II

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1741

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

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

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

NOVEMBER 20 (legislative day, NOVEMBER 2), 1993

Mr. MCCAIN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred

to the Committee on Governmental Affairs

A BILL

To provide for the establishment of business accounts for

air travel by Federal employees to maximize costs 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 Air Travel

5 Savings Act of 1993’’.

6 SEC. 2. BUSINESS ACCOUNTS FOR AIR TRAVEL BY FED7 ERAL EMPLOYEES.

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

9 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 5709

10 the following new section:
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1 ‘‘§ 5710. Business accounts for air travel

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

3 agency entering into a contract with an air carrier for

4 travel on official business—

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

6 shall include as a term of such contract that such

7 air carrier shall—

8 ‘‘(A) establish a separate air travel busi9 ness account for any employee, designated by

10 the head of the agency employing such em11 ployee, for travel on official business by such

12 employee on such air carrier;

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

14 air carrier awarded to such employee for travel

15 on official business into the employee’s air trav16 el business account; and

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

18 such employee’s air travel business account to

19 any travel on official business by such employee

20 on such air carrier except that such awards or

21 bonuses shall not be used for seating upgrades;

22 and

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

24 an alternative to the term required under paragraph

25 (1), that such air carrier shall—
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1 ‘‘(A) establish an air travel business ac2 count for any office or administrative unit of an

3 agency, as designated by the head of such agen4 cy, for travel on official business by employees

5 of such office or administrative unit on such air

6 carrier;

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

8 air carrier awarded to any employee of such of9 fice or administrative unit for travel on official

10 business into the air travel business account of

11 such office or administrative unit; and

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

13 the air travel business account of such office or

14 administrative unit to any travel on official

15 business by any employee of such office or ad16 ministrative unit except that such awards or bo17 nuses shall not be used for seating upgrades.

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

19 under this section shall be separate from any personal ac20 count of an employee. Any award or bonus from an air

21 travel business account may be used only for travel on offi22 cial business except that such awards shall not be used

23 for seating upgrades.

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

25 Services Administration shall include the term described
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1 under subsection (a)(2) in a contract to maximize travel

2 costs savings.

3 ‘‘(d) The General Services Administration shall pro4 mulgate regulations to carry out the provisions of this sec5 tion. Such regulations shall include a requirement that,

6 to the greatest extent practicable to maximize travel costs

7 savings, employees shall—

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

9 awarding awards and bonuses for official business

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

11 carrier under a contract described under this sec12 tion; and

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

14 carrier awarding awards and bonuses; and

15 ‘‘(B) use such awards and bonuses for only offi16 cial business travel except that such awards shall not

17 be used for seating upgrades.’’.

18 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—

19 The table of sections for chapter 57 of title 5, United

20 States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relat21 ing to section 5709 the following new item:

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

22 SEC. 2. APPLICATION TO THE CONGRESS.

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

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

25 and Administration of the Senate and the Committee on
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1 Administration of the House of Representatives shall pro2 mulgate regulations relating to Members of Congress and

3 any employee whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of

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

5 respectively, that—

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

7 of the Senate, Member of the House of Representa8 tives, or officer of the House of Representatives who

9 enters into a contract with an air carrier for travel

10 on official business by a Member or employee—

11 (A) subject to the provisions of subpara12 graph (B), shall include as a term of such con13 tract that such air carrier shall—

14 (i) establish a separate air travel busi15 ness account for any Member or employee,

16 designated by the applicable Member or

17 employing committee or office of such em18 ployee, for travel on official business by

19 such Member or employee on such air car20 rier;

21 (ii) deposit any award or bonus by

22 such air carrier awarded to such Member

23 or employee for travel on official business

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

25 business account; and
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1 (iii) apply any such award or bonus

2 from such Member’s or employee’s air

3 travel business account to any travel on of4 ficial business by such Member or em5 ployee on such air carrier except that such

6 awards or bonuses shall not be used for

7 seating upgrades; and

8 (B) may include as a term of such con9 tract, as an alternative to the term required

10 under subparagraph (A), that such air carrier

11 shall—

12 (i) establish an air travel business ac13 count for any committee or office as des14 ignated by the applicable Member, commit15 tee, or office, for travel on official business

16 by Members or employees of such commit17 tee or office on such air carrier;

18 (ii) deposit any award or bonus by

19 such air carrier awarded to any Member or

20 employee of such committee or office for

21 travel on official business into the air trav22 el business account of such committee or

23 office; and

24 (iii) apply any such award or bonus

25 from the air travel business account of
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1 such committee or office to any travel on

2 official business by any Member or em3 ployee of such committee or office except

4 that such awards or bonuses shall not be

5 used for seating upgrades; and

6 (2) to the greatest extent practicable to maxi7 mize travel costs savings, require committees and of8 fices (including Members’ offices)—

9 (A) to enter into contracts with air carriers

10 awarding awards and bonuses for official busi11 ness travel; and

12 (B) to require Members and employees

13 to—

14 (i) travel on official business with air

15 carriers awarding awards and bonuses for

16 official business travel, regardless of

17 whether such travel is on an air carrier

18 under a contract described under this sec19 tion; and

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

21 such air carrier awarding awards and bo22 nuses; and

23 (II) use such awards and bonuses for

24 only official business travel except that
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1 such awards or bonuses shall not be used

2 for seating upgrades.

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

4 business accounts established under this section shall be

5 separate from any personal account of a Member or em6 ployee. Any award or bonus from an air travel business

7 account may be used only for travel on official business

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

9 seating upgrades.

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

11 greatest extent practicable, any Member of Congress or

12 officer of the Congress entering into a contract as provided

13 under this section shall include the term described under

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

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