Legislative Travel Expense Guidelines and Procedures

Transcription

1 Legislative Travel Expense Guidelines and Procedures Certified Public Manager Training Program 2014 CPM Solutions Alabama August 13, 2014

2 TEAM MEMBERS Alabama Department of Corrections Deborah Johnson Alabama Department of Finance Ann Franklin Alabama Department of Human Resources Mina Roussell Elizabeth Walker Alabama Department of Revenue Victoria Oakes C. Brian Richardson Alabama Real Estate Commission Steven Brown 1 P a g e

3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Legislative Travel Expense Guidelines and Procedures team would like to thank the following individuals for assisting in the research and support of this project: Lieutenant Governor, Kay Ivey, for her charge in bringing about this project. Speaker of the House, Mike Hubbard, for his support of this initiative. Steve Pelham, Lieutenant Governor Ivey s Chief of Staff, Josh Blades, Speaker Hubbard s Chief of Staff, and Jim Entrekin, Jr, Speaker Hubbard s Legal Counsel for providing direction and guidance. Senators Vivian Figures, Cam Ward, and Bryan Taylor and Representatives Steve McMillan and Rod Scott for providing our team with insight on the current procedures for travel within the legislative bodies. Cheryl Fondon, Director of Administration for the Governor, for providing information on out of state travel procedures used by state employees. Jackie Osborne, Senate Accounting, and Dildred Bass, House Travel Coordinator, for providing detailed procedures of the travel reimbursement process for the legislative bodies. Johnathan Kimbrough, Director of Operations for Alabama Interactive for development of the legislative in-state travel website. The AUM Outreach Training Solutions instructors, leaders and staff for guidance and learning moments throughout the project. The supervisors and agency directors of each team member for their support of each member, giving us the opportunity to better ourselves both personally and professionally. 2 P a g e

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page Acknowledgements 2 Our Challenge and Approach 4 Introduction 5 Constitutional Amendment 6 Legislative Out-of-State Travel 7 Legislative In-State Travel 8 Recommendations 9 Conclusion 11 Exhibits 12 Exhibit A: Amendment 57 Ratified 13 Exhibit B: Amendment 871 Ratified 15 Exhibit C: Section Exhibit D: ACT Exhibit E: Legislative In-State Travel Submission Automation Project Exhibit F: Proposed Legislative Travel Expense Project User Guide 32 Exhibit G: Proposed Pocket Reference 57 Exhibit H: Proposed Workflow 58 References P a g e

5 OUR CHALLENGE AND APPROACH Challenge: The Alabama Legislature recognizes that public trust in the legislative body is of paramount importance and that government transparency and accountability are vital to the preservation of the public trust. Toward that end, legislation was introduced in 2012 resulting in Act , which repeals existing laws regarding compensation and expense reimbursement of the members of the Legislature. This amendment to the Constitution of Alabama 1901 establishes the basic compensation of the Legislature at the median household income in Alabama; requires legislators to submit signed vouchers for reimbursement for expenses; and prohibits legislators from increasing the compensation or expenses payable to its members. Approach: We researched and analyzed efficient and effective procedures for submitting requests for travel reimbursement. Working closely with key staff in the Lieutenant Governor s Office and the Speaker of the House s Office, we identified our stakeholders and met with three Senators and two Representatives. We identified the State of Alabama s existing policies and procedures relevant to official business travel, and guidelines, procedures, and templates that the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House can use in order to execute the timely reimbursement of authorized expenses incurred by legislators. 4 P a g e

6 INTRODUCTION The Alabama Legislature is comprised of two houses, the Alabama State Senate and the Alabama House of Representatives. Article IV, Section 50 of the Constitution, limits the House of Representatives to 105 members and the Senate to 35 members. Each Senator represents a district of approximately 137,000 Alabamians, while each Representative represents a district of approximately 40,000 Alabamians. The leader of the Senate is the Lieutenant Governor, elected by the people, and the leader of the House of Representatives is a serving member elected by the House members to serve as the presiding officer. In 2007, the Legislature voted to increase legislative pay by 62 percent with an automatic annual cost of living increase based on the Consumer Price Index. The act was vetoed by the Governor, but the veto was overridden by both houses, and became law as Act of the 2007 Regular Session. The Act set the legislative expense allowance at $3,850 per month per member with an annual automatic cost of living increase based on the Consumer Price Index. During the 2014 Regular Legislative Session, this expense allowance had adjusted to $4,308 per month per member. In addition to the expense allowance, legislators also received $10 per legislative day, with a maximum of 105 legislative days for a regular session and received mileage reimbursement for one round trip from their residence to the Capitol per session. The session mileage and the $10 per legislative day were set by Amendment 57 of the Constitution of Alabama The 62 percent pay increase was not voted on by the general public and eroded public trust in the Legislature. During the 2012 Regular Session, Senator Bryan Taylor and Representative Mike Ball each introduced bills to change the structure of the legislative pay and provide for the reimbursement of expenses in the same manner as state employees. Representative Ball s bill passed through the Legislature and voters approved Constitutional Amendment P a g e

7 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 871 Constitutional Amendment 871 repealed existing laws regarding compensation and expense reimbursement of members of the Legislature, removed the power of determining legislative compensation or expenses from the hands of the Legislature and placed the power in the hands of the general public. Future changes to legislative compensation will have to be voted on by the general public since all aspects of legislative compensation are now included in the Constitution of Alabama Previously, the expense allowance only required an amendment to the Code of Alabama 1975, which was voted on by the Legislature only and not the public. The Amendment set the annual basic compensation for each member at the median household income in Alabama, to take effect on the first day of January each year. As of 2011, Alabama s median household income was $46,921. All expenses are determined to be reimbursable at the discretion of the presiding officers and shall be paid in a timely manner. Travel expenses for official business will be reimbursed at the same rates and amounts as state employees traveling in the service of the state under state laws, rules and policies, provided that the travel is to a place outside of the legislator s district. This Amendment requires lawmakers to submit signed vouchers, approved by the presiding officer, to substantiate the claims for reimbursement. Additionally, the Amendment prohibits reimbursement for mileage for in-district travel. Finally, it prohibits lawmakers who live within 50 miles of the Capitol from receiving per diem for lodging and meals. 6 P a g e

8 LEGISLATIVE OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL Legislators must request approval from the Speaker of the House or Lieutenant Governor for out-of-state travel in writing. If attending a conference, the legislator must submit a copy of the conference agenda that includes location, dates and times of meetings. If approved, a copy of an approval letter will be given to the member. Members must keep all receipts, log travel miles and tips. No travel is reimbursed without receipts and a prior approval letter. A travel expense worksheet and brief outline for filing expenses is mailed to the member. The member is required to complete the worksheet and send the receipts back to the respective accounting offices. Once received in the accounting offices, the staff completes the out-of-state travel form and send the completed form to the member for signature. The form is received and signed by the member and returned to the accounting office for processing. 7 P a g e

9 LEGISLATIVE IN-STATE TRAVEL Under the current law, during a regular session, a legislator receives $10 per day of session salary for 105 days, session per diem of $50 per day for 45 meeting days, session mileage of $.10 per mile round trip (one-trip per person per session), and an expense allowance. If traveling within the State outside of a regular session for legislative business, the legislator must get pre-approval from the Lieutenant Governor or the Speaker of the House prior to travel and is reimbursed the following per diem rates: $75.00 for an overnight stay, $30.00 for 12 hours or more without an overnight stay, or $11.25 for 6 hours, but less than 12 hours without an overnight stay. Legislators are mailed an in-state travel reimbursement form once they return from their trip, and must complete, sign, and return the form to the respective legislative accounting offices to be processed for reimbursement. Amendment 871 to the Constitution of Alabama 1901, changes these reimbursements by repealing the expense allowance and provides that reimbursements mirror similar regulations applicable to state employees. Legislators will instead have to rely upon in-state travel reimbursements by submitting signed vouchers to substantiate claims of in-state travel. The amendment prohibits mileage reimbursement for in-district travel. It also prohibits lawmakers that live within 50 miles of the State Capitol from receiving per diem for lodging or meals. Mileage will be reimbursed at the current IRS rate (currently $.56 per mile). Due to these changes, it is anticipated that the number of travel reimbursements will drastically increase with all members of the Senate and the House of Representatives having to submit travel vouchers for reimbursement. With the current small staff of the respective accounting offices within the Legislature, this could create a burden to process all of the vouchers received in a timely manner. 8 P a g e

10 RECOMMENDATIONS After several meetings with the Senators, Representatives, and other legislative staff, the team determined that current procedures for submitting travel information or forms were not conducive to the members receiving timely reimbursements. The team reviewed several states and found that the neighboring States of Georgia, Tennessee and West Virginia all had electronic or web-based travel form submission capabilities. The State of Georgia utilizes the TeamWorks Travel and Expense (TTE) System which aids employees in the booking of travel, for tracking and reconciling employee business travel, as well as reimbursable out-of-pocket business expenses. The State of Tennessee currently utilizes the Edison Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System, which is an integrated software package that enables users to enter their travel information directly and provides for quicker reimbursement. The State of West Virginia utilizes the E-Travel Management System, which provides an on-line booking tool and an integrated expense management tool, which then interfaces with each agency s accounting system. These systems all provide for the electronic submission of travel forms, initiating faster review, approval, and timely processing and reimbursement. The team would suggest the implementation of the following recommendations: Recommendation One The Governor s Office has developed a website for pre-approval of out-of-state travel for state employees located at oos.alabama.gov and is currently developing a site for reimbursement after out-of-state travel is complete. For a minimal charge, this website could be reconfigured to accommodate members of the Legislature to submit pre-approvals to the Lieutenant Governor or the Speaker of the House. This would expedite the pre-approval and reimbursement process while eliminating hard copy paperwork to the accounting staff and members. Once the out-ofstate travel reimbursement site is available, the Legislature should utilize this function, as well. Recommendation Two As a result of changes set forth in Act , the number of requests for reimbursement sent to both the Lieutenant Governor s and the Speaker of the House s offices will increase 9 P a g e

11 dramatically. What can already be a lengthy process of waiting on reimbursement may be even longer due to the number of requests that will need approval. In order to expedite the process for legislators, presiding officers and support staff, our team has proposed a web-based solution for the submission and approval of in-state travel forms. Considering their extensive expertise in the development of online applications for Alabama s state agencies, our team has reached out to Alabama Interactive, LLC for the design and implementation of a website to be used by the Legislature. Alabama Interactive and their parent company, NIC, builds and manages websites for multiple agencies and state governments throughout the United States, including our own State website, alabama.gov. Recommendation Three Training for members of the legislative body should occur during the 2015 Organizational Session to prepare them for the new travel submission policies and procedures. Prior to the Organizational Session, administrative staff, legislative accounting, and the offices of each presiding officer will need a training session to prepare for the impending changes. 10 P a g e

12 CONCLUSION The Legislative Travel Expense Guidelines and Procedures Team would like to commend the Alabama Legislature for recognizing that public trust in the legislative body is important and that government transparency and accountability are vital to public trust. To that end, we believe that if our recommendations are implemented, it would create a more transparent environment in allowing the citizens of the State of Alabama to ensure the integrity of their respective representation and that the letter of the law is being followed. 11 P a g e

13 EXHIBITS Exhibit A - Amendment 57 to the Constitution of Alabama 1901 This amendment is referenced throughout the document and is provided in full for detailed review. Exhibit B - Amendment 871 to the Constitution of Alabama 1901 This amendment is referenced throughout the document and is provided in full for detailed review. Exhibit C - Section of the Code of Alabama 1975 This section of the Code is referenced throughout the document and is provided in full for detailed review. Exhibit D - Act (House Joint Resolution 29 of the 2007 Regular Session) This Act is referenced throughout the document and is provided in full for detailed review. Exhibit E - Legislative In-State Travel Submission Automation Project - Document provided to Alabama Interactive to aid the implementation of the proposed and recommended website. Exhibit F Sample of Proposed Legislative Travel Expense User Guide Document adapted from the Fiscal Policies and Procedures Manual issued by the State Comptroller s Office Exhibit G Sample of Proposed Pocket Reference Exhibit H - Proposed Workflow for inst.alabama.gov 12 P a g e

14 EXHIBIT A AMENDMENT 57 RATIFIED Time and Place of Meetings of Legislature; Biennial Sessions; Organizational Sessions; Election of President Pro Tempore of Senate and Speaker of House of Representatives; Maximum Length of Sessions; Compensation and Travel Allowances of Members of Legislature All sessions of the legislature shall be held at the capitol in the senate chamber and in the hall of the house of representatives, unless at any time it should from any cause become impossible or dangerous for the legislature to meet or remain at the capitol, or for the senate to meet or remain in the senate chamber, or for the representatives to meet or remain in the hall of the house of representatives, in which case the governor may convene the legislature, or remove it after it has convened, to some other place, or may designate some other place for the sitting of the respective houses, or either of them, as necessity may require. The legislature shall convene on the second Tuesday in January next succeeding their election and shall remain in session for not longer than ten consecutive calendar days. No business can be transacted at such sessions except the organization of the legislature, the election of officers, the appointment of standing committees of the senate and the house of representatives for the ensuing four years, which election and appointment may, however, also be made at such other times as may be necessary, the opening and publication of the returns and the ascertainment and declaration of the results of the election for governor, lieutenant-governor, attorney-general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer, superintendent of education, and commissioner of agriculture and industries, the election of such officers in the event of a tie vote, the determination of contested elections for such offices, the judging of the election returns and qualification of the members of the legislature, and the inauguration of the governor and the other elected state officers whose terms of office are concurrent with that of the governor. At the beginning of each such organization session, and at such other times as may be necessary, the senate shall elect one of its members president pro tempore thereof, to preside over its deliberations in the absence of the Lieutenant- Governor, and the House of Representatives shall elect one of its members as speaker, to preside over its deliberations. The president of the senate and the Speaker of the House of 13 P a g e

15 Representatives shall each hold his respective office until his successor has been elected and qualified. The legislature shall convene in regular sessions on the first Tuesday in May of 1947 and on the first Tuesday in May in each second year thereafter, until the date of meeting shall have been changed by act of the legislature and approved by the governor. The legislature shall not remain in session longer than thirty-six days at any such regular session. Special sessions of the legislature convened in the manner provided by this Constitution also shall be limited to thirty-six days. The pay of members of the legislature shall be ten dollars per day. Each member of the legislature shall be paid ten cents per mile in going from his residence to, and in returning to his residence from, the seat of government, to be computed by the nearest usual route traveled; and not more than one such travel allowance shall be paid for each session of the legislature. In addition to his travel allowance, each member of the legislature also shall be allowed expenses, other than actual expenses of traveling, not exceeding an amount to be fixed by the legislature, incurred in the performance of his duties; but such expense allowance shall not be less than the smallest allowance to any other person traveling within the state in the service of the state of Alabama, or any of its agencies, for expenses other than actual expenses of traveling. The provisions of this Constitution in conflict herewith are hereby modified to conform to the provisions of this amendment. The provisions of this amendment shall become effective at the beginning of the term of the members of the legislature elected at the general election in P a g e

16 AMENDMENT 871 RATIFIED EXHIBIT B Compensation and expenses of members of Legislature. Section 1. (a) The Legislature recognizes that the public trust in the legislative body is of paramount importance. The Legislature further recognizes that government transparency and accountability are vital to the preservation of the public trust. To that end, it is the purpose of this amendment to remove the power of determining legislative compensation or expenses from the hands of the Legislature itself, to validate the basis upon which legislative compensation and expenses are established in an objective manner based on measurable standards, and to allow the citizens of Alabama to vote on this issue. It is the will of the Legislature to resolve the issue of legislative compensation and expenses once and for all by providing for compensation and expenses for members of the Legislature and the President of the Senate and by providing for compensation to be paid at the same rate as the median household income in Alabama and expenses in the same amounts and manner as expenses are allowed under law for state employees generally. (b) All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this amendment are repealed, including, but not limited to: Those portions of Amendments 39, 57, and 339 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, relating to the compensation and expenses of members of the Legislature; Act , Act , Act 91-95, Act , and Act ; and Section , Code of Alabama Section 2. The annual basic compensation for each member of the Legislature and the President of the Senate shall be the median annual household income in Alabama, as ascertained and adjusted each year by the State Personnel Board to take effect on the first day of January of each year. Section 3. (a) No member of the Legislature or the President of the Senate may receive reimbursement for any expenses except as provided in this section. (b) Subject to approval by the President of the Senate or by the Speaker of the House for the 15 P a g e

17 respective members of their Houses, and except as otherwise provided in subsection (d), a member of the Legislature may be reimbursed for any of the following: (1) Expenses incurred for travel on official business in the same amounts or at the same rates as for state employees traveling in the service of the state under state law, rules, and policies, provided that, for a member of the Legislature, the travel is to a place outside his or her district. (2) Actual expenses other than travel expenses incurred in the performance of official duties. (3) Expenses authorized pursuant to Act 1196 of the 1971 Regular Session for the presiding officer of each House. (c) Reimbursement for expenses may only be made under subdivision (1) and (2) of subsection (b) after a determination of the presiding officer of the member's House that the travel or expense is in the service of the state and on submission of a signed voucher submitted in the same manner as a request for reimbursement of expenses by a state employee. (d) Except for the expenses of transportation, no member of the Legislature who resides less than 50 miles from the seat of government may be reimbursed for any travel expenses for travel between his or her place of residence and the seat of government. (e) In making the determination required by subsection (c), the presiding officer of either House may not determine a particular expense incurred by any member of the Legislature was not in the service of the state on any basis that discriminates between members of the Legislature. (f) Reimbursement for expenses authorized pursuant to this section shall be paid in a timely manner that is consistent with expense reimbursement regulations jointly promulgated by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House pursuant to the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act. Such regulations shall, to the extent possible, mirror similar regulations applicable to state employees. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House may not discriminate between members of the Legislature regarding the timely reimbursement of authorized expenses. (g) The State Personnel Board may promulgate such rules as it deems necessary to enforce its responsibilities under this amendment and, in conjunction with the Comptroller, shall provide an annual report on compensation and reimbursement of expenses to members of the Legislature. Section 4. (a) The compensation and reimbursement for expenses provided in Sections 2 and 3 shall constitute the total amounts payable to the presiding officers and members of The Legislature, beginning with the terms commencing immediately after the 2014 General 16 P a g e

18 Election. (b) The Legislature may not increase, supplement, or otherwise enlarge the compensation or reimbursement for expenses payable to its members by this amendment. 17 P a g e

19 EXHIBIT C Section Compensation and mileage of officers and members. (a) The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each receive $12.00, and each member of the Legislature shall receive $10.00, for each day during the period in which the Legislature is in session, but not exceeding in any event the number of calendar days for which the Legislature is authorized to be in session, and no additional sum shall be paid or received for per diem or expenses. (b) The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and each member of the Legislature shall be paid $.10 per mile in going from his residence to, and in returning to his residence from, the seat of government, to be computed by the nearest usual route traveled, and according to the distances herein specified: (1) Autauga, 14 miles (2) Baldwin, 155 miles (3) Barbour, 101 miles (4) Bibb, 72 miles (5) Blount, 132 miles (6) Bullock, 41 miles (7) Butler, 44 miles (8) Calhoun, 150 miles (9) Chambers, 83 miles (10) Cherokee, 173 miles (11) Chilton, 40 miles (12) Choctaw, 159 miles (13) Clarke, 134 miles (14) Clay, 142 miles (15) Cleburne, 153 miles 18 P a g e

20 (16) Coffee, 140 miles (17) Colbert, 228 miles (18) Conecuh, 82 miles (19) Coosa, 126 miles (20) Covington, 92 miles (21) Crenshaw, 52 miles (22) Cullman, 150 miles (23) Dale, 92 miles (24) Dallas, 50 miles (25) DeKalb, 186 miles (26) Elmore, 18 miles (27) Escambia, 105 miles (28) Etowah, 160 miles (29) Fayette, 177 miles (30) Franklin, 213 miles (31) Geneva, 136 miles (32) Greene, 142 miles (33) Hale, 102 miles (34) Henry, 144 miles (35) Houston, 119 miles (36) Jackson, 250 miles (37) Jefferson, 96 miles (38) Lauderdale, 233 miles (39) Lamar, 208 miles (40) Lawrence, 211 miles (41) Lee, 66 miles (42) Limestone, 214 miles (43) Lowndes, 24 miles (44) Macon, 45 miles (45) Madison, 207 miles (46) Marengo, 100 miles 19 P a g e

21 (47) Marion, 200 miles (48) Marshall, 186 miles (49) Mobile, 185 miles (50) Monroe, 161 miles (51) Morgan, 183 miles (52) Perry, 80 miles (53) Pickens, 148 miles (54) Pike, 52 miles (55) Randolph, 119 miles (56) Russell, 75 miles (57) Shelby, 74 miles (58) St. Clair, 140 miles (59) Sumter, 135 miles (60) Talladega, 110 miles (61) Tuscaloosa, 107 miles (62) Tallapoosa, 97 miles (63) Walker, 137 miles (64) Washington, 210 miles (65) Wilcox, 115 miles (66) Winston, 185 miles (c) No more than one such travel allowance shall be paid for each session of the Legislature. The 10-day or organization session is hereby declared to be a session for which such travel allowance is due. 20 P a g e

22 EXHIBIT D Act (House Joint Resolution 29 of the 2007 Regular Session) 21 P a g e

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27 EXHIBIT E Document Provided to Alabama Interactive to aid the implementation of the proposed and recommended website LEGISLATIVE IN-STATE TRAVEL SUBMISSION AUTOMATION PROJECT Proposed website name: inst.alabama.gov This document will detail the expectations for the planned in-state travel submission automation project and the work-flow that is anticipated. It will detail out what we expect from Alabama Interactive, from our CPM II Project Team, and from the end users (legislators and legislative staff). Alabama Interactive Requirements Preparation of the In-State Travel Submission Website to include the following web pages: Sign-In screen - T h e sign-in screen will allow for a user with a previously set up user name and password to sign in to the website. This page will also have a link to register for a user name and password, a link to instructions on how to use the application, and a forgot password link. Register for a User Name and Password screen There will be text boxes for the following: First Name, Last Name, Phone Number (xxx-xxx- xxxx format), and Address. There will be a drop-down menu to select an Agency (at this time, the application will have only one agency in the menu and will default to agency 022 Legislature). There will be a section to select one of four types of users: Senator, Senate Staff, Representative, or House Staff. If the Senator or Representative type of user is selected, the user will have additional text boxes for Street Address, City, State, Zip Code, Last 4 digits of Social Security Number (displayed SSN: XXX-XX-1234), and Official Station or Base to populate the expense form. There will be a section for the user to enter their requested user name and password into text boxes, with a separate text box to re-enter the password for verification purposes that will compare the two entries. Passwords will be required to be six to twenty characters in length, with at least one uppercase letter, at least one lower case letter, at least one number, and at least one special character (!@#$, etc.). There should be an Additional Comments text box 26 P a g e

28 where Senate Staff or House Staff should state which Senator or Representative they are authorized to enter travel information for or include any other relevant information. A note above the Comments text box should read, If you are selecting the House Staff or Senate Staff option, please provide the name(s) of the Senator(s) or Representative(s) for which you are authorized to enter information into the in-state travel form application. There should also be a verification challenge. At the bottom of the screen should be a Register button and a Cancel button, with a note that states, Please note that your account will not be created immediately. We verify the authenticity of all requests before approving them. The Register button sends the user name and password request information to the Senate Administrator(s) or the House Administrator(s) based on the type of user requested. The Cancel button returns the user to the sign-in screen. Instructions screen When selected, opens a page with specific instructions on completing the in-state travel form. The back button on the web browser will return the user to the sign-in screen. Will also provide an option to download in.pdf format. Forgot Password screen Allows a previously set up user to receive an with a link to reset the password. The user enters their user name in the text box provided. There will be a Submit button and a Cancel button. The Submit button will generate an to the registered user s address that will provide a link to prompt a password reset. The Cancel button will return the user to the sign-in screen. In-State Travel Form: o Department/Agency Default to Legislature o Code Number Default to 022, the Legislature s Agency Number o Division Default to House or Senate, depending on the type of registration (Senator or Representative) o Funds Drop-down menu that allows for selection of the State General Fund or Education Trust Fund. This menu will be grayed out for non- administrative users. o Month and Date Text box entry (MM/DD/YYYY format) o Points of Travel Text box entry o Private Car Miles Text box entry (whole numbers only format) to be summed in the Total Number of Miles Traveled Box. o Hour of Departure from Base/Hour of Return to Base Text box entry (XX:xx 27 P a g e

29 format non-military time) with an AM/PM selection drop- down menu o Per Diem Claimed is a calculated field based on the following: For travel requiring an overnight stay, the traveler may be paid the current daily reimbursement rate for each full day and portion of a day, for the duration of travel (Attorney General's Opinions issued August 1, 1972, October 8, 1975, and October 30, 1979). No travel allowance shall be paid for a trip of less than six hours duration. For travel that does not require an overnight stay, the traveler shall be paid a meal allowance of 15% of the regular per diem rate for a trip from six to twelve hours duration. For travel in excess of twelve hours duration, the traveler shall be paid one meal allowance and one-fourth of the per diem allowance. No meal allowance will be paid if the traveler remains in the district where his/her home or base is located. For travel related expenses, your base is defined as your district. No per diem may be claimed for travel within the legislator s district. The sum of all Per Diem Claimed should show in the Total Per Diem Claimed box. o Mileage This total is a calculation based on the Total Number of Out- of-district Miles Traveled times the current mileage rate. For those legislators whose districts are within 50 miles of the state capitol, no mileage or per diem can be claimed for travel to the state capitol. No mileage may be claimed for travel within the legislator s district. o Miscellaneous Expense This box is used for non-per diem items that are necessary. There will be a Text box entry for item description and a Text box entry for dollar amount ($XX.XX format). The sum of the dollar amounts listed should show in the Miscellaneous Expense box. o Total This Expense Account This total is a calculation that sums the Total Per Diem Claimed, Mileage, and Miscellaneous Expense. o Check Box needed for the statement I hereby certify that the travel and expense indicated hereon is accurate and was accomplished in the performance of official 28 P a g e

30 duties pursuant to travel granted me and in accordance with Act o Submit Button, Save Button or Cancel Button The Submit button will submit the completed form in the application. The submit button will be grayed out for House or Senate staff due to the certification statement. Only Representatives or Senators may submit completed forms. Once selected an electronic signature is affixed to the Signature of Traveler box, and a.pdf document of the completed form is ed to the Senator or Representative and their designated staff for their records. Once a form has been submitted, a clean form is generated for the next use. The Save button will allow for the information entered to be saved in the application. Information that has been saved may be accessible to the registered users authorized to enter data for each Senator or Representative or the individual Senator or Representative. The Cancel button will return the user to the sign-in screen. Any changes made will not be saved unless the save button has been selected prior to the cancel button selection. Administrative Options screens accessed by designated application administrators Submitted Travel Forms screen This screen will show the submitted travel forms that are ready for review by accounting staff (Representative forms are viewable by House Administrator(s), Senate forms are viewable by Senate Administrator(s)). This page will show the dates and times submitted and which Senator or Representative submitted the form. Administrators will be able to open and review the reports and choose the proper Fund from the drop-down menu. No other changes may be made by an administrator to the submitted form. Options from this page are: Reject, Approve, and Delete. If changes are necessary, the administrator may reject the form, which will send an notification that the form has been rejected to the Senator or Representative and the staff allowed access to enter information for that Senator or Representative to make the necessary changes and resubmit the form. There needs to be a text area to enter notes regarding why the form is rejected and/or what changes are necessary for approval. If the Administrator selects the proper fund, reviews the form for accuracy and is ready to send the form for 29 P a g e

31 Final Approval, the Approve link is selected. If the Approve link is selected, the form goes to the House Chief of Staff or the Senate Chief of Staff for Final Approval by the Speaker of the House or the Lieutenant Governor. Absolutely no changes are able to be made to the form at this level, as the House Chief of Staff or Senate Chief of Staff is given readonly access to the forms. If Final Approval is given an electronic signature is affixed to the form (either the Speaker of the House or the Lieutenant Governor), and the forms are returned to the Administrative staff for printing and vouchering. There is a Back button to return the Administrator to the Administrative Options screen. User Management Screens This page will allow for the setup of new users and removal of users no longer allowed access to the application. This screen will have links to Add New Senator or Representative, Add New Users, Map New Users, and Change Per Diem or Mileage Rates. There is a Back button to return the Administrator to the Administrator Options Screen. Add New Senator or Representative Screen This screen will show a list of forms that are ready for entry and will be sorted by name of the Senator or Representative. There should be a delete function to remove forms when no longer needed. There will be an Add New Senator or Representative Form button at the bottom of the screen that will allow the Form for each Senator or Representative to be set up in the application populated with information obtained in the user name and password set up. Selecting the Save button will save the new form. The Back button will return the user to the Add New Senator or Representative screen listing, and the Back button on the listing screen will return the Administrator to the User Management Options screen. Add New User screen This screen will allow the Senate Administrator(s) or House Administrator(s) to set up the requested user name and password after proper authorization. The screen will use the appropriate information from the generated in the User Name Registration above. An additional drop-down menu will be available to select the type of user (Representative, House Staff, Senator, Senate Staff, Administrator, or Approver). There will be an Add User button or a Cancel button. The Add User button will add the new user listing of users and allow access to the application. The Cancel button will return the Administrator to the User Management Options screen. Map New Users screen This screen will allow the House Administrator(s) or the 30 P a g e

32 Senate Administrator(s) to add user types to specific Senator or Representative forms. There should be a drop- down menu to select the user (House Administrator(s) only able to view House staff and Representatives/Senate Administrator(s) only able to view Senate Staff and Senators), and another drop-down menu to map them to the proper Senator(s) or Representative(s). The Add button maps the staffer to the Senator(s) or Representative(s) and the Cancel button returns the Administrator to the User Management Options screen. Change Per Diem and Mileage Rates screen This screen will allow the House or Senate Administrators the ability to change the per diem rates or the mileage rates. The rates on this screen are used to calculate the information on the form. o Overnight Per Diem Text box ($XX.XX format) Currently $75.00 o Meal Allowance Calculated at 15% of Per Diem Rate o Trip 12 Hours or More, but Not Overnight Calculated at one meal allowance and 25% of Per diem Rate o Mileage Rate Text box ($XX.XX format) Currently $.56 The Save button at the bottom of the page will save the changes made to the rates and the Cancel button will return the Administrator to the User Management Options screen. Fully approved, finalized documents that have been printed and vouchered will be stored on the website, accessible to the legislator that submitted the form, as well as the designated administrator(s). CPM II Project Team Commitment As partners in this project to serve the legislative body, we remain available to answer questions during the building phase of the project to ensure proper set up and will test the application as section(s) are ready and provide useful feedback. To ensure a successful implementation, it will be critical for the House and Senate to identify legislators and legislative staff who can answer questions during the building phase of the project to ensure proper set up, be available for testing the application as section(s) are ready and provide useful feedback. 31 P a g e

33 EXHIBIT F Proposed Legislative Travel Expense User Guide 32 P a g e

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58 EXHIBIT G Proposed Pocket Reference 57 P a g e

59 EXHIBIT H Proposed Workflow for inst.alabama.gov 58 P a g e

60 REFERENCES Constitution of Alabama 1901, Amendments 57 and 871 Code of Alabama 1975, Section House Joint Resolution 29 (2007 Regular Session) - or Act Alabama Secretary of State sos.alabama.gov Alabama Legislature legislature.state.al.us Alabama State Comptroller comptroller.alabama.gov - Fiscal Policies and Procedures Alabama Out of State Travel (Preapproval and Submission) oos.alabama.gov 59 P a g e