I

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4565

To provide for the establishment of business accounts for air travel by

Federal employees to maximize cost savings, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 10, 1994

Ms. ENGLISH of Arizona introduced the following bill; which was referred

jointly to the Committees on Government Operations and House Administration

A BILL

To provide for the establishment of business accounts for

air travel by Federal employees to maximize cost savings,

and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Government Travel

5 Cost Reduction Act’’.
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1 SEC. 2. BUSINESS ACCOUNTS FOR AIR TRAVEL BY FED2 ERAL EMPLOYEES.

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 57 of title 5, United

4 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 5709

5 the following new section:

6 ‘‘§ 5710. Business accounts for air travel

7 ‘‘(a) The General Services Administration or any

8 agency entering into a contract with an air carrier for

9 travel on official business—

10 ‘‘(1) subject to the provisions of paragraph (2),

11 shall include as a term of such contract that such

12 air carrier shall—

13 ‘‘(A) establish a separate air travel busi14 ness account for any employee, designated by

15 the head of the agency employing such em16 ployee, for travel on official business by such

17 employee on such air carrier;

18 ‘‘(B) deposit any award or bonus by such

19 air carrier awarded to such employee for travel

20 on official business into the employee’s air trav21 el business account; and

22 ‘‘(C) apply any such award or bonus from

23 such employee’s air travel business account to

24 any travel on official business by such employee

25 on such air carrier except that such awards or
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1 bonuses shall not be used for seating upgrades;

2 and

3 ‘‘(2) may include as a term of such contract, as

4 an alternative to the term required under paragraph

5 (1), that such air carrier shall—

6 ‘‘(A) establish an air travel business ac7 count for any office or administrative unit of an

8 agency, as designated by the head of such agen9 cy, for travel on official business by employees

10 of such office or administrative unit on such air

11 carrier;

12 ‘‘(B) deposit any award or bonus by such

13 air carrier awarded to any employee of such of14 fice or administrative unit for travel on official

15 business into the air travel business account of

16 such office or administrative unit; and

17 ‘‘(C) apply any such award or bonus from

18 the air travel business account of such office or

19 administrative unit to any travel on official

20 business by any employee of such office or ad21 ministrative unit except that such awards or bo22 nuses shall not be used for seating upgrades.

23 ‘‘(b) All air travel business accounts established

24 under this section shall be separate from any personal ac25 count of an employee. Any award or bonus from an air
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1 travel business account may be used only for travel on offi2 cial business except that such awards shall not be used

3 for seating upgrades.

4 ‘‘(c) To the greatest extent practicable, the General

5 Services Administration shall include the term described

6 under subsection (a)(2) in a contract to maximize travel

7 costs savings.

8 ‘‘(d) The General Services Administration shall pro9 mulgate regulations to carry out the provisions of this sec10 tion. Such regulations shall include a requirement that,

11 to the greatest extent practicable to maximize travel costs

12 savings, employees shall—

13 ‘‘(1) travel on official business with air carriers

14 awarding awards and bonuses for official business

15 travel, regardless of whether such travel is on an air

16 carrier under a contract described under this sec17 tion; and

18 ‘‘(2)(A) participate in any program of such air

19 carrier awarding awards and bonuses; and

20 ‘‘(B) use such awards and bonuses for only offi21 cial business travel except that such awards shall not

22 be used for seating upgrades.’’.

23 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—

24 The table of sections for chapter 57 of title 5, United
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1 States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relat2 ing to section 5709 the following new item:

‘‘5710. Business accounts for air travel.’’.

3 SEC. 3. APPLICATION TO THE CONGRESS.

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—No later than 180 days after the

5 date of the enactment of this Act, the Committee on Rules

6 and Administration of the Senate and the Committee on

7 Administration of the House of Representatives shall pro8 mulgate regulations relating to Members of Congress and

9 any employee whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of

10 the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Representatives,

11 respectively, that—

12 (1) require any Member of the Senate, officer

13 of the Senate, Member of the House of Representa14 tives, or officer of the House of Representatives who

15 enters into a contract with an air carrier for travel

16 on official business by a Member or employee—

17 (A) subject to the provisions of subpara18 graph (B), shall include as a term of such con19 tract that such air carrier shall—

20 (i) establish a separate air travel busi21 ness account for any Member or employee,

22 designated by the applicable Member or

23 employing committee or office of such em24 ployee, for travel on official business by
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1 such Member or employee on such air car2 rier;

3 (ii) deposit any award or bonus by

4 such air carrier awarded to such Member

5 or employee for travel on official business

6 into the Member’s or employee’s air travel

7 business account; and

8 (iii) apply any such award or bonus

9 from such Member’s or employee’s air

10 travel business account to any travel on of11 ficial business by such Member or em12 ployee on such air carrier except that such

13 awards or bonuses shall not be used for

14 seating upgrades; and

15 (B) may include as a term of such con16 tract, as an alternative to the term required

17 under subparagraph (A), that such air carrier

18 shall—

19 (i) establish an air travel business ac20 count for any committee or office as des21 ignated by the applicable Member, commit22 tee, or office, for travel on official business

23 by Members or employees of such commit24 tee or office on such air carrier;
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1 (ii) deposit any award or bonus by

2 such air carrier awarded to any Member or

3 employee of such committee or office for

4 travel on official business into the air trav5 el business account of such committee or

6 office; and

7 (iii) apply any such award or bonus

8 from the air travel business account of

9 such committee or office to any travel on

10 official business by any Member or em11 ployee of such committee or office except

12 that such awards or bonuses shall not be

13 used for seating upgrades; and

14 (2) to the greatest extent practicable to maxi15 mize travel costs savings, require committees and of16 fices (including Members’ offices)—

17 (A) to enter into contracts with air carriers

18 awarding awards and bonuses for official busi19 ness travel; and

20 (B) to require Members and employees

21 to—

22 (i) travel on official business with air

23 carriers awarding awards and bonuses for

24 official business travel, regardless of

25 whether such travel is on an air carrier
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1 under a contract described under this sec2 tion; and

3 (ii)(I) participate in any program of

4 such air carrier awarding awards and bo5 nuses; and

6 (II) use such awards and bonuses for

7 only official business travel except that

8 such awards or bonuses shall not be used

9 for seating upgrades.

10 (b) SEPARATE BUSINESS ACCOUNTS.—All air travel

11 business accounts established under this section shall be

12 separate from any personal account of a Member or em13 ployee. Any award or bonus from an air travel business

14 account may be used only for travel on official business

15 except that such awards or bonuses shall not be used for

16 seating upgrades.

17 (c) COMMITTEE AND OFFICE ACCOUNTS.—To the

18 greatest extent practicable, any Member of Congress or

19 officer of the Congress entering into a contract as provided

20 under this section shall include the term described under

21 subsection (a)(1)(B) to maximize costs savings.

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