[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 48 (Monday, March 15, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14326-14327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05257]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice-MA-2021-01; Docket No. 2021-0002; Sequence No. 3]


Relocation Allowances--Waiver of Certain Federal Travel 
Regulation (FTR) Provisions During the COVID-19 Pandemic

AGENCY: Office of Government-wide Policy (OGP), General Services 
Administration (GSA).

ACTION: Notice of GSA Bulletin FTR 21-04, Waiver of certain Federal 
Travel Regulation (FTR) provisions during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 
(COVID-19) pandemic.

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SUMMARY: This GSA Bulletin FTR 21-04 informs agencies that certain 
provisions of the FTR governing official relocation travel and renewal 
agreement travel (RAT) may continue to be temporarily waived for the 
period of time stated in the bulletin. This bulletin also rescinds 
prior GSA Bulletins pertaining to relocation allowances during the 
pandemic.

DATES: Applicability Date: This notice is retroactively effective for 
official relocation travel performed after March 13, 2019, one year 
prior to the date of the Presidential national emergency proclamation 
concerning COVID-19.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Rick Miller, Senior Policy 
Analyst, Office of Government-wide Policy, Office of Asset and 
Transportation Management, at 202-501-3822, or [email protected]. 
Please cite Notice of GSA Bulletin FTR 21-04.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: Federal agencies authorize relocation entitlements to 
those individuals listed at FTR Sec.  302-1.1 and those assigned under 
the Government Employees Training Act (GETA) (5 U.S.C. Chapter 41). 
Since the Presidential national emergency proclamation issued March 13, 
2020 concerning COVID-19, the pandemic has resulted in various travel-
related disruptions to relocating employees.
    Accordingly, GSA issued Bulletins FTR 20-06 (published at 85 FR 
23029, on April 24, 2020) and FTR 21-02 (published at 85 FR 59311, on 
September 21, 2020), to allow agencies to determine whether to 
implement

[[Page 14327]]

waivers of time limits established by the FTR for completion of all 
aspects of relocation, temporary storage of household goods (HHG) 
shipments, house hunting trips (HHT), and time remaining in a second 
tour of duty upon return from renewal agreement travel (RAT), as set 
forth in the bulletins. The aforementioned bulletins, and the waiver 
provisions therein, were set to expire on March 13, 2021.
    Given that the COVID-19 outbreak has continued to produce 
uncertainty and create difficulties for relocating individuals, GSA has 
decided to extend these waivers by rescinding Bulletins FTR 20-06 and 
FTR 21-02 and re-establishing the information therein by issuance of 
this new GSA Bulletin FTR 21-04 with a later expiration date. This GSA 
Bulletin FTR 21-04 can be viewed at https://www.gsa.gov/ftrbulletins.

Krystal J. Brumfield,
Associate Administrator, Office of Government-wide Policy.
[FR Doc. 2021-05257 Filed 3-12-21; 8:45 am]
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