Travel Guidelines
Revised 09/2012
PURPOSE: State
regulations related to travel of Texas A & M University System
employees and members of the Board of Regents are based on state and
system guidelines. All such travel is to be evaluated as to its
applicability to the official position of the employee, its necessity,
and its benefit to the State.
A state
employee is entitled to reimbursement of certain travel expenses
required by the employing agency to conduct official state business. The amount
of reimbursement is subject to certain limitations as prescribed by Chapter
660 of the Texas Government Code, the General
Appropriations Act 
and
rules adopted by the Comptroller.
CONSERVATION OF FUNDS
Requirement of the State of Texas Travel Regulations Act-Texas Government Code Chapter 660.
A
State agency shall minimize the amount of travel expenses paid or
reimbursed by the agency. The agency shall ensure that each travel
arrangement is the most cost-effective considering all relevant
circumstances.
All University Travel reimbursements / payments are issued under the following rules and regulations:
1. Textravel
2. Hotel Directory Listing
3. State Travel Management Program
4. Google Maps
5. In-State and Out-of State Meal and Lodging Rates
Additional resources: TAMU System Travel Manual and TAMIU University Travel Guidelines
PROCEDURES:
The following guidelines are used to evaluate both travel requests and
travel vouchers based on the above information.
**Travel Alert
Travel
alerts are issued to disseminate information about short-term
conditions, generally within a particular country, that pose imminent
risks to the security of U.S. citizens.
Travel Forms
Please
note: An employee must check with their department secretary for
internal department procedures regarding the travel forms. The travel
forms are available below:
University Employee Travel Request
An
employee must complete and obtain approval prior to the date of
departure. Failure to do so may lead to the non-reimbursement of
expenses. Form is required even if the traveler is not requesting
reimbursement. Under social security #, only enter the last 4 digits.
Prospective Employee Travel Verification
The
form is to be filled out and signed by prospective employee. The form
outlines details of trip. All receipts are required, with the exception
of meals. The form is to be attached to the Travel Voucher and submitted
to Accounting Services along with the W-9.
The W-9 is required even if the prospective employee will not get
reimbursed directly. If we are paying lodging or airfare on their
behalf, the W-9 is required.
Request for Foreign Travel
In
addition to the University Employee Travel Request form and Risk
Assessment form , the Request for Foreign Travel form must be submitted
to the President's Office at least six weeks prior to travel. The
signature of the President is required. The signature of the Chancellor
is not required since state appropriated funds cannot be used for
foreign travel. Employees need to check with the department secretary
for other internal departmental procedures.
Although the
Chancellor's written approval is not required, TAMIU requires the
Request for Foreign Travel and Risk Assessment forms for all
international travel including Mexico and Canada for all travel
beginning on or after February 16, 2009, to assist with compiling the
required information for the University safety and risk management
department.
Risk Assessment (for foreign travel only)
In
addition to the University Employee Travel Request and the Request for
Foreign Travel, the Risk Assessment form must be filled out and all
three forms submitted to Safety/Risk Management at Physical Plant. The
forms need only the supervisor/account manager signature when turned in
to Safety/Risk Management. After the assessment, the forms are returned
to the traveler to obtain the rest of the signatures on the Request for
Foreign Travel. For assistance in filling out the form, contact safety@tamiu.edu.
Travel to Washington, D.C.
In
addition to the University Employee Travel Request, the individual must
submit the Travel to Washington, D.C. form electronically to the Office
of State Federal Relations (OSFR). For fiscal year 2008 and on, only
state travelers who intend to confer on legislative or appropriations
issues with U.S. Congress/The Federal Government, staff, or officials,
should submit travel information to the Texas Office of State-Federal
Relations (OSFR). The department secretary or the traveler can fax the
confirmation received from the OSFR office to the following required
office listed below.
Guy K. Diedrich
Vice Chancellor for Federal Relations, Research, and Commercialization
The Texas A&M University System
A&M System Building, Suite 2043
College Station, TX 77845-3424
or Campus Mailstop 1122 or Fax: (979) 845-1402
Contract Travel Vendor Exception Form
State
Agencies are required to participate in the State Travel Management
Program who has awarded contracts for travel agencies, charge card
providers, rental car companies, airlines and hotels. The contract must
be used and use of non-contract vendors may be allowed under certain
conditions. Refer to the Contract Travel Vender Exemptions Form.
State of Texas Travel Voucher (Revised 9/12)
The
voucher must be completed immediately after the travel is completed.
The travel voucher must be typed. Under social security #, only enter
the last 4 digits. Original signatures are required on vouchers. The
voucher must be signed by the claimant and the employee's supervisor
and/or account manager. An acronym can be used on the details section of
the travel voucher if they have been previously defined. Corrections
should be clear & initialed by the traveler. Do not use liquid paper
to make corrections. (Sample Travel Voucher)
Coordination of Travel Infeasibility
The
form must be used if coordination of travel has been recommended, but
due to official business reasons cannot be accompanied.
Justification of Mileage vs Airfare on Out-of-State
The
form provides a comparison between the actual mileage incurred to the
airfare quote plus other related expenses such as rental car, gasoline,
parking, and taxi fares that might be incurred when flying. A
justification for claiming mileage reimbursement is needed when claiming
Out-of-State mileage. A comparison should be made in determining the
most cost-effective method of transportation.
Hotel Occupancy Tax Exemption Certificate
For
In-State Use only. The certificate is to be used for business only and
not for private purposes, under penalty of law. Religious, charitable or
educational organization or employee are exempt from State taxes only.
It is the responsibility of the State employee to identify themselves as
a state employee when required. If a state employee fails to obtain the
tax exemption, taxes will not be reimbursed.
Travel Advance Credit Card Agreement
This
is a pre-loaded credit card that is issued when a traveler does not
have a personal credit card or was not approved for an individual
university credit card. Agreement and required documents are to be
turned in at least 5 business days before the trip.
Required Receipts
In
order to receive reimbursement for travel expenses incurred on a
business trip on behalf of Texas A & M International University, the
following required receipts must be submitted at all times:
- Lodging- Contracted Rates Available
Receipt
should be under the University employee's name at all times.
Reimbursement will be at the Single rate. Contracted hotel rates should
be used when possible unless an allowable exception exists. The name and
address of the of the commercial lodging establishment, the name of the
employee, the single room rate, and a daily itemization of the lodging
charges must be included on a lodging receipt. Reservations for lodging
over the Internet are discouraged since lodging receipts do not comply
with all state receipt requirements.
- Airfare
A
passenger receipt or e-ticket is required for reimbursement purposes.
The receipt must contain the following: name of the employee, name of
the airline, ticket number, invoice number, class of transportation,
fare basis code, travel dates, amount of the airfare, and the origin and
destination of each flight.
National Travel Systems (NTS) has been contracted by the State Travel Management Program of the Texas Building and Procurement Commission. If the University employee is a frequent flyer, an Individual Traveler Profile must be submitted to NTS. If the employee is a non-frequent flyer, an individual travel profile
is not required. Reservations can be made online at http://nationaltravelsystems.com/ or by calling 1-877-717-7768. The University
code of 761 must be given to the travel agent when making reservations.
Contract term is September 1, 2011 through August 2013.
Short's Travel Management has been awarded the contract for travel agency services. The contract contains both online and full-service
reservation and ticketing
services for airline, hotel and rental car rates under contracts established by the Comptroller's office and/or rates available to the general public. Reservations may be made online at: www.shortstravel.com/texas
Contract term is September 1, 2011 through August 2013.
Contact person is: Erin Morse
Accounts Manager-emorse@shortstravel.com
(913) 220-2744
Airfare can also be purchased from the approved contracted vendors:
American Airlines � 800-433-7300
JetBlue Airways � 888-538-2583, prompt #3
As
there are NO contract city pair flights from Laredo, airfare can be
purchased directly from any airline's website or booked through
the contracted travel agencies listed above.
Additional airline information can be found at
http://www.window.state.tx.us/procurement/prog/stmp/stmp-airline-contract
- Rental car- Contracted Rates Available
It is the responsibility of the State employee to verify that contracted rates are provided.
Included
in Enterprise's Liability coverage is Personal Injury Protection of
$2,500 per person and Uninsured Motorist with a combined single limit of
$55,000 per claim for "no fault" accidents.
This coverage is called
the Prestige SLP and has some exclusions. They are not similar to the
damage waiver exclusions that are currently listed in the proposal under
3.2.2.8. Please use the exclusions listed in the SLP policy on the back
of each rental agreement. The rental car contracts do not cover persons
and property inside the rental vehicle. State employees, while in the
course and scope of their employment, are covered by Worker's
Compensation. All other insurances are the traveler's personal expenses.
Awarded vendors:
Avis Rent A Car System, Inc.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Mileage reimbursement vs. car rental-Standard Administrative Procedure Effective 11/1/2010
- Transportation - Receipts must be itemized on the travel voucher stating the following
information: date, Point-to-point destination, and amount.
Transportation includes taxi, shuttle, bus, train, etc.
- Parking If there are no receipts available, a memo signed by the traveler
stating the amount and the name where he incurred the expense will be
accepted.
IN-STATE TRAVEL
Meal reimbursements- Receipts not required at travel office
For FY 2013- Refer to the federal General Services Administration (GSA) website for
meal allowable rates.
If the city is not listed, but the county is listed; use the rate of the county.
For areas not listed (city or county), the rates are:
Lodging In-State/Out-of-State: up to $77
Meals In-State/Out-of-State: up to $46
Although
meal receipts are not required at the travel office, reimbursement of
meals is based on actual expenses not to exceed the allowable rate per
day. A carryover from one day to the next is not permitted. For example:
If the meal per diem is $36 and a state employee incurs expenses of $
38.00 on day 1 of a trip and $ 18.00 on day 2 of the trip, only $54.00
of those expenses are reimbursable.
Please note: Meals will only be reimbursed if the employee stays overnight.
Lodging Reimbursement- Receipts required
A state employee may increase the lodging rate by decreasing the meal rate and adding the amount to the lodging rate.
For FY 2013 - Refer to the federal General Services Administration (GSA) website for
hotel allowable rates.
Please Note:
Taxes are not considered part of the lodging amount, but are considered
incidental expenses. For In-State travel, city, county, and municipal
taxes are the only reimbursable taxes. It is the responsibility of the
traveler to present the Hotel Occupancy Tax Exemption Certificate to be exempt from the state hotel tax. Reimbursement of lodging taxes will be based on the lodging amount being reimbursed.
OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL
Meal reimbursements- Receipts not required at travel office
For FY2013: The Out-of-State meals and lodging rates are available on the :
General Services Administration (GSA) website.
If the city is not listed, but the county is listed; use the rate of the county.
For areas not listed (city or county), the rates are:
Lodging In-State/Out-of-State: up to $77
Meals In-State/Out-of-State: up to $46
Please Note: Meals will only be reimbursed if the employee stays overnight.
Lodging Reimbursements - Receipts required
A state employee may increase the lodging rate by decreasing the meal rate and adding the amount to the lodging rate.
Please Note:
Taxes are not considered part of the lodging amount, but are considered
incidental expenses. For Out-of-State travel all taxes are
reimbursable. Reimbursement of lodging taxes will be based on the
lodging amount being reimbursed.
Reimbursements of lodging and
meals is based on actual expenses not to exceed the federal GSA rates. A
State employee must incur the expense before he/she can claim it.
FOREIGN TRAVEL
***SPECIAL NOTE:
Request for Foreign Travel and Risk Assessment Forms must be submitted at least six weeks in advance.
In
addition to the University Employee Travel Request, the Request for
Foreign Travel must be submitted to the President's Office at least six
weeks prior to travel. The signature of the President is required. State
appropriated funds cannot be used for foreign travel therefore it does
not require the Chancellor's signature. Employees need to check with
the department secretary for other internal departmental procedures.
In
addition to the University Employee Travel Request and the Request for
Foreign Travel, the Risk Assessment must be filled out and all three
forms submitted to Safety/Risk Management at Physical Plant. The forms
need only the supervisor/account manager signature when turned in to
Safety/Risk Management. After the assessment, the forms are returned to
the traveler to obtain the rest of the signatures on the Request for
Foreign Travel. For assistance in filling out the Risk Assessment form,
contact safety@tamiu.edu.
Meal
Reimbursement - Receipts not required. Reimbursement is based on actual
expenses. Lodging reimbursement - Receipts required. Reimbursement is
based on actual expenses.
**Foreign currency exchange rate used for conversion to U.S. dollars must be noted on travel voucher and receipts.**
What
is travel registration? Travel registration is a free service provided
by the U.S. Government to U.S. citizens who are traveling to, or living
in, a foreign country. Registration allows you to record information
about your upcoming trip abroad that the Department of State can use to
assist you in case of an emergency. Americans residing abroad can also
get routine information from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
Register at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/
MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT
Mileage reimbursement vs. car rental-Standard Administrative Procedure Effective 11/1/2010
For FY 2013- As of Jan 1, 2010, the rate is .50. See above link for limitations.
The number of miles traveled by an employee for state business may be determined by Google Maps or by point-to-point itemization. Point-to-point mileage may be
documented by an employee's vehicle odometer reading or by a readily
available online mapping service. An agency must adopt by internal
policy which online mapping service is to be used by agency employees.
The itemization must be sufficiently detailed for the agency reimbursing
the mileage to verify the number of miles.
For Out-of-State
mileage: The Justification of Mileage vs Airfare for Out-of-State Travel
form is required for mileage reimbursement. Estimated cost of airfare,
mileage to airport, and parking expenses must be listed for
justification of savings to the University and the State.
Incidental Expenses
Reimbursable expenses (Receipts required)
- Hotel occupancy or similar taxes for which a state employee is entitled to be reimbursed.
- Business related telephone calls or internet charges.
- Gasoline charged when rented or state-owned or leased motor vehicle are used.
- Toll charges if reimbursable under Textravel Section FPP G.005.
- Copying charges.
- Repair charges when a state-owned or motor vehicle is used.
- Freight charges for state equipment or materials.
- The cost of money orders.
- Foreign Travel: passport or visa charges, airport boarding passes, departure taxes, and inoculations.
- Postage.
- Mandatory
charges or mandatory service charges: * by a commercial lodging
establishment other than the room rate and additional persons charges;
or * paid or imposed in connection with a meal; or * for loading and
unloading state equipment.
- Books or documents purchased for and while attending a seminar or conference.
- Facsimile charges.
- Parking fees.
- Service charges validly imposed by a travel agency or an internet reservation booking service.
- Preparation of the remains and personal property of a deceased state employee.
- Notary fees.
- Charges to exchange US currency for foreign currency and vice versa.
- Mandatory checked baggage fees (1 each way)
B. Non-Reimbursable Expenses
- Any expenses that are not related to official state business.
- Any
expense, with the exception of parking and toll expenses, that is
related to the operation of a personally owned or leased motor vehicle.
- Tips or gratuities.
- Excess baggage charges for personal belongings.
- Personal
expenses, such as the rental or purchase of a video tape for personal
entertainment, alcoholic beverages, dry cleaning, or laundry.
- Kennel expenses for a pet.
- Sales
and use taxes if applicable law provides an exemption from those taxes
and the state employee or legislator either fails to claim the exemption
or does not follow the required procedures for claiming it.
- Optional insurance on rental cars.
4-Per Car Rule-Coordination of Travel
When
two or more employees are traveling with the same itinerary on the same
dates, they are required to coordinate their travel and ride together.
Transportation expense can only be claimed for one car for every four
people attending a conference. Should schedules, classes, etc. prevent
employees from traveling together, a reason must be noted on the travel
voucher.
Justification of Traveler (Required on University Employee Travel Request)
When
more than one employee employed by the same state agency travel on the
same dates with the same itinerary to conduct the same official state
business, justification of travelers must be stated on the Travel
voucher. An Example of such justification is : Co-presenter of paper or
Concurrent sessions are held which require two employees to attend in
order to attend all sessions.
Prepaid expenses
There
are two travel expenses that can be paid in advance to reduce expenses
to the state employee. These expenses are registration fees and airfare
expenses.
Registration fees can be prepaid by submitting an "R"
requisition with the registration form to the Accounting Services or by
charging registration fees to the Procurement Card.
The airfare
expenses can be charged to the corresponding Citibank CBA Division
account. When the monthly CBA statement is received, the transaction log
is filled out, signed and sent to Accounting Services Travel department
with E-ticket or receipt and copy of travel request for employees.
CITIBANK CENTRAL BILLING ACCOUNTS -Referred as CBA Accounts-
TAMIU
has several Citibank CBA accounts assigned to the different Colleges of
the University. These accounts have been setup strictly to handle
airfare charges and can be used in the following instances.
- Airfare for prospective employees and students.
- State
employees who did not qualify to receive an individual credit card
issued by the University to handle their travel expenses and charging
the airfare to the University's CBA account is the method of
guaranteeing the contracted rate.
- Airfare must be purchased
in advance in order to qualify for a discounted airfare rate and by
charging the airline ticket to the division account will prevent the
employee from being billed to his credit card.
**Use of the Citibank Central Billing Account must be authorized by the College Dean**
APPLICATIONS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL CITIBANK TRAVEL CREDIT CARD CAN BE OBTAINED AT THE PURCHASING DEPT WITH LAURA GAMEZ.
TRAVEL CODES SUMMARY
Description of Travel Expense |
In-State Code |
Out-of-State Code |
| Public trans-rental car only |
3010 |
3110 |
| Public Trans-Airfare, taxi, other |
3011 |
3111 |
| Mileage rate not to exceed maximum |
3016 |
3116 |
| Actual expenses-Overnight travel |
3020 |
3120 |
| Incidental Expenses |
3025 |
3125 |
| Meals and lodging not to exceed State allowances |
3030 |
3130 |
| Prospective Employee Expenses-All Expenses |
3210 |
|
| Foreign Travel-All expenses |
3310 |
|
| Student travel Expenses |
3410 |
|
| Registration fees |
5215 |
|
This guide provides general travel information. For more information contact Martha Laura Medina (ext. 2817).
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