[Travel_Policy-News] Impact of Senate Bill 72 to Travel Awards

[HAMILTON Robert W * DAS]

Hello Travel Policy Contacts,

SARS has received a number of inquiries about Senate Bill 72 (2019)<https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2019R1/Measures/Overview/SB72> and travel awards. With this email, I'd like to clarify a number of things.


*         Please Note - Senate Bill 72 covers a number of issues, the portion pertaining to travel awards is contained in sections 1 and 2. In this email, when referring to Senate Bill 72, I'm only referring to sections 1 and 2.



*         Effective Date - Sections 1 and 2 of Senate Bill 72 is effective January 1, 2020.



*         Calendar Year 2019 Travel Awards Report - Agencies will still need to submit the calendar year 2019 travel awards report to SARS by April 1, 2020. It will need to report all travel awards that were used or redeemed and the dollar amount of the savings for all of 2019. The reporting requirements for calendar year 2019 are the same as they were for 2018.



*         Calendar Year 2020 Travel Awards Report and beyond - Agencies will no longer need to track or report to SARS the travel awards that were used or redeemed and the dollar amount of the savings for calendar year 2020 and beyond.



*         Travel Awards - Although Senate Bill 72 repealed the specific language that "the use of travel awards earned while conducting state business for personal travel constitutes personal gain from state employment and violates ORS 244.040", The Oregon Government Ethics Commission Advisory Opinion 01A-1006<https://www.oregon.gov/OGEC/docs/Opinions/2001%20Opinions/01A-1006.pdf> continues to be in effect, which states the personal use of travel awards earned on official state business would be a violation of ORS 244.040.



o    If an agency become aware of an instance of the personal use of travel awards earned on official state business, it should be referred to an agency's human resource office, consistent with any other violation of policy or statute.



?  If an employee earned, but did not personally use a travel award, that should not be considered a violation.



*         Travel Awards Block on TEDS - No decision has been made yet on whether the block on the TEDS which indicates whether travel awards were accepted as a result of, or associated with, the state business trip will continue to be required. However, as noted above, the block remains as a requirement for calendar year 2019 travel.  A decision will be made in time for calendar year 2020 travel.


If you have any questions, please email the SARS Statewide Travel Policy team at SWTP.SARS at oregon.gov<mailto:SWTP.SARS at oregon.gov>.

Thank you,


Rob


Robert W. Hamilton, CPA
Statewide Accounting and Reporting Services Manager
Chief Financial Office
Department of Administrative Services
Phone:  (503) 373-0299
http://www.oregon.gov/DAS/financial/acctng

Data Classification: Level 1 - Published

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