[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 70 (Friday, April 11, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17831-17832]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-9400]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[GSA Bulletin FTR 25]


Federal Travel Regulation; Promoting, Encouraging, and 
Facilitating the Use of Firesafe Accommodations

AGENCY: Office of Governmentwide Policy, GSA.

ACTION: Notice of bulletin.

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SUMMARY: The attached bulletin informs Federal agencies of 
responsibilities for complying with the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act 
of 1990, Pub. L. 101-391, 104 Stat. 747 (codified as amended in 
scattered sections of 15 U.S.C. and 5 U.S.C.), as amended by section 
1614 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997, 
Pub. L. 104-201, 110 Stat. 2739, to save lives and protect property by 
promoting fire and life safety in hotels, motels, and all places of 
public accommodation affecting commerce.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This bulletin is effective March 31, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Groat, General Services 
Administration, Office of Governmentwide Policy (MTT), Washington, DC 
20405; e-mail, [email protected]; telephone (202) 501-1538.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Subsection 4(a) of Pub. L. No. 101-391, 104 
Stat. 747 (codified at 5 U.S.C. 5707a), authorizes the Administrator of 
General Services, among other things, to take appropriate actions to 
encourage employees traveling on official business to stay at places of 
public accommodation that meet the requirements of fire prevention and 
control guidelines, and require, with limited exception, agencies to 
use ``approved accommodations'' for conferences. Section 5 of Pub. L. 
101-391 required each agency to achieve an adequate ``approved 
accommodations percentage'' beginning in Fiscal Year 1995. Further, 
section 5 of the law required the Comptroller General of the United 
States to conduct an audit of the compliance of agencies with the 
established requirements and to submit a report to Congress describing 
the results of such audit. Section 1614 of the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 (Pub. L. 104-201, 110 Stat. 
2739) repealed the ``approved accommodations'' data collection and 
reporting requirement, as well as the requirement for the Comptroller 
General to conduct an audit. The law did not, however, repeal the Hotel 
and Motel Fire Safety Act provisions that authorize the Administrator 
of General Services to encourage employees traveling on official 
business to lodge at ``approved accommodations'' or require, with 
limited exception, agencies to use ``approved accommodations'' for 
conferences.


[[Page 17832]]


    Dated: March 31, 1997.
G. Martin Wagner,
Associate Administrator, Office of Governmentwide Policy.

Attachment

March 31, 1997.
[GSA Bulletin FTR 25]

To: Heads of Federal agencies.

Subject: Promoting, Encouraging, and Facilitating the Use of 
Firesafe Accommodations.

1. Purpose

    This bulletin informs agencies that pursuant to the Federal 
Travel Regulation (FTR) (41 CFR 301-304) each agency is responsible 
for influencing its employees who require commercial lodging when 
performing official travel to stay at an approved firesafe 
accommodation. Further, Federal employees traveling on official 
business, and pre-employment interviewees, are strongly encouraged 
to stay at an approved accommodation as defined in FTR Sec. 301-
17.2(c).

2. Background

    a. The Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990, Pub. L. No. 101-
391, 104 stat. 747 (codified as amended in scattered sections of 15 
U.S.C. and 5 U.S.C.) (the Act) requires the development and issuance 
of guidelines, and sets standards, concerning the use and 
installation of automatic sprinkler systems and smoke detectors in 
places of public accommodation affecting commerce.
    b. In September 1994, the General Services Administration (GSA) 
issued FTR Amendment 39 (59 FR 46192, Sept. 7, 1994) instructing 
agencies, among other things, to ensure that each agency achieve an 
adequate ``approved accommodations percentage'' as specified in the 
Act, and reflected in the FTR, to enhance the safety of Federal 
employees traveling on official business. An ``approved 
accommodations percentage'' is the percentage of nights that an 
agency's employees traveling on official business spend in approved 
accommodations, i.e., any place of public accommodation that meets 
the requirements of the fire prevention and control guidelines in 15 
U.S.C. 2225, relative to the total number of nights spent in places 
of public accommodation.
    c. Section 1614 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 1997, Pub. L. No. 104-201, 110 Stat. 2739, repealed the 
``approved accommodations'' data collection and employee reporting 
requirement imposed by the Act.
    d. In December 1996, GSA issued FTR Amendment 53 (61 FR 64997, 
Dec. 10, 1996) to eliminate the ``approved accommodations'' data 
collection and reporting requirement.
    e. GSA is issuing the guidelines contained in this bulletin to 
inform agencies that although the data collection and reporting 
requirement was repealed, the provisions that encourage agencies to 
promote the use of ``approved accommodations'' or require, with 
limited exception, the use of ``approved accommodations'' for 
conferences were not repealed. Agencies, therefore, should continue 
to effectuate policies strongly encouraging employees to use 
``approved accommodations''.

3. Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Guidelines

    The Act sets standards for fire prevention and control in places 
of public accommodation affecting commerce. These requirements 
include installation of hard-wired, single station smoke detectors 
in each guest room of each place of public accommodation, and an 
automatic sprinkler system in each place of public accommodation 
that is more than three stories. The Act further requires each State 
to submit to the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
(FEMA) a list of places of public accommodation in the State that 
comply with the Act's fire safety standards. From the State lists, 
FEMA must compile and publish in the Federal Register a national 
master list and distribute it to each Federal agency. The Act 
requires FEMA to periodically update the master list based on 
information provided by the States, and to distribute the updated 
list to each agency. Any questions regarding the FEMA list may be 
directed to Mr. John Ottoson, United States Fire Administration, at 
(301) 447-1272. The list is available via the internet at http://
www.usfa.fema.gov/hotel/hotelindex.

4. Federal Travel Program Compliance

    It is the policy of the Federal Government to save lives and 
protect property by promoting fire safety in hotels, motels, and all 
places of public accommodation affecting commerce. The GSA's travel 
programs adhere to established fire safety guidelines and survey 
accommodations that meet fire safety standards when conducting 
surveys of lodging costs for the purpose of establishing locality 
per diem rates.

5. Federal Agency Compliance

    a. Pursuant to FTR Sec. 301-7.2(b)(2), it is the responsibility 
of each agency when authorizing travel to take appropriate measures 
to influence employees, and others who will procure commercial 
lodging in the performance of official travel, to stay at a firesafe 
approved accommodation.
    b. Pursuant to FTR part 301-16, an agency may not sponsor or 
fund in whole or in part a conference at a place of public 
accommodation that is not an approved accommodation, unless a waiver 
is granted.

6. Other Fire Safety Responsibilities

    a. Pursuant to FTR Sec. 301-1.3(a)(2), employees are strongly 
encouraged to stay in an approved accommodation when commercial 
lodging is required.
    b. Pursuant to FTR Sec. 301-1.202(b)(6), an interviewee 
traveling to a pre-employment interview is strongly encouraged to 
stay at an approved accommodation when commercial lodging is 
required.

7. Expiration Date

    This bulletin remains in effect until canceled or superseded.

8. For Further Information Contact

    Jane E. Groat, General Services Administration, Office of 
Governmentwide Policy (MTT), Washington, DC 20405; e-mail, 
[email protected]; telephone (202) 501-1538.
[FR Doc. 97-9400 Filed 4-10-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-34-P