[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 37 (Friday, February 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9394-9395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-3637]


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OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET


Improving Government Charge Card Management

AGENCY: Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the 
President.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requests comments on 
a draft guidance document entitled Improving Government Charge Card 
Management. The draft guidance, located at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/financial/fia_travel.html, consolidates and updates current 
government charge card program guidance previously issued by OMB, the 
General Services Administration, the Department of the Treasury, and 
other Federal agencies. The draft guidance applies to all Executive 
Branch departments and agencies, establishing standard minimum 
requirements and suggested best practices in areas of charge card 
management such as planning, training, risk management, data 
collection, credit worthiness, and strategic buying. When this guidance 
is finalized, it will be issued as either a new OMB Circular or as an 
addendum to an existing OMB Circular.

DATES: To ensure consideration of comments, interested parties should 
submit comments in writing to the Office of Federal Financial 
Management (OFFM), Office of Management and Budget, on or before March 
28, 2005.

ADDRESSES: We are still experiencing delays in receiving regular mail, 
including first class and express mail. To ensure that your comments 
are received, we recommend that comments on this draft guidance be 
electronically mailed to [email protected], or faxed to (202) 395-
3952. You may also submit written comments to Sally Clark Beecroft, 
Office of Federal Financial Management, Office of Management and 
Budget, NEOB Room 6025, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, 
(202) 395-3993.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In coordinating and overseeing the 
Administration's financial management and procurement policies, the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is authorized by 31 U.S.C. 1111; 
Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1970; Executive Order 11541; the Chief 
Financial Officers Act of 1990 (31 U.S.C. 501-506); and the Office of 
Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 405), to establish rules, 
regulations, circulars, bulletins, or other forms administrative

[[Page 9395]]

guidance for Executive branch agencies. As part of the Administration's 
ongoing effort to improve the efficiency and integrity of government 
charge card programs, OMB recently convened an interagency working 
group to update, consolidate, and/or clarify current rules and 
requirements in this important area of financial management and 
procurement policy. As a result, the working group developed the above-
referenced draft guidance document that is designed to serve as a 
single source for all relevant charge card management requirements. In 
most cases, the draft guidance document re-states and clarifies 
existing guidance (e.g., required policies and procedures for 
eliminating payment delinquencies, charge card misuse, fraud, and other 
forms of waste and abuse). One notable addition to the existing 
guidance contained in the draft is a new set of provisions related to 
the implementation of Sec. 639 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
2005 (Pub. L. 108-447), requiring Federal agencies to assess the credit 
worthiness of travel or purchase card applicants prior to issuing a 
card.

Clay Johnson III,
Deputy Director for Management.
[FR Doc. 05-3637 Filed 2-24-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3110-01-P