> **Federal Register** / Vol. 69, No. 225 / Tuesday, November 23, 2004 /
> Proposed Rules

**68111**

> a public hearing was scheduled for Thursday, December 2, 2004, at 10
> a.m. in the IRS Auditorium, Internal Revenue Service Building, 1111
> Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. The subject of the public
> hearing is proposed regulations under section 861 of the Internal
> Revenue Code. The public comment period for these proposed regulations
> expired on Tuesday, October
>
> 26, 2004. Outlines of oral comments were due on Tuesday, November 12,
>
> 2004\.
>
> The notice of proposed rulemaking and notice of public hearing,
> instructed those interested in testifying at the public hearing to
> submit a request to speak and an outline of the topics to be
> addressed. As of Wednesday, November
>
> 17, 2004, no one has requested to speak. Therefore, the public hearing
> scheduled for Tuesday, December 2, 2004, is cancelled.
>
> **Cynthia E. Grigsby,**
>
> *Acting Chief, Publications and Regulations Branch, Legal Processing
> Division, Associate Chief Counsel, (Procedure and Administration).*
>
> \[FR Doc. 04--25964 Filed 11--22--04; 8:45 am\]
>
> **BILLING CODE 4830--01--P**
>
> **GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION**
>
> **41 CFR Parts 300--3, 302--2, 302--3,**
>
> **302--4, 302--5, 302--6, 302--7, 302--9,**
>
> **302--11, and 302--15**
>
> **\[FTR Case 2003--309\] RIN 3090--AH91**
>
> **Federal Travel Regulation; Relocation**
>
> **Allowances**
>
> **AGENCY:** Office of Governmentwide
>
> Policy, General Services Administration
>
> (GSA).
>
> **ACTION:** Proposed rule.
>
> **SUMMARY:** The General Services Administration (GSA) Office of
> Governmentwide Policy (OGP) continually reviews and adjusts policies
> as a part of its ongoing mission to provide policy assistance to the
> Government agencies subject to the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR).
> Accordingly, GSA created the Relocation Best Practices Committee
>
> (RBPC) to examine Government relocation policy. The RBPC consists of
> Government as well as private sector relocation experts and produced a
> complete package of recommendations affecting the statutes and
> regulations governing relocation. The following proposed FTR changes
> are the result of recommendations from the RBPC from

benchmarking against private industry, and from GSA, representing
Governmentwide policy interests. The proposed changes are intended to
keep Government relocation practices in line with current relocation
trends and allow for better management of the Government relocation
programs and costs.

**DATES:** Comments must be received on or before January 24, 2005.

**ADDRESSES:** Submit comments identified by FTR case 2003--309 by any
of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: *http:// www.regulations.gov*. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.

Agency Web Site: *http:// www.gsa.gov/ftr*. Click on the FTR Case number
to submit comments.

E-mail: *ftrcase.2003--309@gsa.gov.* Include FTR case 2003--309 in the
subject line of the message.

> Fax: 202--501--4067.
>
> Mail: General Services

Administration, Regulatory Secretariat

(V), 1800 F Street, NW., Room 4035, ATTN: Laurie Duarte, Washington, DC

20405\.

*Instructions*: Please submit comments only and cite FTR case 2003--309
in all correspondence related to this case. All comments received will
be posted without change to *http://www.gsa.gov/ ftr*, including any
personal information provided.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:** The Regulatory Secretariat, Room
4035, GS Building, Washington, DC, 20405, (202)

208--7312, for information pertaining to status or publication
schedules. For clarification of content, contact Ed Davis, Program
Analyst (Team Leader), Office of Governmentwide Policy, Travel
Management Policy, at (202)

208--7638. Please cite FTR case 2003--

309\.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**

**A. Background**

> The General Services Administration

(GSA), Office of Governmentwide Policy

(OGP), reviews the regulations under its purview to address current
Government relocation needs and incorporate private industry policies
and best practices, where appropriate. Relocation is an area that
continuously changes. Parts of the relocation regulation, such as the

storage time and temporary quarters allowance time should not stand
alone but be considered in relation to each other. Changes such as these
need to be made as part of a new comprehensive relocation regulation.

Much of private industry uses lump sum relocation payments for all
relocation expenses except real estate

expenses. Thus, temporary quarters, miscellaneous expenses, and other
payments have a small one-time administrative cost and do not need to be
reconciled in a post-payment audit. The administrative savings and
efficiency improvements of such systems are clear.

Private industry spends less time on its relocation packages because as
a rule they are tiered, more flexible to handle exceptions, and
relocation expenses rarely extend beyond one year because there are no
extensions. The focus is on getting the transferee settled at the new
location as fast as possible in permanent quarters. The main lesson that
the Government can learn from benchmarking against private industry

is that expediency is important. Currently, the Government permits
Federal employees to voucher items from a move up to 4 years after the
move (2 years to complete a relocation plus a two year extension). This
is a drain on Federal accounting systems as monies must remain allocated
to cover transactions.

The Travel Management Policy Division of OGP examined the issues facing
agencies and employees in a relocation. Through benchmarking sessions
with private industry as well as a RBPC consisting of many agencies'
relocation policy experts, the current proposed rules emerged.

**B. Proposed Changes**

> This proposed rule---

Amends section 300--3.1 to add the terms and definitions for
''accompanied baggage'' and ''unaccompanied air baggage'' and change the
definitions for

''Household Goods (HHG)'' and ''Non- foreign area'';

> Amends sections 302--2.8, 302--2.9,

302--2.10, 302--2.11, and 302--2.110 to reduce the length of time to
complete a relocation from two years to one year;

Further amends sections 302--2.11 and 302--2.110 to reduce the length of
time for relocation extensions from two years to one year;

> Adds two new sections to part 302--

2, subpart A, and amends section 302--

2.100 to require disclosure statements so that the Government will not
pay for relocation expenses that are paid by another Government or
private source;

> Adds seven new sections to part

302--2, subpart B, to define relocation programs, relocation payment
systems, and relocation management reporting systems;

> Adds two new sections to part 302--

3, subpart D, relating to separation travel timing and extensions;

Revises section 302--4.300 to reduce the mileage rate for relocation to
be in

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