682.418—Prohibited uses of the assets of the Operating Fund during periods in which the Operating Fund contains transferred funds owed to the Federal Fund.

(a) General. (1) During periods in which the Operating Fund contains transferred funds owed to the Federal Fund, a guaranty agency may not use the assets of the Operating Fund to pay costs prohibited under paragraph (b) of this section and may not use the assets of the Operating Fund to pay for goods, property, or services provided by an affiliated organization unless the agency applies and demonstrates to the Secretary, and receives the Secretary's approval, that the payment would be in the Federal fiscal interest and would not exceed the affiliated organization's actual and reasonable cost of providing those goods, property, or services.

(2) All guaranty agency contracts with respect to its Operating Fund or assets must include a provision stating that the contract is terminable by the Secretary upon 30 days notice to the contracting parties if the Secretary determines that the contract includes an impermissible transfer of the Operating Fund or assets or is otherwise inconsistent with the terms and purposes of section 422 of the HEA.

(b) Prohibited uses of Operating Fund assets. A guaranty agency may use the assets of the Operating Fund established under § 682.410(a)(1) only as prescribed in § 682.410(a)(2). Uses of the Operating Fund that are not allowable under § 682.410(a)(2) include, but are not limited to—

(1) Compensation for personnel services, including wages, salaries, pension plan costs, post-retirement health benefits, employee life insurance, unemployment benefit plans, severance pay, costs of leave, and other benefits, to the extent that total compensation to an employee, officer, director, trustee, or agent of the guaranty agency is not reasonable for the services rendered. Compensation is considered reasonable to the extent that it is comparable to that paid in the labor market in which the guaranty agency competes for the kind of employees involved. Costs that are otherwise unallowable may not be considered allowable solely on the basis that they constitute personnel compensation. In no case may the Operating Fund be used to pay any compensation, whether calculated on an hourly basis or otherwise, that would be proportionately greater than 118.05 percent of the total salary paid (as calculated on an hourly basis) under section 5312 of title 5, United States Code (relating to Level I of the Executive Schedule).

(2) Contributions and donations, including cash, property, and services, by the guaranty agency to others, regardless of the recipient or purpose, unless pursuant to written authorization from the Secretary;

(3) Entertainment, including amusement, diversion, hospitality suites, and social activities, and any costs associated with those activities, such as tickets to shows or sports events, meals, alcoholic beverages, lodging, rentals, transportation, and gratuities;

(4) Fines, penalties, damages, and other settlements resulting from violations or alleged violations of the guaranty agency's failure to comply with Federal, State, or local laws and regulations that are unrelated to the FFEL Program, unless specifically approved by the Secretary. This prohibition does not apply if a non-criminal violation or alleged violation has been assessed against the guaranty agency, the payment does not reimburse an agency employee, and the payment does not exceed $1,000, or if it occurred as a result of compliance with specific requirements of the FFEL Program or in accordance with written instructions from the Secretary. The use of the Operating Fund in any other case must be requested by the agency and specifically approved in advance by the Secretary;

(5) Legal expenses for prosecution of claims against the Federal Government, unless the guaranty agency substantially prevails on those claims. In that event, the Secretary approves the reimbursement of reasonable legal expenses incurred by the guaranty agency;

(6) Lobbying activities, as defined in section 501(h) of the Internal Revenue Code, including dues to membership organizations to the extent that those dues are used for lobbying;

(7) Major expenditures, including those for land, buildings, equipment, or information systems, whether singly or as a related group of expenditures, that exceed 5 percent of the guaranty agency's Operating Fund balance at the time the expenditures are made, unless the agency has provided written notice of the intended expenditure to the Secretary 30 days before the agency makes or commits itself to the expenditure. For those expenditures involving the purchase of an asset, the term “major expenditure” applies to costs such as the cost of purchasing the asset and making improvements to it, the cost to put it in place, the net invoice price of the asset, ancillary charges, such as taxes, duty, protective in-transit insurance, freight, and installation costs, and the costs of any modifications, attachments, accessories, or auxiliary apparatus necessary to make the asset usable for the purpose for which it was acquired, whether the expenditures are classified as capital or operating expenses;

(8) Public relations, and all associated costs, paid directly or through a third party, to the extent that those costs are used to promote or maintain a favorable image of the guaranty agency. The term “public relations” does not include any activity that is ordinary and necessary for the fulfillment of the agency's FFEL guaranty responsibilities under the HEA, including appropriate and reasonable advertising designed specifically to communicate with the public and program participants for the purpose of facilitating the agency's ability to fulfill its FFEL guaranty responsibilities under the HEA. Ordinary and necessary public relations activities include training of program participants and secondary school personnel and customer service functions that disseminate FFEL-related information and materials to schools, loan holders, prospective loan applicants, and their parents. In providing that training at workshops, conferences, or other ordinary and necessary forums customarily used by the agency to fulfill its responsibilities under the HEA, the agency may provide light meals and refreshments of a reasonable nature and amount to the participants;

(9) Relocation of employees in excess of an employee's actual or reasonably estimated expenses or for purposes that do not benefit the administration of the guaranty agency's FFEL program. Except as approved by the Secretary, reimbursement must be in accordance with an established written policy; and

(10) Travel expenses that are not in accordance with a written policy approved by the Secretary or a State policy. If the guaranty agency does not have such a policy, it may not use the assets of the Operating Fund to pay for travel expenses that exceed those allowed for lodging and subsistence under subchapter I of Chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, or in excess of commercial airfare costs for standard coach airfare, unless those accommodations would require circuitous routing, travel during unreasonable hours, excessively prolonged travel, would result in increased cost that would offset transportation savings, or would offer accommodations not reasonably adequate for the medical needs of the traveler.

(c) Cost allocation. Each guaranty agency that shares costs with any other program, agency, or organization shall develop a cost allocation plan consistent with the requirements described in OMB Circular A-87 and maintain the plan and related supporting documentation for audit. A guaranty agency is required to submit its cost allocation plans for the Secretary's approval if it is specifically requested to do so by the Secretary.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1840-0726)

Code of Federal Regulations

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1078 )

Code of Federal Regulations

[61 FR 60437, Nov. 27, 1996, as amended at 62 FR 13539, Mar. 21, 1997; 64 FR 58634, Oct. 29, 1999]

CFR

682.418—Prohibited uses of the assets of the Operating Fund during periods in which the Operating Fund contains transferred funds owed to the Federal Fund.

Code of Federal Regulations

Code of Federal Regulations