to any one or more of such bridges may be exercised either under the authority and provisions of this act or under the authority and provisions of any other law relating thereto; and nothing in this act shall be construed as requiring tolls to be charged for the use of any one or more of such bridges, except as hereinabove provided, and nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit the Commonwealth of Kentucky, acting by and through the State Highway Commission of Kentucky, or its successors, from paying all or any part of the cost of any one or more of such bridges and their approaches from the State road fund, or from paying all or any part of the cost of maintenance, repair, or operation of any one or more of such bridges from the State road fund of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. St. 6. The right to alter, amend, or repeal this act is hereby expressly reserved.

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PAYMENT FOR

TRAVEL ON OFFICIAL BUSINESS BY MOTOR CYCLES AND AUTOMOBILES ON A MILEAGE BASIS

JUNE 2, 1930.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. WILLIAMSON, from the Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Departments, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 12014]

The Committee on Indian Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 12014) to permit payments for the operation of motorcycles and automobiles used for necessary travel on official business on a mileage basis in lieu of actual operating expenses, having considered the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it do pass with an amendment as follows:

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:

That a civilian officer or employee engaged in necessary travel on official business away from his designated post of duty may be paid, in lieu of actual expenses of transportation, under regulations to be prescribed by the President, not to exceed 3 cents per mile for the use of his own motor cycle or 7 cents per mile for the use of his own automobile for such transportation, whenever such mode of travel has been previously authorized and payment on such mileage basis is more economical and advantageous to the United States. This act shall take effect July, 1930, and all laws or parts of laws are hereby modified or repealed to the extent same may be in conflict herewith.

STATEMENT

At the present time the only basic law upon the subject appears to be the Act of May 10, 1926 (44 Stat. 456, U. S. C. III Supplement, title 43, sec. 24), though appropriation bills from time to time have carried language authorizing the use of conveyances owned by employees for official business and providing compensation for such use on a mileage basis. Provisions of this character have appeared in appropriation bills for the General Land Office, Department of Agriculture, Federal Farm Loan Bureau, Geological Survey, Internal Revenue Bureau, Bureau of Reclamation, and the Bureau of the

Census. The language used has not been uniform and has resulted in confusion in the interpretation of the law in connection with regulations which have been promulgated thereunder by the departments. The bill as amended will put an end to this confusion by the enactment of a law which applies to all departments alike. Under existing enactments the heads of the various departments or bureaus prescribe the regulations. In the interest of uniformity the bill, as amended, requires that the President shall prescribe such regulations. Your committee is also of the opinion that until a further study of the subject can be made the law should apply only to the use of motor cycles and automobiles on official business away from the designated post of duty of the employee. Such investigation as your committee has been able to make tends to show that there has been considerable abuse of the use of motor cycles and automobiles in connection with travel from "official stations." Many trips have been made by employees on the pretext of "official business" when in fact the object of the trip was of a personal character. It is believed that the use of motor cycles and automobiles out of official stations should be left for future consideration in order that a more careful study of the problem may be made with a view to drafting legislation with proper safeguards.

At the present time an employee is entitled to actual and necessary expenses when traveling on official business. Due to certain deductions required by the General Accounting Office, such as for State gasoline tax, and the necessity of taking receipts for small sums such as gas, oil, storage, etc., there is much detail that must be attended to by the employee and consequent loss of time and much unnecessary labor is imposed on the General Accounting Office in checking such receipts. It is believed that, as a matter of convenience, and economy of both time, money and clerical help, general legislation is desirable. The proposed bill if enacted will simplify accounting to, and audit by, the General Accounting Office.

LAW REPEALED

The act of May 10, 1926 (44 Stat. 456), is repealed. It reads as follows:

Whenever the Commissioner of the General Land Office shall find that the expense of travel can be reduced thereby, he may, in lieu of actual operating expenses, under such regulations as he may prescribe, authorize the payment of not to exceed 7 cents per mile for an automobile used on official business.

BILL APPROVED BY DEPARTMENTS

The bill has the approval of all the departments and also the Budget, as will appear more fully from the digests appended hereto.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT

Very careful consideration has been given to H. R. 12014, and the department favors the passage thereof.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

The Attorney General submits two memoranda from bureau chiefs in his department and recommends favorable consideration of H. R. 12014.

J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the Bureau of Investigation, states that the suggested mileage allowance would eliminate objections met under existing law, which provides for reimbursement of actual operating expenses. The Comptroller General holds that vehicles on official Government business are exempt from State gas taxes and the expense of attempting to obtain a refund therefor is excessive. In many instances employees of the bureau would be able to perform their duties more effectively, since in scantily populated sections of the United States it is often necessary for them to delay proceedings where investigative work is to be performed because of the difficulty of securing adequate train or bus service. It is believed that the proposed legislation would foster economy and efficiency in the transaction of public business.

J. W. Gardner, general agent, states that in view of the provisions for mileage allowance in several departmental appropriation bills, there seems to be no reason why a mileage allowance should not be made uniform for the entire Government service. By using their own autmobiles United States marshals and their deputies are able to do more work in less time than if dependent on travel by railroad. The Department of Justice has twice asked the Budget Bureau to include language similar to H. R. 12014 in its annual appropriation bills without success.

POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT

Post-office inspectors are frequently required to make extensive use of private conveyances in the conduct of their official investigations. It is believed that the enactment of legislation of this kind would not only result in a saving of money in the transportation expenses of inspectors but that it would also advance the handling of their work very materially.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Two bureaus of the Department of the Interior have for some years been authorized to make mileage allowances identical to those proposed in H. R. 12014. The authority has worked very satisfactorily and has proved to be economical. The fleet of motor-propelled vehicles maintained by the department is insufficient for its field work, compelling the use of rented or privately owned cars. one of the bureaus the cost of operation for the year 1929 was as follows:

Government-owned cars.
Rented cars. -

Privately owned cars.

In

Per mile $0.034

.088

.06

Thus it would appear that while it is much more economical for the Government to own its cars, the cost for the use of privately owned cars has been less than for rented cars.

N. B.-The probabilities are that in computing the cost of operating Government-owned cars that no account has been taken of depreciation. (Williamson.)

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

It is understood that H. R. 12014 will in no way curtail the employment of Government-owned automobiles on official business and the department recommends passage of the bill.

GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE

The enactment of permanent legislation governing the use of private motor cycles and automobiles for travel on official business and payment therefor on a mileage basis in lieu of actual expense of operation is regarded as highly desirable. At the present time similar authorizations, with one exception, carried in annual appropriation acts, exist for certain Government services. Lack of uniformity in language, while the purpose is evidently the same, leads to confusion in interpretation and difficulties in accounting.

Certain objections to the bill under consideration are presented. Ownership by the traveler should be made a condition precedent to the right of reimbursement. Instead of separate regulations to be prescribed by executive heads and approved by the President, have the regulations prescribed by the President in the first instance. The provision for "travel at official stations" offers opportunities for abuse. A substitute bill carrying into effect these views is submitted.

BUREAU OF THE BUDGET

The provisions of H. R. 12014 are fully indorsed. At the present time one activity, namely, the General Land Office, has basic law permitting of the granting of a mileage rate. Several other activities of the Government have similar authority in annual appropriation acts. It is highly desirable that law be enacted which will have application to all of the departments and establishments alike. The proposal to allow a mileage rate when the expenses of travel can be reduced thereby will bring forth the desired uniformity, with mutual advantage to Federal operations and saving of public funds.

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