The new Travel Regulations Task Force created by order of Governor Togiola Tulafono to look into ASG travel regulations has drafted the ASG Travel and Transportation Policy Manual, set to tentatively take effect on October 1, 2007.
Members of the Task Force are Attorney General Fepulea’i Afa Ripley, the Governor’s Chief Legal Counsel Toetasi Tuiteleleapaga, ASG Comptroller Brian Mix, Chief Procurement Officer Seui Laau, Budget and Planning Director Magalei Logovi’i, the Governor’s Senior Policy Advisor Oreta Togafau, and ASG Treasurer Velega Savali who has been appointed to serve as chairman of the newly formed group.
It was Velega, with the assistance of ASG comptroller Brian Mix who is also a Task Force member, who compiled and prepared the new manual.
The purpose of the manual is to “prescribe, amend, and consolidate general policies and procedures relating to travel and transportation of employees essential to the transaction of official business of the American Samoa Government.”
Those covered by the policies and procedures contained in the manual include all officials and employees of the ASG, except as otherwise limited by law, and certain individuals - not employees - who are authorized to travel at government expense, as well as employees of all organizations created by executive or statutory authority.
The manual discusses travel authorization, which must be made by the Governor’s Office or by authority of whomever is delegated at the Governor’s discretion.
According to the manual, the ASG Request for Travel form (TA), as amended, “shall be used to request travel and authorize the same. The TA form shall be used to amend a TA when it becomes necessary to do so, and the person named on the travel must make the travel. If a substitution becomes necessary, a new TA must be initiated, and any travel must be within budgetary limitations at the time the TA is approved.”
All travel expense reports must be approved by the authorized signatory agent for the applicable department’s expenditures, and travel reports for the department directors or office directors must be approved by the Governor and Treasurer.
All travel expense reports must be accompanied with a copy of any airline tickets, the boarding pass, lodging receipts, and land travel receipts, provided all are considered allowable costs.
Travel expenses reports must contain a brief itinerary of the trip, event, and activities relative to the travel, supporting expense receipts, used airline tickers, and any unused airline tickets must accompany the expense report. Meal expenses are not reportable, unless otherwise required.
All travel expense reports must be filed with the Treasury Department’s Travel Office within 30 days after the completion of travel.
If the traveler fails to file an expense report within the required reporting period, the traveler will be denied future travel until the expense report is filed.
A notice of warning will be issued to the traveler that compensation may be withheld if the travel expense report and actual receipts are not filed within the next 30 days.
If the traveler does not file an expense report within 60 days of completion of travel, he/she may have their paycheck held until the said expense report is filed.
Once the expense report is filed and a determination is made by the Treasurer that funds are due the traveler, the Travel Office will process a reimbursement to the traveler.
On the contrary, if the expense report reveals that funds are due to the government, the traveler must immediately make arrangements with the Travel Office to reimburse the government, otherwise the employee’s paycheck will be held until satisfactory arrangements have been made.
Per diems are advanced to the traveler in lieu of substinence expenses which include all charges for meals, incidental expenses, and lodging. Full per diem allowances are payable in advance before the commencement of the trip to prevent financial hardship on the traveler, says the manual.
Rates vary depending on the destination. For travel within the Continental United States, rates are based on the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) as prescribed by the US General Services Administration.
For travel in Alaska, Hawaii, and possessions of the United States, rates are based on the US Department of Defense Per Diem Bulletin, as amended.
For foreign travel, rates are based on the US Department of State publication Maximum Travel Per Diem for Foreign Areas, as amended.
The rate for travel between Tutuila, the Manu’a Island group, and Swains Island will be advanced $40 per day.
Other expenses specified in the manual include meals and incidental charges, transportation, laundry, telecommunication services, excess baggage, rental cars, trip cancellation, illness, injury, or personal emergency, entertainment, and actual expense allowance (AEA).
Section 5 of the manual pinpoints off island travel for medical care as there are times when it is necessary that residents of American Samoa and government contract employees be evacuated from the territory because of a medical condition which cannot be treated by local resources.
In such cases, the patient, and the authorized patient escort who is a relative of the patient, are entitled to air transportation only.
The medical escort, who is an ASG employee, is entitled to the same per diem and other reimbursement as any other employee on official government business.
The decision to evacuate is made by the Governor based on applicable criteria.
Students on government scholarships are also addressed in the manual, as they are entitled to transportation costs (return airfare) and shipping costs for personal effects and professional books to American Samoa. TA’s for returning graduates should include the household goods allowance of $500.
The travel and transportation policy shall be effective for all travel occurring after October 1,
2007 and shall be in full force until amended.
The Travel Regulations Task Force was created in order “to design, plan, and implement comprehensive travel regulations for the American Samoa Government.”
The goal of the Task Force is to research, investigate, and report to the Governor on recommendations for comprehensive travel policies and regulations for the American Samoa Government.
The recommendations are to focus on measures designed to reduce travel costs to ASG, eliminate abuse attendant with the current system, and standardize government wide policies and regulations.
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