(a) Payment may not be authorized or approved for transportation, lodging, subsistence, or other travel expenses from DOE funds to, or on behalf of, a person who is not a Government employee unless such payment is made—

(1) Pursuant to an invitation received by that person from the Department to confer with a DOE employee on matters essential to the advancement of DOE programs or objectives and (i) in the case of a person invited to confer at the post of duty of the conferring DOE employee, a designated official has approved and stated the reasons for the invitation in writing, or (ii) in the case of a person invited to confer at a place other than the post duty of the conferring DOE employee, a principal departmental official has approved and stated the reasons for the invitation in writing;

(2) Pursuant to an invitation for an interview to a prospective employee of the Department who is an applicant for (i) a position in the Department classified at GS-16 or above of the General Schedule or the rate of basic pay for which is fixed, other than under the General Schedule, at a rate equal to or greater than the minimum rate of basic pay fixed for GS-16, (ii) a position for which a determination has been made that there is a manpower shortage pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 5723,or;

(3) In accordance with 28 U.S.C. 1821 or other applicable law, to a person who is subpoenaed by the Department to appear and testify or to appear and to produce documents at a designated place;

(4) To a person who serves as a travel attendant for a handicapped individual who is authorized to travel at DOE expense and who cannot travel alone because of the handicap; or

(5) Pursuant to a written determination of a principal departmental officer that it is in the interest of the Government to provide such payment, where the Counselor has determined in writing that the payment is authorized under 5 U.S.C. ch. 57 or other statutory authority.

(b) The authority of a designated official or a principal departmental officer, as the case may be, to provide approval of an invitation to travel under paragraph (a)(1) and of a principal departmental officer to determine that payment of travel expenses is in the interest of the Government under paragraph (a)(5) of this section may not be delegated.

(c) Within 30 days of providing written approval of an invitation under paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section, a designated official who is an Administrator of a power administration or the head of a Field Organization shall transmit a copy of the written approval to the principal departmental officer to whom the official or the official's organization reports.

(d) Payment of travel expenses may not be made pursuant to an invitation to travel under paragraphs (a)(1) or (a)(5) unless the written approval and statement of reasons required by paragraph (a)(1), or the written determinations required by paragraph (a)(5) of this section, are made before the travel to be authorized by the invitation takes place.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to prohibit payment for travel expenses that are reimbursable or allowable by the Department under the terms of a DOE contract or assistance award.

Notwithstanding any other provision in this part, a DOE employee may not authorize or approve, require another person to authorize or approve, or advocate the authorization or approval of, payment from DOE funds of travel expenses of a person who is not a Government employee and who is (a) the DOE employee's relative (except in the case of payment under § 1060.101(a)(4)), or (b) in the case of payment under § 1060.101(a)(1), a DOE contractor or a DOE assistance award recipient or the employee of a DOE contractor or a DOE assistance award recipient unless the travel expenses are incurred with respect to matters outside the scope of the contract or assistance award, as the case may be. (See also § 1060.101(e).)

Nothing in this part shall be interpreted as being applicable to authorization or approval of payment of travel expenses of Government employees, including DOE employees.

Payment of travel expenses under § 1060.101(a) (1) through (5) shall be subject to other Department rules relating to authorization of travel.

For purposes of this part—

(a) Counselor means the General Counsel of the Department or the General Counsel of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or their delegates, as appropriate.

(b) Designated official means (1) a principal departmental officer, (2) an individual who is appointed to a position in the Department by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate, (3) the Administrator of a power administration, or (4) the head of a Field Organization.

(c) DOE or Department means the Department of Energy established by the Department of Energy Organization Act, section 201, Pub. L. 95-91 (42 U.S.C. 7131).

(d) Employee means—

(1) An employee as defined by 5 U.S.C. 2105;

(2) A special Government employee as defined in 18 U.S.C. 202(a);

(3) A member of a Uniformed Service.

(e) Handicapped individual means a person who has a physical or mental disability or health impairment, and includes an individual who is temporarily incapacitated because of illness or injury.

(f) Principal departmental officer means the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, or Under Secretary, or, in the case of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Chairman or Executive Director of the Commission.

(g) Relative means, with respect to a DOE employee, an individual who is related to the employee, by blood, marriage, or operation of law, as father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, great aunt, great uncle, first cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, grandchild, grandparent, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, or half sister, and shall also include the grandparent of an employee's spouse, an employee's fiance or fiancee, or any person residing in the employee's household.