[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 165 (Thursday, August 25, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 53134]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21710]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice-FTR-Docket No. 2011-0002; Sequence 7]


Maximum Per Diem Rates for the Continental United States (CONUS)

AGENCY: Office of Governmentwide Policy, General Services 
Administration (GSA).

ACTION: Notice of Per Diem Bulletin 12-01, Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 
Continental United States (CONUS) per diem rates.

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SUMMARY: The General Services Administration's (GSA) annual per diem 
review has resulted in lodging and meal allowance changes for locations 
within CONUS to provide for the reimbursement of Federal employees' per 
diem expenses. This Per Diem Bulletin updates the maximum per diem 
amounts in existing per diem localities. The CONUS per diem rates 
prescribed in Bulletin 12-01 may be found at http://www.gsa.gov/perdiem. GSA bases the lodging per diem rates on the average daily rate 
that the lodging industry reports to an independent organization. The 
use of such data in the per diem rate setting process enhances the 
Government's ability to obtain policy-compliant lodging where it is 
needed. In conjunction with the annual lodging study, GSA identified 
one new non-standard area (NSA): Alexandria/Leesville/Natchitoches, 
Louisiana (Allen, Jefferson Davis, Natchitoches, Rapides, and Vernon 
Parishes). In addition, GSA reviewed all of the locations that changed 
from a NSA to the standard CONUS designation in FY 2011. Of those 
locations, the following areas will once again become NSAs in FY 2012: 
Montgomery, Alabama (Montgomery and Autauga Counties); Ocala, Florida 
(Marion County); Michigan City, Indiana (LaPorte County); Benton 
Harbor, Michigan (Berrien County); Mackinac Island, Michigan (Mackinac 
County); Mount Pleasant, Michigan (Isabella County); Jefferson City, 
Missouri (Cole County); and Sheboygan, Wisconsin (Sheboygan County).
    If a per diem rate is insufficient to meet necessary expenses in 
any given location, Federal executive agencies can request that GSA 
review that location. Please review numbers five and six of GSA's per 
diem Frequently Asked Questions at (http://www.gsa.gov/perdiemfaqs) for 
more information on the special review process.
    In addition, the Federal Travel Regulation allows for actual 
expense reimbursement as directed in Sec.  301-11.300 through 301-
11.306.

DATES: This notice is effective October 1, 2011, and applies for travel 
performed on or after October 1, 2011, through September 30, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For clarification of content, contact 
Ms. Jill Denning, Office of Governmentwide Policy, Office of Travel, 
Transportation, and Asset Management, at (202) 208-7642, or by e-mail 
at [email protected]. Please cite Notice of Per Diem Bulletin 12-01.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    After analyzing recent lodging data, GSA determined that lodging 
rates for certain localities do not adequately reflect the current 
lodging markets. GSA used the same lodging rate setting methodology for 
establishing the FY 2012 per diem rates as it did when establishing the 
FY 2011 rates.
    GSA issues and publishes the CONUS per diem rates, formerly 
published in Appendix A to 41 CFR Chapter 301, solely on the Internet 
at http://www.gsa.gov/perdiem. This process, implemented in 2003, 
ensures more timely changes in per diem rates established by GSA for 
Federal employees on official travel within CONUS. Notices published 
periodically in the Federal Register, such as this one, now constitute 
the only notification of revisions in CONUS per diem rates to agencies.

    Dated: August 18, 2011.
Janet Dobbs,
Director, Office of Travel, Transportation & Asset Management.
[FR Doc. 2011-21710 Filed 8-24-11; 8:45 am]
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