value 
     of the item to the recipient. In the use of private aircraft, 
     the Committee concluded that the value to a Member would be 
     the cost he would have to incur to purchase the same level of 
     service in the open market. The Committee felt that the level 
     of service generally provided in using private aircraft is 
     most nearly equivalent to first-class service provided by 
     commercial carriers where such commercial service is 
     available. Where no regularly scheduled commercial service is 
     available, to obtain the same service provided by the use of 
     a private aircraft, a Member would be required to charter an 
     airplane.
       ``Ruling: The Committee has agreed on the following method 
     for calculating the value of the use of an aircraft for both 
     reimbursement and disclosure:
       ``1. If the cities between which the Member is flying have 
     regularly scheduled air service, regardless of whether such 
     service is direct, then the value of the use of the aircraft 
     is the cost of a first-class ticket from the point of 
     departure to the destination.
       ``2. If the cities have regularly scheduled air service, 
     but only standard (coach) rate, then the value of the use of 
     the aircraft is the coach rate.
       ``3. If either the city from which the Member flies or his 
     destination does not have regularly scheduled air service, 
     then the value of the use of the aircraft is the cost of 
     chartering the same or a similar aircraft for that flight.
       ``The Committee notes that its ruling is generally 
     consistent with Federal Election Commission regulations 
     pertaining to the use of private aircraft by candidates for 
     Federal office.
       ``The Committee further notes that the Committee on Rules 
     and Administration has adopted travel regulations pertaining 
     to the level of reimbursement to be provided from official 
     funds to Members who seek such reimbursement for air 
     transportation costs they have paid. Our ruling addresses 
     only the reimbursement which Members must make to the 
     individual or organization whose aircraft he uses, not the 
     level of reimbursement Members may receive from official 
     funds.
       ``Note: The Gifts Rule limit discussed in this ruling has 
     changed. But the method of calculating the value of the use 
     of an aircraft remains the same.''
       IV. Interdepartmental Transportation
       A. The reimbursement for interdepartmental transportation 
     is authorized as a travel expense pursuant to 2 U.S.C. 58(e) 
     but only for the incidental transportation expenses incurred 
     within the duty station in the course of conducting official 
     Senate business. Such reimbursement would include the 
     following expenses:
       1. Mileage when using a privately owned vehicle
       2. Bus, subway, taxi-cab, parking, and auto rental. 
     (However, reimbursement is prohibited for auto rental 
     expenses within the Washington DC, metropolitan area duty 
     station.)

[[Page 28531]]

       B. Pursuant to S. Res. 294, agreed to April 29, 1980, 
     section 2.(1), reimbursements and payments shall not be made 
     for commuting expenses, including parking fees incurred in 
     commuting.

                          Subsistence Expenses

       1. Per Diem Expenses
       A. Allowance
       1. Per diem expenses include all charges for meals, 
     lodging, personal use of room during daytime, baths, all fees 
     and tips to waiters, porters, baggagemen, bell boys, hotel 
     servants, dining room stewards and others on vessels, 
     laundry, cleaning and pressing of clothing, and fans in 
     rooms. The term ``lodging'' does not include accommodations 
     on airplanes or trains, and these expenses are not 
     subsistence expenses.
       (a) Laundry: Laundry expenses must be incurred during the 
     mid-way point of a trip. Reimbursable laundry expenses are 
     for the refreshing of clothing during a trip, but not the 
     maintenance of the clothing.
       (b) Meals: Reimbursable expenses incurred for meals while 
     on official travel include meals and tips for the traveler 
     only and may not include alcohol.
       2. Per diem expenses will not be allowed an employee at 
     his/her permanent duty station and will be allowed only when 
     associated with round trip travel outside his/her permanent 
     duty station.
       (a) Training: Meals in the duty station are only 
     reimbursable when they are incurred during a training 
     session. If the cost of the meal is included in the training 
     session, then a meal certification form should be included 
     with the voucher. The Committee on Rules and Administration 
     will consider these on a case by case basis. Meal 
     certification forms are available at the Disbursing Office or 
     on the Senate intranet.
       (1) Training is defined as a planned, prepared, and 
     coordinated program, course, curriculum, subject, system, or 
     routine of instruction or education, in scientific, 
     professional or technical fields which are or will be 
     directly related to the performance by the employee of 
     official duties for the Senate, in order to increase the 
     knowledge, proficiency, ability, skill and qualifications of 
     the employee in the performance of official duties.
       (2) Meetings in the duty station where meals are served, 
     such as but not limited to Chamber of Commerce monthly 
     meetings do not constitute training. Therefore, the meals 
     associated with these meetings are not an authorized 
     reimbursable expense.
       3. In any case where the employee's tour of travel requires 
     more than two months' stay at a temporary duty station, 
     consideration should be given to either a change in official 
     station or a reduction in the per diem allowance.
       4. Where for a traveler's personal convenience/business 
     there is an interruption of travel or deviation from the 
     direct route, the per diem expenses allowed will not exceed 
     that which would have been incurred on uninterrupted travel 
     by a usually traveled route and the time of departure from 
     and return to official business shall be stated on the 
     voucher.
       5. Per diem expenses will be allowed through the time the 
     traveler departs on personal business and will be recommenced 
     at the time he/she returns to official business. Such dates 
     and times shall be stated on the voucher.
       B. Rates
       1. The per diem allowances provided in these regulations 
     represent the maximum allowance, not the minimum. It is the 
     responsibility of each office to see that travelers are 
     reimbursed only such per diem expenses as are justified by 
     the circumstances affecting the travel. Maximum rates for 
     subsistence expenses are established by the General Services 
     Administration and are published in the Federal Register. 
     Maximum per diem rates for Alaska, Hawaii, the Commonwealth 
     of Puerto Rico, and possessions of the United States are 
     established by the Department of Defense and are also 
     published in the Federal Register. In addition, per diem 
     rates for foreign countries are established by the Department 
     of State and are published in the document titled, ``Maximum 
     Travel Per Diem for Foreign Areas.''
       (a) Per diem expenses reimbursable to a Member or employee 
     of the Senate in connection with official travel within the 
     continental United States shall be made on the basis of 
     actual expenses incurred, but not to exceed the maximum rate 
     prescribed by the Committee on Rules and Administration for 
     each day spent in a travel status. Any portion of a day while 
     in a travel status shall be considered a full day for 
     purposes of per diem entitlement.
       (b) When travel begins or ends at a point in the 
     continental United States, the maximum per diem rate 
     allowable for the portion of travel between such place and 
     the place of entry or exit in the continental United States 
     shall be the maximum rate prescribed by the Committee on 
     Rules and Administration for travel within the continental 
     United States. However, the quarter day in which travel 
     begins, in coming from, or ends, in going to, a point outside 
     the continental United States may be paid at the rate 
     applicable to said point, if higher.
       (c) In traveling between localities outside the continental 
     United States, the per diem rate allowed at the locality from 
     which travel is performed shall continue through the quarter 
     day in which the traveler arrives at his/her destination: 
     Provided, that if such rate is not commensurate with the 
     expenses incurred, the per diem rate of the destination 
     locality may be allowed for the quarter day of arrival.
       (d) Ship travel time shall be allowed at not to exceed the 
     maximum per diem rate prescribed by the Committee on Rules 
     and Administration for travel within the continental United 
     States.
       C. Computations
       1. The date of departure from, and arrival at, the official 
     station or other point where official travel begins and ends, 
     must be shown on the travel voucher. Other points visited 
     should be shown on the voucher but date of arrival and 
     departure at these points need not be shown.
       2. For computing per diem allowances official travel begins 
     at the time the traveler leaves his/her home, office, or 
     other point of departure and ends when the traveler returns 
     to his/her home, office, or other point at the conclusion of 
     his/her trip.
       (a) The maximum allowable per diem for an official trip is 
     computed by multiplying the number of days on official 
     travel, beginning with the departure date, by the maximum 
     daily rate as prescribed by the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration. If the maximum daily rate for a traveler's 
     destination is higher than the prescribed daily rate, then 
     the form ``Request for a Waiver of the Travel Regulations'' 
     must be submitted with the voucher showing the maximum daily 
     rate for that location and found in order upon audit by the 
     Rules Committee.
       (b) Total per diem for an official trip includes lodging 
     expenses (excluding taxes), meals (including taxes and tips), 
     and other per diem expenses as defined by these regulations.

                          Incidental Expenses

       I. Periodicals: Periodicals purchased while in a travel 
     status should be limited to newspapers and news magazines 
     necessary to stay informed on issues directly related to 
     Senate business.
       II. Traveler's Checks/Money Orders: The service fee for 
     preparation of traveler's checks or money orders for use 
     during official travel is allowable.
       III. Communications
       A. Communication services such as telephone, telegraph, and 
     faxes, may be used on official business when such expeditious 
     means of communications is essential. Government-owned 
     facilities should be used, if practical. If not available, 
     the cheapest practical class of commercial service should be 
     used.
       B. Additionally, one personal telephone call will be 
     reimbursed for each day that a Senator or staff member is in 
     a travel status. The calls may not exceed an average of five 
     minutes a day, and cannot be reimbursed at a rate higher than 
     $5.00 without itemized documentation.
       IV. Stationery: Stationery items such as pens, paper, 
     batteries, etc. which are necessary to conduct official 
     Senate business while in a travel status are authorized.
       V. Conference Center/Meeting Room Reservations: The fee for 
     the reservation of a meeting room, conference room, or 
     business center while on official travel is allowable.
       VI. Other: This category would be used (with full 
     explanation on the Expense Summary Report for Travel) to 
     disclose any expense which would occur incidentally while on 
     official travel, and for which there is no other expense 
     category, i.e., interpreting services, hotel taxes, baggage 
     cart rental, etc.

                      Conference and Training Fees

       Training of Senators' Office Staff: The Senators' Official 
     Personnel and Office Expense Account is available to defray 
     the fees associated with the attendance by the Senator or the 
     Senator's employees at conferences, seminars, briefings, or 
     classes which are or will be directly related to the 
     performance of official duties.
       A. When such fees (actual or reduced) are less than or 
     equal to $500, have a time duration of not more than five (5) 
     days, and have been asked to be waived or reduced for 
     Government participation, reimbursement shall be made as an 
     official travel expense. However, if the fee or time duration 
     for meetings is in excess of the aforementioned, 
     reimbursement shall be made as a non-travel expense.
       B. Reimbursement shall not be allowed for tuition or fees 
     associated with classes attended to earn credits towards an 
     advanced degree or certification.
       C. The costs of meals that are considered an integral, 
     mandatory and non-separable element of the conference, 
     seminar, briefing, or class will be allowed as part of the 
     attendance fee when certified by the registrant. The meal 
     certification form, which must accompany the reimbursement 
     voucher, is available in the Disbursing Office or through the 
     Senate Intranet.
       II. Training of Committee Employees: Section 202(j) of the 
     Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 provides for the 
     expenditure of funds available to standing committees of the 
     Senate for the training of professional staff personnel under 
     certain conditions. It is the responsibility of each 
     committee to set

[[Page 28532]]

     aside funds within its annual funding resolution to cover the 
     expenses of such training.
       A. Prior approval for attendance by professional staff at 
     seminars, briefings, conferences, etc., as well as committee 
     funds earmarked for training, will not be required when all 
     of the following conditions are met:
       1. The sponsoring organization has been asked to waive or 
     reduce the fee for Government participation.
       2. The fee involved (actual or reduced) is not in excess of 
     $500.
       3. The duration of the meeting does not exceed five (5) 
     days.
       B. When such fees are less than or equal to $500, have a 
     time duration of not more than five (5) days, and have been 
     requested to be waived or reduced for Government 
     participation, reimbursement shall be made as a non-training, 
     official travel expense. However, if the fee or time duration 
     for meetings is in excess of the aforementioned, 
     reimbursement shall be made as an official training expense. 
     Reimbursement shall not be allowed for tuition or fees 
     associated with classes attended to earn credits towards an 
     advanced degree or certification.
       C. If the fee or time duration for meetings is in excess of 
     the aforementioned, advance approval by the Committee on 
     Rules and Administration must be sought. Training requests 
     should be received sufficiently in advance of the training to 
     permit appropriate consideration by the Committee on Rules 
     and Administration.
       D. The costs of meals that are considered an integral, 
     mandatory, and non-separable element of the conference, 
     seminar, briefing, or class will be allowed as part of the 
     attendance fee when certified by the registrant. The meal 
     certification forms which must accompany the reimbursement 
     voucher are available in the Disbursing Office or through the 
     Senate Intranet.
       III. Training of Administrative Offices Staff: The 
     administrative approval of the voucher is the only approval 
     required by the Committee on Rules and Administration. 
     Training expenses of staff shall be limited to those fees 
     associated with the attendance by staff at conferences, 
     seminars, briefings, or classes which are or will be directly 
     related to the performance of official duties. However, 
     reimbursement shall not be allowed for tuition or fees 
     associated with classes attended to earn credits towards an 
     advanced degree or certification.

                             Special Events

       Retreats: Reimbursement of official travel expenses for 
     office staff retreats is allowable from the contingent fund 
     provided they follow the restrictions and authorizations in 
     these regulations. Reimbursement of expenses for meeting 
     rooms and equipment used during the retreat also is 
     allowable. The vouchers for retreat expenses should be noted 
     as retreat vouchers.
       A. Discussion of Interpretative Ruling of the Select 
     Committee on Ethics, No. 444, issued February 14, 2002
       ``An office retreat may be paid for with either or both 
     official funds (with Rules Committee approval) or principal 
     campaign committee funds. Private parties may not pay 
     expenses incurred in connection with an office retreat. 
     Campaign workers may attend, at campaign expense, office 
     retreats if their purpose in attending is to engage in 
     official activities, such as providing feedback from 
     constituents on legislative or representational matters.''
       B. When processing direct pay vouchers payable either to 
     each individual traveler or to the vendor providing the 
     retreat accommodations, prior approval by the Committee on 
     Rules and Administration is not required. Retreat expenses, 
     including but not limited to per diem, may be charged to the 
     office's official centrally billed government travel charge 
     card and paid on direct vouchers to the charge card vendor. 
     Any deviation from this policy will be considered on a case 
     by case basis upon the written request to, and approval from, 
     the Committee on Rules and Administration.
       C. Spreadsheet of Expenses
       1. The Member office, Committee, or Administrative office, 
     must attach to the retreat voucher(s) a spreadsheet detailing 
     each day of the retreat broken out by breakfast, lunch, 
     dinner, and lodging for each traveler attending the retreat.
       2. For each traveler, the spreadsheet should list his/her 
     duty station, additional per diem expenses incurred outside 
     of the retreat, and any other retreat attendee the traveler 
     shared a room with during the retreat. Any non-staff members 
     attending the retreat also should be detailed on the 
     spreadsheet. The ``Waiver of the Travel Regulations'' form 
     does not need to be attached to retreat voucher(s) for the 
     sharing of rooms.
       3. The per diem expenses for staff members attending a 
     retreat within their duty station are not reimbursable but 
     should be detailed on the spreadsheet. All expenses for non-
     staff members attending the retreat are not reimbursable, but 
     their attendance at the retreat must be taken into account 
     when computing a per traveler cost on the spreadsheet.
       II. Funerals: 2 USC 68-2 restricts reimbursement from the 
     contingent fund of the Senate to those expenses that are 
     intimately and directly connected with the routine 
     legislative process of the Senate. Pursuant to S. Res. 458, 
     agreed to October 4, 1984 and S. Res. 263, agreed to July 30, 
     1998, reimbursement for travel expenses incurred for 
     attendance at funerals of individuals other than current or 
     retired Senators by a Member, officer, or employee of the 
     Senate is not authorized.

                         Senators' Office Staff

       Legislative Authority (2 U.S.C. 58(e), as amended)
       (e) Subject to and in accordance with regulations 
     promulgated by the Committee on Rules and Administration of 
     the Senate, a Senator and the employees in his office shall 
     be reimbursed under this section for travel expenses incurred 
     by the Senator or employee while traveling on official 
     business within the United States. The term ``travel 
     expenses'' includes actual transportation expenses, essential 
     travel-related expenses, and, where applicable, per diem 
     expenses (but not in excess of actual expenses). A Senator or 
     an employee of the Senator shall not be reimbursed for any 
     travel expenses (other than actual transportation expenses) 
     for any travel occurring during the sixty days immediately 
     before the date of any primary or general election (whether 
     regular, special, or runoff) in which the Senator is a 
     candidate for public office (within the meaning of section 
     301(b) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971), unless 
     his candidacy in such election is uncontested. For purposes 
     of this subsection and subsection 2(a)(6) of this section, an 
     employee in the Office of the President Pro Tempore, Deputy 
     President Pro Tempore, Majority Leader, Minority Leader, 
     Majority Whip, Minority Whip, Secretary of the Conference of 
     the Majority, or Secretary of the Conference of the Minority 
     shall be considered to be an employee in the office of the 
     Senator holding such office.
       II. Regulations Governing Senators' Official Personnel and 
     Office Expense Accounts Adopted by the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration Pursuant to Senate Resolution 170 agreed to 
     September 19, 1979, as amended.
       Section 1. For the purposes of these regulations, the 
     following definitions shall apply:
       (a) Documentation means invoices, bills, statements, 
     receipts, or other evidence of expenses incurred, approved by 
     the Committee on Rules and Administration.
       (b) Official expenses means ordinary and necessary business 
     expenses in support of the Senators' official and 
     representational duties.
       Section 2. No reimbursement will be made from the 
     contingent fund of the Senate for any official expenses 
     incurred under a Senator's Official Personnel and Office 
     Expense Account, in excess of $50, unless the voucher 
     submitted for such expenses is accompanied by documentation, 
     and the voucher is personally signed by the Senator.
       Section 3. Official expenses of $50 or less must either be 
     documented or must be itemized in sufficient detail so as to 
     leave no doubt of the identity of, and the amount spent for, 
     each item. Items of a similar nature may be grouped together 
     in one total on a voucher, but must be itemized individually 
     on a supporting itemization sheet.
       Section 4. Travel expenses shall be subject to the same 
     documentation requirements as other official expenses, with 
     the following exceptions:
       (a) Hotel bills or other evidence of lodging costs will be 
     considered necessary in support of per diem.
       (b) Documentation will not be required for reimbursement of 
     official travel in a privately owned vehicle.
       Section 5. No documentation will be required for 
     reimbursement of the following classes of expenses, as these 
     are billed and paid directly through the Sergeant at Arms and 
     Doorkeeper:
       (a) official telegrams and long distance calls and related 
     services;
       (b) stationery and other office supplies procured through 
     the Senate Stationery Room for use for official business.
       Section 6. The Committee on Rules and Administration may 
     require documentation for expenses incurred of $50 or less, 
     or authorize payment of expenses incurred in excess of $50 
     without documentation, in special circumstances.

               Committee and Administrative Office Staff

       (Includes all committees of the Senate, the Office of the 
     Secretary of the Senate, and the Office of the Sergeant at 
     Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate)
       I. Legislative Authority (2 U.S.C. 68b)
       ``No part of the appropriations made under the heading 
     `Contingent Expenses of the Senate' may be expended for per 
     diem and subsistence expenses (as defined in section 5701 of 
     Title 5) at rates in excess of the rates prescribed by the 
     Committee on Rules and Administration; except that (1) higher 
     rates may be established by the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration for travel beyond the limits of the 
     continental United States, and (2) in accordance with 
     regulations prescribed by the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration of the Senate, reimbursement for such expenses 
     may be made on an actual expense basis of not to exceed the 
     daily rate prescribed by the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration in the case of travel within the continental 
     limits of the United States.''
       II. Incidental Expenses: The following items may be 
     authorized or approved when related to official travel:
       1. Commissions for conversion of currency in foreign 
     countries.
       2. Fees in connection with the issuance of passports, visa 
     fees; costs of photographs for passports and visas; costs of 
     certificates of birth, health, identity; and affidavits; and 
     charges for inoculations which cannot be obtained through a 
     federal dispensary when required for official travel outside 
     the limits of the United States.

[[Page 28533]]

       III. Hearing Expenses (committees only)
       A. In connection with hearings held outside of Washington, 
     DC, committees are authorized to pay the travel expenses of 
     official reporters having company offices in Washington, DC, 
     or in other locations, for traveling to points outside the 
     District of Columbia or outside such other locations, 
     provided:
       1. Said hearings are of such a classified or security 
     nature that their transcripts can be accomplished only by 
     reporters having the necessary clearance from the proper 
     federal agencies;
       2. Extreme difficulty is experienced in the procurement of 
     local reporters; or
       3. The demands of economy make the use of Washington, DC, 
     reporters or traveling reporters in another area highly 
     advantageous to the Senate; and further provided, that should 
     such hearings exceed five days in duration, prior approval 
     (for the payment of reporters' travel expenses) must be 
     obtained from the Committee on Rules and Administration.
       IV. Witnesses Appearing Before the Senate (committees only)
       A. The authorized transportation expenses incurred and 
     associated with a witness appearing before the Senate at a 
     designated place of examination pursuant to S. Res. 259, 
     agreed to August 5, 1987, will be those necessary 
     transportation expenses incurred in traveling from the 
     witness' place of residence to the site of the Senate 
     examination and the necessary transportation expenses 
     incurred in returning the witness to his/her residence.
       B. If a witness departs from a city other than the witness' 
     city of residence to appear before the Senate or returns to a 
     city other than the witness' city of residence after 
     appearing before the Senate, then Senate committees may 
     reimburse the witness for transportation expenses incurred 
     which are less than or equal to the amount the committee 
     would have reimbursed the witness had the witness departed 
     from and returned to his/her residence. Any deviation from 
     this policy will be considered on a case by case basis upon 
     the written request to, and approval from, the Committee on 
     Rules and Administration.
       C. Service fees for the preparation or mailing of passenger 
     coupons for indigent or subpoenaed witnesses testifying 
     before Senate committees shall be considered reimbursable for 
     purposes of official travel.
       D. Transportation expenses for witnesses may be charged to 
     the Committee's official centrally billed government travel 
     charge card and paid on direct vouchers to the charge card 
     vendor. Additionally, per diem expenses for indigent 
     witnesses may be charged to the Committee's official 
     government charge card and paid on direct vouchers to the 
     charge card vendor.
       V. Regulations Governing Payments and Reimbursements from 
     the Senate Contingent Funds for Expenses of Senate Committees 
     and Administrative Offices
       (Adopted by the Committee on Rules and Administration on 
     July 23, 1987, as authorized by S. Res. 258, 100th Congress, 
     1st session, these regulations supersede regulations adopted 
     by the Committee on October 22, 1975, and April 30, 1981, as 
     amended.)
       Section 1. Unless otherwise authorized by law or waived 
     pursuant to Section 6, herein, no payment or reimbursement 
     will be made from the contingent fund of the Senate for any 
     official expenses incurred by any Senate committee (standing, 
     select, joint, or special), commission, administrative 
     office, or other authorized Senate activity whose funds are 
     disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate, in excess of $50, 
     unless the voucher submitted for such expenses is accompanied 
     by documentation, and the voucher is certified by the 
     properly designated staff member and approved by the Chairman 
     or elected Senate Officer. The designation of such staff 
     members for certification shall be done by means of a letter 
     to the Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Administration. 
     ``Official expenses,'' for the purposes of these regulations, 
     means ordinary and necessary business expenses in support of 
     a committee's or administrative office's official duties.
       Section 2. Such documentation should consist of invoices, 
     bills, statements, receipts, or other evidence of expenses 
     incurred, and should include ALL of the following 
     information:
       (a) date expense was incurred;
       (b) the amount of the expense;
       (c) the product or service that was provided;
       (d) the vendor providing the product or service;
       (e) the address of the vendor; and
       (f) the person or office to whom the product or service was 
     provided.
       Expenses being claimed should reflect only current charges. 
     Original copies of documentation should be submitted. 
     However, legible facsimiles will be accepted.
       Section 3. Official expenses of $50 or less must either be 
     documented or must be itemized in sufficient detail so as to 
     leave no doubt of the identity of, and the amount spent for, 
     each item. However, hotel bills or other evidence of lodging 
     costs will be considered necessary in support of per diem 
     expenses and cannot be itemized.
       Section 4. Documentation for services rendered on a 
     contract fee basis shall consist of a contract status report 
     form available from the Disbursing Office. However, other 
     expenses authorized expressly in the contract will be subject 
     to the documentation requirements set forth in these 
     regulations.
       Section 5. No documentation will be required for the 
     following expenses:
       (a) salary reimbursement for compensation on a ``When 
     Actually Employed'' basis;
       (b) reimbursement of official travel in a privately owned 
     vehicle;
       (c) foreign travel expenses incurred by official 
     congressional delegations, pursuant to S. Res. 179, 95th 
     Congress, 1st session;
       (d) expenses for receptions of foreign dignitaries, 
     pursuant to S. Res. 247, 87th Congress, 2nd session, as 
     amended; and
       (e) expenses for receptions of foreign dignitaries pursuant 
     to Sec. 2 of P.L. 100-71 effective July 11, 1987.
       Section 6. In special circumstances, the Committee on Rules 
     and Administration may require documentation for expenses 
     incurred of $50 or less, or authorize payment of expenses 
     incurred in excess of $50 without documentation.
       Section 7. Cash advances from the Disbursing Office are to 
     be used for travel and petty cash expenses only. No more than 
     $5000 may be outstanding at one time for Senate committees or 
     administrative offices, unless otherwise authorized by law or 
     resolution, and no more than $300 of that amount may be used 
     for a petty cash fund. The individual receiving the cash 
     advance will be personally liable. The Committee on Rules and 
     Administration may, in special instances, increase these non-
     statutory limits upon written request by the Chairman of that 
     committee and proper justification.
       Section 8. Documentation of petty cash expenses shall be 
     listed on an official petty cash itemization sheet available 
     from the Disbursing Office and should include ALL of the 
     following information:
       (a) date expense was incurred;
       (b) amount of expense;
       (c) product or service provided; and
       (d) the person incurring the expense (payee).
       Each sheet must be signed by the Senate employee receiving 
     cash and an authorizing official (i.e., someone other than 
     the employee(s) authorized to certify vouchers). Original 
     receipts or facsimiles must accompany the itemization sheet 
     for petty cash expenses over $50.
       Section 9. Petty cash funds should be used for the 
     following incidental expenses:
       (a) postage;
       (b) delivery expenses;
       (c) interdepartmental transportation (reimbursements for 
     parking, taxi, subway, bus, privately owned automobile 
     (p.o.a.), etc.;
       (d) single copies of publications (not subscriptions);
       (e) office supplies not available in the Senate Stationery 
     Room; and
       (f) official telephone calls made from a staff member's 
     residence or toll charges incurred within a staff member's 
     duty station.
       Petty cash funds should not be used for the procurement of 
     equipment.
       Section 10. Committees are encouraged to maintain a 
     separate checking account only for the purpose of a petty 
     cash fund and with a balance not in excess of $300.
       Section 11. Vouchers for the reimbursement of official 
     travel expenses to a committee chairman or member, officer, 
     employee, contractor, detailee, or witness shall be 
     accompanied by an ``Expense Summary Report--Travel'' signed 
     by such person. Vouchers for the reimbursement to any such 
     individual for official expenses other than travel expenses 
     shall be accompanied by an ``Expense Summary Report--Non-
     Travel'' signed by such person.

                Appendix A: The Federal Tort Claims Act

       Pursuant to the provisions of S. Res. 492, agreed to 
     December 10, 1982, the Sergeant at Arms has the authority to 
     consider and ascertain and, with the approval of the 
     Committee on Rules and Administration, determine, compromise, 
     adjust, and settle, in accordance with the provisions of 
     chapter 171 of Title 28, United States Code (The Federal Tort 
     Claims Act), any claim for money damages against the United 
     States for injury or loss of property or personal injury or 
     death caused by negligent or wrongful act or omission of any 
     Member, Officer, or Employee of the Senate while acting 
     within the scope of his/her employment. Any compromise, 
     adjustment, or settlement of any such claim not exceeding 
     $2,500 shall be paid from the contingent fund of the Senate 
     on a voucher approved by the Chairman of the Committee on 
     Rules and Administration.
       Payments of awards, compromises, or settlements in excess 
     of $2,500 are obtained by the agency by referring the award, 
     compromise, or settlement to the General Accounting Office 
     for payment. Appropriations of funds for the payment of 
     judgments and compromises are made available for payment of 
     awards, compromises, and settlements under the Federal Tort 
     Claims Act.
       However, any award under the Federal Tort Claims Act in 
     excess of $25,000 cannot take effect except with the prior 
     written approval of the Attorney General.

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