(30 ILCS 105/12-2) (from Ch. 127, par. 148-2) Sec. 12-2. Travel Regulation Council; State travel reimbursement. (a) The chairmen of the travel control boards established by Section 12-1, or their designees, shall together comprise the Travel Regulation Council. The Travel Regulation Council shall be chaired by the Director of Central Management Services, who shall be a nonvoting member of the Council, unless he is otherwise qualified to vote by virtue of being the designee of a voting member. No later than March 1, 1986, and at least biennially thereafter, the Council shall adopt State Travel Regulations and Reimbursement Rates which shall be applicable to all personnel subject to the jurisdiction of the travel control boards established by Section 12-1. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Council shall be required to adopt regulations and reimbursement rates. If the Council fails to adopt regulations by March 1 of any odd-numbered year, the Director of Central Management Services shall adopt emergency regulations and reimbursement rates pursuant to the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. As soon as practicable after January 23, 2023 (the effective date of Public Act 102-1119), the Travel Regulation Council and the Higher Education Travel Control Board shall adopt amendments to their existing rules to ensure that reimbursement rates for public institutions of higher education, as defined in Section 1-13 of the Illinois Procurement Code, are set in accordance with the requirements of subsection (f) of this Section. (b) (Blank). (c) (Blank). (d) Reimbursements to travelers shall be made pursuant to the rates and regulations applicable to the respective State agency as of January 1, 1986 (the effective date of Public Act 84-345), until the State Travel Regulations and Reimbursement Rates established by this Section are adopted and effective. (e) (Blank). (f) Notwithstanding any rule or law to the contrary, State travel reimbursement rates for lodging and mileage for automobile travel, as well as allowances for meals, shall be set at the maximum rates established by the federal government for travel expenses, subsistence expenses, and mileage allowances under 5 U.S.C. 5701 through 5711 and any regulations promulgated thereunder. If the rates set under federal regulations increase or decrease during the course of the State's fiscal year, the effective date of the new rate shall be the effective date of the change in the federal rate. (g) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, the Council may provide, by rule, for alternative methods of determining the appropriate reimbursement rate for a traveler's subsistence expenses based upon the length of travel, as well as the embarkation point and destination. (Source: P.A. 102-1119, eff. 1-23-23; 103-8, eff. 1-1-24; 103-588, eff. 6-5-24; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24.) |