Amended in Assembly April 22, 2015

Amended in Assembly March 26, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 229

Introduced by Assembly Member Chang

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(Coauthor: Assembly Member Olsen)

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February 4, 2015

An act to add Section 19822.4 to the Government Code, relating to public employment.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 229, as amended, Chang. State employees: travel reimbursement.

Under existing law and bargaining agreements, the state reimburses employees for all necessary and actual expenses they incur when they travel on official state business.

This bill would prohibit a state agency from prohibiting begin delete the use of, or denying reimbursement for, necessary and actual expenses of end delete state employees traveling on official state business begin delete for end delete begin insert from using end insert transportation provided by a transportation network company or lodging in a short-term rental, as defined. begin insert The bill would require a state agency to reimburse the actual and necessary expenses of a state employee using a transportation network company or a short-term rental consistent with the agency’s standard reimbursement policies. end insert The bill would request and encourage the University of California to adopt travel reimbursement policies consistent with that prohibition. The bill would define terms for those purposes.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 19822.4 is added to the Government
Code, to read:

19822.4.  

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Short-term rental” means a residential property that is rented
to a visitor for fewer than 30 days through a centralized online
platform whereby the rental is advertised and payments for the
rental are securely processed. For purposes of travel
reimbursement, a short-term rental shall be considered a
commercial lodging establishment.

(2) “Transportation network company” has the same meaning
as defined in Section 5431 of the Public Utilities Code.

(b)  begin insert (1) end insert begin insert   end insert A state agency shall not prohibit begin delete the use of, or deny
reimbursement for, necessary and actual expenses of end delete state
employees traveling on official state business begin delete for end delete begin insert from using end insert
transportation provided by a transportation network company or
lodging in a short-term rental.

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(2) Reimbursement shall be provided for necessary and actual
expenses, consistent with the agency’s policies for reimbursement
of other lodging establishments or other vehicles for hire.

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(c) The Legislature requests and encourages the University of
California to adopt travel reimbursement policies consistent with
this section.