Don't Be Afraid of the Senator Grassley Bill

Ready or not, here comes the Senator Grassley Bill. Otherwise known as S-300, this bill, which clamps down on abuse, misuse and payment delinquencies on government-sponsored purchase and travel cards, is expected to be signed into law soon. And word on the street is that the final draft will closely resemble the bill that has been making its way through Congress.

How will the new law affect your current operations? Will it require new processes? New resources? New staff?

You can probably stop worrying. U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley's bill merely takes the oversight requirements of the current Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-123 Appendix B you've been using for years, and makes them law. So it simply strengthens enforcement of those regulations.

What this means for you
If you currently follow the OMB Circular's rules, you probably don't have to change much, if anything, in your processes. If you're not sure you are currently following those rules, Citi can help you on the road to compliance. We'll offer guidance to help you re-evaluate your management plan, and implement one based on the best practices of other government agencies and the private sector.

We can also help you set up key S-300-required monthly reports to be processed and submitted automatically, relieving you of that tedious task each month. Completing and filing those reports can help your agency identify and remediate abuse/misuse – that is, personal use of government cards – and avoid problematic GAO findings (which tend to make their way into embarrassing news headlines).

For example, Citi's new Program Audit Tool (see article in this issue) can sift through travel cardholders' purchases and pinpoints expenses incurred in cardholders' own ZIP codes, a traditional abuse indicator. Other programs can flag, and even block, transactions made on weekends and holidays, as well as specific transactions such as cash advances, retail purchases, and visits to particular merchants (Wal-Mart purchases, for instance, may indicate personal, rather than government-related, transactions).

Boost productivity rebates
One of the most significant benefits of relying on Citi is helping you not only cut down on waste and reduce expenses, but also to increase "productivity rebates" for timely payments. Those rebates, which were once regarded as nice-to-have bonuses, are now depended upon to continue to fund and manage agency programs.

Citi can also help program coordinators keep their agency's personnel up to date on the latest OMB rules and S-300 regulations on use, misuse/abuse and delinquent payments for government-sponsored purchase and travel cards.

If you'd like more details on how Citi can help you ensure compliance with S-300 – and boost your bottom line in the process – please contact your Citi representative.