1. A. General Travel Policies

   1. 1. Department heads may establish travel regulations within their respective agencies, but agency regulations shall not exceed the maximum limitations set by the Commissioner of Administration. A final draft and a draft highlighting any deviations from PPM 49 must be submitted via email to StateTravel@LA.Gov for prior review and approval by the Commissioner of Administration.
   2. 2. Department heads will take actions necessary to minimize all travel in order to carry on the department’s mission.
   3. 3. Agencies must place all high-cost expenditures on the LaCarte Purchasing Card, Travel Card, or agency CBA account unless prior approval is granted by the Commissioner of Administration.
   4. 4. Department heads or their designee must submit fiscal year exemption requests annually. No exemption requests are granted on a permanent basis.

   5. 5. Grant Funds- Any agency that receives grant funds must follow PPM 49 rules and regulations and any travel regulations contained in the grant. Sub recipients that are not classified as a state agency are not subject to PPM49.

      Example: DOTD receives a federal grant and the City of New Orleans is a sub recipient of that grant, the City of New Orleans is not required to follow PPM49 but must follow their established policies and any regulations contained in the grant.

   6. 6. Travel Scholarships. If any scholarship for travel is received by a state traveler, it is the agency’s and employee’s responsibility to comply with all ethics laws and requirements.
   7. 7. Contracted Travel Services. The state has a mandatory travel agency contract to book airfare unless prior exemptions have been granted by the Office of State Travel before the airfare purchase. The contracted travel agency has an online booking system which should be used by all travelers to book airfare. Use of the online booking systems can drastically reduce the State’s agent fee paid per transaction for airfare purchases.
   8. 8. Contracted Hotel Services. The state has a contract for hotel booking services with HotelPlanner. Travelers are encouraged to use HotelPlanner. Travelers are responsible for adhering to the hotel’s cancellation policy when booking through HotelPlanner. If a traveler does not cancel a hotel stay within the cancellation period set by the hotel, the traveler will be responsible for payment or reimbursing the agency. Any exceptions for hotel rates must be approved by the department head or his/her designee. Hotel cancellation fees may be approved when supported by a valid business justification and appropriate documentation demonstrating the cancellation was unavoidable. Use of HotelPlanner does not exempt a traveler from adhering to U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) lodging rates, U.S. Department of State rates, or rates within PPM49 for the applicable travel location.
   9. 9. Contracted Vehicles Rentals. The state has mandatory contracts for all in-state and out-of-state business travel through Enterprise, National, and Hertz. These contracts are applicable to all authorized travelers and contractors.
   10. 10. When a state agency enters into a contract with an out-of-state government entity, the out-of-state government entity may have the authority to conduct any related travel in accordance with their published travel regulations.

   11. 11. Authorization to Travel

       1. a. All travel, whether routine or non-routine, must have an approved travel authorization prior to travel date. b. all non-routine travel must be authorized with prior approvals, in writing, by the department head or his/her designee, from whose funds the traveler is paid. Agencies must maintain a file on all approved travel authorizations. Electronic files and approvals are acceptable using certified electronic signatures.
       2. b. Annual travel authorizations for routine travel are allowed if determined to be in your agency’s best interest. If annual travel authorizations are used, prior approved travel authorizations are still required for non-routine meetings, conferences, and out-of-state travel. Annual travel authorizations cannot be used for non-routine meetings, conferences, and out-of-state travel.
       3. c. The Commissioner of Administration must sign all authorizations for travel and expenses for the Governor of Louisiana.
       4. d. International travel and travel to U.S Territories require prior approval from the Commissioner of Administration.
       5. e. The entity head of higher education institutions or his/her designee may approve international travel and travel to U.S Territories prior to the departure date.
   12. 12. A department head or his/her designee may approve a traveler’s reimbursement request for a communicable disease test if the employee will be traveling on official state business. Receipts are required to be reimbursed. Hotel, meals, and internet expenses are allowed to be reimbursed per the published rates when quarantine is required for a certain period.

2. B. Funds for Travel Expenses

   1. 1. State Issued Credit Cards and CBA Accounts. All high cost travel expenditures must be placed on the LaCarte Purchasing Card, Travel Card, or agency CBA account unless prior approval is granted from the Commissioner of Administration. The State Travel Office maintains the contract for the State’s corporate card program to establish one source of payment for travel expenditures. If a supervisor recommends an employee be issued a state travel card, the employee should make the request through their agency travel program administrator.

      1. a. The employee’s corporate travel card is for official state business travel only. Personal use on the travel card shall result in disciplinary action.
      2. b. If a vendor does not accept credit card payment for registration or lodging expenses, the department head may approve for payment(s) to be made by other means. Travelers must submit supporting documentation from the vendor stating they do not accept credit card payments. The supporting documentation must be kept with the travel expense form.
   2. 2. Persons traveling on official state business will provide themselves with sufficient funds for all travel expenses that are not covered by the Corporate Travel Card, LaCarte Purchasing Card, and/or agency’s CBA account.
   3. 3. For agencies participating in the LaCarte, Travel, and/or CBA card programs, group/athletic travel must be placed on one of the card programs. This does not eliminate any approvals that must be granted from the Commissioner of Administration and/or the Office of State Travel.

   4. 4. Advance of funds for travel shall only be made in extraordinary circumstances and any excess funds should be promptly repaid upon return. Cash advances meeting the exception requirement(s) listed below must have an original and itemized receipt to support all expenditures in which a cash advance was given, including meals. At the Agency’s discretion, cash advances may be allowed for:

      1. a. state traveler whose salary is less than $40,000/year;
      2. b. state travelers who accompany and/or are responsible for students or athletes for group travel. For group travel advancements, a roster with signatures of each group member along with the amount of funds received by each group member may be substituted for individual receipts;
      3. c. state travelers who accompany and/or are responsible for client travel;
      4. d. new employee who has not had time to apply for and receive the state’s corporate travel card;
      5. e. employees traveling for extended periods, defined as a period exceeding 30 or more consecutive days;
      6. f. employees traveling to remote destinations in foreign countries;
      7. g. lodging costs if the hotel(s) will not allow direct bill or charges to agency’s CBA and the traveler’s salary is less than $40,000/year;
      8. h. registration for seminars, conferences, and conventions.

   5. 5. Sponsored or Scholarship Travel- Travel expenses paid by a sponsor or scholarship are considered a gift per
      R.S. 42:1115 and requires completion of Ethics Disclosure Form 413. It is the traveler’s responsibility to properly complete and submit to the Board of Ethics in the time required. The form can be downloaded at: http://ethics.la.gov/pub/CampFinan/Forms/Form413f.pdf?20190402.

      1. a. Reimbursements are not allowed when the traveler does not incur any expense. This includes, but is not limited to, reimbursements for any lodging or meals provided at a state institution or agency or provided by any other party at no cost to the traveler. b. An approved Travel Authorization must be approved prior to travel date.
   6. 6. Travel expenses shall be limited to the necessary expenses incurred by a traveler and must be within the limitations set by PPM 49.

3. C. Requests for Reimbursement

   1. 1. Official domicile/temporary assignment. travelers are eligible to receive reimbursement for travel only when they are away from their “official domicile” or on a temporary assignment unless exemption is granted in accordance with these regulations. Temporary assignments will end after a period of thirty consecutive calendar days. After thirty days, the place of assignment shall be deemed his/her official domicile. The traveler shall not be allowed travel and subsistence reimbursement unless permission to extend the thirty-day period has been previously approved by the Commissioner of Administration.

      1. a. Travelers cannot be reimbursed while traveling within their official domicile.
      2. b. Travelers cannot be reimbursed when traveling to/from their residence when their residence location is different from their official domicile.
      3. c. At the discretion of the department head or his/her designee, an exception may be allowed for mileage to/from airports as stated in §1504.E.3.
      4. d. The department head or his/her designee may approve an authorization for routine travel for an employee who must travel to perform his/her regular job duties. This may include traveling within the employee’s official domicile if it is a regular and necessary part of the employee’s duties. Attending infrequent/irregular meetings and conferences within their official domicile are not reimbursable.
   2. 2. All claims for travel reimbursement shall be submitted on the State’s Travel Expense Form, BA-12, or in your agency’s travel expense management system. Travel Expense Forms must be completed to include all travel details and be signed by the person claiming reimbursement and approved by his/her immediate supervisor. Agencies must get an exemption from the office of State Travel to use a Travel Expense form other than the BA-12. The second page of the BA-12 must be completed with the breakdown of the travel expenses.
   3. 3. High cost expenses such as air transportation, registration, lodging, rental vehicles, shuttle services must be placed on the state card program. The traveler must provide receipts for all items charged or billed directly to the agency.
   4. 4 Membership fees that are a part of a conference registration fee are considered allowable expenses under both the CBA and Travel Card Program. The membership must be tied to the conference registration.
   5. 5. Cost of meals, incidentals, baggage fees, taxi fares and other travel-related expenses shall be paid by the traveler and claimed on the travel expense form for reimbursement.
   6. 6. Travel Expense Forms must include all expenses related to the trip, which includes expenses paid by the agency and reimbursable expenses paid by the traveler. Expenses paid by the agency must be noted on the Travel Expense Form or marked “prepaid” on the LaGov expense statement and these expenses must be excluded from the traveler’s reimbursable costs.
   7. 7. Travelers should submit claims within 30 days of the travelers’ return date. If a travel reimbursement is less than $25, it is recommended that the traveler wait until a minimum of $25 is reimbursable to submit the request unless there is no travel scheduled for the traveler in the future. Department heads may make the 30-day submittal mandatory on a department wide basis.
   8. 8. Any person who submits a claim pursuant to these regulations and who willfully makes any claim which he/she does not believe to be true and correct or who willfully aids, procures, counsels, or advises the preparation of a false or fraudulent claim, shall be guilty of official misconduct. If a traveler receives an allowance or reimbursement by means of a false or fraudulent claim, the traveler(s) involved shall be subject to disciplinary actions as well as being criminally and civilly liable within the provisions of state law.
   9. 9. Agencies shall review travel reimbursements to verify the documentation and complete processing within 30 days of receiving the final reimbursement submission.

Authority Note

AUTHORITY NOTE: Published in accordance with R.S. 39:231.

Historical Note

HISTORICAL NOTE: Written by the Office of the Governor, Division of Administration, November 1, 1972, published LR 1:179 (April 1975), amended LR 1:338 (August 1975), LR 2:312 (October 1976), LR 5:93 (May 1979), LR 6:405 (August 1980), LR 7:7 (January 1981), LR 8:406 (August 1982), LR 15:820 (October 1989), LR 16:965 (November 1990), LR 26:1253 (June 2000), LR 27:803 (June 2001), LR 28:1126 (June 2002), LR 29:823 (June 2003), LR 30:1112 (June 2004), LR 31:1184 (June 2005), LR 33:966 (June 2007), republished LR 33:1315 (July 2007), amended LR 34:1300 (July 2008), republished LR 35:1193 (July 2009), amended LR 36:1648 (July 2010), LR 37:2049 (July 2011), LR 38:1476 (July 2012), LR 39:1660 (July 2013), LR 40:1053 (June 2014), LR 41:1044 (June 2015), LR 42:982 (July 2016), LR 43:1111 (June 2017), LR 44:1175 (June 2018), LR 45:841 (June 2019), LR 47:815 (June 2021), LR 47:1053 (July 2021), LR 48:1447 (June 2022), LR 48:2516 (October 2022), LR 49:1013 (June 2023), LR 51:756 (June 2025), effective July 1, 2025, LR 52:000 (June 2026), effective July 1, 2026.