Charge Card Crackdown Ordered

A provision of the recently enacted DoD authorization bill aims to impose tighter controls on government-issued travel charge cards, following exposures of abuses by both civilian and military personnel. The measure requires that individuals be evaluated for their creditworthiness before being issued a travel card and orders DoD to set rules for disciplinary actions and penalties for improper use of travel cards that are consistent with similar rules for use of purchase cards. Similar government-wide language is in the catchall spending bill for fiscal 2004.