Source: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/archive/December152017/Proposed%20Rules/25.HEALTH%20SERVICES.html
Timestamp: 2018-10-18 20:02:50
Document Index: 129638966

Matched Legal Cases: ['§701', '§701', '§11', '§102', '§701', '§703', '§703', '§703', '§701', '§102']

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (Institute) proposes a new rule §701.37. The proposed new rule outlines travel policy requirements for grant recipients.
The proposed new rule §701.37 requires grant recipients to follow the requirements of the State of Texas travel policy administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts for travel expenses to be reimbursed with CPRIT grant award funds. The new rule also describes the appropriate documentation that must be submitted to support travel expense reimbursement requests and provides guidance regarding special requirements for international travel expenses to be reimbursed with CPRIT grant funds.
Ms. Doyle has determined that for each year of the first five years the new rule is in effect the public benefit anticipated due to enforcing the rule will be the clarification of what the Institute considers appropriate travel expenses reimbursed with grant funds and the required supporting documentation.
Ms. Doyle has determined that the rule change will not affect small businesses or micro businesses.
The Institute, in accordance with 34 Texas Administrative Code §11.1, has determined that during the first five years that the sections will be in effect:
(6) the proposed rule will not expand existing rules;
(8) The rule is unlikely to have a significant impact on the state's economy. Although this rule is likely to have neutral impact on the state's economy, the Institute lacks sufficient data to predict the impact with certainty.
Submit written comments on the proposed new rule to Ms. Kristen Pauling Doyle, General Counsel, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, P.O. Box 12097, Austin, Texas 78711, no later than January 15, 2018. The Institute asks parties filing comments to indicate whether they support the proposed rule revision and, if a change is requested, to provide specific text proposed to be included in the rule. Comments may be submitted electronically to kdoyle@cprit.texas.gov. Comments may be submitted by facsimile transmission to (512) 475-2563.
The new rule is proposed under the authority of the Texas Health and Safety Code Annotated §102.108, which provides the Institute with broad rule-making authority to administer the chapter. Ms. Doyle has reviewed the proposed amendment and certifies the proposal to be within the Institute's authority to adopt.
§701.37.Grant Recipient Travel Policy.
(a) Travel costs for Grant Recipients are allowable based on the State of Texas travel policy, administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, provided that costs are deemed by the Institute to be reasonable and necessary. The Institute will not reimburse a Grant Recipient for travel expenses in an amount that exceeds the standards in the State of Texas travel policy.
(b) Grant Recipients must provide adequate supporting documentation when requesting reimbursement for travel expenses on a Financial Status Report pursuant to §703.24.
(1) A separate travel expense report should be submitted for each trip taken.
(2) Meal costs may be charged on an actual cost basis or on a per diem, provided that one method is used uniformly on an entire trip.
(3) Lodging expenses must be supported with either a receipt or, if a receipt is unavailable, the canceled check or credit card slip used to pay the lodging expense, the credit card billing on which the lodging charges appear, or a copy of the check, slip or billing.
(4) Mileage must be supported with a detailed record of actual point-to-point mileage with odometer readings or copies of mapping website mileage. Mileage should not be rounded to the nearest decimal point.
(5) Transportation expenses must be supported with a receipt or itinerary. If neither is available then a Grant recipient should provide the canceled check or credit card slip used to pay for the transportation, the credit card billing on which the transportation charges appear, or a copy of the receipt, check, slip or billing.
(6) Rental of motor vehicles must be supported by a receipt and/or rental contract.
(7) Incidental expenses must be supported by an itemization of the expenses incurred.
(c) International travel must either be part of the Grant Recipient's approved budget in the Grant Contract, or the Grant Recipient must receive prior approval from CPRIT for the international travel if the international travel is added to the budget subsequently.
(1) International travel costs may be reimbursed according to the United States Department of State rates, if the costs are deemed by CPRIT to be reasonable and necessary.
(2) Grant Recipients should submit requests for reimbursement in United States dollar amounts. If the original cost is in a foreign currency, the Grant Recipient must convert the cost to a dollar amount and provide documentation of the exchange rate used for the conversion.
(d) Nothing herein prohibits a Grant Recipient from having more restrictive internal travel policy requirements.
TRD-201704872
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (Institute) proposes an amendment to §703.26, concerning Allowable Costs. The proposed change expands the list of unallowable costs to include payments by a grant recipient to a subcontractor that employs a relative of the grant recipient's key personnel working on the same project.
The proposed change to §703.26(e) prohibits payment by a grant recipient to a subcontractor if the subcontractor employs an individual who is a relative, as defined by Texas Administrative Code §701.3(57), of key personnel employed by the grant recipient and working on the same grant project. The expense is unallowable if the grant recipient uses grant funds to pay the subcontractor for any portion of the relative's salary or the relative is responsible for submitting on behalf of the subcontractor expenses for payment by the grant recipient. The grant recipient may request that the Institute's Chief Executive Officer allow an exception to allow payment to a subcontractor that employs a relative. If the Chief Executive Officer grants an exception, he must notify the Oversight Committee in writing. If a grant recipient has stricter internal policies concerning this issue then this proposed amendment will not supersede those policies. The purpose of this proposed rule change is to reduce potential conflicts of interest between a grant recipient and a subcontractor.
Ms. Doyle has determined that for each year of the first five years the rule change is in effect the public benefit anticipated due to enforcing the rule will be the clarification of what the Institute will consider unallowable expenses and the reduction of potential conflicts of interest in the payment of grant funds.
Ms. Doyle has determined that the rule change will not affect small businesses or on micro businesses.
(1) the proposed rule change will not create or eliminate a government program;
(2) implementation of the proposed rule change will not affect the number of employee positions;
(3) implementation of the proposed rule change will not require an increase or decrease in future legislative appropriations;
(4) the proposed rule change will not affect fees paid to the agency;
(5) the proposed rule change will not create new rules;
(6) the proposed rule change will expand existing rules;
(7) the proposed rule change will not change the number of individuals subject to the rules; and
(8) The rule change is unlikely to have a significant impact on the state's economy. Although this change is likely to have neutral impact on the state's economy, the Institute lacks sufficient data to predict the impact with certainty.
Submit written comments on the proposed rule change to Ms. Kristen Pauling Doyle, General Counsel, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, P.O. Box 12097, Austin, Texas 78711, no later than January 15, 2018. The Institute asks parties filing comments to indicate whether they support the rule revision proposed by the Institute and, if a change is requested, to provide specific text proposed to be included in the rule. Comments may be submitted electronically to kdoyle@cprit.texas.gov. Comments may be submitted by facsimile transmission to (512) 475-2563.
The amendment is proposed under the authority of the Texas Health and Safety Code Annotated, §102.108, which provides the Institute with broad rule-making authority to administer the chapter. Kristen Pauling Doyle, the Institute's General Counsel, has reviewed the proposed amendment, and certifies the proposal to be within the Institute's authority to adopt.
(15) Payments to a subcontractor if the subcontractor working on a Grant Award project employs an individual who is a Relative of the Principal Investigator, Program Director, Company Representative, Authorized Signing Official, or any person designated as Key Personnel for the same Grant Award project (collectively referred to as "affected Relative"), and:
(A) the Grant Recipient will be paying the subcontractor with Grant Award funds for any portion of the affected Relative's salary; or
(B) the Relative submits payment requests on behalf of the subcontractor to the Grant Recipient for payment with Grant Award funds.
(C) For exceptional circumstances, the Institute's Chief Executive Office may grant an exception to allow payment of Grant Award funds if the Grant Recipient notifies the Institute prior to finalizing the subcontract. The Chief Executive Officer must notify the Oversight Committee in writing of the decision to allow reimbursement for the otherwise unallowable expense.
(D) Nothing herein is intended to supersede a Grant Recipient's internal policies, to the extent that such policies are stricter.
TRD-201704873