[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 43, Volume 1]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 43CFR20.301]

[Page 422-423]
 
                    TITLE 43--PUBLIC LANDS: INTERIOR
 
PART 20--EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT--Table of Contents
 
    Subpart C--Acceptance and Payment of Travel and Related Expenses
 
Sec. 20.301  General policy.


    (a) Except as specifically authorized by law, when an employee is on 
official duty (no leave status), all travel and accommodations shall be 
at Government expense and his or her acceptance of outside reimbursement 
for travel expenses or services in kind from private sources, either in 
his or her behalf or in behalf of the Government, is not allowed.
    (b) Under certain circumstances, the Department may charge a fee or 
accept reimbursement for providing a service or thing of value to a 
private source when the service or thing of value provided benefits to 
both the Government and the particular private source (31 U.S.C. 9701). 
In such instances only a portion of the costs can be accepted from the 
private source. The Department must pay expenses associated with its 
usual official business and for the benefits it receives from 
participating in the event. The private source can be charged or may 
reimburse the Department for that portion of the service provided that 
exceeds the Department's usual expenses and the benefits to the 
Government. Under this provision, payments from private sources must be 
deposited in the U.S. Treasury unless the bureau receiving the payment 
is authorized by statute to accept such payments.
    (c) When a bureau is authorized by statute other than 31 U.S.C. 1353 
to accept gifts, and 31 U.S.C. 1353 does not apply, the travel expenses 
incurred by an employee directed to participate in a convention, 
seminar, or similar meeting sponsored by a private source for the mutual 
interest of the Government and the private source may be reimbursed to 
the bureau and credited to its appropriation. The employee shall be paid 
by the bureau in accordance with the law relating to reimbursement for 
official travel and any accommodations and goods or services in kind 
furnished an employee shall be treated as a donation to the bureau and

[[Page 423]]

an appropriate reduction shall be made to the employee's reimbursement 
(46 CG 689 (1967)).
    (d) When participation at a function is not in an official capacity, 
an employee may accept reimbursement of travel and accommodation 
expenses from a private source, provided that such acceptance is 
permitted by law and Federal regulations. Participation as a private 
citizen must occur on one's own time, such as while on leave. If 
participation should occur during the course of official travel (i.e., 
evening or weekend hours during official travel status), the travel 
voucher submitted for Government reimbursement of official duty expenses 
must be adjusted to claim only that per diem and travel attributable to 
official duty. Employees who are in positions for which the rate of pay 
is specified in 5 U.S.C. 5311-5318 (the Executive Schedule) are on 24-
hour duty, and determinations of what constitutes official duty and what 
is private participation should be carefully made.