Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 13, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 89501 

Assistance Listing 

The Assistance Listing numbers and 

titles for the programs affected by this 

document are 64.056. 

Congressional Review Act 

Pursuant to Subtitle E of the Small 

Business Regulatory Enforcement 

Fairness Act of 1996 (known as the 

Congressional Review Act) (5 U.S.C. 801 

et seq.), the Office of Information and 

Regulatory Affairs designated this rule 

as not satisfying the criteria under 5 

U.S.C. 804(2). 

List of Subjects in 38 CFR Part 79 

Administrative practice and 

procedure; Grant programs-social 

services; Grant programs-veterans; 

Homeless; Legal services; Public 

assistance programs; Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements; Veterans. 

Signing Authority 

Denis McDonough, Secretary of 

Veterans Affairs, approved and signed 

this document on October 31, 2024, and 

authorized the undersigned to sign and 

submit the document to the Office of the 

Federal Register for publication 

electronically as an official document of 

the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Luvenia Potts, 

Regulation Development Coordinator, Office 

of Regulation Policy & Management, Office 

of General Counsel, Department of Veterans 

Affairs. 

For the reasons stated in the 

preamble, the interim rule amending 38 

CFR chapter 1, which was published at 

87 FR 33025 (June 1, 2022), is adopted 

as final with the following changes: 

PART 79—LEGAL SERVICES FOR 

HOMELESS VETERANS AND 

VETERANS AT-RISK FOR 

HOMELESSNESS GRANT PROGRAM 

■ 1. The general authority citation for 

part 79 continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501, 38 U.S.C. 2022A, 

and as noted in specific sections. 

§ 79.5 [Amended] 

■ 2. Amend § 79.5 by removing the 

definitions of ‘‘Direct Federal financial 

assistance’’ and ‘‘Indirect Federal 

financial assistance’’. 

§ 79.10 [Amended] 

■ 3. Amend § 79.10 in paragraph (c) by 

removing ‘‘26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) or (19)’’ 

and adding in its place ‘‘26 U.S.C. 

501(c)(3), (6), or (19)’’. 

■ 4. Amend § 79.20 by revising 

paragraph (d) and adding paragraph 

(f)(6) to read as follows: 

§ 79.20 Legal services. 

* * * * * 

(d) Legal services relating to criminal 

defense, including defense and 

resolution of, and assistance with, 

matters symptomatic of homelessness, 

such as outstanding warrants, fines, 

driver’s license revocation, and 

citations. To reduce recidivism and 

facilitate the overcoming of reentry 

obstacles in employment or housing, 

covered legal services relating to 

criminal defense also include legal 

assistance with requests to expunge or 

seal a criminal record. 

* * * * * 

(f) * * * 

(6) Legal services relating to requests 

for corrections to military records of a 

former member of the Armed Forces 

under 10 U.S.C. 1552. 

■ 5. Amend § 79.25 by adding an 

information collection authority to the 

end of the section to read as follows: 

§ 79.25 Application for legal services 

grants. 

* * * * * 

(The Office of Management and Budget has 

approved the information collection 

provisions in this section under control 

number 2900–0905) 

§ 79.75 [Amended] 

■ 6. Amend § 79.75 in the information 

collection authority at the end of the 

section by removing ‘‘2900–TBD’’ and 

adding in its place ‘‘2900–0905’’. 

■ 7. Revise § 79.80 to read as follows: 

§ 79.80 Faith-based organizations. 

Organizations that are faith-based are 

eligible, on the same basis as any other 

organization, to participate in the Legal 

Services for Homeless Veterans and 

Veterans At-Risk for Homelessness 

Grant Program under this part in 

accordance with 38 CFR part 50. 

■ 8. Amend § 79.90 by revising the first 

sentence of paragraph (d) to read as 

follows: 

§ 79.90 Financial management and 

administrative costs. 

* * * * * 

(d) Costs for administration by a 

grantee will be consistent with 2 CFR 

part 200. * * * 

§ 79.95 [Amended] 

■ 9. Amend § 79.95 in the information 

collection authority at the end of the 

section by removing ‘‘2900–TBD’’ and 

adding in its place ‘‘2900–0905’’. 

[FR Doc. 2024–25964 Filed 11–12–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

GENERAL SERVICES 

ADMINISTRATION 

41 CFR Parts 300–2, 302–2, 302–3, and 

302–15 

[FTR Case 2023–01; Docket No. GSA–FTR– 

2024–0009, Sequence No. 1] 

RIN 3090–AK75 

Federal Travel Regulation; Removing 

References to Title and Narrative 

Format and Other Changes Addressing 

Relocation 

AGENCY: Office of Government-wide 

Policy (OGP), General Services 

Administration (GSA). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Travel Regulation 

(FTR) was originally written in title and 

narrative format. The entire FTR has 

since been re-written in question and 

answer format to align with plain 

language standards. This final rule 

removes the remaining references to the 

defunct title and narrative format, 

clarifies the applicability of the FTR, 

and clarifies multiple provisions 

regarding relocation authorization and 

allowances. Finally, the final rule makes 

various editorial changes to better align 

the regulatory question with its 

corresponding answer. 

DATES: Effective date: December 13, 

2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Ed Davis, Program Analyst, Office of 

Government-wide Policy, at 202–669– 

1653 or travelpolicy@gsa.gov for 

clarification of content. For information 

pertaining to status or publication 

schedules, contact the Regulatory 

Secretariat Division at 202–501–4755 or 

GSARegSec@gsa.gov. Please cite ‘‘FTR 

Case 2023–01.’’ 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Consistent with Executive Order 

12866, Regulatory Planning and Review, 

and the June 1, 1998, Memorandum on 

Plain Language in Government Writing, 

and its implementing guidance, GSA 

began rewriting the FTR in plain 

language, which resulted in format 

changes from title and narrative to 

question and answer. On August 21, 

2014, with FTR Amendment 2014–01 

(79 FR 49640), GSA changed the last 

remaining part of the FTR to question 

and answer format. However, outdated 

references to title and narrative format 

in FTR part 300–2 still remain; this final 

rule removes them. 

This final rule also refines the answer 

to the question ‘‘Who is subject to the 

FTR,’’ clarifying that, as to executive 


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89502 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 13, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

agencies (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 105), 

those agencies and civilian employees 

of those executive agencies are subject 

to the FTR. This does not include 

uniformed military members, who are 

subject to U.S.C., title 10, or employees 

of other than an ‘‘executive agency’’ as 

defined in 5 U.S.C. 105. This is merely 

a clarification and does not change the 

present understanding of who is subject 

to the FTR. 

This final rule moves the section on 

relocation service agreements in FTR 

part 302–3 to part 302–2, as the section 

is a better fit under part 302–2. As a 

result, § 302–3.500 was updated to 

remove the limitation for agencies to 

implement policies only as to part 302– 

3 because paragraph (a) refers to one of 

the regulations that was moved to part 

302–2. The heading for § 302–3.500 was 

also updated to add ‘‘authorization’’ in 

addition to ‘‘payment’’ of relocation 

payments as the section addresses both. 

Also, additional discretionary items for 

househunting and property management 

services were added to § 302–3.101, 

Table C, Column 2, to match the same 

discretionary items noted in parts 302– 

5 and 302–15. These additions are not 

new discretionary allowances; they 

were inadvertently left off the table 

when FTR Amendment 2021–02 (86 FR 

73678) was published. FTR § 302–15.10 

is also amended to clarify the time 

periods for which agencies may pay for 

property management services; the FTR 

now specifically addresses the time 

period for those employees transferring 

from a foreign area post to an official 

station in the U.S. if other than the one 

from which they were transferred for 

their foreign tour of duty. 

II. Discussion of the Final Rule 

A. Summary of Significant Changes 

There are no significant changes; a 

summary of changes is included in the 

Background section. 

B. Analysis of Public Comments 

This rule addresses matters of agency 

management or personnel and 

consequently is exempt from the notice 

and comment requirements of the 

Administrative Procedure Act. As such, 

notice and comment was not sought 

prior to publication of this final rule. 

C. Expected Cost Impact to the Public 

There is no cost impact expected as a 

result of these changes. 

III. Executive Orders 12866, 13563, and 

14094 

Executive Order (E.O.) 12866 

(Regulatory Planning and Review) 

directs agencies to assess all costs and 

benefits of available regulatory 

alternatives and, if regulation is 

necessary, to select regulatory 

approaches that maximize net benefits 

(including potential economic, 

environmental, public health and safety 

effects, distributive impacts, and 

equity). E.O. 13563 (Improving 

Regulation and Regulatory Review) 

emphasizes the importance of 

quantifying both costs and benefits, of 

reducing costs, of harmonizing rules, 

and of promoting flexibility. E.O. 14094 

(Modernizing Regulatory Review) 

amends section 3(f) of Executive Order 

12866 and supplements and reaffirms 

the principles, structures, and 

definitions governing contemporary 

regulatory review established in E.O. 

12866 and E.O. 13563. The Office of 

Management and Budget’s Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs 

(OIRA), has determined that this rule is 

not a significant regulatory action and, 

therefore, it is not subject to review 

under section 6(b) of E.O. 12866. 

IV. Congressional Review Act 

OIRA has determined that this rule is 

not a ‘‘major rule’’ under 5 U.S.C. 

804(2). Title II, Subtitle E of the Small 

Business Regulatory Enforcement 

Fairness Act of 1996 (codified at 5 

U.S.C. 801–808), also known as the 

Congressional Review Act or CRA, 

generally provides that before a rule 

may take effect, unless excepted, the 

agency promulgating the rule must 

submit a rule report, which includes a 

copy of the rule, to each House of the 

Congress and to the Comptroller General 

of the United States. This rule is 

excepted from CRA reporting 

requirements prescribed under 5 U.S.C. 

801 as it relates to agency management 

or personnel under 5 U.S.C. 804(3)(B). 

V. Regulatory Flexibility Act 

This final rule will not have a 

significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities 

within the meaning of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601, et seq. This 

final rule is also exempt from the 

Administrative Procedure Act pursuant 

to 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2) because it applies 

to agency management or personnel. 

Therefore, an Initial Regulatory 

Flexibility Analysis was not performed. 

VI. Paperwork Reduction Act 

The Paperwork Reduction Act does 

not apply because the changes to the 

FTR do not impose recordkeeping or 

information collection requirements, or 

the collection of information from 

offerors, contractors, or members of the 

public that require the approval of the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) under 44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq. 

List of Subjects in 41 CFR Parts 300–2, 

302–2, 302–3, and 302–15 

Government employees, Relocation, 

Travel and transportation expenses. 

Robin Carnahan, 

Administrator of General Services. 

For the reasons set forth in the 

preamble, GSA amends 41 CFR parts 

300–2, 302–2, 302–3, and 302–15 as 

follows: 

■ 1. Revise part 300–2 to read as 

follows: 

PART 300–2—HOW TO USE THE FTR 

Sec. 

300–2.1 How is the FTR formatted? 

300–2.2 How are the rules in this part 

expressed in the Q&A format? 

300–2.3 Who is subject to the FTR? 

300–2.4 How is the user addressed in the 

FTR? 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 5707; 5 U.S.C. 5738; 

5 U.S.C. 5741–5742; 20 U.S.C. 905(a); 31 

U.S.C. 1353; 40 U.S.C. 121(c); 49 U.S.C. 

40118; E.O. 11609, 3 CFR, 1971–1975 Comp., 

p. 586. 

§ 300–2.1 How is the FTR formatted? 

The FTR is written in a question and 

answer (Q&A) format, which is an 

effective way to engage the reader and 

present the information in digestible 

pieces. 

§ 300–2.2 How are the rules in this part 

expressed in the Q&A format? 

The rules in this part are expressed in 

both the question and answer. 

§ 300–2.3 Who is subject to the FTR? 

As to executive agencies (see § 300– 

3.1 of this chapter), civilian employees 

of an executive agency, and the 

executive agency itself, are subject to 

the FTR. Since the user may be an 

employee or an agency, portions of the 

FTR have been separated into employee 

and agency sections. However, while 

the employee provisions are addressed 

to the employee, the rules expressed in 

those provisions apply to the agency as 

well. The following lists the relevant 

employee and agency sections of the 

FTR: 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 13, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 89503 

TABLE 1 TO § 300–2.3 

For The employee provisions contained in And the agency provisions are contained in 

Chapter 300 ........................................................ N/A ................................................................... Subchapter B. 

Chapter 301 ........................................................ Subchapters A, B, and C ................................. Subchapter D. 

Chapter 302 ........................................................ Subchapters A, B, C, D, E, and F ................... Subchapters A, B, C, D, E, and F. 

Chapter 303 ........................................................ N/A ................................................................... Part 303–70. 

Chapter 304 ........................................................ Subchapter A ................................................... Subchapters B and C. 

§ 300–2.4 How is the user addressed in the 

FTR? 

The FTR asks questions in the first 

person, as the user would. It then 

answers the questions in the second and 

third person. In the employee sections, 

the employee is addressed in the 

singular, and in the agency sections, the 

agency is addressed in the plural. The 

following describes how employee and 

agency are addressed in both sections: 

TABLE 1 TO § 300–2.4 

When you are in the And you are looking at a The employee is referred to using And the agency is referred to 

using 

Employee section .......................... Question ....................................... I, me, or my .................................. Agency. 

Answer .......................................... You or your ................................... Agency. 

Agency section .............................. Question ....................................... Employee or their ......................... We, us, or our. 

Answer .......................................... Employee or their ......................... You or your. 

PART 302–2—EMPLOYEE ELIGIBILITY 

REQUIREMENTS 

■ 2. The authority citation for part 302– 

2 continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 5738; 20 U.S.C. 905(a). 

■ 3. Revise the heading of part 302–2 to 

read as set forth above. 

Subpart B—Agency Responsibilities 

■ 4. Add an undesignated center 

heading and §§ 302–2.107 through 302– 

2.109 to read as follows: 

Service Agreements 

§ 302–2.107 Must we require employees to 

sign a service agreement? 

Yes, you must require employees to 

sign a service agreement if the employee 

is receiving reimbursement for 

relocation travel expenses, except as 

provided in § 302–2.17 and §§ 302– 

3.300 (see the note to table F in § 302– 

3.101 of this chapter; no service 

agreement is required for separation or 

relocation where the gaining agency 

does not authorize relocation expenses) 

and 302–3.410 of this chapter. 

§ 302–2.108 What information should we 

include in a service agreement? 

The service agreement should 

include, but not be limited to the 

following: 

(a) The employee’s name; 

(b) The employee’s effective date of 

transfer or appointment; 

(c) The employee’s actual place of 

residence at the time of appointment; 

(d) The name of all dependents that 

are authorized to travel under the TA; 

(e) Detailed information regarding the 

employee’s obligation to repay funds 

spent on the employee’s relocation as a 

debt due the Government if the service 

agreement is violated; 

(f) The employee’s agreed period of 

time (see § 302–2.109) to remain in 

service; and 

(g) The employee’s signature 

accepting the terms of the agreement. 

§ 302–2.109 How long must we require an 

employee to agree to the terms of a service 

agreement? 

You must require an employee to 

agree to the terms of a service 

agreement: 

(a) Within CONUS for a period of 

service of not less than 12 months 

following the effective date of 

appointment or transfer; 

(b) OCONUS for an agreed upon 

period of service of not more than 36 

months or less than 12 months 

following the effective date of 

appointment or transfer; 

(c) Department of Defense Overseas 

Dependent School System teachers for a 

period of not less than one school year 

as determined under 20 U.S.C. chapter 

25; 

(d) For renewal agreement travel, a 

period of not less than 12 months from 

the date of return to the same or 

different overseas official station; and 

(e) For assignment under the 

Government Employees Training Act 

(GETA), not less than three times the 

length of the training period as 

prescribed by the head of the agency. 

§ 302–2.110 [Redesignated as § 302–2.111] 

■ 5. Redesignate § 302–2.110 as § 302– 

2.111. 

■ 6. Add new § 302–2.110 under the 

undesignated center heading ‘‘Service 

Agreements’’ to read as follows: 

§ 302–2.110 May we pay relocation 

expenses if the employee violates their 

service agreement? 

If an employee does not fulfill the 

terms of the service agreement, the 

employee is indebted to the Government 

for all relocation expenses that have 

been reimbursed to the employee or that 

have been paid directly by the 

Government. However, if the reasons for 

not fulfilling the terms of the service 

agreement are beyond the employee’s 

control and acceptable to the agency, 

you may release the employee from the 

service agreement and waive any 

indebtedness. 

PART 302–3—RELOCATION 

ALLOWANCE BY SPECIFIC TYPE 

■ 7. The authority citation for part 302– 

3 continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 5738; 20 U.S.C. 905(a). 

■ 8. Amend § 302–3.101 in table C by 

revising entries 5 and 6 and footnote 1 

to read as follows: 

302–3.101 As a transferred employee or 

other relocated employee what relocation 

allowances must my agency pay or 

reimburse to me? 

* * * * * 


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89504 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 13, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

TABLE C—TRANSFER FROM OCONUS OFFICIAL STATION TO AN OFFICIAL STATION IN CONUS 

Column 1—Relocation allowances that agency must pay or reimburse Column 2—Relocation allowances that agency has discretionary authority to pay or reimburse 

*******

5. Extended storage of household goods only when assigned to a designated isolated official station in CONUS (part 302–8 of this chapter).5. Househunting per diem & transportation, employee & spouse only 

when transfer is from an OCONUS non-foreign area (part 302–5 of 

this chapter). 

6. Relocation income tax allowance (RITA) (part 302–17 of this chapter).6. Property Management Services (part 302–15 of this chapter).1

1 Note to Column 1, Item 3, and Column 2, Item 6: Allowed when old and new official stations are located in the United States. Also allowed 

when instead of being returned to the former official station in the United States, an employee is transferred in the interest of the Government to 

a different official station in the United States than the official station from which an employee was transferred when assigned to the foreign official station. 

* * * * * 

§ 302–3.213 [Amended] 

■ 9. Amend § 302–3.213 by removing 

‘‘item five of Tables A and B’’ and 

adding ‘‘table E’’ in its place. 

§ 302–3.221 [Amended] 

■ 10. Amend § 302–3.221 by removing 

‘‘(other than your actual place of 

residence).’’. 

■ 11. Revise § 302–3.227 to read as 

follows: 

§ 302–3.227 If I become divorced from my 

spouse or terminate my committed 

relationship with my domestic partner while 

OCONUS will I receive reimbursement to 

return my former spouse or domestic 

partner and dependents to the U.S.? 

Yes, if you become divorced from 

your spouse or terminate your 

committed relationship with your 

domestic partner while OCONUS, you 

will receive reimbursement of 

transportation expenses to return your 

former spouse or domestic partner and 

other immediate family members to 

your place of actual residence within or 

outside CONUS. Early return expenses 

for the immediate family are limited to 

transportation and shipment of 

household goods and personal effects. 

Early return expenses do not include 

other relocation expenses such as TQSE 

and miscellaneous expense allowance. 

■ 12. Amend § 302–3.500 by revising 

the section heading, introductory text, 

and paragraph (a) to read as follows: 

§ 302–3.500 What governing policies and 

procedures must we establish for 

authorization and payment of relocation 

allowances? 

You must establish governing policies 

and procedures that determine: 

(a) When you will pay relocation 

expenses if an employee violates their 

service agreement (see § 302–2.110 of 

this chapter); 

* * * * * 

§§ 302–3.503 through 302–3.506 

[Removed] 

■ 13. Remove the undesignated center 

heading ‘‘SERVICE AGREEMENTS’’ and 

§§ 302–3.503 through 302–3.506. 

§§ 302–3.507 through 302–3.517 

[Redesignated as §§ 302–3.503 through 

302–3.513] 

■ 14. Redesignate §§ 302–3.507 through 

302–3.517 as §§ 302–3.503 through 302– 

3.513. 

§ 302–3.505 [Amended] 

■ 15. Amend newly redesignated § 302– 

3.505 by removing from paragraph (b) 

‘‘8 U.S.C. 1101(33)’’ and adding ‘‘8 

U.S.C. 1101(a)(33)’’ in its place. 

§ 302–3.510 [Amended] 

■ 16. Amend newly redesignated § 302– 

3.510 by removing from paragraph (c) 

‘‘302–3.515’’ and adding ‘‘302–3.511’’ in 

its place. 

PART 302–15—ALLOWANCE FOR 

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SERVICES 

■ 17. The authority citation for part 

302–15 continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 5738; 20 U.S.C. 905(a); 

E.O. 11609, as amended, 3 CFR, 1971–1975 

Comp., p. 586. 

■ 18. Revise § 302–15.10 to read as 

follows: 

§ 302–15.10 How long may my agency pay 

for property management services under 

this part? 

The length of time your agency may 

pay for property management services 

under this part depends on the type of 

transfer. 

(a) If you transfer within the United 

States, your agency may pay for a period 

not to exceed one year from your 

effective date of transfer, with up to a 1- 

year extension, under the same 

conditions required in § 302–11.21 of 

this chapter. 

(b) If you transfer to a foreign area 

post of duty, including successive 

foreign area tours of duty for which you 

signed a new service agreement (see 

§ 302–15.4), your agency may pay from 

your effective date of transfer until you 

return to the last official station in the 

United States from which you 

transferred. 

(c) If you transfer from a foreign area 

post of duty, including successive 

foreign area tours of duty for which you 

signed a new service agreement (see 

§ 302–15.4), to a different official station 

in the United States than the one from 

which you were transferred from for 

your foreign area tour of duty (see 

§ 302–15.6), your agency may pay for a 

period not to exceed one year from your 

effective date of transfer to the US, with 

up to a 1-year extension, under the same 

conditions required in § 302–11.21 of 

this chapter. 

(d) If you transfer to a foreign area 

post of duty, complete your service 

agreement, and remain there without 

signing a new service agreement, your 

agency may pay from the effective date 

of your transfer to when your service 

agreement is completed. 

(e) If you transfer to a foreign area 

post of duty and separate from 

Government service before completing 

your service agreement, your agency 

may pay from the effective date of your 

transfer to the date of your separation. 

(f) If you transfer within the United 

States or from a foreign area post of duty 

to a different official station in the 

United States than the one from which 

you were transferred for your foreign 

area tour of duty, and you separate from 

Government service before the time 

periods stated in paragraphs (a) and (c) 

of this section, your agency may pay 

from the effective date of your transfer 

to the date of your separation. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26241 Filed 11–12–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6820–14–P 


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