Federal Civilian Employee and Contractor Travel Expenses Act of 1985
Public Law 99-234 · S. 1840 · 99th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Jan 2, 1986 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Federal Civilian Employee and Contractor Travel Expenses Act of 1985 - Title I: Travel Expenses of Federal Civilian Employees - Revises provisions regarding travel and subsistence expenses for Federal employees and consultants by replacing current per diem allowance rates with rates to be established by locality.
Entitles an employee traveling on official business to a per diem allowance and appropriate travel expenses if such employee returns home or to the workplace because of a personal emergency situation. Authorizes such transportation expenses to an employee who travels to a location for medical services or where the emergency situation exists.
Authorizes the Administrator of General Services to prescribe conditions under which an employee who serves in a law enforcement capacity may be provided a subsistence allowance and travel expenses when occupying temporary living accommodations because of a threat to life or property resulting from the employee's assigned duties.
Requires that regulations to implement the preceding provisions of this Act be transmitted to the appropriate congressional committees. Declares that such regulations shall not take effect until 30 days after such transmittal.
Directs the Administrator to periodically, but at least every two years, submit to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget an analysis of information on agencies spending more than $5,000,000 annually on travel and transportation. Terminates such reporting requirement upon the submission of an analysis that includes FY 1991.
Declares that Postal Services employees transferred to an agency for permanent duty may be authorized travel expenses to the same extent as other transferred employees.
Title II: Travel Expenses of Government Contractors - Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to provide that travel costs for contractor personnel shall not exceed rates and amounts set for civilian employees, or those set by the Administrator or the President.
Directs the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy to report to the appropriate congressional committees on whether limitations should be placed on payments by executive agencies to Government contractors for costs incurred by contractor employees for transportation and relocation.
Title III: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective dates of various provisions of this Act.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 9 actions.
- Jan 2, 1986Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-234.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 24, 1985PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Dec 19, 1985FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Nov 7, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.