The measure also allows workers to take time off in exchange for travel outside of official duty
hours. The general ban against being paid for such time long has been a sore point among employees
who must travel on official duty; they argue that in effect they are being forced to contribute time
to their agencies. Under current policy, travel time is paid only if the time spent is within the
days and hours of the employee’s regularly scheduled workweek, the travel involves the performance of
work while traveling, is incident to travel that involves the performance of work while traveling, is
carried out under arduous conditions, or results from an event that could not be scheduled or
controlled administratively. Employees receiving compensatory time off for travel would not be
entitled to payment for unused compensatory time they earned.
