CG
CG: TRAVEL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
PURPOSE
This policy establishes the regulations and rules for all travel approval and travel expense
reimbursement for South Plains College (SPC) employees.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
1. All official business travel must be for the benefit of SPC only and must be related to the
assigned duties of the employee.
2. Authorization and reimbursement of travel expenses incurred by a SPC employee to
conduct official business must be pre-authorized through the college Travel Requisition
system (TR).
3. All travel policies must be followed for all travel regardless of the fund source. Any
travel funded by grant funds must be authorized and in accordance with the college
policies and the activities set forth by the grant.
4. The regulations specific for each fund group must be followed when preparing a travel
request / expense form. If expenses are to be paid for one trip from both local funds and
grant funds, the regulations for each type of fund must be followed.
5. The official dates of a meeting, event, or conference are to be included in the Travel
Requisition and the Travel Expense Form including a narrative of the reason for the trip.
All brochures and agendas must be submitted with the travel expense form confirming
the dates of the conference and any expenses that are provided with the meeting fees.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRAVELER
1. A College employee is responsible for knowing the institutional travel policies and
procedures prior to traveling. Each department is responsible for communicating
sufficient information to each traveler in order to comply with institutional travel
policies prior to the trip. If any employee is unsure of institutional policies, the traveler
and/or department must seek assistance from the Purchasing Office prior to the trip.
2. A college employee may not request authorization to travel or reimbursement for travel
expenses that the employee has not actually incurred and should reasonably know are
not reimbursable.
3. A college employee that receives an overpayment for any travel expense must
immediately reimburse the college for the overpayment. An overpayment is any amount
of reimbursement that exceeds: (1. the limits authorized by policy, or (2. the amount of
travel expense actually incurred during the authorized trip.
4. The Travel Expense Form (See CGA.E) must be submitted to the Purchasing Office for
processing within fourteen (14) days of the last date of travel to process the expenses for
the trip including any approved reimbursements. Any travel completed within the last
two weeks of August, the Travel Expense Form must be submitted for processing before
the last day of August. Any expense form submitted after September 14th may be denied.
5. In accordance with IRS regulations, any Travel Expense Forms received in the
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Purchasing Office that is over 60 days from the trip end date will be taxable to the
traveler. The taxable date will be calculated based on the trip end date and the taxable
expense will be reported to Payroll.
6. The traveler is to pay all of his/her single share of expenses while traveling and seek any
allowed reimbursement on a travel expense form.
TRAVEL APPROVAL
1. All travel must be approved through the online Travel Requisition process in the DPS
system.
2. All approvals must be acquired prior to your trip. Under no circumstance may an
employee make reservations or pre-payments prior to receiving an authorized travel
purchase order if the reservation cannot be cancelled without cost to the college.
GENERAL TRAVEL REQUEST PROCEDURES
1. Travel Request
a. The purpose of the online Travel Requisition (TR) is to:
 Seek approval for travel in advance prior to the trip.
 Initiate arrangements for coverage of classes/duties during absence.
 Schedule use of college vehicles.
 Verify that students are absent from classes while representing the college.
 Provide information regarding itinerary and place of stay in case of
emergencies.
b. The submitted travel request will go through all approvals and the Purchasing
Office will issue purchase orders to the various vendors to cover registration fees,
lodging, personal reimbursements, transportation, etc. if requested. The employee
may charge the trip expenses to their college-issued procurement credit card
except for the rental vehicle once the traveler acquires an approved travel
purchase order.
c. The Purchasing Office will provide the Dean of Students with the list of students
who will be traveling and notify the Physical Plant Director of the need for an
SPC vehicle.
d. When you are ready to travel, you will check out credit cards from the Purchasing
Office, and upon your return the Travel Expense Form (See CGA.E), supporting
documents and receipts will be returned to the Purchasing Office.
2. Registration Fees
a. If possible, all registration fees should be paid using the traveler’s college-issued
procurement credit card.
b. When requesting pre-payment of registration fees, the traveler must first complete
a Travel Request detailing what is to be paid prior to their trip. The original
registration form must be forwarded to the Purchasing Office for payment
processing.
c. If a fee is paid by the traveler in advance or at the conference site, reimbursement
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may be claimed on the Travel Expense Form when claiming all other expenses.
Entertainment and other personal expenses are not reimbursable.
d. Registration cancellation charges are reimbursable if a statement is given that
includes the official business purpose for cancellation. If a traveler cancels for
personal reasons and incurs cancellation charges, the charges may not be
reimbursable.
3. Transportation
a. An SPC employee may charge or be reimbursed for transportation cost only when
traveling on official business and only upon acquiring an authorized travel
purchase order for the trip. The employee must select the most efficient method of
transportation available. When traveling to another campus, the decision between
a college vehicle, rental car, or personal vehicle should be evaluated and verified.
Verification of cost to rent verses use of a college vehicle or personal vehicle
should be considered. All employees must have a valid Texas Driver’s license to
operate a college vehicle. The employee must pass the online driver’s course
before being allow to drive a college vehicle.
b. Commercial Airfare: Airline reservations may be made directly with an airline
website and/or travel agency in advance with an approved travel purchase order.
This expense should be included in the TR entered into the DPS system. The
purchase order number will be called to the travel agency within 24 hours. If an
employee prefers to pay airline reservations with a personal credit card, he/she
may be reimbursed the approved cost after the travel has occurred. The College
will reimburse an employee for the actual cost of commercial airfare only unless
authorized otherwise. The amount of reimbursement shall not exceed the lowest
available airfare, considering all relevant circumstances. First Class air is not
allowed unless it is the last available seat and travel on that flight is a last resort.
c. Rented Vehicles: The College has a direct bill service with Enterprise Rent-A-Car
that includes all property damage and liability insurance through the State of
Texas Contract. The direct link to the website is located on the MySPC website
under Employees, Purchasing, and Shared Documents. This is the preferred
service for rental cars. The College will reimburse an employee for the actual cost
of renting a motor vehicle from a carrier other than Enterprise Rent-A-Car if
Enterprise is not available at that location. Reimbursement costs include
applicable taxes, and similar mandatory charges. Charges for collision damage
should not be waived; liability insurance supplements, personal accident
insurance, safe trip insurance and personal effects insurance are carried by the
College insurance and should be waived. The College carries insurance to cover
these expenses.
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d. Travel by Mass Transit, Taxi or Limousine: The College will reimburse an
employee for the actual cost of transportation by these modes of travel. The fares
must be included in the Travel Request requisition. If actual fees are unknown, an
estimated amount must be included. The fares must be itemized on the Travel
Expense Form and receipts attached.
e. Travel by College Vehicles: College vehicles reservations must be entered online
as a Travel Request. In emergency cases, college vehicles may be reserved by
calling the Director of Physical Plant. To ensure getting a vehicle, requests
should be made well in advance. When using a college vehicle, the vehicle comes
with a Comdata credit cards for fuel, oil, etc. The Comdata credit card is the
property of the College and may be used only for the operation of a college
vehicle.
f. Travel by Personal Vehicle: The College may reimburse an employee for the
mileage incurred during the use of a personally owned vehicle with the exception
of those employees receiving a car allowance or a vehicle is provided by the
College. With the exception of parking expenses, a mileage reimbursement is
inclusive of all expenses associated with the operation of the vehicle. The term
“all expenses associated” includes damage to the employee’s personal vehicle
from any cause, including any cost associated with the repair of the vehicle. The
College will not be liable for the employee’s insurance deductible.
i. Personal Liability – Employees who choose to use their personal vehicles
for College business are advised of the possibility of personal liability
related to that use. The employee’s personal insurance will be primary for
any damages in the event of an accident caused by a collision or weather
related.
ii. Re-occurring Trips – Employees who travel repetitively in the
performance of their duties to teach at other locations, clinics, or hospitals
may summarize their travel by itemizing their trips by the date on a single
Travel Expense Form. The maximum summarized report is 30 days.
iii. Fiscal Year End Requirements – Reimbursement for mileage up to August
31 must be processed by September 15 to be considered.
iv. Travel to Airport from Employee’s Residence – Mileage from an
employee’s residence to nearest airport will be reimbursed. Mileage from
workplace to airport will not be reimbursed. Example: For an employee
who works in Levelland and resides in Lubbock, mileage will not be
reimbursed from Levelland to the nearest airport, but instead will be
reimbursed from the employee’s residence.
g. Parking and Toll Reimbursements: The college may reimburse an employee for
parking expenses incurred when traveling in a personally owned or rented vehicle.
The parking expenses must be for official business only. Itemized receipts must
be submitted with the Travel Expense Form. Actual toll fees may be reimbursed
for personally owned, rented or leased vehicles during official college business.
An itemized invoice must be submitted with your Travel Expense Form.
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h. Taxi or Limousine Reimbursements: Reimbursement for the actual cost of
transportation by taxi may be allowed. A receipt will be required with the date of
the expense. Limousine expense may be reimbursed only if the limousine cost is
the lowest cost transportation available considering all relevant circumstances. A
summary detailing the cost analysis will be required. Pre-approval for Limousine
service is required. All receipts must be submitted with the Travel Expense Form.
i. Mileage reimbursement - Mileage must be itemized by a point-to-point basis with
all locations being identified on the Travel Request and Travel Expense Form.
The mileage guides to be used are found at www.mapquest.com and
www.randmcnally.com. The current mileage reimbursement rate for the college
is $.40 per mile. A Travel Expense Form must be completed with an itemized
Mileage Report (See CGB.E) and forwarded to the Purchasing Office for
reimbursement processing. Requests for mileage reimbursement must be
approved by the employee’s supervisor.
i. Personal vehicle mileage will not be reimbursed for travel between an
employee’s residence and their primary workplace location. Mileage while
commuting from home to work or the return trip will not be reimbursed.
ii. Reimbursement for personal vehicle mileage can be claimed if an
employee is required to travel to a secondary SPC location for college
business. When traveling on college business, the departure point for
determining actual mileage will be the primary workplace location and the
termination point will be the secondary location. Maximum mileages
between SPC locations includes the following:
Levelland to Reese - 24 miles
Levelland to Plainview - 75 miles
Levelland to BMATC - 35 miles
Levelland to TTU - 30 miles
Reese to TTU - 9 miles
Reese to ATC - 14 miles
Reese to Plainview - 58 miles
Lubbock to Plainview - 48 miles
TTU to BMATC - 5 miles
Examples (for faculty): An instructor has a primary teaching location of
Levelland, travels to Reese to teach a class, then returns to Levelland.
Reimbursement = 48 miles (round trip Levelland to Reese)
An instructor who lives in Lubbock has a primary teaching location of
Levelland and stops at Reese to teach on their way home. No
reimbursement.
An instructor has a primary teaching location of Reese, travels to TTU to
teach an class, then returns to Reese for evening classes. Reimbursement =
18 miles (round trip Reese to TTU)
iii. Determination of mileage reimbursement will be made by the chairperson
or supervisor with approval from the appropriate dean and vice president.
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j. Coordination of Travel (Four-Per-Car Rule).
When multiple employees are traveling from the same worksite to the same location,
on the same date, they must coordinate travel. Only one of the employees riding in
the vehicle may be reimbursed for mileage to the destination. Mileage may be
reimbursed for traveling to multiple locations to pick up other employees. Only in a
case where travelers are required to stay for official business later than the
coordinated group will an exception be allowed. Personal business after the meeting
will not be an allowed exception.
4. Lodging Expenses
a. Lodging for overnight travel.
South Plains College will reimburse an employee who travels with overnight stays for
lodging expenses not to exceed the authorized travel reimbursement amounts set by
the State Comptroller for both in-state and out-of-state travel. These reimbursement
amounts can be found on this link: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/104711. For
out-of-state destination cities and counties for which specific rates are not listed, the
rate for the nearest city or county may be used. For in-state travel, if the city is not
listed, a maximum rate of $85 for lodging must be used.
b. Lodging Rate for Conference Site Hotel.
The present reimbursement limit for in-state lodging is $85 per night. If lodging is
arranged through the conference/seminar provider, SPC will pay the
conference/seminar rate per night per person regardless of the reimbursement limits
published by the State Comptroller’s office if the additional cost benefits the College.
c. Sharing Lodging.
When two or more employees share lodging, each employee must submit a Travel
Request and Travel Expense Form for his/her share of the actual lodging expense.
The College will pay each employee’s share of the actual lodging expense not to
exceed the applicable maximum lodging reimbursement rate. Each traveler must
obtain a lodging receipt with his/her name on the receipt or show other proof of
payment, such as a charge card receipt, a credit card billing, or a memo from the
person named on the receipt.
d. Hotel Tax Information.
i. SPC employees traveling on official business within Texas are exempt
from paying the state hotel occupancy tax but not from paying the county
or local hotel occupancy tax. To claim the exemption the traveler must
provide the hotel with a completed Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax Exemption
Certificate. An employee who fails to exempt the tax may not be
reimbursed for state hotel occupancy taxes.
ii. An employee may be reimbursed for all hotel occupancy taxes when
traveling outside Texas at the maximum allowable hotel rate if not
exempted.
iii. Prospective employees, participants and/or students are not exempt from
any hotel taxes. If the lodging invoice is billed directly to SPC, the State
hotel occupancy tax is exempt.
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e. Receipt Requirements.
Lodging receipts are required. The name of the employee, the single room rate and a
daily itemization of the lodging charges must be included on the receipt. The receipt
must have detail showing paid status with a zero balance and no Hotel Occupancy tax
charges.
f. Tip Allocation Regulation.
When traveling on a trip paid for by state and federal grant funds, all tips must be
paid with local fund accounts. Tips, if allowed, must be separated on the Travel
Expense Form with all tips allocated to your local fund account. Allowable tips
include gratuity for meals associated with student travel or for meals incurred during
official business meetings involving college employees and outside groups.
g. Prohibited Lodging Reimbursement / Charges.
i. Lodging that is not for official business.
ii. Personal charges. (room service, movies, alcohol, etc.)
iii. Any additional charges for any family member present on the trip that are
not on official business or an employee of the college.
5. Meal and Incidental Expenses
a. Meals for overnight travel.
An employee may be reimbursed for meal expenses on a per diem basis not to exceed
thirty dollars ($30) per day for in-state travel and forty five dollars ($45) for out-ofstate travel. To qualify for per diem reimbursement, the approved trip must be an
overnight trip for official college business. All meals included as part of any
conference or seminar fee, are not eligible to be reimbursed at the per-diem rate.
Only in cases where an employee has a legitimate reason for not eating the
conference provided meal will the employee be reimbursed at the per-diem rate listed
below. Breakfast provided by a hotel at no charge is also not eligible to be reimbursed
at the per-diem rate.
b. Per-Diem Allocation Rate. (No Receipts Required)
The $30 per-diem allowance is allocated based on the time the employee leaves
campus. Reimbursement limits do not carry over from one day to another.
i
If departure from the city limits or airport is before 8:00 a.m. or return is
after 8:00 a.m., you may claim $6.00 for breakfast. For out-of-state meals
you may claim $9.00.
ii If departure from the city limits or airport is before noon or return is after
1:00 p.m.. you may claim $9.00 for lunch. For out-of-state meals, you
may claim $13.50.
iii If departure from the city limits or airport is before 5:00 p.m. or return is
after 7:00 p.m. you may claim $15.00 for dinner. For out-of-state meals,
you may claim $22.50.
c. Payment for Per-Diem Meals.
Employees must pay all meals while traveling on official business with personal
funds. Per-diem meals may not be placed on the employee’s college issued credit
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card.
d. Prohibited Meal Reimbursements.
i Meal expenses for travel without an overnight stay.
ii Tips or gratuities unless allowed. (For allowable tips see Section 4-f.) If
allowed, tips must not be paid with state or federal funds.
iii Alcoholic beverages on all funds.
iv Any purchases of a personal nature.
e. Exceptions to Meal Reimbursements and Procurement Card Payment.
Trips that include students may be paid for with the employee’s college issued credit
card or petty cash if approved. This includes the meal for the employee at the
approved rate. Advisory meetings that include meals may be paid for with the
employee’s credit card. This includes the meal for the employee(s) responsible for
the meeting.
6. Prohibited Travel Expenses
a. Any expenses for personal benefit that do not relate to official business.
b. Fuel or maintenance expenses for a personal vehicle.
c. Hotel occupancy tax if not claimed by the traveler.
d. Tips for any expense paid for by grant funds.
e. Alcoholic beverages.
f. Any trip that has not been approved with an authorized purchase order before
traveling.
g. Upgrade rental vehicle to luxury without pre-approval.
h. Per-diem meals for non-overnight stays.
TRAVEL PAYMENT METHODS
1. College Issued Credit Card
a. South Plains College provides a procurement credit card for use during jobrelated travel. These cards are to be used for hotel, parking and other
miscellaneous expenses incurred during time away from the College. The card is
not to be used for rental cars. Rules for use of this card can be found in the Travel
Card Guide. (See CGC.E.)
b. If use of the college procurement credit card is requested, this should be included
in the TR entered into the DPS system when initial travel is requested and
approved. Cards will not be checked out without prior approval from the
Purchasing Office. The card must be picked up by the actual card holder or by
the departmental administrative assistant. Cards will not be given to student
workers.
c. All travel expense charges must be itemized on the Travel Expense Form, with
receipts attached and submitted to the Purchasing Office.
2. Travel Advances
The college does not provide cash advances for meal expenses except when
accompanying student groups. The cash advance will be for the anticipated cost of
faculty/student meals only. This expense should be included on the TR and a note
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attached with the date funds are needed.
3. Reimbursements for Travel with Personal Funds
a. If an employee chooses to use personal funds while traveling on College
business, he/she may be reimbursed for expenses after travel has occurred.
b. Reimbursement for travel expenses paid with personal funds must be included in
the Travel Requisition entered into the DPS system for initial travel approval. A
travel expense form must be completed for reimbursement. This form must be
forwarded, with original receipts, and supporting documentation to the
Purchasing Office.
TRAVEL EXPENSE FORM REQUIREMENTS
1. Complete documentation must accompany all Travel Expense Forms. This includes
seminar itineraries, airline ticket receipts, lodging receipts, and receipts for other
expenses, excluding meals. All forms must include reason for travel, the dates, times and
places traveled and supporting documentation. Any meals provided by a conference in
the fees to attend will be excluded from the employee’s per-diem request. Breakfast
provided by hotel will also be excluded from the employee’s per-diem request.
Incomplete forms will be returned to the employee.
2. Receipt Requirements for all Travel except Per-Diem - Original receipts are required for
reimbursement of travel expenses. Detailed on all receipts or the Travel Expense Form is
the employee name, anyone traveling with the employee on official business. Internet
charges are not an exemption for the detailed receipt.
3. Missing Original Receipt - If lost or misplaced, a copy of the receipt must be obtained by
the traveling employee. Failure to obtain a receipt, the traveler will not be reimbursed. If
a copy of the original is submitted, a statement must be included on the Travel Expense
Form explaining why a copy is submitted instead of the original.
TRAVEL INVOLVING STUDENT GROUPS
The College will reimburse student groups and their sponsors for travel when representing the
College (such as judging teams, athletic teams, cheerleaders, music groups, etc.), provided
specific budgetary funds have been approved.
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
1. Prospective Employees
The college will reimburse prospective employees for travel expenses related to
employment interviews if the prospective employee is offered and accepts the position.
Travel expenses will be paid at the same rate as for college employees. Travel expenses
will not be reimbursed if the job is not offered to the prospective employee or if the
prospective employee is offered the job, but does not accept the offer.
2. Reimbursable / Non-Reimbursable Expenses
The following is a partial list of reimbursable and non-reimbursable incidental expenses:
Reimbursable Expense - The following expenses are reimbursable if they are incurred for
official college business reasons.
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a. Hotel occupancy and similar taxes that a college employee is not exempt from
paying.
b. Telephone calls.
c. Gasoline and toll charges when rented vehicles are used.
d. Repair charges when college owned vehicles are used. If charges are substantial,
approval must be received from the Director of Physical Plant and/or Division
Dean.
e. Copying charges.
f. Admittance fees to events related to the purpose of travel.
g. Postage
h. Emergency medical or health costs incurred by students while traveling
i. Tips and gratuities involving meals associated with student travel
Non-Reimbursable Expenses
a. Expenses that do not relate to official college business.
b. Any expenses, with the exception of parking expenses that are related to the
operation of a personally owned vehicle.
c. Personal expenses such as the rental or purchase of videotapes for personal
entertainment, alcoholic beverages, and dry cleaning.
Date Issued: September 1, 2002
Revision Issued: February 1, 2016
Approved: Executive Council
CGD VEHICLE AND BUS DRIVER POLICY
PURPOSE
This policy established the requirements that an employee must meet in order to qualify as a
Vehicle Driver for a group of students or other groups of citizens as a representative for South
Plains College and sets the standards for how the employee will be paid as a bus driver.
STANDARD DRIVER REQUIREMENTS
1. In order to be approved as a qualified driver for the College’s 42-passenger bus, an
employee must meet the following requirements.
a. Be at least 21 years of age in order to satisfy insurance requirements.
b. Possess a good driving record with no more than two moving violations in the
past 2 years, as required by insurance.
c. Have no DWI or DUID convictions.
d. Have a Class B CDL Driver’s License with Passenger Endorsement abd Air
Brake Certification.
e. Pass a driver background check.
2. In order to qualify as an approved driver for all other motor pool vehicles, an employee
must meet the following requirements.
a. Be at least 21 years of age in order to satisfy insurance requirements.
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b. Possess a good driving record with no more than two moving violations in the
past 2 years, as required by insurance.
c. Have no DWI or DUID convictions.
d. Have a Class C Driver’s License.
e. Pass a driver background check.
f. Complete the online driver training video.
DRIVER RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Coordinate with the College employee or sponsor in charge of the trip as to departing
times, stopping times, etc. in accordance with the rules and regulations set by the College
and the Department of Public Safety (continuous hours driven, rest, etc.)
2. During periods of inclement weather, the vehicle driver will have final say as to whether
or not it is safe to travel.
3. It will be the responsibility of the Driver to transport the group wherever they need to go
during the entire trip.
PAYMENT AND REIMBURSEMENT PROCEDURES
1. An employee of South Plains College who serves as a vehicle driver will be paid as
follows. Pay rates will be in effect regardless of which vehicle is being utilized.
a. One-day trips - regular employee hourly rate and overtime hourly rate applies.
b. Overnight trips – 16 hours paid per driver.
c. Salaried Employees - not affected by hours.
d. If two drivers are needed for one trip, pay rates apply for each driver.
2. The Driver will be provided a separate room at the same hotel as the group during any
trip involving overnight stays.
3. The Driver will be reimbursed for meals on a per-diem basis according to College policy.
Any meals provided with the group will be subtracted from the per-diem. Any meals
provided by the hotel, restaurant or event will be subtracted from the per-diem. Example,
“bus drivers eat free”. The per-diem will not be paid if the hotel/motel serves breakfast,
unless the group is not present during serving times. Per-diem may not be requested for
travel without an overnight stay.
4. In order to receive the per-diem meal reimbursement, the Driver must complete a Travel
Expense Form (See CGA.E) and submit it to the Purchasing Office. The expense form
must be signed by the Driver and approved by the administrator/faculty sponsor in charge
of the group.
5. After all per-diem meals have been verified by the group sponsor, reimbursement will be
issued by South Plains College to the Driver.
Date Issued: March 7, 2016
Approved: Executive Council
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