Travel Regulations

Prepared by:

Management Council

Legislative Service Office

October 2001

Foreword

These Management Council Travel Regulations are a recompilation of existing policies and regulations with some modifications intended to reflect existing practices and procedures.

TRAVEL REGULATIONS

WYOMING STATE LEGISLATURE

A.   In-state travel - Legislators

1.   Salary, per diem and travel expenses are authorized for members of the Wyoming Legislature for traveling to and from and attendance at sessions of the Legislature subject to the following terms and conditions:

a.      Salary and per diem at the rate specified by law shall be paid for each day commencing with the date the session convenes and continuing through the date the session adjourns;

b.      Except for legislators who reside in the Cheyenne area, all legislators shall receive:

(i)One (1) day per diem for travel to and one (1) day per diem for travel from the session;

(ii)Mileage for one (1) round trip to and from Cheyenne and their home, point to point by the nearest practicable route.

2.   Salary, per diem and travel expenses are authorized for members of the Wyoming Legislature for in-state travel during the interim between sessions of the Legislature subject to the following terms and conditions:

a.      Salary, per diem and travel expenses are authorized for traveling to and from and attending meetings of:

(i)Any joint interim committee, select committee or subcommittee of the Legislature or other committee of the Legislature of which the legislator is a member;

(ii)Any committee, task force or other group which is created by law to which the legislator has been officially appointed as a member by the presiding officer of his house or by other legislative action in accordance with law;

(iii)Any group or organization, including educational seminars and state agency meetings or hearings, if the chairman of a committee or subcommittee specifically authorizes such attendance as being directly related to approved committee work or if approved by the Management Council.

b.      Mileage shall be computed from point to point by the nearest practicable route.  Per diem shall be paid for each day a legislator engages in authorized interim activities and for each day reasonably necessary to travel to and from such activities.

c.      Salary, per diem and travel expenses shall be charged to the appropriate committee or activity budget as approved by Management Council.  No legislator shall be reimbursed for salary, per diem or travel expenses in excess of the amounts approved by the Council in the budget for that committee or activity.

d.      Salary, per diem and travel expenses shall be paid at the rates specified by law except:

(i)Committee chairmen may specify that salary shall not be authorized for activities related to approved committee work such as tours when the committee does not convene on the day of the activity;

(ii)Legislators may elect to sign a disclaimer and accept the mileage rate for which the federal government does not require reporting as income in lieu of the rate specified in Wyoming statute;

(iii)Any legislator may elect to waive any portion of any salary, per diem or travel expenses to which he is otherwise entitled;

(iv)Legislators shall receive salary only for the days on which the committee actually met or approved activity actually occurred; salary shall not be paid on days on which only authorized travel occurred;

(v)Legislators shall receive salary and per diem under the Hometown/Short meeting policy contained in Attachment A unless they elect to opt out of that policy by so advising the Legislative Service Office;

(vi)The Management Council may establish policies with respect to receipt of salary, per diem and mileage for special in-state events involving the Legislature, e.g. where Wyoming hosts meetings of legislative organizations such as the Western Legislative Conference, or for budget "school" or "seminar" for legislators, etc.;

(vii)Legislators shall be reimbursed for the cost of commercial or private transportation, such as charter or private aircraft or rental vehicles, to the extent the cost does not unreasonably exceed the regular mileage allowance plus reasonable per diem;

(viii)Mileage shall not be paid to the extent a state aircraft or vehicle is used for transportation.  State aircraft may be used for transportation when the cost does not unreasonably exceed the regular mileage allowance plus reasonable per diem.

e.      Special Policy for "Hometown" or "Short" Meetings. Special compensation policies apply to certain interim meetings as listed below.  They were established by the Management Council as a reasonable way to deal with compressed video meetings of short duration and meetings in a Legislator's "hometown."

Because all Legislators are entitled under law to full salary and per diem for attending interim committee meetings regardless of the location or length of the meeting, any Legislator may choose to "opt out" of the following policy by contacting the LSO Fiscal Officer.

The policy is as follows:

(i)Hometown Meetings.  For attending a meeting in his "hometown" (i.e., the location where the Legislator is not entitled to mileage under current procedures) a legislator will be paid 1/4 day per diem (i.e., $20.00) regardless of the length of the meeting.

(ii)Short Meetings.  The following policies apply to meetings of less than three (3) hours, whether the meeting is in person, by compressed video or by telephone conference call:

(A)For meetings in the Legislator's "hometown" as defined in paragraph (i) above, the Legislator will be paid:

1/2 day salary ($62.50)

1/4 day per diem ($20.00)

(B)For meetings where the Legislator is entitled to mileage for 60 miles or less one-way (120 miles or less round trip) the Legislator will be paid:

1/2 day salary ($62.50)

1/2 day per diem ($40.00)

(C)For meetings where the Legislator is entitled to mileage for more than  60 miles one-way (120 miles or more round trip) the Legislator will be paid the full statutory rates, i.e.,:

One day salary ($125.00)

One day per diem ($80.00)

B.  Out-of-state travel - Legislators

1.   Salary is not authorized for out-of-state travel except for attendance at a joint interim, select or subcommittee of the Legislature that is holding a meeting out-of-state.

2.      Reimbursement for out-of-state travel per diem and expenses are subject to the following terms and conditions:

a.      Reimbursement is authorized for approved travel as follows:

(i)Subject to Section B.2.b(viii) of this handbook, legislators who are appointed by the presiding officer of their respective houses to committees of or as representatives to national or regional organizations in which the Legislature participates are normally authorized to attend two (2) meetings of the committee or organization to which they were appointed during the interim between each session.  Travel to these committee or organization meetings must, however, be specifically approved in advance by the presiding officer of the legislator's house (Council minutes 10/25/2001).  "National or regional organizations in which the Legislature participates" includes the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the Council of State Governments (CSG) {this includes the Western Legislative Conference}, the Education Commission of the States and the Energy Council.

(ii)All other out-of-state travel must be specifically approved by the presiding officer of the house of which the legislator requesting out-of-state travel expenses is a member. 

(iii)Notwithstanding paragraphs (i) and (ii) of this subsection, approval by the entire Management Council is required to attend any meeting held outside the Continental United States, i.e. the lower 48 states and the District of Columbia.

b.   Per diem and travel expenses for out-of-state travel shall be reimbursed for the actual amount of the costs incurred subject to the following:

(i)Registration fees may be paid directly by the Legislative Service Office or the legislator may elect to pay registration fees directly and be reimbursed. Payment of registration fees shall be limited to the lowest amount offered for advance registration at the meeting.

(ii)Reimbursable costs are limited to transportation  costs, lodging and meals which are not provided as part of the registration fee for the meeting.  Reimbursement for meals shall be limited to the lesser of actual costs or $60 per day. No reimbursement shall be made for the cost of alcoholic beverages.

(iii)Legislators shall be reimbursed for the cost of commercial or private transportation such as charter or private aircraft or rental vehicles to the extent the cost does not unreasonably exceed the regular mileage allowance plus reasonable per diem.

(iv)Legislators shall be reimbursed the lesser of the actual cost of public transportation, e.g. commercial airfare, or the cost of transportation had reservations been made at least 14 calendar days before the date of departure.

(v)Mileage shall not be paid to the extent a state   aircraft or vehicle is used for transportation.

(vi)Legislators may elect to sign a disclaimer and accept the mileage rate for which the federal government does not require reporting as income in lieu of the rate specified in Wyoming statute;

(vii)Any legislator may elect to waive any portion of any per diem or travel expenses to which he is otherwise entitled. Mileage shall be computed from point to point by the nearest practicable route;

(viii)The Management Council may limit travel or expenditures for travel to stay within the approved budget.

C.  Travel policy - Legislative staff

1.   Travel by members of the staff must be authorized and approved by the director, who shall be responsible for maintaining such travel expenses within the approved budgetary limits.

2.   Staff members shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses for in‑state or out‑of‑state travel. Staff members will be reimbursed at the rate of $.345 per mile, or the rate paid to state employees for use of their own vehicles, for each mile actually and necessarily traveled in their own vehicle in performance of authorized and approved activities. Mileage shall be computed from point to point by the nearest practicable route.

Reimbursable costs are limited to transportation costs, lodging and meals which are not provided as part of any registration fee for a meeting. No reimbursement shall be made for the cost of alcoholic beverages.

D.  Vouchers

1.   Claims for the payment of expenses must be made by voucher, signed by the claimant and by the officer or officers authorized to approve same.  Claims for reimbursement of expenses shall be based on actual expenses, within the limitations specified in these rules, for staff and out-of-state travel for legislators, and on the per diem allowance for in-state travel for legislators. 

2.   When the claim is for actual expenses, the voucher shall contain or have affixed thereto a full itemized statement covering each item of expense for which reimbursement is claimed.  False claims are punishable as provided in W.S. 9‑7‑404.  When the claim for reimbursement of expenses is based upon the per diem allowance, an itemized statement is not necessary.  Receipts to support claims are required except for meals and incidental expenses of less than $15.00.

3.   Legislators submitting claims for salary or per diem allowances must specify on their voucher the day when performance of the activity entitling them to such payments commenced and when it terminated. 

4.   Vouchers shall be submitted not later than sixty (60) days following completion of the trip for which expense reimbursement is claimed.