[Federal Register: August 8, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 154)]
[Notices]               
[Page 46271]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08au08-61]                         

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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

 
Maximum Per Diem Rates for the Continental United States (CONUS)

AGENCY: Office of Governmentwide Policy, General Services 
Administration (GSA).

ACTION: Notice of Per Diem Bulletin 09-01, Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 
continental United States (CONUS) per diem rates.

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SUMMARY: The General Services Administration's (GSA's) annual per diem 
review has resulted in lodging and meal allowance changes for locations 
within the continental United States (CONUS) to provide for the 
reimbursement of Federal employees' expenses covered by per diem. Per 
Diem Bulletin 09-01 updates the maximum per diem amounts in existing 
per diem localities. The CONUS per diem rates prescribed in Bulletin 
09-01 may be found at http://www.gsa.gov/perdiem. GSA based the lodging 
per diem rates on the average daily rate that the lodging industry 
reports. The use of such data in the per diem rate setting process 
enhances the Government's ability to obtain policy compliant lodging 
where it is needed. In conjunction with the annual lodging study, GSA 
identified two new non-standard areas; Fayetteville, North Carolina 
(Cumberland) and Fredericksburg, Virginia (City of Fredericksburg), 
which prompted an out of cycle meal survey for these areas.
    For a complete listing of pertinent information that must be 
submitted through a Federal executive agency for GSA to restudy a 
location, or if a CONUS or standard CONUS per diem rate is insufficient 
to meet necessary expenses, please review numbers 4 and 5 of our per 
diem Frequently Asked Questions at http://www.gsa.gov/perdiemfaqs.

DATES: This notice is effective October 1, 2008, and applies for travel 
performed on or after October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For clarification of content, contact 
Mr. Cy Greenidge, Office of Governmentwide Policy, Office of Travel, 
Transportation, and Asset Management, at (202) 219-2349, or by e-mail 
at http://www.gsa.gov/perdiemquestions. Please cite Notice of Per Diem 
Bulletin 09-01.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Background

    After an analysis of current data, GSA has determined that current 
lodging rates for certain localities do not adequately reflect the 
lodging economics in those areas. GSA used the same methodology for 
establishing the FY 2009 per diem rates as they did when establishing 
the FY 2008 rates.

B. Change in Standard Procedure

    GSA issues/publishes the CONUS per diem rates, formerly published 
in Appendix A to 41 CFR Chapter 301, solely on the Internet at http://
www.gsa.gov/perdiem. This process, implemented in 2003, ensures more 
timely changes in per diem rates established by GSA for Federal 
employees on official travel within CONUS. Notices published 
periodically in the Federal Register, such as this one, now constitute 
the only notification of revisions in CONUS per diem rates to agencies.

Becky Rhodes,
Deputy Associate Administrator.
[FR Doc. E8-18413 Filed 8-7-08; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6820-14-P